August 2015

 Blogger is terrible about keeping pictures in order, so here is our August in random order. We spent the last week of August in Virginia. Fun water fights and smores on the patio! We also took a trip into DC for lunch and the Smithsonian with Ellen and Nancy.

The highlight of the summer for the last several years has been our trip to the lake...this year was no exception. All the kids had a great time! Joe's hair was at peak craziness and he loved all the boat rides and all the attention from his cousins and aunts and uncles.

 

This might be my favorite picture from the lake. Gianna took a bunch of selfies. This one cracks me up despite making her look 16!

We really are lake people and not ocean people, but we did manage to spend one day at the shore!

Summer 'staches!

At the very end of August we said goodbye to one of our faves...Joe's hair. It was sad to say goodbye to the craziness, but the short hair is so adorable. Before...

And after...

July 2015

We took a trip to upstate NY for my cousin's graduation party. Our sheltered children thought staying in a hotel was super cool. It was really nice to see all my cousins, aunts, and uncles.

We headed to VA for 4th of July weekend. While Mark was at Camp Nonna (for the first time!!), Grandma, Grandpa, Gianna, Joe and I had a fun time. The highlight was taking the "train" (metro) to the mall...a trip that would take a fraction of the time by car!

Reunited with Mark, we hit the air and space museum before heading to Aunt Jenny's annual 4th of July party.

While the girls had their Camp Nonna, the boys and I came back to NJ. We took Jack with us to a laser light show!

 All reunited! What is summer without popsicles, ninja turtles, headbands, and corn on the cob?

June 2015

It's time to get summer started! First, Doug had to get a quiot court made. Thanks to Nick and Josh's help, this was just a one day job. It's nice to have a dedicated place for Doug's favorite game!

School finished up too. Mark "graduated" from pre-K. It was such a cute little ceremony. It is a lovely school, I will miss it and the wonderful teachers there...but Joe won't be far behind!

Gianna finished 2nd grade as well. Where is the time going?!

We had a fun Father's Day dinner at a local German place. The ambiance left much to be desired (think: Pizza Hut circa 1984 with 90's pop music), but the food was excellent! Mark thoroughly enjoyed himself as you can see.

I made this banner for Doug. He wants to know when I'm opening my Etsy shop. 

Helping the little guy ride bikes in the driveway. How cute are they?!

A little of this, a little of that

I had a lovely Mother's Day with Doug and the kids. We went back to the area we moved from and met up with old friends for the azalea festival which we attended every year when we lived there. The azaleas being in bloom is not always a guarantee but this year they were so that was a pretty addition. 

In the above picture you can't see Joe's mother's day gift to me, which was a giant scrape on the nose from doing a header in the garage. The rest of the photos basically capture the wound's progression. It was a major topic of conversation for the ensuing week. Everyone we saw (even strangers) would say something like, "Oh no! What happened?!" And he would say, in a caveman-esque way, "Scrape. Nose." Facial wounds always look much worse than they are. Luckily he was pretty unfazed by it after the first day. 

I know there have been way too many "Joe in goggles" pictures on this blog, but it's just so ridiculous I can't help myself. 

There have also been quite a few headband pictures, but this one is to show how much he looks like John McEnroe circa 1980. 

Gianna's First Holy Communion

Gianna celebrated her First Holy Communion on April 2. It was a beautiful day and a lovely ceremony. She looked so beautiful and was so excited for this milestone. It was a joy to see her excitement and to be a part of it with her. Her cousin Bella celebrated at the same time, making the day even more special for the whole family. My parents and my in-laws were here, as well as Aunt Jenny and Uncle Steve. We are so proud of the young lady she is becoming!