Catching up

It would be easier for the reader if I uploaded each picture and gave it an individual caption, but I am short of time and thought I'd take the short cut and make a web album slideshow. We've managed to keep ourselves too busy these last few weeks, but I realized that it is largely b/c I make my own "trouble". Our new adventure is a free play set that someone was giving away that was only a few miles from our home. I convinced Mario to help me take it apart and after a long weekend filled with drama as to whether it could actually come apart, it is now sitting by the side of our house. It has been pressure-washed and waits sanding and staining and then re-assmebly with all new hardware. I think we are all now really excited about it.

In the meantime, we have been enjoying the spring weather. I've not tested this theory, but I think our kids spend much more time outside than other children. This is partly due to the private and safe location of our house and partly due to their neglecting mother who encourages them to "go find something to do" I do think they are having a lot of fun though.

Pictures in the slide show include:
1. Sheila continuing to act older than she is
2. Sheila having fun on her bike.
3. All 3 kids on their bikes (and my nice old neighbor taking care of his lawn)
4. MJ's homemade kite inspired by a windy Saturday
5. The kids hanging out with the "drawing table" and all it's creative mess behind them
6. MJ's picture of the Pirates Veggie Tales (thanks Kaza's for letting us borrow your movie - whether you knew we had it or not)
7 - 10. A series taken by Joey of his adventure with Sheila one morning (Joey has been into picture taking lately)
11. Another Joey picture - of his blue lacrosse made out of Magformers (just like Daddy's) Thanks Kazas for the great toy idea... we are thoroughly impressed by Joey's building skills
12 & 13. Cleaning up after all our fun!

To expand on #s 7-10:
On one of our unusually cold spring mornings, I was helping MJ to breakfast and chatting with him, when I heard Joey and Sheila off somewhere playing. I thought to myself, "It is so nice that those two have learned to have fun together" After awhile, I began to wonder where exactly this fun was taking place, and the mommy radar alerted me to potential danger. I searched all of Sheila's most fun places - the bathrooms - and then realized I had forgotten to put away the bunk bed ladder. Sure enough, she and Joey were up there happily playing. And it was so nice of Joey to capture all of their adventure on camera (he took a dozen or so more pictures).

A special time with the Kazas

We just had a fabulous time with the 7 Kaza children as they spent the night here. We feel so lucky to live near enough to the Kazas so that these cousins can have special weekends like this one. Here are a few pictures from our visit together.

Happy Easter

We didn't bring our camera to the big family celebration on Easter, so we are awaiting those pictures. But here is a good start.

 

Our 15 month old is toilet-trained

Okay, so this is a bit of an April Fools Joke. I've been wanting to do a family post for a month, but we've actually been sick for most of March and while it hasn't slowed us down during the day, getting up for 4 weeks in a row with fevered kids or coughing and wheezing kids has been a little draining. Sheila is not toilet-trained, but 1 month ago she started using the toilet. Her first attempt was to stand like her brothers, but as amazing as she is, this did not work. Instead she now balances herself on the big toilet (I haven't yet gotten out the little ring to put in for her). I'm not really engaging her in this training yet as I think it is a little too early, but still I find it impressive. Oh, and the picture is Sheila eating some turkey stick or something like that. Mario thinks that is cool.

Mario has been traveling and working so much we haven't seen much of him. So one Friday we went to Tyson's to meet him for dinner. Here are Sheila and I at the Cheesecake factory.


We built our own fire pit! For these cool spring evenings.


Joey has been very determined to ride his big boy bike with training wheels. It is a little too tall for him, but now he's got it down and he can really move.


MJ is a drawing and writing machine. We go through a lot of paper each day (thankfully dad brings us scrap paper from work that we can use). MJ can also climb trees by himself...we are so glad we can tell him to "go climb trees" when he gets restless and starts climbing furniture in our house.


This is what happens when Joey gets the camera. We have a lot of pictures like this.


SPRING! These daffodils(?) were growing all over in our grass. Last year they were cut down mercilessly by the lawnmower. This year I dug them up and transplanted them. A little risky this time of you, but at least they won't be cut down.

This was from awhile ago

For those who know the cute babies involved in this video, this is especially for you.

Here come the Irish

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day twice (last Sunday, since Mario travels during the week and would be gone, and then on the actual day). For our first Irish meal we had the corned beef and cabbage and the best green dessert I can think of!

I did not get as many cute pictures of the kids as I had hoped on either day. Joey got Sheila's bad fever illness so I'm going on my second week in a row with a child with a 101-103 temperature. If I'm incoherent I blame it on the lack of sleep and if MJ gets sick next week, I'm done for. We planned to make shamrock sugar cookies as well, but ran out of a key ingredient and I couldn't decide between leaving Joey in the car with his burning up fever while I shopped with the potential of him being stolen or me being arrested OR dragging his very tired hot little body through the store getting everyone sick and exposing him to more germs. So... no cookies. But we did enjoy our first viewing of a VHS tape of the life of St. Patrick that I got from freecycle. I haven't used a VCR in years, and it was a lot of fun! And yes, MJ did ask, "What is that thing mommy?" Ah, old technology.... We completed our feasting with a Shepherd's pie and some Irish music. Sheila was inspired to dance, but certain Irish songs seem to make my boys think of football. So all the efforts I made to get a cute video of the kids dancing this year were replaced with the boys tackling each other in the family room.

Jello is a weird dessert, but I guess I've done this in the past and Mario asked to do it again. At least it's fun to make and looks pretty.

3 years of Joey

3 years ago at 4:31pm we welcomed our second baby boy Joseph Patrick to the world. He broke the mold at 9lbs, 8oz; 21 ¾” long, 14 ¾” head circumference

I've spent way too much time making a slideshow with pictures of the first three years of Joey's life. Who says the middle child doesn't get any attention? I apologize for all the pictures, but it was hard to get rid of any more - and I had to have some of Joey with his cousins. With all of the pictures, I hope we were able to capture the many sides of Joey's personality.