Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

The kids had an interesting evening, they were very excited about trick - or - treating. We waited for Daddy to get home from work and very soon after, they were ready. Christian was Thomas the Train, Connor was a Cow. Connor was randomly saying "Happy Halloween!" all day long, it was cute. He's starting to get it.

While Daddy was still getting ready, the boys and I brought the pumpkins to the end of the driveway. Those of you who know our house, know what a long driveway we have. Add to it no street lights in our development and makes the walk to our house even harder. So, we put our pumpkins at the end of the drive near the street and place a bowl of candy out with them. Christian rode his race car and pulled the pumpkins in the wagon, to the end of the drive. Very important job. Soon enough they were lit and we were off.

There were actually a ton of trick or treaters out in our neighborhood. Half of the houses have very long driveways, but we all made the trek to those with lights on. Many houses were really decked out too. Those who know Christian know that he's not really a big fan of candy. He only likes a few things, but even then it's still not his favorite. I find that amazing because I love sugar candy and Guy loves chocolate. Connor, on the other hand is the exact opposite and loves all types of candy, sugar and chocolate. He just loves food.

So this leads me to my favorite event of the night. After about 4 houses, Christian was already feeling done with this whole trick or treat thing. We literally had to make Christian get out of the wagon to trick or treat at this one house. He rings the doorbell, a man answers and Christian says 'trick or treat.' Connor is just standing there, eagerly awaiting his new treat. So, the man offers his bowl to them and Christian looks at him like he has 5 heads, and says "I don't want any candy." I think the man was a bit confused and surprised. After all, who doesn't want any candy on Halloween? Meanwhile, Connor is helping himself. The man offers Christian an apple instead, to which Christian is like "No" (A.K.A. that's pretty much poison to him.) So Connor ended up with 2 apples and a ton of candy from this man and Christian just retreated back to his wagon. It was nice of the man, but at the same time, it weighed Connor's pumpkin down a ton, but there was no way Connor would part with them either. In Connor's mind, this indeed has to be the best night of his life so far. He has learned a new and easy way to get candy! He was in heaven upon getting home and dumping out his loot...actually seeing what he got!

By the way, Christian and Guy went home slightly earlier and Connor and I continued along the street. Every house we'd pass Connor would say "How about that one" as not to skip any potential treat. Christian pretty much rode around in the wagon all night and Connor walked most of the driveways and up and down the street. I was amazed that he could keep going. He ought to sleep well tonight.

Treasures:
*Lots and lots of Halloween Candy, mostly for Guy and I to eat.
*Great Trick or Treat weather.

Getting ready to go out.

Connor hitting up our own stash before leaving.

Walking down a driveway.

The boys getting ready to bring the pumpkins down to the end of the driveway.

Christian has the wagon hitched up to his car.

Our four glowing jack o'lanterns.

Yesterday at Gymnastics they wore their costumes for a few minutes in the beginning and had a little parade and class picture. He takes the class with his friends, Rachel and Sarah in the pink and red Spanish Dancer dresses. Between dressing up at gymnastics, at school today for a party and tonight, I think Christian is all done with this holiday for another year.

Here's a sweater that I just finished for Joann's new baby Zachary.

The buttons all have puppy dogs and bones on them.

They love dogs so I thought it was fitting. It ought to keep him nice and warm.

Today Connor Was A Cow

Connor had his drop off class this morning and we were told to send them in their Halloween costumes. He was very excited to put on his cow costume this morning. I had also bought him a pirate costume, to which he looked at last night and told me "No Mama." He wouldn't even try it on. The pirate costume was cute, but I suppose in all fairness that he really doesn't know what a pirate is. He does however know what a cow is, and he consistently "Moo'd" his way thru the day. He kept saying, "I'm a boy, I'm a cow." I'm not sure he knew what he really was, but he stayed in costume for most of the day. I couldn't get it off him.

He had a great day at his school. I think that he's settling into it now that it's part of his routine. He really loves Kelly. Today he walked right in, saw her, got excited and hurried right over to her and plopped down next to her on the floor. I left with no problems at all & no crying. Yea. Separation is getting easier.

Heidi and I and the boys walked to the park this afternoon. The weather was glorious. We spent much of the afternoon outside and all the boys got out tons of energy. James and Cooper were super cute. When Connor finally made it down the twirly slide himself, they were at the bottom cheering him on. They did it all by themselves, like they knew that he needed the extra encouragement. It was an interesting moment for me to take in, where all three of them, the 2 & 3 year olds, seemed much older than their age.

