The past week...

We have been spending lots of time getting ready for the new baby and trying to recover from cold viruses this week, but here are a few of our finer moments....

James finds a new way to display his beloved letters. He claimed he was "teaching baby."


One of our low-key recovery activities has been computer time. Abby has figured out how to use the Mac all by herself to play games on playhousedisney.com.


Misery loves company--the two sick ones watching a show in a rare moment of closeness that did not involve screaming by either child.


Mama at 36 1/2 weeks. Almost there.


Mom's little helper

Mars Applefest

We took our annual outing to the Mars Applefest last Saturday to enjoy what our lovely town has to offer. Note: Healthy food is not one of those things!





Our lunch of champions: mozzarella sticks, fries and soft pretzels. Yum.


James stares down the last cheese stick.

Craig's birthday

We had a fun day celebrating Craig's birthday yesterday--an afternoon at the park, dinner out, and Oreo cheesecake for dessert (which Abby helped make!).

the Ditch Witch

Craig and my dad worked REALLY hard for two full days this week to install a drainage system in the yard. Here they are with their good friend, the Ditch Witch. You can see its handiwork to the right.

Abby's first day of school

Abby had her first day of pre-school a couple weeks ago. She LOVES school and her new backpack!!

Happy Birthday James!

It's hard to believe but James is 2! We had a fun party for him last Sunday. He ate A LOT more cake this year than last!!

The Fair

We had fun at the Canfield Fair yesterday! The kids liked all the treats--funnel cakes, lemon shakes & ice cream (quite a few treats for one day!). They also had fun on the rides and looking at the big, stinky cows.

Summer fun

Here are some of our favorite shots from the past month...

James isn't a big fan of the choke-hold

Abby strikes a pose in her new leotard

Mommy & Abby on pre-school orientation day

Kisses for baby sister

James looking cute in his new sweater vest

Disney World

The kids and I were lucky enough to get to travel with Craig to Florida for a business trip, and stay at Disney World! We spent a day at the Magic Kingdom, which was REALLY hot (with a heat index of 99--not kidding) but tons of fun! Abby enjoyed meeting the princesses and making silly faces for the camera. James was pretty excited about Mickey Mouse, and he even got to give high fives to some of his favorite characters in the parade, thanks to his front row seat.























Sad to go home :(

Peace & quiet

I feel compelled to provide evidence of the kids playing quietly because it just doesn't happen that often.
Dried beans/macaroni + spoons + empty applesauce & yogurt cups = hours of entertainment. Okay, maybe not hours but definitely a good 45 minutes while I made dinner!

Frankie's 2nd Birthday

Fun times were had by all at cousin Frankie's birthday party last weekend. Items of note: candy, watermelon and delicious cake complete with vehicles made of frosting. Yum!

Friends

We got a couple good shots of the kids with their buddies over the past few weeks...always funny trying to get 4 kids to smile in a picture!

Hanging in the hammock with Taylor and Mia, who are always nice enough to let us share their swingset.

Posing with Maya and Kyran. Thanks for taking us in for a night!! :)

No more monkeys jumping on the bed

Jumping on the beds is now outlawed in our house (at least on mom's watch) thanks to James' latest accident. Here he is in the ER, pre-stitches. Something tells me this won't be our last trip to the lovely new Children's Hospital this year.

Tim & Anne's Wedding!

We had a great weekend celebrating with Uncle Tim & Aunt Anne! What a beautiful wedding! We are glad to report that the kids made it down the aisle without issue...unless you count James trying to turn around and walk back once he reached his destination :)