Playing catch up once again

I realize just over a month has passed without any postings, we have been busy, but not a ton of pictures to show for it. We did get a new camera, but that is not even the reason for lack of posts or pictures, I have just been starting the year out lazy in that respect. So here is the last month or so in a nutshell starting from most recent:
Superbowl Sunday was spent with our friends Uncle Paul, Auntie Katherine, Ben, Abbey, and Juliette. They just got a puppy, Belle, who they brought home just the day before which we can't wait to meet, but with her travels it sounded like some down time might have been good for her at that point. We had seen them a few times just before and after Christmas but never at a time where we were able to do our Christmas exchange so we did it today! Everyone loved their gifts and we were very happy to have everyone over to play, watch the game, commercials, and Madonna!


Earlier in the day we went over to the Arboretum for the start of Celebrating Chocolate! They have a month of activities and classes all things chocolate this month and this weekend they had many vendors with everything from chocolate balsalmic to pure organic coffee chocolate bars! It was most delicious and free, and the weather wasn't too horrible so we were able to roam around the Children's Garden a bit.


So this sounds Arboretum heavy now, but the previous weekend we were there as well for the Huskies event where they had Huskies pulling sleds. This event was very, very cold but it was nice to get out of the house for a little bit. Nonna and Grandpa decided to brave the cold with us which made it fun as well!


We had a lot of things without pictures...lots of showers, birthdays (GG Rose turned 89 this past Sunday), and other events but here are some of the miscellaneous pictures we did manage to take.

Jill is continuing and loving dance class. Daddy has been taking her while Mommy and Joey go to Mommy and Me Bootcamp (I instruct and tell Joey I teach the moms and he teaches the kids!).


The kid had PJ day at school where they were able to wear their pajamas to school and bring a cuddly stuffed animal with. The smell of popcorn when we entered and knowing they were going in for Bible story with all the classes combined (so Jill and Joey would see each other) and having hot cocoa made me really want to be a part of the class!


And finally some random pictures of Java getting some attention from Joey and Jillian, the kids feasting on a dessert favorite (apples with Nutella!), and Dad's night at school where Joey and Jillian got to take Daddy to school for a night of fun!

Joey and Jillian Updates

Joey has been in school now for 3 weeks and absolutely loves it! He loves the fact that they play outside for at least a few minutes every day, and loves to paint! He also received his first Scholastic Book order which he (and I!) were super excited about. His school offers an enrichment program where you can pick a few days a month or all and sign up to eat lunch at school and stay a few hours longer to do some other activities and learn more, next months topics discovering ABC's and PeeWee Picasso. October will be the first month it is offered and when I asked Joey if he'd want to stay at school for lunch and be with his teacher's from last year (they are the ones that do the program) he gave me an excited yes! So I will probably be looking into a few days to let him stay at school a little longer! He is also enjoying t-ball on the weekends and I can't believe its already decision time to put him in the next session! He really enjoys it and loves that Daddy hangs out at the school to watch him while he's there.

On Thursdays Jillian started Mommy and Me Dance class. She absolutely loves it! She has performed her Rock-a-Bye Baby dance for several willing audiences (grandparents and Auntie!) and learned some more dances this past week. The first week she had a little freak out moment when they brought out the big parachute...she wouldn't go near it, and wouldn't let me either. If I reached for the handle she'd scream "Mommy, no, no!" She sat back in the corner until I took her to go potty and then they had put the parachute away and we were dancing with bubbles. This week she not only allowed me to play with the parachute, but sat in the center of it as we twirled them around in it. She much more prefers to dance than play with the parachute, and really enjoyed doing her ballerina walks, plies and twirls during ballet time! She even received a Tinkerbell stamp on her hand and was walking around with her hand in the air the rest of the morning!

Today was such a beautiful morning and I think we are in for a rainy weekend so when I mentioned the Arboretum to Joey last night he was all for it. We explored some areas we don't regularly frequent and it constantly amazes me how big and how much the Arboretum has to offer kids and adults alike. I can't wait for the leaves to really start changing over there! I hadn't been there on a Friday and the other days I am working or Joey is in school so this was the first time we were able to make it to story time! We all enjoyed hearing Ms. Donna read about the animals and trees of the forest and we went looking for some acorns and leaves before lunch time.