Christian, Connor, James & Cooper

Connor taking a bit of a break at the playground earlier today.

Check out the size of the leaf Heidi is holding. Where on earth did that come from?
Keegan is on her back, taking everything in. He's such a sweet baby.

Have I mentioned how much Christian likes to cook? He spent several hours over the weekend practicing. He's content for hours just mixing his own ingredients, sugar, flour, salt, an egg or two, and whatever extra spices I feel like giving him from the cabinet. He does cooking at school and I think that is what is triggering his interest.....it certainly doesn't come from me! Maybe he gets it from his daddy. Daddy took time this weekend to make a few pretzels with Christian, which he loved making & then he devoured them.

Treasures:

*Perfect weather, enough said.

*Connor is settling in at school.

*Shopping time alone today for just a little bit....long enough to make a difference.

It's A Boy!!!

Zachary has made his entrance into the world! We have a new baby boy cousin. Joann & Pat had him today @ 12:59, so he's almost 12 hours old now. Mom and I drove into the Brigham to visit them tonight and he really was adorable. He slept most of the time, but every so often he'd open his eyes and peek out at the world. We're so glad that everyone is doing well and that he is finally here!!!

Every so often I am reminded of how big our boys are getting. Sometime I feel like they are still little, one in preschool and one not even there yet. Then there are moments like tonight, holding Zachary in the hospital where I am reminded of how small & precious babies really are. Looking at his tiny toes and fingers just reminds me of how much of a miracle babies are and how far we've come with our own two. While it's been a while, it also feels like it was just yesterday that each of our own kids were both newborns. I miss it, but at the same time I love the ages that we are at now.

Treasures:

*New babies, so exciting to finally see one that we've been waiting for :-)
*Listening to Connor tell Dad "No, Don't Do That!" He's finally using his words, even though he's bossy.

Autumn Festival

We had so much fun today. Guy finished putting a railing on some steps he built in the garage this morning. Soon there after we headed down to Newton to an Autumn Festival in the Centre. We'd been there before when Christian was about 2, so it's been a while since we went back. The boys loved it. There were all sorts kiddie rides and games set up. Upon arriving, Christian announced that it was 'just like Story Land' since there was a bounce house/slide set up shaped like a golden yellow shoe - just like in NH. That was the first thing that he went on. Connor gravitates towards motion rides while Christian likes to be in control, choosing slides, and fun houses. They both liked riding on a small train which went around in an oval - but after one lap Christian was looking at me telling me he wanted to get off (as he'd go by), while Connor was in heaven, again. Oh the fun. These guys live, eat, breathe and sleep Choo Choo's.

We could have a new addition to our family tonight as Joann is in labor in the hospital.....though she was there yesterday too. Might be a while still, but we can't wait to find out and meet the baby.

Treasures:
*Feeling better everyday, slowly but surely.
*Thank goodness my parents are here to help out - they've made a world of difference and the boys adore them.
*A taste of winter in the air today -I quite enjoyed the crisp air.
*The festival.....quite enjoyable.

Trains, Trains, Trains

We love trains. Well, at least the boys do, so we spent our day revolving our activities around them. The boys woke up rather early, but kept themselves amused for a bit before we had to drag our heads from our pillows. Have I ever mentioned how much I love sleeping? If you know me well, you know that :-)

We drove to Brookline and took the green line into Gov. Center. As if one trolly ride isn't enough, we switched to the blue line and took that to the airport. Let me mention, the airport stop on the blue line is only a stop. From there you have to take a bus over to the airport. The boys were in their heaven! Once at the airport, we walked around, went on a parking garage rooftop to look at the planes and eventually got back on a bus to ride the blue line again back to downtown. We stopped at the aquarium to look at the seals outside, walked down to the harbor and overall just had a completely enjoyable time. Did I mention how wonderful the weather was? It felt like a perfect fall day.

At one point we stopped and enjoyed a few moments at the new green space between Faneuil Hall and the Harbor. They have a new fountain that is fun to watch. Water spouts out of about 50 different holes, dances around for timed intervals. In between, various crowd thrill seekers attempt to run thru the fountain and try to avoid getting wet. The rest of the crowd watches, claps and 'ooh's and awe's.' We watched for about 15 minutes. It's quite relaxing. Connor, being Connor, suddenly decided to be like much of the crowd around him, and when his opportunity arose, he ran full speed ahead into the fountain - even though Guy was right with him. I happened to catch a good photo of Guy sprinting after him and catching him. I was just glad it wasn't me doing the chase :-)

Christian and I skated again yesterday and he's really getting it. I love that the boys are old enough now that we can go to the rink together whenever and just have family time doing something we all like.

