Party Boys

Last Saturday, Liam and Joergen were invited to a party at BounceU to celebrate the 6th and 4th birthdays of their good buddies/ fellow sibling pair at Miss Doreen's, Raleigh and Kaelyn.  Liam was invited to their party last year too, and I had responded to the invitation that he would be there as long as "I'm not in the hospital or anything," and lo and behold, Joergen was in fact born that morning!  Not to let anything stand in the way, though, Liam went to that party anyway.  Because really... there is only so long a 2-year-old can sit around a hospital room and stare at a newborn... but I digress!

So walking into this party was like walking into a preschool version of Animal House.  Liam could not get his shoes off fast enough and was gone in the blink of an eye to join in the festivities, laughing and hugging his friends as he saw them and ready to conquer every inflatable in the room.  I would catch glimpses of him here or there (at one point, I saw him chucking balls at some kid's dad dodgeball-style in what was basically an inflatable cage...) but otherwise had a hard time tracking him down.  I just knew he was happy! 

Joergen, on the other hand, joined the circle of little ones in a quiet(er) side of the room where he could gnaw on baby toys and steer clear of the rumpus.  He got some QT with Raleigh and Kaelyn's mom (who was an awesome extra set of hands when I needed them!), and it was so cute to see how the "big kids" he knows from Miss Doreen's would come over to sit and play with him.


Joergen with Allie and Mrs. W.


I found these three little giggle-pots getting ready to head up the climbing wall.  Allie (left) is Liam's age, and Emily (right) is just turning 4.  They've played together at Miss Doreen's since they were infants.

Liam was one of the younger kids at the party, and for as physical and fearless as he is, one thing became quite clear: he is s-l-o-w.  Whenever there was a line of kids stacked up on the climbing wall for the big slide, you could put your money that L was leading the pack!

What goes up must come down...

One of my absolute favorite moments of the day was when Liam and a bunch of kids piled into the Hurricane Machine, which basically simulates hurricane-force winds.  I could not stop laughing at them!  I dare you to watch this with a straight face...

Towards the end of the day, we all gathered into a party room to eat cake, or in Liam's case, a vegan chocolate cupcake that I brought him from home.  It always breaks my heart a little whenever Liam has to be singled out like that and can't have something as simple as a piece of birthday cake at a kids party... but I have to say that I am so incredibly proud of him for the way he handles it.  I realize he almost doesn't know any different anymore, but he really is a champ and has never once complained. I'm amazed by his resiliency.

Before everyone left, Mrs. W. brought in huge bags filled with these giant playground balls as party favors for each of the kids.  Um, awesome!  Joergen was in heaven!  He would have played "catch" with Emily, Kaelyn, and Allie all night if I'd let him.

We left that party exhausted and happy and ready to celebrate another very special birthday...

Visit with Uncle Andrew and Aunt Beth

We had so much to celebrate this past weekend, with Joergen's first birthday, the boys' gal pals Raleigh and Kaelyn's birthdays, and of course, Uncle Andrew and Aunt Beth's visit!  It all started on Friday when Uncle Andrew and Aunt Beth flew into Philly.  We took the day off work to spend the day in the city, enjoying the great weather and taking in our favorite sites.  It was Aunt Beth's first time here, and we were excited to show her around. 



At the Christ Church Burial Ground, home of Ben Franklin's grave

They know their nephew all too well and brought him this spiffy hat.  Doesn't he look dapper?!

One of the homes in Elfreth's Alley was up for sale, so we tried to convince them to buy... but something tells me that our efforts were in vain.  Can you imagine them trying to raise 4 kids in one of these tiny homes?!

After putting some miles on those strollers, we decided to hit up Fergie's Pub for some dinner.  It was a team effort to keep the little ones occupied while we waited for food (especially because it is not exactly a place that caters to kids!), but the boys loved getting some time to relax with their aunt and uncle:

It was an awesome way to kick off our party weekend!

Monkeying Around

The days are longer, flowers are blooming, the weather has been amazing, and everyone has been in great moods and enjoying every minute.  At Miss Doreen's, the boys are outside almost all day, enjoying the sunshine and getting to burn off lots of energy!  Miss Doreen sent me this on my cell phone one day while I was at work:

Liam and Joergen just adore Miss Doreen's daughters (and have a particualr love for Theresa), who have been like awesome big sisters to them.  The kids have lots of fun flying down the hill on all kinds of riding toys in Doreen's backyard.

During Villanova's Spring Break a couple of weeks ago, I took advantage of the lull in my schedule to spend the day with my guys.  We decided to hit up Monkey Joe's in Pottstown, and while Joer was too little for most things, Liam was SO in his element!  What could beat the look on his face when he finally got to the top of his first slide and peered over the edge?

True to form, Liam was utterly fearless.  He eagerly took on every physical challenge he could find-- he amazes me!

Liam isn't the only one taking on physical challenges these days... Joergen is working hard to catch up!  He recently conquered the steps-- and went the entire way from bottom to top (with us close behind him).

And every once in a while, if we're really lucky... they'll stop for a moment to just relax :)

We're celebrating Joergen's birthday this weekend and are SO excited to have Uncle Andrew and Aunt Beth visiting from Peoria!  More on that to come...!

