Day 1

On day 1 of 100 days I am grateful for unexpected lunch dates.  Today, I took Georgie and Lucy out to lunch at Wegmans.  We sat at the counter and I noticed the joy the kids had eating their sugar cookies.  They savored every bite!

Lucy opens her mouth so big to eat a cookie that her head actually shakes!

Gratitude

I have been wanting to start blogging again for so long but never seem to find the time. I have actually really missed sharing our adventures. A friend recently stated a 100 days of gratitude on Facebook and it got me thinking. I have been trying to start each morning at breakfast with something each of us are grateful for. This has been fun with the kids and even Lucy joins in, although she often just says "Mommy, Daddy" which I know she has learned from the boys.  However, I feel like this is really important for a lot of reasons. I want the kids to learn to appreciate the small things in life.  I know as an adult how easy it is to get into a negative-thinking mindset. More than that, I know how hard and challenging life can be at times.  I hope that if they notice and appreciate the small moments, they will be able to lead more joyful lives.  I also know that research suggests that keeping gratitude journals for even short periods of time can really increase your mood.

So I plan to post something we are grateful for every day for 100 days.  I may not be able to do it EVERY day but I will make a point of recognizing it and then posting once I catch up.  I hope this will be a group effort and I want to have the kids help as much as possible.  So here goes!

Five months!

Little Miss Lucy turned five months old yesterday.  Time seems to be going infinitely faster with every day.  Little Lucy now rolls both ways, always smiles at her brothers, wants to be with Mommy, and is almost always happy.  We love our little Lulu!!

Sitting up!

Little Lucy has been trying to sit up on her own for awhile now.  It is already clear that she does not want to miss a thing!  We finally tested out the bumbo and it's a hit.  These pictures are also super special because I bought this sweet outfit for her in December. I was so anxious for her to get here and so excited. Well, she finally was able to wear it today!

Dog days of summer!

With a very open summer schedule these days we have been making a weekly trip to see my sister for lunch in the city.  It's been fun traveling into the city and it's nice to have something planned each week.  An added bonus is that some days Steve (or Dado these days to the boys) is able to join us.  He works only a few blocks from my sister.

The boys especially love it because they get to play in the fountains!

Daddy got to visit today!

The kids love running around and I actually get to enjoy lunch . . . a real treat these days!

Zoo

My brother, sister, and I have been trying to plan a joint trip to the zoo for ages--we finally made it happen!  It certainly was a hot, hot one, but it was a lot of fun.  The best were these pictures of the kids toward the end of our trip.  The zoo sure is one of our favorites!

4 Months!!!

Our four month hiatus from blogging can easily be understood as we have been adjusting to life with three four and under kiddos! We are having a blast, but life sure has been busy and free time has been hard to come by. I promise to catch up on some memorable posts from the last few months but I am thrilled to share that our little Lulu has been such a blessing to our family.  She's so much more than I ever imagined. We are all smitten!

Lulu one day shy of 4 months!!!

At her four month check up, Lucy weighted 15 pounds and was 26 iches long, making her in the 98% for height.  Something tells me she might be tall like her Daddy and brothers!!!

Christmas Gifts!

The boys got some wonderful gifts this year from our family.  These were some of the cutest gifts we got this year from Aunt Britt and Uncle Michael.  They are always so thoughtful and get the little boys the cutest stuff.  Thanks Aunt Britt for the super cute shirts!  As you can see the boys love them!

Snow Angels.

The boys have been waiting for snow all winter.  During the last snowfall we were in Baltimore and did not have the right clothes for the snow.  As you can see (below) Georgie is still not sure about the snow.  This is mostly because he won't wear gloves (or hats) and quickly gets cold after only a few minutes!  I hope we get some more snow but who knows with this crazy weather we're having!!

having fun?

Lots of changes....

You might be wondering where we have been lately and what we have been up too. Well, it's been a busy time around here as we prepare for Baby Girl to arrive. We have been slowly making changes around here, which was mostly started by George who decided this fall that he would not sleep in a crib anymore. We transitioned him to a bed and since then we have been preparing for our "little sister" to come. Last week, Georgie officially moved into Stephen's room (now their room) and started sleeping in a big boy bed. It has definitely been a transition for both the boys, who were not crazy about the idea of sharing, and full of lots of tears, middle of the night wake ups, and early mornings.

Since moving the boys in together, we have moved Georgie's clothes in with Stephen's, made space in their new room for both of their things, and painted our soon-to-be arriving daughter's room pink. We still don't have a name for our little lady, but her room is well on the way, her clothes are in her drawer, and the closet has been cleaned. It is crazy to think that she will be here in about six weeks. So much left to do--we can't wait to meet her!!!

Along with all the changes the boys have been really interested in caring for babies, why babies cry, and what their little sister will be like. For Christmas, Little Stephen got Georgie a baby Elmo (he knows his brother loves Elmo). Since then, they both have taken to caring for Elmo. Here are some super cute pictures of them taking a nap with Elmo when he was tired and crying one day!