Friday night was especially wonderful. One of my cousins got married this past August in B.C. Her Mom had a post-nuptial party for her and her husband in Worcester and reunited many family members on my fathers side that I haven't seen in so long. So long that I cannot actually be sure when the last time was. Anyhow, it ended up being loads of fun and it was great to see everyone and I think that most of my cousins felt the same way. Now, the harder part will to try and do it again or at least try and keep better contact.

Treasures:

*Seeing the world thru the boys eyes on the trains today. Pure amazement.

*The wonderful fall weather we've been having.

*Watching the playful harbor seals & seeing the how amused the boys were.

*It's a long weekend.....yea.

Christian and Daddy Observing A Train On The Blue Line

Connor and Daddy Watching The Fountain

Connor's Escape: Pretty Fast, But Daddy Is Faster

Taking A Stroll On The Faneuil Hall Cobblestones

The Boys and I @ The Harbor

The Skyline From Terminal B's Roof

The Boys & The Harbor Seals

Christian Taking Connor For A Ride

A Few Random Pictures From The Party Friday Night:

Christian is 5!

It's been so long since I've posted anything. Lets see. Christian turned 5 this past Wednesday. He is very excited about that and is telling everyone that he is now 5. He had off from school both Tuesday and Weds, so we went to Pump It Up both mornings for an hour. The boys had a complete blast. They get inside and they just start running and don't stop until it's time to leave. Our neighbor Ryan came with us the second day, on Christian's birthday, so it was extra special. We celebrated with a little cake afterwards, with Grammie and Grampy. We spent the afternoon at Heidi's house, then had another party with Daddy that evening. Christian made cupcakes for his party at school on Friday and finally today was his party with his friends at the gymnastics center that he goes to. It's been a birthday week celebration.....and it's over until next October.

Connor got his chance today to do his "nastics.'" He had the time of his life inside the gym, doing all the stuff that he only gets to watch the big kids do every week. Usually he's desperate to get inside the gym door when we are there for Christian's weekly class, and now I know that he is going to be one sad little boy come Thursday when he can't go back in. I am going to have to look into a class for him soon. He was especially good at doing the rope swing and the foam pit.

I joined Christian's class on a field trip last Monday to Honey Pot Hill, a nearby apple orchard. We lucked out and had decent weather and I think all the kids had a fun time. We rode the bus, picked apples, had a picnic, saw animals and pumpkins, then headed back to school. It's always enjoyable to do school related activities, esp. now that he's so much bigger and follows the rules. Christian and I also went to movie night at school Friday night. Some of his friends were there, so that made it extra fun. Bee Movie was playing and all the children wore their PJ's to school at night. How silly.

Tomorrow Connor is back to his drop off morning class. Wish us luck....I'm sure he'll be a little sad, but afterwards he'll tell me how fun it is.

The Birthday Boy At His Party

In The Pitt

A Scully Cap Like Grampy

The Birthday Boy And His Mama

The Boy On The Ice A Few Weeks Back

Taking A Break

In The Garden, Digging Holes

Treasures:

*Watching the boys have so much fun at the party today. Christian is really growing up into a bright little boy, Connor too, but it's so apparent in Christian now.

*The autumn weather is wonderful.

*I am feeling a bit better today. Huge improvement! Yea.

*A fun filled week ahead to look forward too.

Connor Goes To School

Big day for Connor. Today he had his first day of school, a drop off play group. I think he was pretty excited because he so desperately wants to join Christian everyday when we drop him off. I kept telling him that we were going to his school. He also loved getting to wear his Thomas Backpack.

He did better than I expected when I got ready to leave his class. He did notice other parents leaving and he came over to me for reassurance, then he'd go play again. He was fine when I left, but his teacher told me that he did cry shortly after I left. Luckily he had Puppy to snuggle. When I came back to his room for pickup, his teacher informed me that I had to sign an accident report. Of course, that would be about my luck! Anyhow, Connor has quite a bump under his right eye and a big red mark to boot. I am pretty sure it's going to turn into a black eye. What a way for him to start preschool! He took a tumble while trying to enter a Little Tots Playhouse. He was happy to see me and told me about his boo boo (just in case I couldn't see it!!!) I don't think it dampened his ideas of school too much though. He smiled the rest of the day when we asked him about it and said it was fun. Hopefully next week will go better.

