It's Party Time

It's been awhile since I've had the chance to update the blog. Lots has happened. We went to Ireland for almost a month and we celebrated 2 birthdays! I will get to our travel later.

About a week after we came home we had a fun party for Claire and Neil at Rood Bridge Park with our families and a few friends. Claire is such a big girl now turning 6. She even has 2 loose teeth. Claire really enjoys swimming and dancing. I am so happy to have such a great helper at home. She is great with her baby brother!

Neil turned 1 this month. It's so hard to believe how quickly the time has gone. He should be just a tiny baby still in my mind. However, he is not little at all. He weighed in at 28 lbs and 31 inches long. He says "uh oh" and sometimes "mamma" and "dada". He is not really moving around yet, although he is getting stronger and seems like he will skip crawling altogether and just start walking. He is my blonde haired blue eyed baby, and we love him to pieces.

The party at the park was a lot of fun. We played a few games in the field and then opened presents. Claire really liked her new barbies, books, shoes, clothes, and legos. Neil loved his new dump truck, musical book, musical ball, and clothes. After the presents we served up the cake. Neil had his own cake and did not disappoint. He went face first into the chocolate frosting and loved it! Claire also had a chocolate cake, but we were all able to enjoy that. Overall, the weather was great and everyone had a good time relaxing and enjoying the evening in the park. Happy Birthday to Claire and Neil!

Graduate

On Friday, Claire graduated from Kindergarten. It was a big day for her. She picked out her yellow dress and sandals the night before. We were all able to go, which was fun except that the classroom was packed! So many people were there to support the kids. The kids sang "Down by the Bay" and did the chicken dance for us. There was a diploma ceremony and then we stayed to decorate cupcakes.

It's hard to believe that she has finished her first whole year of school. Now she will be a real big kid this next year in first grade. We are so proud of her accomplishments this year. She is reading and writing very well. Good job Claire!

Fire

Last weekend it was hot here! Like an amazing 85 ish degrees! After the weather we have had all year, it was downright HOT. The girls and I stopped by the county safety fair. There were cop cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and a cop boat to explore. They got to ride their bikes around to look at all the fun stuff. Claire really enjoyed the fire area. She got to "drive" in the firetruck and talk to the firemen. (Firemen are my favorite too Claire) :)

11 Months

Where does the time go? Neil is approaching his birthday at a hefty 27 1/2 pounds. He has such an amazing smile and cute chunky legs. His baby blues are still blue, and he still likes to cuddle. Although he still isn't mobile, he manages to roll around to find the objects of greatest desire. ie: cellphone, remote, sharp/small things. As you can imagine he is a great eater. I haven't really found a food that he won't eat. We are so lucky to have this little guy in our family!

Unexpected

This year has been a difficult one for my family. Chris and I both lost a Grandma within a few months of each other. In both cases it was very unexpected and came about suddenly. They also both died of pneumonia at about the same age. It is just crazy to see how that infection can affect an older person. At least they are both in a better place now, free of loneliness and physical pain. They lived long lives and were greatly loved by many.

When I learned about my Grandma, my mom, sister, and I left for Ireland to be with her. We didn't make it in time, but we were able to help out with funeral arrangements and be supportive for our mom and her siblings. It was especially neat to spend time with relatives that I had never even met before. I also really enjoyed spending time with my aunts and uncles that I don't see very often.

I was in Ireland for almost 2 weeks, which is forever because I left my family behind. I have the most amazing husband for holding down the fort for so long. I even came home to a spotless house and my kitchen table re stained! Thank you so much Honey!

On the way home, my sister and I had a really long layover that we took full advantage of. We took a couple trains to Manhattan and walked around the Empire State Building and then Times Square. It was really great to see the city. It really did live up to all my expectations. There were tons of people, taxis, and building everywhere. It seemed like it's own country. We had a slice of pizza, shopped around Times Square, and just enjoyed people watching before heading back to the airport for another long flight.

It was really great to be able to go be with my family, but I am so happy to be home with my kids and hubby. We love you Grandma Anne Straley and Grandma May Smith!

Some pics from my travels....

First Beach Trip

This last weekend we spent an afternoon at the beach. I was a little bit worried as we drove there through a few rain showers, but as soon as we arrived the sky was clear blue. It was our first beach trip of the year, and I later realized, Neil's first beach trip ever! The kids had a blast as usual...playing in the water, digging in the sand, making castles, etc. We went to one of our favorite spots in Gearhardt where you can drive onto the beach. It's great because you don't have to haul things from your car. We BBQ'd some burgers for dinner and even played a pretty physical game of soccer in the sand. My sister and brother-law were in town, so it was fun to spend the day with the family and enjoy a gorgeous day on the coast!

Nice shades Neil! You can also see Bree's new baby pug Maggs...she's pretty cute!

This is what I get when I say, "say cheese"

Easter EGGstravaganza

I know it's May now, but I'm a little behind. We had a really nice Easter weekend. Saturday the sun was shining and we decided to drive out to the Alpenrose Dairy Farm for their annual egg hunt. We arrived early and had time to get pictures with the creepy looking bunny...although Grace was too scared to get very close. The egg hunting was mayhem. There were kids and parents everywhere. We cleared the fields of candy eggs within minutes of starting. Even though it was pure craziness we had a great time especially since the sun was out. I even participated in the "Mom's hunt". It was the same idea, except that the prizes included much better things...like beach trips, gift cards, and diamonds. I have to say, the adrenaline rush at the start of the hunt was pretty intense. I totally ran over some older ladies who were running out there too slow. :) If I thought the other hunts were over fast...this one was inane. It was over within seconds. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of the "prize" eggs. Maybe next year

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We dyed our eggs,the kids enjoyed their baskets of goodies on Sunday morning, and we spent the afternoon at Church celebrating the real meaning of Easter. Afterwards we enjoyed a yummy dinner with family.