Great Falls, VA

We headed out to Great Falls on this beautiful day to enjoy the outdoors together! Both Stephen and I had never been there and the kids had a blast. Poor little Georgie was terrified of the falls at first, but later told us as we walked along the trails that he "wasn't scared anymore." Little Stephen climbed all over the rocks and loved throwing rocks into the falls. Definitely a  repeat!

We had a great day and cannot wait to go again. Yay, three day weekends!!!!

Hello 2013!

Yesterday, as the New Year approached, I read the endless posts on Facebook about the new year and 2012. It got me thinking a lot about what 2012 meant for our family. I realized that while my life is not perfect, it really is in all the ways that matter. It is easy to get wrapped up in the things that we are often missing in our lives or get caught in the monotony of everyday life, but our little family has much to be thankful for in 2012. Our boys are wonderful, fun and changing every day. I am privileged to spend so much time with them and am thankful for the time at home with them. I have a loving and supportive family; finally, we all have our health. So as 2012 ends for us, I felt it important to focus on all the wonderful things we have and the excitement and change that we are about to embrace as we welcome a daughter and the boys a little sister to our family in early March!

To ring in the New Year we went into the city to a dinner party with friends. Tierney and Joe hosted it at their apartment and friends made a delicious dinner that was diabetes friendly.  It was a wonderful time and we got to enjoy some adult time, always a treat for us.

Yummy appetizers.

Good conversations!

Beautiful table!

Friends!

I hope this year brings more contentment to everyone's lives and a change to focus on all we have, instead of those things that might not be exactly as we wish. And finally, I hope this year brings health to many friends and family who have struggled with illness this year. Happy New Year, I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

Zoo Lights!

Despite the cold weather, I was determined to make it to Zoo Lights this year. How fun are holiday lights and the zoo! The boys thought it was very cool, especially when they got to pet the little goat named "George."

Christmas 2012

Christmas morning becomes more exciting each year as I get to watch the boys have a better understating of the holiday. Seriously, their excitement is contagious! We are lucky to celebrate the holiday with so much family and to watch as our families grow. We just wish we were closer to all of our family! Here are some of the highlights of our day!

Christmas morning

The best gift I got this year--a frame made by Stephen with a wonderful picture.  He even wrote his name on the outside.  He was excited to give this to me for over a week and very proud of his work!

A tradition at Christmas, Stephen and his santa costume.

The tree!

Cousins opening gifts

The Brooks Family crew

Christmas Eve Dinner

We spent Christmas Eve dinner with some dear friends and family this year. The snow threw a bit of a wrench in the works as much of our family were not able to join us. We ended up having a blast and the boys, along with their cousins, got to leave some reindeer food for Santa's reindeers.

Christopher and Benjamin

Dinner

Excited for Santa

Reindeer Food

Holiday Visitors!

We were lucky to have some special holiday visitors this year--Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Nancy. We had a blast visiting with them, exchanging some early Christmas gifts, and visiting the Natural History Museum, complete with the boys' first carousel ride. What a special visit and a wonderful time of the year to see our family. We only wish we were a bit closer so that we could spend Christmas day with all of those we love.

Christmas gifts

Someone wants to be like Grandpa.

Aunt Nancy and Georgie being silly.

The boys and Grandma and Grandpa.

First carousel ride.

Blogger :(

Recently, I was trying to update my blog when I discovered that I had reached the capacity for pictures and could not upload any of our adventures.  I am trying to work this out and when I do we will be back up and running!  Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Party!

Today, I got to join Stephen in his class for a little Thanksgiving Party.  Honestly, I think I was more excited about it than Stephen.  I loved being in the classroom and the kids were so cute.  Poor little George felt left out and was very confused about why Stephen was having a party.  Stephen's teachers were so sweet and encouraged me to get Georgie, so that he could join Stephen for lunch.  George was so good and sat in his seat the whole time eating his lunch.  What a fun little morning for us!!!

The kids helped cut and put together the flower arrangements.

Countdown to Tierney and Joe's wedding!

This past Sunday we celebrated Tierney and Joe's engagement with family and friends.  During my bad blogging days this past June my sister and Joe got engaged.  It is hard to believe that in less than a year Tierney and Joe will be tying the knot.  The party was lovely, and while I co-hosted, I have to admit that our dear friend, Emily, did most of the work and really put together a lovely celebration for Tierney and Joe!  It was a beautiful setting in Meridian Hill Park in downtown DC along with musicians!  Special guests included Joe's mom, who was here visiting from CA ,and Tierney's roommate from college who made the trip from NJ to be here!

Musicians.

Me and Georgie.

The guests mingling.

Tierney playing the violin.

Christopher.

The boys playing boce with Elizabeth.  Stephen most most of the afternoon with Elizabeth and has been talking about her ever since!

Georgie did the pinata with help from Joe.

This was the first time seeing my family since we found out we were having a little girl so they had some pink gifts for us!

GG

Cute little girl outfit!

We had a blast at the party.  Thanks so much to Emily, Elizabeth, and Lauren for all their work setting up.  We can't wait to celebrate with you, Tierney and Joe!