Let's Bring Back SUMMER!

 On a typical afternoon here, this is where you will find us. 

Sun shining, Daddy home, hose out, water table full, buckets full of "hot chocolate", driveway chalked, toys strewn about, baby's smelling of sun lotion. 

 Water tables are more fun with no pants, didn't you hear?

 Smile are SO MUCH BIGGER IN THE SUMMER!

 Pour, dump, pour, dump, blow bubbles.  Reagan's favorite activities. :)

  I know Declan, I'm excited too!!

IT'S DADDY'S LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

LET'S BRING BACK SUMMERRRRR!!

Pre-Pre School Ceremony!

This was such a special day for us, as it was Reilly's moving-up ceremony from her first year to her second year of pre-school.  Her first year of school was so wonderful.  I couldn't have planned a better first experience for her.  She had the sweetest "helpers" who cared about her, played with her, taught her new things, and genuinely loved her. These girls meant more to her than they know - she talked about them constantly. She made some friends, made some mistakes, and made some beautiful finger paintings.  She came running out of school (into Reagan's arms) every day.  She would be skipping with energy and joy.  She adored driving to school with Daddy, listening to "Daddy's songs" in the car, and meeting "Daddy's friends" at work.  The mornings that they got gas, she got a granola bar from the convenience store, and this was just about the highlight of her week.  We weren't sure we wanted to start her going to school until she turned 4 (which would have been this coming year).  But last summer, she starting asking to go to school.  I am so happy that she has such a love of learning, and gained this independence this year.  She has had such special experiences - separate from her siblings or from Mommy and Daddy.  This was an adjustment at first, but this is preparation for her future.  Because of her time away from me during the day, she has come home from school saying, "I was a little bit sad when (insert small problem) happened, but then I prayed and I felt better."  Or "I know that God is always with me, even when I think I'm alone, I am not!"  Being away from her comfort zone has allowed her to feel closer to God this year, which was an unexpected result of her starting school.

We couldn't be more proud of this little girl.  Her teacher (who is retiring this year) told us that she is one of the most caring and compassionate students she has ever seen in her career.

I'm not sure it gets any better than that.

 Morning Circle!! Maybe the cutest thing ever.

 (My head got cut off, but the love is still there! :))

 Her sweet helpers!

 Getting her certificate!

Singing "Skidda-ma-rink" and "We Love Parents" :)

Oh, and her teacher called her "Queen of the Bows" when she presented her diploma. We sure do love our bows in this house! :)

Way to go, little school girl!

A Day at the Wineries!

 If you can do one thing for yourself, make sure your kids love going to wineries.  It's really such a win-win for everyone involved. :)  Seriously though, who would think that spending a day at the wineries would leave a 4 year old and 2 years old asking if we could go back every day?  We did something right this day when the adults and the kids left having the best day ever.

We brought some balls, some bubbles, some snacks, some bocce, and some sunscreen.  Add a few bottles of wine, the wide open farmland of eastern Long Island, a gorgeous memorial day Sunday, and some of the best people you ever want to be around - and you have the ingredients for a pretty perfect day.

We stayed until the sun made us all sleepy, not just the toddlers.  We napped in the car ride home, and grilled, swam, and had some more wine when we got there.

Don't think for on second that we took for granted how blessed we are to be able to drive to a place like this, enjoy this beauty on a whim.  A very blessed day for sure.

 There were beautiful horsies!

 This is what it looked like when we arrived.  We were a little excited!

 Speaking of excited, check out these smiles!

 Avert your eyes, these photos might be too gorgeous to look directly at...

 Reilly is chillaxing, Reagan is chasing a ball for the 65th time that day.

Girlfriends, loves of life, thick and thin, hand us some wine and we will pass the time. :)

Loved this day!

6 months!

My little mans is 6 months old!  When I took these pictures, I gasped because of what a little boy he is starting to look like.  He genuinely looked older to me this month!  The little bruise. This boy could not be more the epitome of LOVE.

Somebody discovered his "tie stickers" this month!!  They are crumply and make noise and everything!  Man are they fun to chew on. :)  Next month Mommy's going to have to start being sneaky!  Speaking of which, you LOVE all things crunchy!  Wipes packages, paper, plastic..anything that makes that crunchy sound.  Mima found you a crunchy sounding chewing toy, which is pretty much your heaven.


Since last month, you have started ROLLING little guy!  Like rolling everywhere in the world.  Or at least in the living room. :)  You will roll and roll across the whole room.  Time to babyproof!  And you even started rolling in your crib and sleeping on your belly at night - which has made you sleep even better, if that was possible.  The other day you slept until almost 8:30!  Mommy didn't know what to do with this new-found free time (with only 2 kids to look after) from 6-8 am. ;)

You are starting food this month!  This was your last month of only breastmilk.  Although, you are a giant of a baby and I think you are obviously beyond thriving, so I think just breastfeeding till you are 3? Perfect.  Who needs solid food. I mean, really.