Connor and I spent some time in the back yard after getting home. My big project is to take down the pool. It is almost done. The water is emptied and I pretty much scrubbed it down. I did get a big fright while doing it - and then I just decided that I was done. Guy can take over from here. A frog, about the size of a half dollar came hopping out from under one side of the pool. It scared the daylights out of me at first, mainly because I wasn't expecting it, esp. so close to me. I also am not too fond of many outdoor bugs and creatures I guess. Connor got a crack out of it and was trying to get it.
On a similar note, about 2 weeks ago Christian, Connor, James, Cooper and I were in the back yard and we saw a few very tiny frogs hopping thru the wood chips and the grass. It was amazing how they blended in with the landscape. I ran to get a small bucket to put one in as 'our pet.' I told the 4, 3, 2.5 and almost 2 year olds to watch one frog in particular. I was gone about 1 minute and when I returned, they were all doing something else. So much for the attention span. Anyhow, when I asked them where the frog went, James had a great answer. He told me that "maybe Keegan ate it." FYI, Keegan is 10 months old. Good try :-) At least he had an answer.
We did eventually find the same frog that day, I think, and we captured it for a few hours and watched it. James had a great name for him, Franz, just like his frog. So while I don't mind the smaller species, I am not really a fan of slightly larger frogs.
Here are pics from both boys first days of school and one of the lovely new friend I encountered today.

Treasures:

*Having almost 2 hours to myself today while both boys were at school. It was delightful.

*Shopping at the mall, early morning, no stroller and no one to tend to except for myself. (Though I admit, none of the boys, including Guy are ever far from my mind.)

*Watching Connor play in less than one inch of water in the pool, and hearing him say "slippery" and laugh as he tried to keep upright.

*Hearing Christian recap events of his day. I am getting more so far this year than any to date.

When we were leaving Connor was in a mood and not really cooperating.

He didn't want his picture taken, but I got a few anyways.

Interesting marks, huh?

My 4 year old is becoming VERY independent these days. He only wants to take showers now, washes his own hair, cleans his own body (all with adult products!!) He has also taken to making his own sandwiches for both when he is hungry and for packing in his lunch box! He also likes to dress like a chef. He calls himself a "Grampy Cook Conductor." I think that stems from wanting to be like his Grampy someday, liking to pretend cooking in his room at his store, and the last part of the name of course is from his love of trains. He refers to himself as this title almost daily.

Back to school

It's been a few weeks since I posted last. The rest of summer vacation went by quickly. We spent Labor Day weekend on the Cape and thoroughly enjoyed the 'end of summer.' Christian had a few more swimming lessons with Dana in Hyannis, played with Brian, walked on the jetty's of both Cold Storage and Harborside beaches, mini golfed, went to Sundae School, ate at our favorite restaurant, Sesuit Harbor Cafe (overlooking the harbor)......he's a lucky kid. Connor enjoyed some of those excursions, and stayed back with Grammie and Grampy at other times.

Christian started his final year of pre-school on Tuesday. Last week I took him to his orientation and he was very happy to see the familiar faces of his teachers and friends. He got right back into the groove of school the first day, but was quite exhausted when he got home.

Today, day two......quite a lot of events took place. He went to school in the morning, but I received a reverse 911 call from our town alerting us to a drunk, suicidal man carrying a knife (also noted to have said to his wife that he intended to commit suicide by cop) in the vicinity very close to his school. The town message said to stay indoors, lock your doors and stop all outdoor activity. That was a little frightening! His school, and others in the area, went into lock down. I was able to pick him up soon after, I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to. There was a police officer stationed at the door where our drive up, drop off / pick up takes place. That made me, and I'm sure other parents and teachers, feel safer. The whole scene was pretty surreal. There were cops and state troopers all over the main roads (near school), helicopters above and news stations just down the road at a church parking lot that turned into a command center. Finally around 6 pm they did find the man, very close to his house, alive and with 2 knives and handcuffs on his person. I'd say that our police did the right thing locking down the schools as a safety precaution.

So, after this long day, I'm feeling pretty drained. I haven't been getting enough rest lately and I am definitely feeling it. It's off to bed now. Tomorrow I'll post Christian's back to school photos.

Treasures:

*Enjoying Connor time. The days are filled with just him and I now that Christian is back in school. He's a different kid without his big brother around - for better or worse. He definitely misses Christian and wants to be at school too.

*I'm thankful that everyone is O.K after today's events and that no one was harmed.

