An All-American weekend

A county fair,

Followed by the first game of the season for the Giants. Go G-Men!

Labor Day

We spent Labor Day weekend with Mimi, Papa and Uncle Eric at the beach...the perfect way to say goodbye to summer! No, summer doesn't technically end for another two weeks or so, but somehow Labor Day always feels like the end. And - when you add in that this will probably be our last visit to the beach this year (with the baby's birth rapidly approaching) - it definitely feels like summer's over.

I'm Comin' Dixie Stampede!

Papa surprised Jack with a special night for just the two of them...a trip to the Dixie Stampede! Jack looked through the brochure and got very excited about the horses and the "dinner show".

As he walked down the stairs to meet Papa, he said out loud: "I'm comin' Dixie Stampede!".

Jack says...

FUNNY
From the backseat of the car as we drive up to the window at McDonald's:
"I want a number one with a sherley temple."

SAD
When I told him Finn the fish got very sick and went to heaven:
(as tears streamed out from both eyes) "But I'll never see him again." and "There's no water in Heaven. He can't breather". and "Tomorrow I wanna go to the store and buy another fish and name him."

SWEET
As I put him to bed (after reading books and laying with him for a few minutes):
"This how many kisses I want you to give me." (as he holds up all 10 fingers)

First Day at Rainbow Station

Today Jack started in the 3's class at Rainbow Station. We'd been talking about his new school all summer, so he was really excited to get there! Of course I made him stop for what seemed like a million pictures, every step of the way.

In the yard before we left...

In front of the school before walking in...

At his very own locker (which is step 1 every day)...

In the boys' room washing his hands (which is step 2 every day)...

Saying good morning to each of his teachers, Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Celine (which is step 3 every day)...

And choosing his free play room before I left (for his first day he picked the art room with his buddy Mason)...

I'm 30...Let's Celebrate!

My love, who planned an amazing birthday dinner with all of our friends...

The face of a pregnant girl who's just been served a brownie sundae...

John coming over from the "boys' table" to help serenade me...

A perfect way to finish a perfect night...

I'm the big 3-0!!

Yesterday I told Jack that it would be my birthday when we woke up today. He asked if there were any presents for me, so I asked him if he'd gotten me one. "Well," he said, thought for awhile, and then continued with "I have some trucks you and I could play with together!" Oh my sweet boy - so thoughtful!

The first moment of my birthday came at 1:36am; I woke to a little voice from upstairs. "Mommmmmmy! Mommmmmmy! My bed is wet!" I ran upstairs and Jack had already taken himself to the potty and changed his pj pants. So...the two of us walked back downstairs and cuddled into bed. No - I was not excited to be woken up in the middle of the night, but I gladly accept some snuggling time with my little man. Waking up to his sweet face always makes my morning.

We went out to breakfast (after the cleaning ladies made the house spotless) and I stuffed myself (literally) with stuffed french toast. YUMMY!

Off to Dinosaur Train, naps, and then...my FedEx package arrived! I had been awaiting for it all day, thinking it was my new Chanel boots, but to my surprise...when the box arrived it could fit in my hand. What was inside you ask?? A complete surprise...mom-of-the-year award goes to Mimi, who remembered my love for Laura's monogrammed necklace and ordered me one in rose gold. Completely beautiful, completely shocking, completely perfect!! I immediately made a beeline for my closet to change into a different shirt that would showcase it! Mimi and Papa arrived minutes later, so it couldn't have been planned more perfectly. We went to the club for a cocktail (Jack learned the meaning of the word, and then told us he'd like to have a cocktail too), then out to dinner at Ilios Noche, followed by Carvel for dessert. So good!!

AND - just to top it off, my boots arrived at the front door! Chanel boots and a gorgeous new necklace all in one day? MUST be my birthday!!

All in all - a great birthday, spent with family and a few surprises along the way. Looking forward to tomorrow night...John has planned a big b'day dinner with all of our friends at 131 Main, so it should be tons of fun!!

Riding in Pinehurst

We headed up to Pinehurst for the day to the Granitos horse property, because the thought of getting near horses and exposing our kids to them thrilled me. But when Jack said he wanted to ride...my excitement went through the roof! I was so surprised how gung-ho and brave he was! And to watch his face as "Two Step" started to move was the sweetest moment I've experienced in awhile.

