Playing catch up.

Sorry for the delay in postings, but I'm going to blame my children for the lack of time to post updates. However, rather than just skipping them altogether I figured i could be excused and just post them a little late.

First up was Nana and Papa's visit. They came to visit for Callan's birthday and of course to meet Miss Nora.

There was lots of ipad time with Papa

Baking and reading with Nana

And of course lots of snuggles.

There may have even been a treat or two involved... (the birthday celebration seemed to last all week!)

Then Mother's Day 2013 was quiet, but nice because we got to spend time together as a family. Huge's work/travel schedule has been a little grueling so it was nice that we were able to hang out together. It was also great because I got a present from Callan. (I'm not sure why Callan has crazy eyes in this picture)

It was of course via Adelia (thanks Adelia -this was *ahem* *Huge*, the only present I got). Here is Callan picking out my flowers and helping to decorate the basket.

I know I can't complain though because I am lucky to have have these 2 munchkins in my life. Too bad most of the time it looks like this (when does my other set of arms arrive?).

Birthdays!

Callan and two of his best buds celebrated their second birthdays in the last month. Unfortunately Callan had to cancel his birthday party as the poor guy was sick with some bug (funnily enough he's pretty much never sick and this was one of the first times he's actually run a temperature for more than a day). However, nana and papa were here visiting for his actual birthday and we got to celebrate together. The most important part of a birthday is the cake (obviously), so nana and Callan got to work on that. 

Callan loves to help out in the kitchen, especially when there are eggs to crack. 

The second best part of helping with baking is getting to lick the spatula.

We sang happy birthday and Callan got to blow out the candles. He was a pro!

Then a week or so later, we got to celebrate Michael's 2nd birthday with his friends.

There was a special birthday hat that Callan got to wear.

And with any good party, lots of dancing...

And then finally last weekend we went and celebrated Luke's birthday.

One of the benefits of living in the suburbs is a driveway to play on. This motorized bike was a big hit.

And of course cupcakes are a must at any party -especially those with bright colored frosting.

Can you believe these two hams are now two?!? Where has the time gone?

Nora was less impressed with them turning two than I was.

Dear Nora: Month One

Dear Nora-
Wow, you're already a month old... what a fast month this has been. Just like everything in your short existence, time has been flying by at warp speed. My pregnancy with you did not seem to last nine months -more like nine minutes and these past days and weeks have continued to go by at warp speed and are a complete blur. The fact that this newsletter is getting out just a few weeks late is amazing since I literally have no idea where the time goes.

Nora, you are a great, sweet baby. I hope that continues as I constantly am holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. I've been told (and read about) the difficult and crazy times of having a newborn and toddler as well as the difficulty of transitioning from one to two... and somehow I seem to have lucked out both times I've had a newborn. Your brother was an easy baby and you are as well (although last night was a doozy of a night and you were not happy -or easy). You've got a sweet temperament and put up with a lot including your brother and his out pouring of love. You tolerate him kissing and poking you, his aggressive pushing on the swing and the weight of his head on your body when he tries to "snuggle" you.

It has been amazing to watch you two and some of the sweetest moments are when you'll be lying down next to each other looking at each other. You'll just watch him fascinated and Callan just loves you to bits. My heart swells each time thinking about the connections you've already made with each other and I hope your friendship continues to grow. Even though you won't always be best friends, I hope you'll always be there for each other.

In other news, you are a GIANT baby. Your dad and I make adorable (in my biased opinion), but giant babies. You were born completely normal (7 pounds, 8 ounces, 19 inches long), but you've grown (literally) in leaps in bounds. On Friday you had your one month well baby visit and at 5 weeks old you are now 12 pounds, 14 ounces (seriously, that's almost 13 pounds) and 23.25 inches long! You've gained 5 pounds and grown 4.25 inches. That's ridiculous. And in comparison, Callan was 24 inches, but only 10 pounds, 14 ounces so you are 2 full pounds heavier than he was (and I thought he was big!). You are still in size one diapers and firmly in 3 month clothes... I'm pretty sure we'll be busting out the 6 month clothes soon! So much for my idea of having a cute petite baby girl. But don't worry, we still love you and find you completely adorable in your chunky pork chop/meatball way.

Happy one (+) month baby girl.

Love, 
Mama

P.S. Having a girl is going to be fun... I mean, look how cute the clothes and accessories are!

Helping out

Callan takes his role as big brother very seriously.

(Almost) Summer

We had two really nice summer-like days here and took full advantage of them. Tuesday was the first day we needed to break out the shorts and of course, the bubble gun. Callan is a big fan of the bubbles and this new gun was courtesy of Adelia (and John). From what I hear, Callan was also a big hit at the park with the other kids. Good thing we buy bubbles in bulk -he's already gone through 3 bottles!

Dear Callan -you're TWO!

Dear Callan-
This is of course late, but there originally was a good reason for it. Your birthday was last Monday, but we were supposed to have your party on Saturday (yesterday) and I was planning on including some pictures/anecdotes from it but, unfortunately we had to cancel because you came down with some bug that left you feverish and cranky. It's kind of funny because you rarely ever get sick and you did for your birthday party. Boo. 

Anyway, you're officially TWO. That's crazy. When you're not driving me completely crazy with your independence, you're actually really entertaining and it's been so fun to see the kind of person you're becoming. You're this whole little person full of personality and your own ideas about E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! 

It still seems like yesterday you were this tiny peanut and now you're this kid that's funny, stubborn and so loving. This past year has brought about many changes -the biggest of course coming most recently with the arrival of your baby sister and seeing you with her and interacting with her reinforces how far you are from that peanut we first got to meet in 2011. 

Happy second birthday munchkin. You continually amaze me and prove that a person's love can continue to grow exponentially. I love you and can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us!

Love, 
Mama