*Loving the wonderful end of summer, September days. The weather has been absolutely perfect over the past week or so. No humidity and perfect, sun shining days.

Stretching Our Summer Vacation

It's Sunday night and we're still on the Cape. Guy came and went and I decided to stay down here with the boys for at least another night or two. The weather has been pretty perfect so I figure, why leave yet? The boys are in heaven.

Guy arrived on Saturday, mid-afternoon. We took the boys to Cold Storage for about an hour and they frolicked around on the beach. Guy dug them a big hole in the sand, filled with water and they had countless jumps into it. They also had a good time rolling around in it.....lets just say that they were completely covered with sand, everywhere.

Guy took Christian out on the jetty and they walked the rocks to the end. Christian had not done that before, so that was quite an achievement. Connor and I met them on the wall, but we only did a few rocks, he's way too little, but don't tell him that.

We had an 8PM dinner reservation at the Lighthouse Inn with the boys and with Mom and Dad. They met us there. The kids loved wandering the grounds, playing in the playground, going near the water, etc. It's fun for us to go back there every year to celebrate yet another year of being married. We had a table on the water which was perfect because around 8:30, West Dennis Beach had fireworks as part of the Dennis Festival Days Celebration. We could sort of see them from our table, but could also go out onto the deck to watch with everyone else. Connor was hysterical. They were pretty loud, and he just kept saying "Boom! Boom! Boom!" Christian also liked them better his second time around.....July 4th was quite an experience for him.

This morning I took Christian up to Hyannis for a swim lesson with Dana. He's doing terrific, starting to swim with her without his bubble pack on. He loves his lessons with her and tells me that they are so much fun.

While we were gone, Guy and Connor went on a bike ride down to Chapin Beach. They were gone for a while and on the way back Guy told us that Connor kept nodding off in his seat. He kept feeling Connors head bumping into his back. Poor little Connor must have been so tired, but I'd imagine that getting biked around could lull me to sleep too.

Later this afternoon Guy and I took Christian mini-golfing. Have I mentioned that Christian's new favorite activity is mini-golfing? We've gone 4 days in a row now!!!! He loves it. We move thru the 18 holes pretty quick too. We followed mini-golf up with an ice cream at Holiday Hill, and a visit to their arcade. Does life get any better for a 4 year old?

Guy headed home tonight and the boys went down to sleep a little while ago. Tomorrow sounds nice, so I'm sure we're going to make it a beach day.

Back On The Cape

We're on the Cape again. Christian came down a day early with Grampy, on Tuesday and had Grammy and Grampy all to himself for an entire 24 hours. He was in heaven. I think that is an understatement! That also means that I had a lot of quality time with Connor and boy did he miss his big brother. They may not always play wonderfully, but I would definitely say that Connor missed Christian. He asked about him often and I think that he's happy to be around him again, even if that means a lot of intervening on my part.

Last night Zac and I went to the Saw Doctors www.sawdoctors.com concert at the Cape Cod Melody Tent. They played an amazing concert. I am thinking that it's about the 10th time that I've seen them over about 10 years, and they never get old. It was Dad's 2nd time. He was actually up in Hyannis getting tickets to a show for tomorrow night and he randomly ran into the band in the parking lot. Go figure his luck....Luck of the Irish??? He went over to them and asked them 'who the Saw Doctors were???' and they told him that they were. Well, once he told them that he saw them back at the Roxy in 2007, they got his joke. They are from Tuam, in Galway, the same town and county that my fathers grandmother was from. Without a doubt, I'd bet they know the family farm. He was upset with himself later on, for not asking them. Anyhow, he bought a pair of tickets and we went off to the show last night. They sold the concert out and it was so much fun! They have such a mix of listeners, old, young, Irish, American it makes for a pretty amazing time. Can't wait for next winters show in Boston.

Today I got to sleep in and when I got up, I put Connor in for a nap. My dad stayed home with him and Christian and I joined my mom at her pool. It was delightful! The water was warm and Christian had himself a blast swimming. When we were done, we stopped for a round of mini-golf at the same place where Christian and I golfed yesterday. He is completely obsessed with mini-golfing these days. He already has plans to do it tomorrow.

We also stopped off at Seagull Beach in Yarmouth for a little while late afternoon today. It was nice. Not too crowded but there was a ton of seaweed on the Nantucket Sound side, like always. I wouldn't have wanted to step foot in that water, the seaweed is just too much. Anyhow, we took a nice walk out to a jetty, then came back. I carried Connor most of the way, so my right arm is quite tired tonight, but it was very peaceful. We collected a lot of shells.

