Quinten's Birthday

In the middle of June, Quiten went ahead and got older.  He had the nerve to turn 9.  I mean, how did that happen??  Abbey jumped right into the pool and Adam said he didn't want to go in... Which in the car he regretted.  I told him next time I'm making him... He needs a push sometimes to be brave. I had to get in myself when Abbey got into a float that was sinking... It WAS cold Adam had been right about that.  I had to force Abbey out shivering.

Adam did have fun in their game room.

Quinten is such a fish.  He's so nice and polite, it's adorable.  I brought Bri but she  spent half the time with a sleeping Ellie in the car who woke up miserable.

Have to get some shots of pretty Annaleise.  She is growing up So fast and now she kind of poses for me.  I've already broken her!!

A Little Harborfest

Friday morning we had plans to meet Hunter from school at Franklin Park but she had to cancel.  I had already told the kids where we were going after Abbey's half hour with Miss Megan, so backing out woukd have been mean.  Taking all three kids doesn't intimidate me as it once may have... I even took them all out to lunch last week when Adam asked and it wasn't stressful.  (It was McDonald's though!)

The park was only partially set up, but they got books from the book mobile and loved this bubble demonstrator ... Who was kind if mean.  He yelled at kids for popping them and when imaginative Adam said oh they're attacking me the guy was like that's impossible all irritated.

We spent quite a bit in the science tent and made nature sun prints and robots of recycled materials.  Abbey's has flower hair bows and Adam named his t-bone.  It was funny because Adam wanted to keep doing stuff in that tent and Abbey wanted to get to the playground.  At one point, Adam reminded me of me as a kid and sat on the ground trying to read his book while waiting for me.  We finished up and headed to the playground where Ellie had a blast walking around it for the first time.  Fun morning.

Our Room

This is our room.  The original garage.  At some point an office. With the remains of a kitchen I think in one of the closets.  This crazy house.  It has no less than three doors to the outside. 

These open to the driveway. If it didn't require a building permit, we'd turn them into windows.  The room has two regular closets and a huge walk-in.  And a mantel with no fireplace.  And seven light fixtures.  

And an oak railing. It's going to be blue. 

Bittersweet Backyard

The backyard is beautiful.  Like from a storybook. The lot is about an acre and a half.  Currently the 75 feet facing the back road isn't ours.  The bank divided the plot and gave it to the previous owner so all liens would go to it.  But now the town of Dewitt is suing Bank if America because the divide was illegal so it may come back to us.  We don't care.  It's so small nothing can be done with it.  Hard to access it with the pond.  The pond itself both adds to the yard and irritates me.  It's kind if gross looking as it hasn't been taken care of and scares me with the kids.  We are going to do something about it but not sure what. 

Here's the entrance to the patio area. 

And the patio and deck. The slate is a little rough, but this is way down on the list!!  We already had a landscaper here pulling down and cleaning up, including some tree bushes that lined the patio that had gotten wild and had to go.  They had been beautiful at one time. I like the ivy on the walls Todd wants it gone. What do you think?

Most of the back of the house.  Without our room or the bird's. I love it.  

Purple Room & Library

This was the purple room with the library in the background.  I wish I'd taken more befores but you can see the sponge paint purple in the second photo. Complete with gross purple carpet and trim painted brown with green speckle, which is still visible. This room is to your right when you walk into the house and our bedroom is beyond the library. 

The floor underneath is commercial time, supporting my belief that this area was once an office... You can really tell in our bedroom.  This room is going to be a family room space and I'm struggling with color scheme. Trim will be chocolate brine I think and we are treating it as one room with the library. The mantel is junk and someday we will replace it with something nice.  The ceilings are high in this room and I love the bay window.

Here's the right side of the little library room.  Hello water damage good bye original built-ins.  

Ellie is 14 Months

Yesterday, my baby turned 14 months.  

I tried for a cute photo shoot (I still have to post her 11 and 12 month!) but she was miserable yesterday.  Teething is kicking her butt.  Until last week, she only had her two bottom teeth and now her two top front have come through.  The other kids just woke up with all their teeth, it seemed, so this is new to us.  Daddy has become used to my need for these photos, so he tried to get her to smile for me.  Which is fitting, because she is so Daddy's girl.  If he's hone, she wants him.  If he's gone when she wakes up in the morning, she asks for him.  

He got her to crack a little, but not much!   Ellie has been walking like crazy the last couple of weeks and wanting to assert her independence. She can climb stairs really quick which is a surprise. She is so funny.  She will grab Adam's toys and run from him laughing.  He's soooo good with her he chases her around and plays the game. And she's talking.  She says Adam and the other night I taught her 'hat' just as simple as that as she was playing with one.  She's gotten so big.  

She's already stealing Abbey's necklaces and wearing them, this girl thing kicking in early.  And the other night at dinner I was going to tear up a roll for her but she reached in the basket and grabbed one and started eating it!  She has no interest in baby toys... Just stealing the big kid stuff. Which horrifies Abbey.  Her grin is amazing and she's pretty happy a lot if the time.  Growing up too fast....

