Summer Parties

Today was a busy day of parties and driving.  We were away from our house for eleven hours and spent 4+ hours in the car!  Not always easy to do with two little ones but thankfully Evan and Logan are great in the car.  We started the day at the Aptima Summer Outing in Georgetown, MA.  We eased into the outing starting at the playground and in the bounce house.  It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed cooling off in the wading pool and spray park.  There was a smaller turnout of Aptimists than in years past but we still had a good time!



When it was just about nap time, we packed up and headed to RI to attend Bill & Kristie's housewarming party in Cranston.  Both Bruce and I had already seen their new house but this made it "official".  It is a lovely house for an amazing couple and we wish them many years of happiness in it!  Logan learned a new party trick and had fun with the hydrangea while Evan played with some of Bill's old toys (GI Joe's and army trucks), read stories with Emily and got to take home a special present..."The Key of Wonder!"  It is a large wooden key that Bill made in shop class in junior high school.  Evan loved it and sang about it all the way home!



It was an exhausting but really fun day and I am thankful for having two little ones who are rather easy going and love a good party!

Early Summer Fun!

June was a busy, busy month with lots going on but we still found lots of time to have fun at home.  Swimming, playing and just being silly...after all what more is there for a 3 year old and an almost 1 year old to do in the summer??



Getting ready for the wheelbarrow races next year


The boys were playing with HEX bugs and Evan put one down his shirt.  I did the same for Logan.  I love how he can feel it but isn't quite sure what is going on.


Logan loves to splash in the pool.  I like at the end of this video how he tries to do what Evan was doing with the water on his hands.


And this is just perfectly, silly Logan!

The Day the Music Died

Back in November, we started taking Evan (and Logan when he was just 3 months old) to music class. Today was the last class for the year as they take a short break for the summer.  With Evan starting pre-school in the fall, we won't be attending this class anymore but maybe we will do something else with Logan.  We had a great experience at Gymboree and will always remember Evan and Logan's first teacher, Miss Suzanne!  Such a fun way to end the class...with a beach party! And as a special treat, we had a bonus play class last week when Miss Martha was out.





I love this video because "L's" are hard to Evan to say.  You can see him really trying to get those "L's" just right.

Kickin' Off Summer!

This was the first official weekend of summer and we kicked it off in style!  Daddy was going camping in NH with the guys so it was just Mommy and the boys for the weekend.  Well, sort of!  Gramma called on Friday and said it was supposed to be a beautiful, pool weather weekend and wanted to know when we were coming down.  I figured we would go on Saturday at some point and likely stay over but we ended up heading down just after lunch on Friday.
We spent Friday afternoon in the pool, enjoying the weather and drinking some Del's.  Logan enjoyed taking a ride in the covered turtle while Evan took just about every pool toy out of the cabana to test out.  Saturday morning, the boys and I met up with Uncle Dan, Auntie Karin, Danny and Sean.  We started the day at the Build & Grow workshop at Lowe's and then went to the summer reading kickoff at the Warwick Public Library.  It was a fun event with lots of activities for the kids.  After that we went back to Papa & Gramma's for lunch, naps and more time in the pool!  We spent Sunday by the pool with everyone, including Grammy, Bumpa and even Daddy!  Bill dropped him off in RI instead of at home on the way back from camping.  And to round off the weekend, we stopped for ice cream on the way home!  What a great start to the summer!!

Catch, Logan!

Logan has been working on playing catch this month.  The first video was shot two weeks ago and I love how proud Logan is at the end.  The second video isn't actually the best catch video but I love the interaction between Evan and Logan as well as Evan's constant commentary and encouragement for his brother and Logan's excitement.  So fun to watch their bond develop and grow!

Many Ways to "Crawl"

Prior to having children, I assumed that all babies crawled on their hands and knees in relatively the same manner around the same time.  After watching Danny, Sean, Evan and Logan, I know this is not true.

Danny did the army crawl, Lt. Dan style

Sean rolled where he wanted to go

Evan got around on all fours (look at how chunky he was!)

And this is Logan's method of transportation...the reach, scooch and pull through

It may not seem it from this video but he can actually get around quite quickly if he wants to.  

First Big Ride

Ever since Evan got his balance bike for his birthday, we have been talking about taking him over to the bike path to ride.  Today we finally went!  It was a warm but cloudy day and we had a great time!  Evan rode for about 40 minutes and based on the time it took me to walk back with the boys in the stroller I figure he covered about a mile in that time.  Not bad for his little 3-year old legs, especially considering that most of the ride was uphill.  We even saw a train go by and blow his horn as we waved!  Evan didn't have much of a chance to glide so maybe next time he can catch a ride in the stroller on the way out so that he can glide on the way back.  Such a fun morning along the Blackstone!

Cousins Day!

