FIVE!

Our little blog is five years old already! How crazy is that?! Although I don't post nearly as much as I used to, I still try to use this to document the happenings around our life, and more importantly, Brett & Kate.  Here is a little glimpse into our weekend...

Kate has *almost* learned how to actually jump rope, but she loves trying!

They both love to swing... Brett is almost camouflaged into the background here.

Todd's cousin, Michael, and his wife, Gretchen are in town this weekend and joined us for lunch!

It was great to catch up!

Brett's new favorite silly face

We had our friends over a cook out, and Mark came dressed to impress!  He's wearing his trophy from last week's College House Party - his team took first place!

Kate has turned into a little monkey, climbing everywhere!

And again, climbing

When she isn't climbing, she's hanging, usually upside down

The boys - like the 3 stooges!

Brett looks like a giant here for some reason - whose kid is this?! ;)

Miss Teri & Kate - being silly :)

Grilling out in style

Brett gives this meal two thumbs up!

All four kids sitting and eating (almost) peacefully!

Look who finally lost his top loose tooth while his friends were here!  It looks like the tooth fairy is making a return trip!  She was just here on Wednesday for Kate's second bottom tooth!

Elite Eight

To say that my husband is a basketball enthusiast would be a huge understatement. When Marquette made it to the Sweet 16 in Washington, DC, and neither of us could make it out of work to drive up was a huge disappointment, so when they made it to the Elite 8 in DC the day before Easter... there was no way he was going to miss it. He even made it into a huge family trip. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful and we got to spend most of the day sightseeing around DC before the game. The kids were really interested in the White House and the Lincoln Monument... the Washington Monument was just ok to them, but it was also fenced off for repairs, so you couldn't get very close to it. Unfortunately, we're having camera issues, so what you see is what you get. As for the game, well, I did learn that I really despise Syracuse fans... welcome to the ACC Syracuse! The Heels will be happy to give you a good butt-whooping next year :)

If you don't know what this is, well, then shame on you!

B&K in front of the Washington Monument

This guy dances to "Jump Around" at every single MU home game - they always show him on TV and on the Jumbotron.  He was at the game and socializing with all of the fans.

A little pre-game routine

MU Cheerleaders - Kate watched them and the Golden Eagle the entire time

Happy 30th, Aunt Erin!

The whole time Erin was pregnant, she kept saying she wanted sushi and beer for her 30th birthday - 6 days after Parker's due date. I kept reminding her (read: teasing her) that she very well might be in the hospital still. Guess what?! Parker was born exactly 4 hours before her 30th birthday, so there was no sushi, or really even a birthday celebration that day. However, we did celebrate the next week with some yummy paella and birthday cake!

Jeff teaching Brett how to support Parker's head and keep him from rolling away

Love these 3 boys :)

Happy birthday to you, Eninbaby!

The kids picked out this "awesome" farting birthday card at Target... they were so excited about it :)

Parker and Brett

Kate's favorite picture - just she and Parker!

Parker might be the most chill baby I've ever seen!

Welcome, Baby P!

I'm an aunt!! Sweet baby Parker was born last week at a whopping 9 pounds and 22.5 inches - wow! He's absolutely adorable and is so stinkin' sweet. Our kids were so excited to meet him, so we ventured down to my parents' house last weekend to go visit. (It's a whole different long story as to why they were staying with my parents... a different day, maybe.) Anyway, Kate will tell anyone who will listen, "I'm a cousin!" Excited is an understatement!!

The boys meeting Parker for the first time

It looks like he's smiling :)

Kate couldn't wait to see Parker

Kisses for their new cousin

Mean Aunt Jenn, waking him up - he was not loving it!

Grandma Vivian got her baby fix too!

So sweet :)

He looks like a giant baby (and definitely not 4 days old) when Kate holds him!  He might bypass Kate in weight by the time he's two or three :)

Kate says, "I'm a cousin!  Look at my cousin!"

GOAL!

Brett played on an indoor soccer team throughout the winter this year... it was a competitive league, and they played a year up (they were a U-7 team playing in a U-8 league). They only won one game all season, but they came a LONG way and made the last few games very close! We're so proud of all of the boys to stick with it and really improve their skills this season!

 

 

 

 

National Marquette Day

 

 

 

Facebook and i-phones

One of my favorite things to do is to go back through old pictures and baby books that my mom made about my sisters and me.  My youngest sister, Meredith, used to call them "Baby Dithy" pictures and movies.  My mom would document funny things, like bowel habits, when we were babies, but also some funny stories or little things that we said.  (Yes, we make fun of her for some of these things.)  It's things that I'm sure she doesn't remember 30 years later, and we certainly wouldn't remember them, but it's interesting to go back to look at once in awhile.  That's the point of this blog.  As much as I want to do some elaborate baby book or scrap book, or whatever, life gets in the way.  However, eventually, I can print this blog by year, and the funny stories, silly pictures, and seemingly trivial things will be documented.  Who knows - maybe Brett & Kate will get a kick out of it some day too.  With that said...

There are so many times that I crack up at something one of the kids says (like tonight, during mass, when Kate told me that her "boyfriend," Alex, kissed her), and I think, gosh, I want to write this down so I don't forget.  But I don't, and then I forget.  Then it struck me - I post stuff on facebook ALL the time.  So, here we go... I'm going back through my facebook posts just to get some of my highlights onto the blog, so bare with me!

Friday, March 1, 2013
I asked Kate today when baby Parker will come. She said very matter-of-factly, "next week, not tomorrow or the next day, but on Wednesday." When I told her that Wednesday was aunt Erin's birthday, she said, "well, that's the day baby Parker is coming!" We'll see if she's right!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Kate's tooth had been soooo wriggly.  Todd looked at it that morning before school, but Kate was sort of apprehensive about him pulling it (even though he knew it was ready to come out), so we sent her to school with this tooth just hanging there, literally.  Sure enough, while she was at Bridges, it came right out!

 Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Jeff's aunt and uncle hosted a shower for baby Parker last weekend - the food was delicious (awesome NC BBQ and fixin's), and they even had a photographer there to capture the whole thing.  Here is a quick pic of our little fam!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

We took Brett and Kate to their very first game in the Dean Dome!!  I seriously love this place - so many fun memories of so many exciting basketball games!!  We were literally in the very top row of the Dean Dome, but it was AWESOME :)  My little tarheel (Kate) was *almost* as excited as I was.

Monday, January 28, 2013

This is the house that I grew up in, well, at least from the time I was 12 years old.  Our family lived in it for the last 21 years.  Over the years my parents have re-done rooms, rearranged, painted, rearranged again... to the point that not a single room in the house looks like it did when I lived in it, but it still feels like home.  When my parents put it on the market, they weren't sure how long it would sit, but wouldn't you know they got THREE full-price offers on the first day!  The family that ended up buying it lives close by and has wanted to move into this neighborhood for some time.  The wife walks with their young child on the trails every day, looking at for sale signs.  When they saw this house, they knew it was more than a house, it was their new home.  While it still feels weird to not drive to that house, I'm really glad that a family like that now lives there and can make it their home.  The last time I was there was on Christmas day - my favorite holiday with my favorite people.  I love that it's my last memory in that house.

And this is the new house that my parents built in Holly Springs.  At first I couldn't believe they were moving *all* the way out to Holly Springs, but then 540 opened all the way down, almost to their front door.  The new neighborhood is awesome, I have to admit!  I took a couple days off work to help move (they had movers, but I was helping to unpack some stuff).  I've been down there since then, and you know what?  It still feels like home, even though I never lived there... Just goes to show that home is truly who you're with, not where you are.

Miscellaneous i-phone pics

A few things about this journal entry from Kate - first of all, I love reading little kids' writing.  I love the spelling and the handwriting and the whole thing.  What I really love about this particular one is that it's a picture of Brett & Kate building a fort with Uncle Jeff... about 6 months ago!  I guess it really stuck out to her as something special :)  I also love that she made Jeff's hair bright red!

Kate's latest craze - little notes, everywhere!  It is very cute, and very sweet, but I find them everywhere all the time!  This one says, "and all the pypol (people) I love you"  Lately, if she gets in trouble and gets sent to her room, she'll write "Mom I am sorry and I love you" and she'll slide it under her door for me to find.

A little glimpse of Kate at Wine & Design earlier today at her friend's birthday party!  Such a cute puppy :)

Not to leave Brett out of this post... check out who got a 20 out of 20 on his timed math test!!  WOOHOO!!!