Or, you are having carrots tomorrow night.  We'll see how it goes. ;)



You are officially in size 4 diapers.  Didn't you just move up to 3 last month?  Anyway, Mommy was getting tired of carrying around 3 extra changes of clothes everywhere we went because you pooped through everything, so we moved on up!  Let's chill out at size 4 for a while, huh? 

You got your third tooth on the bottom, and might have a fourth coming in on the other side!  So, maybe your skull is telling me you'd like to start chewing?  Okay, fine.



(Where'd my tie go mom?? Sophie isn't as crunchy!) 

You take 2 naps a days, one morning and one late afternoon.  The morning on you take while Sissy is at school, and luckily you wake up in time to go get her.  The afternoon one is sometimes lined up with Reagan's, sometimes you push it back to around 4:30 or 5.  Then you go down for the night around 7:00, bless you baby.

You are in size 18 months clothes, or 24 months.  People tell me when I breastfeed you that it looks like I have a 3 year old in my lap. :)  I wouldn't have it any other way, my little big guy. I sometimes can't believe that all you have grown, and all of your nourishment, has come solely from my body.  It's quite the miracle that God worked out, this breastfeeding thing.  I love that your little body has been completely sustained on mine for the past 15 months (since you were in the womb).  If we are having something to eat, Reilly will always say, "Don't worry Declan boyyy you will have some later!" and point to me. :)

I have to mention this again, because this is such a part of you...I say it every month, but goodness gracious you are the happiest baby that ever existed.  Today you came with us to Reilly's pre-school ceremony, and strangers just looked at you and you started laughing.  Laughing!  No one could believe it.  You could have people you have never met holding you, and you will snuggle and smile and coo at them.  You love being in your stroller while the girls are outside playing.  You are about the easiest baby to please, and I have had some darn good babies. :)  But you, my boy, are just so easygoing.  You literally have a "tired cry" which is this little whine that I recognize and I know I just need to nurse you, and then you are out.  Other than that, you cry when you are hungry, and occasionally when those sisters get to the dog-whistle-piercing-level of squealing.

You are my little nugget man, and happiness follow wherever you go.

Happy 6 months!

Farm Day

Recently, we went to an awesome farm with our cousins!  It is a "living" historical farm, where the kids can see how families and farmers really dressed, lived, and worked on a farm similar to this many many years ago.  I love all things like this, and would love to spend a summer pretending to live in colonial times. Or being Amish.  Or just working WITH the Amish at their jam-and-salsa-and-bread-and-oatmeal-cookie making facilities.  Which would hopefully be a converted old school house.  Anyway, I loved it. :)  And so did the kiddos!  I mean, give them some cute little dirty noisy animals and they are pretty much the happiest they could ever be. 

This chick refused to go in her own stroller, or hold anyone's hand.  Then she was offered a seat in her cousin's stroller, and she hopped right in!

Cuties next to a sleeping cow!  It was giant, it might have been pregnant.  Unless I just don't know how giant a normal cow is.  This mama was huge!

Reilly with the cute little farmer girl!  Petting baby chicks.

So cute. 

I love this picture.  I feel like the left should be in black and white, like it's two generations intermingling.  One is a little farmgirl and her chick, one a neon-princess in her tiara. Haha.  A few more decades, little farmgirl, and Disney will release Snow White. You wait and see, it will change your life.

Reagan, timid as always, was gently petting the chick when it went to peck her!  The bottom picture is her pulling her hand away and shrieking.  That little boy knew was he was doing and tightened his grip on that little bugger!

All the big kids watching the baby ducks take a bath.  For like 5 seconds until Reagan put her hands in the cloudy water and I imagined when her thumb would be in her mouth in 3 minutes when she got tired, and started having mild anxiety.  Oh, petting zoo germs!

Although we only had neon, flowers, bows, and tiaras, our cousin Landon certainly knew how to dress for the farm!! How cute is he.

I can't handle the hand holding. 

Reilly decided Sawyer needed some love..

And Sawyer got a little glimpse into Declan's every day life of being smothered and adored by two curly haired pseudo-mommies...

This picture kills me.  Reilly was pretending to be scared.  What is even happening. Haha.

Standing on the schoolhouse steps when the HAW-SEES came by!!

As always, we found a field to frolic in.  We joked that we drove over an hour, and all our kids wanted to do was play in the grass. :)

Declan had overalls on...for the car ride there, until he pooped in them.  Story of his life!  Thank goodness Aunt Meghan had some jeans, because all Mommy had was a pair of pink leggings. :)  My little chunky monkey!

We had such a fun day in the sunshine petting the animals and stepping back in time with our cousins.  Another awesome fun-packed weekend!