Speaking of Abbey, this is the outfit she wore to Walmart.  She does look beautiful.  And she now loves to model for me.  So in trouble. 

Jack's Party

At the beginning of May, we went to Jsck's birthday party.  I brought Bri to help as it was at a park.   Can't you just see how Ellie adores her?  Jack was born in the same summer as Maddie and Quinten.   Nine years ago.  Crazy.  It seems like yesterday.  

  

Natalie is turning seven.  She looks so grown up.  Here's Adam playing peek a boo to make Ellie laugh.  He's such a good big brother.  Abbey went right for the balloons of course!

Smiley girl. She's already changed since then.

My favorite picture of the day.

Abbey headed right to the climbing wall of course.

And the slide. She spent most of her day on this play area.

Sarah's dad. I always liked him.

Bri trying it out and her shadow Abbey.

Adan had a blast playing and running around with the kids.

It was also Sarah's brother's birthday and since Jack had had a cake at a friend party they surprised him with the cake.  He is a reader and a writer, too and that was the theme.  Sarah cut me the piece with Stephen King.  It toucjrd me. That's a corny phrase, but the best to describe it.  More than it should have.  Funny thing as we get older....small stuff means more and the stuff that was so important 20 years ago I can hardly remember why.

So besides the crazy crazy wind under the pavilion that knocked everything over, the day went well.  Kids had a blast. 

Abbey's Graduation

Abbey had her own graduation ceremony.  For her, it was officially a 'moving up'.  It was the same time as Adam's picnic so we were each going to go to one but my friend Sarah offered to watch Adam at the school picnic so we could both go.

Walking the podium.  Surprise, she did NOT want to give up the sash.

The kids sang for us....

Abbey was just so proud.

Below is the shot if them walking in with one the aids guiding her.   She was so surprised and happy to see Daddy she run up to him (above) and gave him a hug.  She kept talking to me during the ceremony but she stayed seated and did everything.  It was so cute.  I am so proud of how far she has come!

Current View

Is it just me or does Abbey look four going on 14?   We stayed At the cottage last night and I'm glad they talked me into swimming because today was too cold and windy and we left early.  I took this at 8am.  I was up at 6am.  Ellie was up most of the night teething and the kids get up with the sun here.  Wouldn't trade these times for the world.  The kids LOVE it here.  

Adam's Zoo Trip

Adam's class trip was to the zoo.  Last year I missed this as I had just had Ellie.  We got there a little late, but not the last ones so I didn't feel like a jerk. See the redhead?  That's Mikey, Adam's end if the year buddy.  Adam gets very interested in one particular kid for awhile and it was Mikey the last month or two. He would get mad at me if I lagged behind him (and I did I was still feeling very weak).  It was mutual though..Mikey took his hand.

Class picture.  Adam always stands out out; not quite following the herd.

Adam just loved this bear :).   He loves animals and the zoo.  As a class, we skipped the inside part and I think that was wise. It gets crowded and made walking through not so long. Here's Adam on the tiger and that's Miss Elizabeth on the end.  He says he's ready for a new teacher, but I know he'll miss her. The kid in front is Toby, his on again off again.

Love that grin!  It was a good morning except I thought I lost him once and panicked.  But it turned out he was right behind me.  Sigh.  I love this kid.  He did a good job socializing, but he's definitely his mother'a son.  Different. Good.  Now he just has to learn all the confidence to back it up!

Spring Shots

These are some Ellie shots from the spring.  Her little nose is adorable here!! She's grown up so much.

I love this dress but I sent it to a friend.  It's made with Edgar Allen Poe fabric.  

She loves climbing on Bailey's bed to look out the picture window. 

I was pleasantly surprised when my friend Chewy, who moved to Rochester some years back came up to see us.  Ellie LOVED him.  Most kids do.  He's great with them.  He's with a girl who doesn't want any so he's decided to be ok with that, though I know it makes him sad.  We joked that if we were both single at 40 we'd have a test tube baby.  That's how much we both wanted kids!!  It was nice to chat and catch up.

Yard Visit

My sister Sarah and her husband Jeff, his son Jordan and their kids Jamison and Julianna stayed with us for the wedding and were here until Tuesday.  I was excited to spend time with her kids and wanted them in our house.  I had never met Julianna.  Jams was all about wanting to see Uncle Todd's trucks and on Monday I took them to lunch at Canale's (Sarah's favorite place... There's apparently a lack of Italian food in Virginia.  I had requests from all of them including half moons for Sissy and Cappicola for mom.), we went out to the yard. Jams was a natural!

They all wanted to try, of course.

I was surprised to see Jordan get excited about this digger.  He's 14, at an age where the kid side pops out still.  

Todd showed him how to drive it and let him use it.  He was thrilled. 

Then they all got a turn in the street sweeper.  The boys goofing off while waiting their turn.. They ended up being two peas in a pod. 

While I was in the office with Abbey and Jams was driving, my sister Sarah slipped in a puddle as she was video taping him and he turned the wheel towards her.  I was sad I missed it!!  The kids had a blast.  Then woke up Ellie as they pulled on one of the air horns.  Jules slept through it.