Christian and Brian played for a while tonight before dinner. They rode bikes and then played baseball and tee ball in Brian's yard. They are both quite good hitters. Enough so that I think by next summer, I might not want to pitch the ball to them in fear of getting hit.....hmmm.

Guy has decided to join us down here tomorrow, so we are all looking forward to his visit. He hasn't had much down time this summer. He's been pretty busy. We'll have a lot of fun while he's here. We were going to go to Uncle Kevin's party to see Kevin now that he's back for a visit from FL, but I think we'll have to squeeze in a visit to him sometime this week instead.

We're going blueberry picking in the morning! Should be wonderful and yummy :-)

Treasures:

*Watching Connor stuff seashells into his pockets today at the beach. Grammy taught him where his pockets are.

*Taking the boys to the trampolines.....they absolutely love that!

*Swimming with Christian in the pool today.

*Sleeping In. It's one of my favorite activities :-)

*Getting to see one of my favorite bands live again with my Dad. We both truly enjoyed it.

Gorgeous Summer Day

Gorgeous summer day.....well at least it was until this evening when yet another rainstorm moved in. It's crazy how many thunder and lightning storms we've had in the past few weeks. It seems like it is becoming a daily occurrence and frankly I'm tired of it.

We had an early start today. Both boys walked into our room bright and early this morning at 6 am! Christian was leading, Connor following. Christian announced that they were awake, so it was time for us to wake up. Unlike most other mornings, I let Guy sleep in and I got out of bed. I have a feeling that Connor was the ring leader of the early wake up. He's just loving all the freedom that comes with getting rid of the crib.

We spent quite a bit of time around the house today just hanging out and catching up. Guy cut the grass - not a small job - and I played many innings of T-ball, complete with base running. It is actually pretty amusing, especially when you see Connors version of it. We also had many races in our back yard. I'm sure to be sore tomorrow! Christian is quite fast and loves the challenge. We have many fun exchanges about who is the fastest. Perhaps he'll have a future in it, he's certainly got the energy. Then there's Connor. He wants to play too but is still too young to understand the "ready, set, go" part. So we're at the finish line and he's just started.....but he sure is proud of himself.

Treasures:

*Playing with the boys in the yard today.

*Visiting Hanson Farm. We love getting our weeks fresh veggies there and it's such a fun outing.

*Relaxing time with the kids in the hot tub today. They were both going under & Christian is now wearing goggles :-)

The Party

Since I last posted, all of the out of town visitors arrived and we had quite the little party here at our digs. It was really a ton of fun and for being such a mix of relatives and friends, I think everyone mingled well.

Christian, Dad and I went to pick up Julie, John, Liv, Maddie and Thomas at the airport. That was super fun for Christian. He loves the entire ride, tunnels, tolls and train spotting to boot. Then it's just super cool for him, once we are actually at Logan. They arrived no problem and we headed home.

When we got back, Justine, Julie and Lily had already arrived with Aunt Marige and Uncle Dick. It was wonderful to see Justine again and to finally meet and put a face with Julie and Lily after hearing about them for quite a while. Julie was really nice and Lily extremely cute - they all seem so happy together!

Slowly but surely everyone came and the afternoon was fun, despite a bit of rain mid-afternoon. The kids all played well together and had a chance to go in the pool with Justine (despite her saying how cold it was), then the hot tub.

I posted a bunch of photos, of which I have tons more. I love our family parties because there is always so much going on, lots of laughter and joy and lots of little jokes. This time around I especially enjoyed one joke between Uncle Kevin and Chris.

More pics to come of our visit with J & J and J & J on the Cape.

Julie and Justine

Grammie and Thomas

The 'Cool' Sunglass Group

Uncle Dick and Donald

Aunt Charlene's Birthday Celebration

Judy and Joann and the baby

Grampy and Thomas....Gotta Love the Saw Doctors Tee, All The Way From Taum

Maddie, Christian, Olivia and Connor...Of many photos, this was perhaps the best of the group

In the Hot Tub

The Young Contingent

Julie and Lily

Treasures:

*Seeing lots of my family and friends.

*Getting a new look at Joann's ever growing baby belly!! Can't wait for November 8th :-)

*Finally meeting baby Thomas - such a cutie.

*Finally meeting Julie and Lily.

*Seeing my brother and Julie and the girls after 2 years....that's a long time.