First Day of Preschool

Thomas started preschool today. I was so excited for him- I always loved school. He was ready to go this morning, and had no problems waving me out the door at the school. When I picked him up, I asked of course, "How was school?" His reply was typical, but reassuring, "Good Mom. We played, sang songs, you know, stuff like that." And just like that our little Thomas is all grown up.

With Daddy- ready to go!

Another preschool want-to-be.

Walking to his classroom at the very back of the school.

Posing with best buddy, Brayden.

Studiously reading books on the circle mat.

Benjamin turns TWO!

Our little Benjamin is already two! We are so thankful for his lovable personality and precious smile. He is truly a ball of energy, and Daddy's little guy- he loves baseball, eating, wrestling, and anything having to do with his Daddy and big bro, Thomas. Soon, he will be graduating from his crib and moving in with Thomas to sleep in the bottom bunk. That will be interesting. It is hard to believe our baby will be a big brother soon!

Back at it- SUMMER!

Okay, so that was a ridiculously long hiatus from our blog. I am back and motivated to keep up! A quick update of pics from this summer will follow--- we are expecting another baby BOY in October (just in case you notice I have gained some weight), Benjamin just turned two, and Thomas starts Preschool this week! Lots happening around here...

Thomas and Benjamin, drying off after a run through the backyard sprinklers. amd a splash in the kiddie pool.

A swim with Daddy. Benjamin loves jumping in- by himself!

Troublemakers?

One of the best parts of summer- grilling out and corn on the cob!

Bye, Bye, Baby

Our little baby Ben was in dire need of a haircut. As painful as it was to see his baby curls go, the new Benjamin is just as cute, and looking more like a little boy. Sean and I took on the task, and performed his FIRST HAIRCUT together in Griffith this weekend.

Snowy Blast!

We have had an insane amount of snow lately...at least a foot of white stuff so far, and we are expected to get up to another foot by the weekend. Wow. One would think we would be used to the lake effect snow after living here now for over 6 years. Not quite. Surprisingly, school still remains to be canceled or delayed. The kids up here are tough! As for our boys...they absolutely love it! We took them out yesterday for a bit and practically had to drag them back in the house. Too cold to stay out for long. Today with temps in the single and below digits, there will be no play outside for my wistful window watchers.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

We have really been enjoying the magic of the Christmas season this year! Thomas has truly become fascinated with all the festivities and has been learning The Christmas Story- he especially loves telling the story with his toy nativity every night before bed. He has really been keeping us focused. The day I decorated the house for the holidays, Thomas looked up at the nativity I had arranged on top of our entertainment stand, and whispered..."baby Jesus!" It just summed up the whole season of Advent so nicely. Of course, there is also mention of good ol' Santa every now and then too...today he said, "Mommy, Santa is very, very far away." I thought to myself, "Yep. North Pole is pretty far." Then he said, "Santa is all the way at the mall!" Benjamin is growing quickly and talking, talking, talking! He loves his big brother, and exploring the house all by himself. He is a climber, a smiler, and full of determination and joy.

December 6th-

The morning of St. Nicholas Day the boys find candy left in their shoes!