Honey Bee Weekend

This weekend was honeybee weekend at the arboretum so we went out for some honey fun! Ok, so we didn't do much in terms of tasting honey, bee hive tours/talks, or visit the local vendors but we did play and have fun! It was Auntie, Andrew, and Emma's first time at the Arboretum so Joey showed Andrew the ropes so to speak! The weather was perfect and was a great way to let the kids run around and burn off some energy!

Arboretum Fun!

So, I had a short hiatus from the Arboretum with our vacation, Andrew's birthday, and then the CHARGE run the following weekend. But it did not take long to get back in the habit of heading over there for some outdoor fun! The day after the race we went to the Arboretum with Grandma and Joey showed her how he loves climbing everywhere. We also went on a tram ride, which Joey insists is a train and kept asking Grandma why we were stopping each time the tram stopped. He did point out some trees and told Grandma the guy was talking about the Arboretum at one point, but he really was more interested in pretending to be on a train and in the forest. We were surprised as to how many people were there when we first showed up...there were lines of cars to get in which is fairly odd. Turns out there was a Groupon expiring at the end of the month! Oddly enough the Sheldon's had that Groupon, so we managed to meet up with them this past weekend as well! Joey had a lot of fun showing Ben and Abbey around. They were all dressed up from having their family pictures taken there which would be the perfect scenery for a family photo! Friday, Auntie Miya and Nathan invited us to Yorktown where the play area was redone by the Arboretum! So we went for lots of popcorn (between Joey, Jill, and Nathan I think they had 4 bags!), some free stuff, and we even saw Curious George from the other side of the fountain! It was fun to catch up with Auntie Miya and Nathan, and Joey and Jillian had a blast running around and playing with Nathan. I also managed to squeeze in a long run at the Arboretum Saturday morning too...did I ever mention it is really hilly there! But gorgeous!

Catching Up...and a new addition to the family!

I have been negligent again, so here is the mash of pictures and updates from the past 2 weeks:

First some random pictures from the past two weeks. We went to a kids "concert" with one of Joey's friends from school at Wheaton Library but the only picture I had was of Jill and her water bottle. A picture of Joey playing basketball at All Sorts of Sports, the sports camp he is doing on Saturdays with Daddy and loves it! I forgot my camera, but you know Crystal never does! I went out with Crystal, Eva's mom (another CHARGEr)and some of her other friends to help celebrate the end of her cancer treatment. It was a fun day in the city and my first step inside the American Girl store...Jillian it will be a long time before I tell you about that place! And then just other miscellaneous shots.

Last Saturday we had Uncle Paul, Auntie Katherine, Ben, Abbey, and Juliette over...it had been a while since we saw them, but fun of course always fun. The kids had a blast, Joey loves playing with Abbey (and Ben and Juju too), and Juliette and Jillian were a great pair at the table. All the kids left to go play and the two youngest stayed to finish off the desserts! Happy (early)Birthday Auntie Katherine!

Of course it wouldn't be an update without an Arboretum shot. Last Sunday we were able to meet up with Uncle Mark, Auntie Miya, and Nathan and Joey was super excited to see how the tadpoles had grown. Jillian and Nathan had a cute game of peek-a-boo going between the trees. It was a nice relaxing day!

Heading into the weekend we got a surprise phone call. Grandma had been talking about getting a puppy for a while, and the thought was that she would wait until after her addition since it is a mess over there, she travels a lot, is always busy busy busy...but she called this morning to say the breeder was going to drop off the dog to her house so she could see if she liked her. So Auntie came over to put the seats in her minivan and caravan us all out to Grandma's to meet "the puppy." As of now no name. Of course the puppy is not going back, she is here to stay, and we are trying out names for Grandma but not much luck yet. Here are a lot of pictures of this fun loving little girl, and stay tuned because I think she is coming to visit tonight!

House Picnic...

Thursday Joey's last day of school picnic was cut quite short. It was supposed to be from 11am-1pm. We arrived promptly at 11 and were greeted by one of his teachers and saw another family. Slowly a few other families showed up, but it was very windy and rainy out that no one lasted very long. I even attempted to wipe down playground equipment with a towel I had in the car, but most everyone (well adults at least) were miserable and the kids had wet pants from sitting and sliding around on the playground. So in an attempt to warm up we stopped at Dunkin' for some coffee and a donut for the kids and went home where Daddy joined us for an indoor picnic! Not as fun as being outside with all of Joey's school friends, but we exchanged numbers and some of us will get together this summer.