Papa had to have some minor surgery today so I went to RI with the boys to help out with Sean.  Evan and Sean don't get a lot of time together without Danny but today they had so much fun and played so nicely together.  As you can see from the photos, we packed a lot into one day and everyone was exhausted by the end.  What a fabulous cousins (minus Danny) day!

Happy Daddy's Day!

After a late night last night at the Dave Matthews concert, we had a bit of a slow start to the day and a relaxing afternoon.  We stayed at Papa & Gramma's after the concert last night so this morning we just lounged around and played.  Then we met Uncle Dan, Auntie Karin, Danny, Sean and Grammy at the Thirsty Beaver for lunch.  We came home and continued our low key day with naps and Legos.  What a great way to celebrate Father's Day...lots of time for Daddy to play with the boys!!  Thanks for all of your hard work for our family, Daddy!  We love you!



Just before I started this video, Logan was chatting and chatting...of course once I started he was too distracted by his silly brother.

Dave!

Tonight we went to see Dave Matthews for the second time this year.  The show was at the Comcast Center aka the Tweeter Center aka Great Woods and it was great!  The best Dave show I have seen in quite a while.  The March show at Mohegan was good but this was classic Dave!  Their outdoor shows are what I love!  Thank you to Papa and Gramma for taking care of the boys while we were at the show!

S'Mores!

We have been wanting to have a campfire, roast marshmallows and make s'mores for quite a while now. Probably since sometime around Evan's birthday thanks to Auntie Karin and Uncle Dan for getting Evan a camp out themed gift.  We haven't been able to make it work for a number of reasons...we already have plans, it gets too late too fast, the weather doesn't cooperate, etc.  Finally tonight we made it work!  And what fun it was!!  I think Evan has some of Daddy's "camping blood" in him!  Can't wait to see how excited he is to have a "camp out"!

Tower Hill Botanical Gardens

After being in South Carolina for four days with three amazing women, I was rested and relaxed and ready for a new adventure with my boys.  We met Jackie and the girls at the Tower Hill Botanical Gardens for a picnic lunch and a leisurely tour through the gardens.  It was wonderful to see them, as it always is, and fun to see the kids together. The grounds were a bit wet from all the rain we had over the weekend and it was quite windy when we first arrived but all in all a great way to spend the day!

There is a cute story about the first photo.  Just before the picture was taken the following took place after we decided to walk down to the pergola:

Evalyn: Do you want to hold my hand?
Evan: (shaking his hands about shoulder level) Oh no, no, no
Me: Evan, you could just say no thank you
Evan: No, thank you
Evalyn starts walking towards the pergola
Evan: Oh, wait, yes, yes, I do want to hold your hand as he grabs Evalyn's hand and they start walking together.

So cute!

Folly Beach, SC

Mommy is going here with the girls for the weekend...

...to relax, catch up and drink these!

While Daddy and the boys are home having some fun!  

Stay tuned for posts from Daddy!

Ten Months!

Ten months have passed since we first laid eyes on our (not so) little boy.  He is getting bigger everyday and is such a joy in our lives.  Not too many "major" changes this month but he is getting around better and better everyday.  It's not quite a crawl but it works for him.  It is going to be a fun summer with these two little monkeys!

Big Boy!

Tonight Logan fed himself his entire dinner!  Little bite sized pieces of pizza, meatballs, cheese and a bunch of peas.  It certainly makes things easier and frees up some time for other things like preparing dinner for Mommy, Daddy and Evan.  Guess I better use up the rest of the pureed food before he decides he wants exclusively solids!  My baby is getting too big, too fast!

Feeding himself

And loving it!

Such a big boy and such a flirt!

You've Got Mail

A couple of weeks ago, Evan received a Highlights magazine in the mail.  It was a gift from his birthday and he has enjoyed reading the comics and stories, finding the "hidden objects" and completing the other activities.  Today a Disney Junior magazine came for him too.  He was pretty excited to see Jake and all of his other Disney Junior pals and to get to work on completing the activities.  Based on his enthusiasm, I think he is going to be a great student and love school!

Ankles!

This one is for you Auntie Karin!!

Jumpa, Jumpa, Jumpa!

I don't know what my problem was before...This jumper is super fun!

Love those chicken legs!

Kavanagh Family Picnic

Today was the 44th Annual Kavanagh Family Picnic (or the Family Kavanagh Picnic as Evan likes to call it).  We have had fun over the last few weeks talking about last year's picnic and Evan was really excited for the races.  He remembers that last year he was too little but that he watched Danny and Daddy participate.  It is a wonderful tradition and gathering of people who all value the importance of family.  We had a wonderful time catching up with some we hadn't seen in a while and there were still so many others who we hardly had a chance to say "hello" too.  I guess that is what happens in a family of this size!  Thanks to all those who work so hard to put this even together year after year!  Another fun day with amazing people!