Brooklyn, NY, here we come!

We have many adverntures planned for this summer, but none can compare to our trip to NY. We had the very gracious offer to visit Adam and Tony at their place in Brooklyn. We just couldn't pass up the invitation so we decided to go for it. The original plan was to take everyone with us, but after some careful thought and consideration and the offer from Bingy to watch the twins, we set off with just David.

We left Sat night after Daddy got out of work. The trip was great, we hit a little traffic and some weather in CT on 95. David fell asleep shortly into the trip and woke up around New Haven, CT. Being the excited 3 year old that he is, he kept asking when we would be in Brooklyn, New York City. I must say it was cute the first 5 or 6 times and then it got slightly annoying when we were slowed by traffic....

What prompted the idea of us going to visit was that Ringling Brothers Circus was coming to Coney Island for the first time in almost 140 years. So we took the transit to Coney Island to see the circus. It was very exciting for all of us. None of us had ever been to Coney Island and we were excited for the chance to visit it. One of the highlights was going to Nathan's and having an original Nathan's hotdog at Coney Island. David was in heaven and woulnd't even talk to us he was stuffing his mouth so.

We had a great time at the circus seeing all the animals and acts. We all had a lot of fun.

The next day we took David in to Manhatten and visited Time Square. We that was probably one of the only places that would truly hold the interest of a 3 year old and we were right. There of course was one place in particular that David just fell in love with.... the M&M store of course!

Beach!

Our first family trip to the beach was to Marshfield to visit our friends, the Doherty's. We had a great time and the kids loved the beach. David was great, heading straight for the water not timid at all. Cate and James loved splasing at the water's edge. Cate was a true beach bum, she loved every minute of being there! This is a good sign for future beach trips to come! You know it was a good day when they don't stay awake long enough for you to hit the highway!

Happy 4th of July!

Another 4th of July visiting with Mommy's family at Aunt's house and then to the Norwood parade. It was a great day! We had a delicious cookout at Aunt's. Auntie had brought a cake to the cookout. In true David fashion, if there is a cake, there must be a candle for the cake and it is to be lit and followed by singing of Happy Birthday.

First came the mission of finding a candle, which we were not prepared for. Aunt was able to find a taper candle and we stood around and sang Happy Birthday to America. It started off trying to appease a 3 year old and actually turned out to be a very nice moment in the celebration.

The parade was great as always and the kids really enjoyed it. There were no tears until one of the big construction trucks blared it's horn in front of us. Cate wasn't very happy. Other than that it was a great 4th!

Wedding season.....

So this year is a particularly busy one for us with weddings. The first one of our friends to get married this year was Andy. Eric was one of the groomsmen in this wedding which made it extra special for us. Andy is the reason that we met, so we can thank him (on the good days) or blame him ( on the not-so-good days) for us being a family! We have known Andy for many years, he is a wonderful friend of ours and we are so happy that he has found someone to spend his life with.

Kicking off summer!

June started off being a very busy month for us! David finished up his swimming lessons which he will miss very much! Our cousins Adam and Tony came up from NY for a visit. We had a great weekend with them. They were with us to celebrate Adam's birthday. We took David bowling for the first time, it was so much fun. Even the adults got to use the gutter bumpers and they didn't help like you would think.... We all had a lot of fun, especially Mommy, she was the winner!

Swimming

David finished up his swimming lessons in June. He had been taking then for a couple of months with his twi best buddies, Will and James. These are his two friends that he met at Curry and they are like the three muskateers! David loved his lessons and can't wait to take them again in the fall!

Walk America

For the 4th year in a row we did the March of Dimes walk, Walk America in Boston. We joined the nurses from Newton/Wellesley again this year and beat our goal, as in years past, thanks to our very generous friends and family! This is such a special time for us to reflect on the true blessings our children are to us.

Happy Easter

We had another quiet Easter this year at home. It started off with going to church with David for Easter mass. Nana was nice enough to stay with the twins for us. We then had a nice dinner with Uncle Greg at home. David got lots of chocolate which made his day!

David and Nana dancing in the kitchen.

Florida

We were very adventurous this year and decided to take a trip to Florida, thanks to Bingy and Pa for offering to get us there. At first we were VERY hesitant at the idea of traveling with all 3. The flight wasn't even the scary part, it was all the stuff that needs to accompany you on a trip with 3 young children.... The clothes, diapers, car seats, food, bottles, toys, strollers, the list goes on and on. After much planning, we decided to go for it and just make it happen. We had a fantastic flight down, no major meltdowns and had a wonderful and much needed vacation!

Our trip to the beach. David and Pa had fun flying a kite, it was almost too windy! David and Daddy had fun building sandcastles. David insisted that they be built right next to the surf so he could watch them get swept away.

Thanks to Pa, we were able to go riding in a golf cart to look for aligators. This was David's favorite part of the trip. And yes, we were actually that close!

David at the water park downtown. He had a wonderful time running through the fountains!

Swimming at the pool at Aunt Bobbies. Everyone loved the water!

Cate is becoming quite the little ham! She is starting to give her brothers a run for their titles!

Bumps and Bruises!

Having boys means cuts, scrapes, bumps and bruises. David gave us quite a scare one night. We heard a very loud crash followed by horrific screaming and crying. He had fallen off the piano bench, which he was standing on so that he could see himself in the mirror...., and caught the inside corner of his eye on the corner of the bench. He is so lucky that he did not hit his eyeball...

We had to wait almost a month after the twins actually turned 1 to have their 1 year pictures taken. Mostly due to James being w new walker and falling quite often creating a multitude of bruises on his forehead. Every time we thought his head was clearing up enough to get the pictures done, down he would go again creating a fresh bruise....

Here is one of the many examples of James and his bruises!

We finally got the pictures done and here they are!

Happy Birthday Cate and James!

I know it has been quite a while, so bear with me, I am backdating to catch you all up on our happenings......

Cate and James turned 1 in February! We can hardly believe that a year has flown by so quickly. I remember saying "Just let me get through this first year" over and over. Although I was happy to have endured the first year with twins, I didn't realize where exactly that would put us.....

On their actual birthday February 2.

Their big party with all our family and friends.

James walked pretty close to his birthday and took off running. He is all boy and into everything!!! He will drive you crazy to the point of pulling your hair out and then he will flash that adorable smile and all is right again. He so badly wants to be his big brother and do what he does. This of course annoys David to no end....

They actually look like they like each other!

Sweet Cate, is so content sitting and looking through her books and just watching her brothers run wild. I thank God every day for giving me a sweet baby like her, she is always so happy and content. I know, wait until she is a teen, right??

Cate in her party dress

We had a wonderful celebration of their first year. I can't believe my last babies are already one and I look forward to the many adventures we will have in the years to come!