St. Patrick's Day Parade

As most of you know, we walked (or marched, as Liam emphatically insisted) with the ND Club of Philly in this year's Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade.  The parade dates back to 1771 and is the second oldest parade in the country!  We were blessed with an absolutely beautiful day-- sunny and almost 60 degrees-- which is not exactly normal for this holiday (as I seem to remember a pre-kids St. Patty's Day, trudging through downtown Philly in the snow and slush with Anthony and my BFF Jen...).

The boys were excited for their first big parade.  Liam sang his favorite parade song over and over as he practiced leading up to the big day and helped me with both outfits and wagon-decorating.   It should be no surprise to anyone who knows Liam that he picked out a silly "hat" and enthusiastically wore it for the entire day.  Joergen rocked a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" tie and didn't seem to mind it at all.  They were great sports!

Our rendevouz spot for the ND Club was at 17th and JFK, but the parade was a little behind schedule and we ended up having to wait around for a loooong time before it was our turn to step off.  I was so proud of my little Irishmen, who found plenty of ways to keep themselves occupied.  We took some pictures...

...and watched the little Irish dancers in line next to us (Joer liked those cute girls!):

We also played with our buddies, who made standing around way more fun!  Liam and Brigid just adore each other.

Brigid's mom totally won the mom award that day... her dad was playing trumpet with the Alumni Band, so she carried little TJ (and often Kara as well) while pushing a double-stroller the entire parade route.  And still managed to look festive!

It was finally our turn to line up-- yay!

It was very loud and very green and there were SO many people all around us, so when I looked back to make sure Joergen wasn't totally overwhelmed, this was what I saw.  He was loving it as much as Liam!

And we're off!  Gotta give a shout-out to Uncle Andrew and Aunt Beth for Liam's awesome t-shirt!

Liam was in his little element.  He just kept smiling and waving and shaking people's hands and giving people five and yelling "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" and "Go Irish!"  And then I look at Joergen, and look who was waving to the masses too!

Liam even scored a lollipop on the parade route.  A peanut-safe lollipop at that!  And he held on to that thing for dear life.

Alas, all the commotion was exhausting.  Joer had missed his naptime due to the parade yet still managed to sneak in a little snooze:

We unfortunately didn't make it on TV-- they cut to commercial just as we approached the grandstand!-- but we did find our segment online.  Click below to check us out.  We're in the very first group.  Can you spot us?

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/video/6831138-web-extra-st-pats-parade-2-215-pm/

Sunday Mornings

Sunday morning at our house is probably my favorite part of the week. We make a big breakfast (pancakes are the reigning fave), play, and go to church as a family. I recently started singing again in the choir, though, and with the choir mass going right through the boys' lunch time, we've realized that at least for now, we need to divide and conquer. Dad will usually take Liam to 9:30 and I head on my own to 11:30 to sing.

This morning, MDP held a pancake breakfast to support the youth group mission trip. Dad volunteered to work with the Knights at the breakfast, and the boys and I volunteered to eat.
The pancakes themselves were not safe for Liam, but he loved trying Froot Loops instead (though I had to bring along our own soy milk... no such thing as an easy meal out anymore!) and a big bowl of fruit. Joergen had pancakes and a banana.

Afterwards, Liam got to play soccer in the gym with a bunch of big kids, and since there was still a little time before mass, the boys got to play together for a bit on the playground. It was a beautiful morning made even nicer by happy boys-- no whining, fussing, or fits. And happy boys make for happy moms and dads!

Snapped this pic of the Liam and Joer going down the slide together. Love!

11 Months Old

What a difference a month makes!  Joergen has really transformed into a more active, curious, and persistent baby with his increased mobility and coordination.  And although they adore each other, he and Liam have had their first "fights"... mostly because Joergen wants to play with absolutely everything Liam touches.  So goes life with a little brother!

Joergen is officially up on all fours and is getting faster by the day.  He beelines for open doorways, the DVD player, drawer pulls, and electrical cords.  Hello, babyproofing!  I totally busted him heading for the entertainment center for the hundredth time... notice the big fat grin (oh, he knows he's not allowed!).

Another thing we've had to address recently is... and let's be honest here... his hair!  He was looking like a mini Justin Bieber or the 5th Beatle or something with that mop, so for the 3rd time in just 4 months, a haircut was in order.

Since my haircutting repetoire is limited to buzzes (and apparently mohawks), I called in for reinforcements.  So when Nana and Grandpa were visiting for Liam's birthday, I put Nana to work.

Liam really wanted a haircut too, so I gave him a quick trim around his ears and he was satisfied. Handsome, aren't they?

Joergen has denounced baby food in all its forms (go ahead... I dare you to try to feed it to him!), so I've had to dust off my menu of baby-appropriate table food.  He has 6 teeth and a fiesty appetite.  He loves cooked veggies, pearl couscous, and is a definite carnivore.

Joergen loves to play-- and is often perfectly content to do so on his own, where he is sure to get into absolutely everything, and make an enormous mess in the process!  The main difference over the last month has been his ability to pull himself up quickly and even stand on his own for very short spurts.  He is all over the place: crawling, pulling up on something (including my pant leg), seeing what's going on "up there", then dropping back down on his bottom and crawling on to the next thing.  He especially loves hanging out in Liam's room where he will either play in/on his toybox, or get out every single puzzle and dump the pieces all over the floor.  I try to encourage the toybox action :)

A short video of the little guy in action:

Let the countdown to his 1st birthday begin!