Happy Birthday Uncle Chris! Here are some pics of Joey and Jillian making a carp wind sock for Uncle Chris' birthday, and Joey showing off the finished product while Jillian plays with her dress up doll.


And of course yesterday we had another Arboretum visit! We went when they opened so I could get in a 7 mile run...pushing 2 kids in a stroller that had somewhat flattened wheels, up really big hills...lets just say it was a challenging but fun run! Joey and Jillian ate their cereal and grapes while I ran and greeted other runners and bikers which many commented on how I was going to get those kids up the hills! Afterwards I changed and we played around until lunchtime. A lot of pictures probably seem like the same thing, but Joey just amazes me how "strong and brave" he is on the ropes and how Jillian is fearless on some things as well. Joey loved seeing the growth of the tadpoles from the last time we were there and did not want to leave that area at all. We finally got them to settle down for a quick craft before heading home.

Remember just last week when some of us turned on our air conditioner? When the thermometer hit the upper 80's/low 90's? When we took out the pool/slide thing for the first time? Well, we had it out again last Wed. when the weather was nice and warm, but ready to rain. Luckily it didn't rain until close to bedtime that night, and then of course the winds shifted and we went back into our sweatshirts. But, we did get Grandma, Auntie, Andrew, and Emma to check out the water fun too! We can't wait for the warm weather to stay!

Even thought the weather was quite chilly and rainy this weekend, I still was able to get everyone to accompany me to the Arboretum (yes, I am addicted that place!). We didn't last terribly long, but were able to get some fresh air in the morning playing in the Children's Garden. The lady even showed us the tadpoles! There are millions of them, literally, and in another month they should be turning into toads! We stayed inside to have our lunch, but still had quite the view. And to top off our visit, Uncle Kevin was there too! Joey played shy, but managed to give Uncle Kevin a high five. I wish I had remembered to pull out the camera! Hopefully we'll run into him again there!

After a good rest from the great outdoors, we headed over to Uncle Paul, Auntie Katherine, Ben, Abbey, and Juliette's house! We hadn't seen them in a while, and the kids were so excited and had so much fun. Daddy's birthday is on Memorial Day, but since we don't get together as often as we'd like, they made Daddy a yummy cookie cake (his favorite!) and the perfect birthday crown! Thanks for the great company, delicious food, and birthday wishes!

Mother's Day Weekend

I had a great mother's day weekend! The weather was perfect and everyone was in good spirits. I had just gotten an Arboretum membership so that was all I wanted to do on Saturday! Joey and Jillian love being outside and they had so much fun running around the Arboretum. I ended up upgrading the membership, long story short now we can get more people in for free and I know it will pay for itself in the long run, got a free bag which is now my new diaper bag (I look like a tree hugging hippy, but that's ok!), and the best part was it didn't rain! We started off at the Children's maze and then did the big maze. We headed into the Children's Garden where there was so much for everyone to do. Joey and Jillian loved climbing and running around everywhere. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves...

It was a perfect day!

Sunday Joey and I woke up early, Phil and Jillian joined us a little later and after a light breakfast we headed out to Uncle Chris' work for brunch! There were some pretty fountains, trees, flowers, and of course the green to take pictures so we took advantage a little bit and tried to round everyone up. After brunch we went on a golf cart ride around the course. It was another beautiful day to be outside! We headed home for naps, and then it was back to Elmhurst, this time the destination was Grandma's house. Grandma was gone for the weekend, but came back after dinner so we all crashed her house and had some pizza and waited for her to get home!


Another update is that we finally took out the pool/slide that Daddy and Nonna were crazy about getting for the kids. The weather was really warm and humid today so Daddy came out during lunch and Nonna and Grandpa stopped over to see the unveiling of the monstrous water park! The kids loved it, took too short of naps because they just wanted to get back out there again!


And finally, here are a few random pictures. The first few are of the kids feeding Daddy some popcorn. I love popcorn and so do they. They love watching the popcorn pop in the air popper, and then feeding the popcorn to Daddy. Daddy claims to not like popcorn, but he never refuses when he's hand fed by his kids! The one of Jillian sleeping is the only one I have from Uncle Chris and Aunt Brooke's baby shower because after she woke up she fell back asleep on me which didn't allow me much movement for other pictures!