Rocking into Summer

Liam and Joegen have had no problem whatsoever adjusting to their summer schedule :)  I think they wait all year for this!

Liam kicked off his summer with a very fun birthday party for his friend Lily at the Philadelphia Rock Gym.  This was his first time climbing and he had a blast!  He got a little more brave with every climb, and by the time the party ended, he was making his way to almost the top of the wall.  He was beyond disappointed that he had to stop climbing when the party was over!

The boys love summer at Aunt Doreen's because summer means pool days! Especially in June when Em and Allie are still around!

With summer comes our CSA fruit share, and nothing is better than scoring fat red stalks of rhubarb... Except maybe getting to finish off the last of a rhubarb crisp on the deck (shirts: optional).

Joergen's buddy Vincent celebrated his 4th birthday in June with a big outdoor bash. Vin has a huge extended family with tons of cousins, an inflatable water slide, and some awesome riding toys, all of which made for a pretty fantastic day for these two :)

Liam's #1 mission this spring/summer has been to conquer the monkey bars, and I have never seen him work so hard to accomplish a goal!  His commitment paid off, because by June, he was a little pro.

Towards the end of June, Liam had fun exploring the SonSpark Labs at Vacation Bible School at MDP.

One night at home, Liam and Joergen discovered the closet where I keep their old Halloween costumes from when they were babies. I laughed until my sides hurt at these two cramming into the costumes they wore when they were 2.5 and 9 months old! I don't think Joergen was able to even pull the pants over his bottom!

The weather has been so beautiful that we have been able to get out our inflatable pool a few times one the weekend, too.  Watermelon, swimming, being outside... yes. Welcome summer.

Joergen and Will

Springtime Fun

We had a fun and busy spring with t-ball, the start of Screwballs softball, Dad's basketball, and...

Nana and I did a wine and paint night- SO fun!!

Our "masterpieces"- Philadelphia's Boathouse Row

BrickFest Live at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks!  Will's dad scored tickets, and they invited us along. The boys were in Lego heaven.

Playing Putt-Putt on a course built entirely of Legos

Anyone know where I can find a red Lego brick?!

Anyone?

Found one!

And more!

Found this guy too :)

Spending time at the zoo!  After being in Austin, TX, for a conference for a few days and then working Commencement early the next morning, I was more than ready for some QT with my favorite guys. An afternoon at the Philly Zoo was just what the doctor ordered.

Getting outside!

With their favorite, Gina

Fighting bad guys!

Upgrading my catcher's mask!

Losing teeth!

Knocking out some home improvements!  Our roof badly needed to be replaced, and after suffering through Power's never-ending sales pitch, we were able to get new shutters for all our windows thrown in for "free."  Whatever.  I'll take it.

Before pic, as they were starting work on the roof. I never liked that the addition windows had no shutters!  The original shutters were a faded sage green.

New roof on, and shutters going up on the addition. We chose a chocolate brown, and I love the new look!

New shutters up on the original part of the house

And now, we are ready for some summer relaxation!

Last Days of School

School's out for summer!

Both boys had a great end to their school year.  Joergen wrapped up his first year of preschool first. He had a great time in Mrs. Tenney's class and made lots of good friends!

His spring school pictures were darn pretty cute, no thanks to us.  We completely forgot it was picture day!

Joergen's end-of-school field trip was to Elmwood Park Zoo, where he had a blast with his two besties, Will and Vincent.  These guys all live within a block and a half of each other, so I think they have a lot of fun ahead of them!

Joergen, Will, and Vincent

Joer and Will

On Joergen's last day, Mrs. Tenney gave everyone their diploma and a little bucket to help them kick off their summers. Will and Vincent's moms both sent me pictures that morning while I was at work so that I could see him get his diploma, for which I was beyond thankful!  They are such thoughtful friends!

Joergen, Will, and Vin

Right around the time of Joergen's last day of school, he wrote his whole name for the first time all by himself.  It's not an easy name for a little guy to write, but I knew he could do it!

Liam wrapped up his first year of elementary school with some unexpected style... he got glasses!  After his pediatrician recommended we get him to an eye doctor, we learned that he is in fact quite farsighted.  He picked out his own frames, and I must say, he is definitely a kindergarten cutie!

When Liam's glasses finally came in and he tried them on for the first time in the mirror... :)

"I can see!"

Pre-K and 1st grade... here they come!

Mudhens T-Ball

Who's ready for some t-ball?!

This year, t-ball was truly a family affair.  Liam was on the roster, Dad was the coach, Joergen was on the unofficial roster, and I was the team mom.  Go Mud Hens!

It was a great season and a lot of fun for all of us.  We were especially happy to have lots of visitors come to cheer on the team throughout the season.

Colin, Genevieve, and Aunt Jackie braved some cold spring weather

Nana on the sidelines

Molly and Big John from our softball team even came out to show their support for several of their games.  It was so sweet of them to come, and it truly made the boys feel special!

Other Mud Hens fans who came out this season included Grandma, Papa, Toni, and Aunt Doreen.  That's a lot of love on the sidelines!

Liam is a strong hitter and loves to play first and third bases.  I loved watching him play!  I also loved watching Dad coach.  He had never-ending patience and always encouraged his team to do their best- and have lots of fun! He was definitely born to be in this role and I was so proud of them both!

Shaking hands with the Bees... something the Mud Hens got VERY good at this year, as they played each other no fewer than 6 times in the season.  Who is making this schedule, anyway?!

My favorite part of every game was when Coach Anthony huddled up the team, presented the game ball to a deserving player, and led everyone in an enthusiastic "Go Mud Hens!"

The UMBA season always ends with Bateman Day, when every team in the league plays their last game and the Major Leagues have their championship tournament. It's a really fun carnival-like atmosphere and is a great way for the kids to end their season.

Liam's last hit of the 2015 season.

Joergen checking out the tractor in the equipment barn. He proudly wore his Mud Hens jersey and cap through most of the season, and even played in a couple of games.  He is definitely ready to step up to t-ball next spring!

Liam making his last run into home

Staying alert in the field. He made some really nice plays this season.

The last Mud Hens huddle

After the game, Coach presented the team with their trophies and said a few words about the season.  It really was a great group of kids (and parents!), and I know Coach was proud of them.

The 2015 Mud Hens