David is a Black Belt Candidate

Excuse me while I crack this board with my foot!

Lia's Tap Recital

Lia had another great year at Boni's in her second year of tap.  This recital costume looked great on stage with all the bling... but Lia can tell you she was glad to be rid of it once it was over because it was so itchy!  It's not easy to be glamorous.

What do you think of my lovely sock bun?  Ballet hairstyle is not my specialty but I think I might be getting better?

And here is the dress rehearsal:

Fun with Lia and Friends

Lia had a fun playdate to celebrate the end of her school year.  We decided a walk to the park was in order.   :-)

Baby brother likes to tag along too...

Best swing ever...

And so glad they aren't too old to hit the dress up bins.  Yes, this is nine.

Isaac interlude...

Lia's Field Day

Lia had a great year at her homeschool co-op, Classical Conversations.  We feel very blessed to have joined such a fun and loving community.  The school year wrapped up with an awesome old fashioned field day.  The kids had a ball as you can see:

Sack Races!

3-legged race!

Not easy!!!

Balloon Race!

So fun!

Daddy's office

This is the best part about going to Daddy's office.  :-)

He still loves his Mama!

Sometimes he wakes up super early wanting to snuggle... and then goes back to sleep.  I know I'll miss this one day.

This is just silly...

Little Duck, Monkey, Rat and Grover all have super hero capes.  Yes, a small child lives here.

Easter 2017

After a long Lenten fast... yes, we gave up desserts during the week and it was DIFFICULT!  Easter finally arrived in all its splendor.  We still have not reached a point that we can attend mass as a family... but we have worked out a suitable arrangement, finally.  Chris and the big kids chose to go to the Easter Vigil which is long and goes past midnight.  They love it... but it isn't a great venue for 3 year olds.  Lia and I have attended the very crowded 11am mass on Easter Sunday in the past but thought maybe the 6pm mass might be a little less hectic.  And yes, I am happy to report you can show up to 6pm mass on Easter Sunday, right before it starts and get great seats.  So that is our new plan, going forward until Isaac can stay up super late.

I was surprised this year to see how much fun my big kids had showing Isaac all the joys of Easter morning.  Easter is fun for big kids and grownups, yes.  But it is really fun for a 3 year old who is experiencing it for the very first time.

And then the Easter egg hunt... Oh boy!  We let the big kids run the show and they did not disappoint!

So glad I got this one on video!

Potty training...

Oh yes, the time had to come in this toddler's life for the diapers to be thrown away!  I don't need to dwell on this too much but would like to note that Isaac has been potty trained.  The process began in April and is a work in progress.  I literally kept him home and naked for about 2 weeks and that proved to be just the right program for him.  The loss of diapers was kind of traumatic for him... he doesn't do change well but I will say he has taken to the potty like a champ.  We have not (as of June 26) moved to the big potty as he is quite attached to his little one.  The big potty is very scary and traumatic for him... he is definitely a comfort-zone child.  We will be moving on to that task soon as we have to travel in mid July and I don't think bringing the little potty on the airplane is an option...?  Ask me later how I handle it.  ;-)

Lots and lots of LeapFrog!

He sure is cute in his undies!

New Oven, YAY!!!!

I'm not sure if a new oven in "blog worthy" but I would like to commemorate the occasion because we so rarely replace appliances!  My old double oven came with the house and years ago (5?) the top oven stopped working.  The bottom oven worked fine so there was no immediate need and being kind of busy with our crazy household I avoided this task.  Since a new double oven would have to fit the cut out... I thought this job might be complicated.  Luckily, I replaced Kenmore for Kenmore and though it didn't quite fit... it was not too difficult a job to make it fit by cutting away a few inches of the existing cabinetry.  So glad to have this done!

Out with the old...

Exciting!!!!

I think it is lovely!  It is just the basic double electric oven.  The fact that it conserves energy is good... I guess... but it does take a while to pre-heat and then the fans take a while to cool it down once you turn it off... but all in all, I will call it a win!  And it better last 20 years!

In with the new...