I of course walked right along with him making sure he didn't fall, so the only picture I got was this one. I guess I'll have to burn that sweet smile into my memory.

Capturing a picture of Kingsley was tricky too, since she stayed on all of one second. Just the opposite of her brother (to my surprise)...she was COMPLETELY terrified of the horses.

Who knew...

...that a little plastic pool could provide such fun and excitement on a sunny Sunday?

Had I known earlier buying one would treat me to a shot like this of my precious boy, I would have bought one ages ago!! Oh that face!

And this one too!

And capturing Kingsley's favorite hand gesture of "no"? Well that's just...priceless!

Kristin's About to have Baby #3!

A new nephew is about to enter the world - in about 2 weeks - so this morning I hosted a little baby shower honoring Kristin. It was a great way just to take a moment and recognize that a brand new baby boy is about to be here! In total there were nine of us, including the guest of honor.

Four of whom are pregnant.

Can't wait to meet the little guy, and watch him grow alongside our baby girl who is due 4 weeks after him!!

Little fish

This summer has been AMAZING for Jack's swimming. He's gone from the kid who need 6 weeks of swimming lessons to get his head under the water, to the one who only wants to be in the big pool using goggles.

Daddy's home!!!

Daddy coming through the door after a day at work never seems to get less exciting...for any of us! Every time the kids hear that door open, they RUN to it yelling "Daddy!!!!!", thrilled to get their daily dose of hugs and kisses.

The aftermath of chocolate pretzels

What are you taking a picture of mommy?
The calm before the sugar rush storm...

Love that she hammed it up for the camera, having lno idea what I was taking a picture of. AND, love that her hair stayed perfectly coeffed while her face looked like this...

A Magical Birthday Party: Mason turns 3!

This morning we went to Jack's friend Mason's 3rd birthday party. (Mason and Jack have been friends since they were babies, and are headed to Rainbow Station Preschool together this fall.) The party had a magic theme, fit with a magician (aka The Great Pop Pop), and magic hats and wands for all. It didn't take Jack long to learn the magic word Abracadabra from Mason. The two of them, along with some of the other kids, went around the backyard flicking their wands chanting Abracadabra!


After some swimming, snacks and pizza...it was time for The Great Pop Pop to put on his show. All the kids gathered around and watched each of the tricks intently. To watch their adorable little faces filled with interest and amazement was unforgettable.


Kingsley of course loved the cupcakes and bubbles...

Kingsley's Room...getting closer to completion!

Kingsley's big girl room has been my obsession for the last month or two, and it's finally starting to come together. After 3 different color choices for the wall I'm loving the mossy green we chose, the wallpaper is exactly what I wanted, the painted/wallpapered bookshelves look great, and the decorations are finding a place as well. Each part of the room that gets completed (the pendant lamp was the latest) makes me love it even more - it's happy and warm, has plenty of places to play, and still feels calm and comforting. I find myself in there often with the kids - having tea parties at the little table (where Kingsley loves to sit her baby dolls and teddy bears), reading books on the chairs, or just laying on the floor looking up at the butterflies.



Things that still need work:

- The walls behind the chair and the crib need some sprucing up. I'm waiting for the crib to arrive before I do either of these walls, so I know exactly where the chairs will go, and how high/big the crib is.

- The play table and chairs, and the rug underneath - I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the chairs because they're a little difficult for the kids to get in and out of, the rug underneath should probably be a different color, and I'd like to paint some flowers on the table itself.
- Knobs on the dresser need to be changed out for some type of flower.
- I want to add a few more personal things to the room, most importantly an oil painting of Kingsley's favorite teddy - Yaya.

Great helpers!

After we woke up this morning, John decided Jack needed some "figurines" (after we had already had our fair share of dinosaur roars by 9am), so we headed to Toys R Us. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a wall of Buzz Lightyears...perfect! Jack got to pick out one, and then we walked through the rest of the store picking up one more toy for him (a truck and trailer), one toy for him and Kingsley to share (Mr. Potato Head), and two for Kingsley (a cleaning set w/ 2 mops and a broom, and a doll stroller). As soon as we got home, we opened Kingsley's toys....and they were a TOTAL hit...for BOTH kids, especially the broom and mops. Ahhh - if only I could be so enthusiastic about cleaning!

30 Weeks

Holy cow...10 more weeks to go!!