Auntie Trish and Uncle Alex's new place

Last Sunday we went in to the city to see Auntie Trisha and Uncle Alex's new apartment! They moved in Memorial Day weekend and were brave enough to invite the whole crew down. Yes, the whole crew consisting of Auntie Pam and Snowy, Grandma and Jessie, Auntie, Uncle Chris, Andrew, and Emma, and then Daddy, Joey, Jillian, and myself. Java kept cool and calm at home. Later in the evening Auntie Tiff, John, and his dog also showed up! It was quite the housewarming party and I think we really broke the place in for them! We hope to be invited back again! The kids really had a blast, thank you Auntie Trish for the fun coloring activities, and for allowing so many dogs and kids in your place at one time! The food was fantastic! Auntie Trish did all the cooking inside where you'd think she had been living in her place for years, and Uncle Alex braved the heat grilling some tasty food for everyone! Thank you so much for a fun, fun night!

Joey's 3 year and Jillian's 18 month pictures

So we were taking Joey and Jillian in for their pictures. We had a nice shirt for Joey to take his big 3 year old picture, and then thought it would be cute for Jillian and Joey to take a picture together since she is now 18 months. We decided to put them in their pajamas and let them hold what they go to bed with each night...Jill has her 2 Minnie Mouses, and Joey usually has some race cars. So, we figured Joey would be up first and then we would put them in their pajamas and be ready to head home afterwards. Joey refused to smile. It didn't matter what we did, what props he was given, he did not want to smile. Jillian the attention seeker that she is, was catching the photographers attention plenty and being a little goof. So we figured it was a bust for Joey to be dressed nicely and threw them in their pajamas. Even with his sister it was near impossible to get Joey to smile. So we have 3 pictures total from a good 45 minute ordeal. When the pictures were all over I was talking to the lady and Joey whispered to me that it was fun taking pictures. I said "Really? Then why didn't you smile?" He responded with "I didn't want to make that lady happy." UGH! I guess the three year old behavior has started!

Harry Potter

As everyone is well aware the last Harry Potter movie came out last weekend. I have never read or watched a Harry Potter movie and am not all that interested in starting, just not my thing. But it is Grandma, Uncle Chris, Auntie Christy, and Daddy's thing! So, I got the privilege, as I did for the last HP movie to watch all the little ones while the big ones went to the show (or as Auntie and Uncle Chris told Andrew--their meeting). The kids all ate really well and played really well. We were greeted a few hours later with popcorn (how nice of them to serve popcorn at your meetings Auntie!), and we all indulged!

Miscellaneous July pictures

Here are some random pictures from the beginning of July up until now. Daddy playing with Joey and Jillian, Joey and Jillian watching Jessie, going to what we call the Blue Playground, and Joey's new shoes. The Blue Playground is a new playground that has a lot of fun and different things, it is a little bit of a walk, but the kids really enjoy the stroll when the weather is right. Joey's new shoes are actually hand me downs from Andrew. Auntie Trish had gotten them for him when she was working at a shoe store a few years ago, but Andrew didn't quite fit in them, so they were handed on to Joey and he loves them as much as I do! I love New Balance shoes, have been running in them for years. I took a little sabbatical from New Balance to try out some other brands earlier this year but when I got a fitting done it proved that New Balance shoes fit me best and I love them! So I was super excited for Joey's new kicks!

Bean Bag Tournament for CHARGE Foundation

On Saturday, July 9 we helped Abbey celebrate her 3rd birthday. Scarlett and Abbey share the same birthday, but her party was on Saturday at a super fun splash park. I was looking for our pictures, but I think since we were in the spraying water with the kids I may have forgotten to take pictures! It was a very fun, and very Ariel (from The Little Mermaid) themed party. Thanks for having us!

Sunday, July 10 we went out in the heat to Lake Zurich for another CHARGE mom's fundraiser. Last year she held her first bean bag toss tournament and Phil and I did pretty poorly. This year, we stepped up our game a little bit, we were not immediately eliminated, but hung in for 4 games. This year they also had a bouncy for the kids. There was a raffle, lots of donated food and drinks, and a lot of fun! It was a very hot morning-afternoon, but the kids did really well, and so did Nonna and Grandpa--thanks for watching the kids while Phil and I played our games!

Welcome Scarlett Elizabeth!

July 7 Uncle Chris and Aunt Brooke welcomed baby Scarlett into the family! Joey and Jillian can not wait to meet their new cousin, but have enjoyed looking at pictures, videos, and seeing her in action over the phone with "face time" (like skype). Daddy was able to visit Scarlett and the new parents last Saturday.

Happy Birthday Joey!

Happy 3rd birthday (golden birthday) to Josh and Joey! Joey had a great time with all of his friends and family at his party, and thinks he hit big boy status since he did not nap at all on the day of the party. Instead, he made sure the water toys were warmed up and ready to go!

We also had a number 3 balloon for Josh and Joey. Joey understood the idea of the balloon being up on the trellis connecting him and Josh. Joey has told us that he "was with Josh when he was a little baby too. We just played together, with Jesus...in heaven." He also mentioned "I don't want Josh to be away in his house. I want him at my house." We all miss him and wonder what our daily routine would be like, but we'll have to wait for another time to be reunited, and hope that Joey and Josh play at night in Joey's dreams. Happy Birthday boys!


The following day was the 4th of July and since Joey didn't nap, didn't go to sleep until late, and woke up at his usual time he was pretty tired all day. We went to the parade and saw Gigi marching in it. We didn't make it to a family friends' barbecue, but we did make the long trek next door for some dinner and swimming! Thanks to our neighbors we were able to relax next door, have some dinner, and go swimming! Joey took a little bit longer than Jillian to get comfortable, but once they were in and shown a thing or two neither wanted to get out! We are going to have to watch the fence and make sure the kids don't scale it to get in their pool! (Not sure why these are different slide shows, but I'm not messing with it!)




And finally some cute pictures from today: