Concerts, Counters, and Frogs

Last weekend we started things off with our first First Friday concert of the summer season. The music wasn't great but the weather was perfect and it was a great way to start the weekend.

Saturday morning B had a volunteer event (Yes, he volunteers all the time. No, I do nothing to help people.) so the kids and I met up with Adam, Max, and Harris for a playground playdate. This turned in to the kids riding the train to Opies and then serving each other ice cream from the counter. I was embarrassed and relieved that Max was just as familiar with this destination as my own children. The rest of the day included a surprise five mile hike through Patapsco and of course the ice cream my children had been craving all day to make up for the calories burned.

Sunday we started with church (and the longest non-holiday Catholic service in the history of the world) which went well. Noelle and I then hit the pool while Kel took a nap and her swimming has come a long way! After naps we headed back to Patapsco for a mom's group cook out. About 40 people joined us to grill out hotdogs, share sides, play in the big field, and hit the playground. Noelle and Kellen were especially excited to stalk down a little toad we found.

Sunday ended with us getting ready for my busy season at work. Set up week started Monday, the rest of my staff arrived today, and the families come Monday. Here's hoping for a calm 6 weeks ahead.

Father's Day and Wedding Weekend

It is my crazy season at work so the blogging has fallen off the radar so here is a Father's Day wedding weekend wrap up about two weeks late.

To get ready for Father's Day, I took the kids on a fun playdate where I had great plans of making super cute crafts and having Noelle fill out a sheet telling all about her daddy's favorite things. Instead, my kids painted some rocks a splatter of colors and there were so many layers of paint involved I never quite got around to writing Daddy, You Rock on the final product. Oh well. The kids had a great time playing with friends and we had an awesome mommy group turn out.

The Saturday of Father's Day weekend, I headed to Philly solo to attend my cousin, Mark's, wedding. Bryan stayed home to watch the little people for the no kid celebration, so it was extended family time with my parents, brother, grandmother, and aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was a beautiful wedding, lovely reception, and lots of fun. The highlight (other than getting a great new cousin-in-law) was definitely getting grandma in the photo booth. I'll have to try to scan these beauties in from work one day but for now there is a photo of a photo to commemorate.

 

After the reception my family came down to MD to spend the night and see the kids Father's Day morning. We had a very low key morning with brunch at home and playtime at the tire park. Local friends, they have a new area behind the nature center that is awesome if you haven't checked it out.

It was great to actually see both of the dads important in my life on the holiday. I already am looking forward to our next time all together seven weeks from tomorrow, this time at the beach!

Of course we ended the day as a family of four at Opie's. Nothing says Father's Day love like a milkshake or ice cream cone.

There is a shocking lack of the Father's in this post. Oh well we still love you B and Dad!

Let's Do Lunch

Since about November Noelle has been begging me to let her be a lunch friend. I guess this is the cute name her pre-K teacher uses for those kids that stay all day and have lunch at school instead of getting picked up after morning session. Tomorrow, she gets her wish. Noelle has her very first full day of school! She is beyond excited, mostly because she can do lunch with her friends. I hope that this enthusiasm remains for Kindergarten! I am interested to see just how tired and grumpy she is after a full day of adventure. My hopes are high that she is ready for five days a week of being a lunch friend come late August!

Here is my first ever attempt at school lunch for my daughter. It was actually fairly challenging. Number one, nut products are a no-no at her school as there are several children in her class with severe allergies. Number two, Noelle can't have some kid mainstays - bananas, apples, grapes. She also has to have limited amounts of wheat bread and no more than three servings of dairy a day. Who knew a serving was 1 measly ounce of cheese? So, sweetie, I hope this fills you up. If not, I am sure Ms. Sharon won't let you starve! Good thing pre-K includes a morning and afternoon snack so I can ease in to this whole providing meals for my kids during the work week thing...

Noelle's Christmas 2012 gift lunch bag is finally coming in handy too. Thanks, Etsy!

 Good luck at your first full day of school, Noelle!

Kel Starts School

This morning marked a big day in our house - Kellen was old enough to start school! Since his birthday is in the fall, he'll always be one of the oldest in his class and won't start Kindergarten til he is almost 6. Since he'll be in preschool for three years instead of just two like Noelle, we can really ease in to things and we started that off this morning for his first day of summer school. Kellen is attending Mothers Day Out, where Noelle has gone the last two years. We have loved this school, particularly Noelle's pre-K experience, and I hope Kellen will get to move through the ranks as well. Kel is starting off with one morning a week this summer, and then one morning a week during the upcoming school year as well. For now, he has big sister Noelle just a few doors down so that back-up is nice for the teachers!

Kel was pretty excited to go to big kid school. He gripped his sign with joy!

He did allow me to take one picture with his face uncovered but he couldn't let his cool dude crab get covered so it is a little bit of a non-traditional pose!

For the summer Kel  is in the smiley room. This is a room we are unfamiliar with since Noelle was already three when she started at MDO. The teacher is sweet and about 80. Kellen had no fear, ran in to the room, we stuck his name tag on his back, and he started playing. Our new neighbor happens to be in the class too which was a nice surprise since Kel's regular playmate crowd are all 3 already and in the heart room up the hall. Kellen will join them all for the school year but for now he is on his own! As you can see, he didn't mind much, no tears, just a cheese as I left the room with him playing happily.

Kellen was apparently a little sad that Ms. Rose picked him up from school instead of mommy, but otherwise he had a great first day. I am excited for him to get this extra structure in his life and to learn a bit more how to share since the kids at daycare are so familiar he treats them like siblings. Here's to hoping the smiley room will have a smiling Kel throughout the summer and that he'll be all ready for his Friday mornings in the heart room come September!

Cocktails, Desserts, Birthdays and Baby Showers

This past weekend was super fun but super exhausting. Friday started with a long day with the kids and the air conditioning repair man. No, our air is not fixed yet. Yes, my kids and I had a fun day. No, Kellen is not potty trained. We did make some progress over the weekend on that front but we are certainly far from finished on that one. Then Friday night I hosted about 25 moms for a dessert and cocktail moms night on the decks. We ate some super yummy food and had an assortment of margaritas, sangria, wine, cider, and beer to taste. It was a perfect evening and it was great to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.
 

After running off a lot of calories Saturday morning, I packed up the kids and headed over to the first of the weekend birthday parties. It was a great party at the farm Noelle had gone to for her school field trip and both kids had a fabulous time on the hay ride, checking out the animals, and playing. Of course the cupcakes were appreciated too!

Later that evening Bryan took over kid duty and I went to celebrate my good friend, Katie's, upcoming arrival. I can't wait to meet her little boy next month and the sprinkle was a great chance to celebrate our favorite librarian, shower her with some small gifts, gab (and tell our favorite delivery and baby stories!), and eat the wonderful food provided by our fabulous hosts. It was a great time.

Sunday started with church where both kids were on good behavior and then the second birthday party of the weekend, a pirate party. We enjoyed a super cute themed party right down the street at the tire park. The highlight was the treasure hunt led by the birthday boy's daddy. My kids have played non-stop with their inflatable swords and pirate eye patches since the event.

So that was the relaxing weekend before my 11 straight day marathon at work. At least I got a break Tuesday afternoon if you count a visit to Hopkins with Noelle (and an hour at the pool!) and will have a late arrival Thursday as I take my baby boy to his first ever day of school!

Daddy and His Little Dude

They don't look alike at all, do they? Especially post hair cuts.