Party Time!

Here are some of our favorite shots from James' birthday bash. He was very timid with the cake--just a few bites of frosting. But his big sister was happy to pick up the slack!

James is 1!

Good Morning, Birthday Boy!  He slept until 7:30, so clearly he knew this was a special day!

Checking out a present from Mom & Dad

Mmmm.  

Happy Birthday, Baby James.  We love you!

We love football season

Especially the first ND game of the season! Here, James and Mommy relax in matching jerseys, and Abby takes a cue from the game and practices tackling her brother. She said she wants to be a linebacker.

Last day at the pool

Friday was our last day of swimming for the summer--we had a fun time! James has become quite the "swimmer", with no fear of the water (which is a little scary for mom), and Abby is still a little timid in the water but she has a good time!

A fun day!

Abby started off the day helping Daddy flip the pancakes, while James opted to relax with a cold one.



We had a fun afternoon outside, as James showed off his walking, bear crawling and slide-climbing skills, followed by a rare moment of sharing...




And these were too cute not to share...our two sweet angel faces

Bedhead #2

This bears a striking resemblance to mommy's bangs in 1987.

A Future Olympian?

Abby had her end-of-the-season Gymnastics show today. She really learned alot in the past 9 weeks--especially how to listen to her teacher! Here are some highlights of her showing off her skills!

Waving her flag in circle time


All of her new tricks! (Jumping on the trampoline was her favorite, but swinging on the bars was a close second.)





Receiving her medal--she was very proud.



Class picture--how cute is this?


Abby was so excited that her Daddy (and James) came to watch!

Standing

James is getting pretty good at standing up on his own--check it out!

Frankie's 1st Birthday

Our nephew Frankie turned 1 on July 18th! Here are our favorite shots from his fun birthday bash.


Just digging in...


...and the finale. I think he had a good time!


Sleepy James resting on Papa at the end of the evening

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A day on the boat

We enjoyed a day of boat rides and picnic fun at West Branch State Park last Saturday. What a fun day! Abby enjoyed her time on the boat, but James was not a big fan of the wind or the life jacket squeezing his big cheeks together :) Maybe he'll fare better next time.

Sharing

Bothered by James' lack of clothing yesterday morning, Abby decided to share her shirt. What a nice big sister. (Lucky for us, the camera was close by.)

Yay for Independence Day!

Here are pics of the first ever Village Drive 4th of July Bike Parade. Fun Stuff. Abby was quite excited to decorate her bike, but not so excited to ride it (Mom had to push her the entire 1/2 mile)!

The leaders of the pack


The stragglers

A trip to Cincinnati

Last weekend, we headed down to Cincinnati to attend a friend's wedding (Congrats Matt & Emalee!) and visit some friends. James got to stay back in Youngstown with Nana & Papa for a fun weekend of his own. Here are some of our favorite pics.

Abby, Joe and Jake discovering non-traditional uses for the inflatable pool.


Community tub. We fully intend to embarrass Abby with this photo later in life.


Getting ready for a swim


Breakfast at First Watch...a Cinci tradition



Meanwhile, back in Ytown, James tries to take down his cousin Frankie


Relaxing in his jammies


Happy Birthday Kelly!