Family Picture Time!

This weekend Sandy and I dragged the kids out for some family pictures.  Fortunately everyone cooperated and we were able to get some good ones! 

Happy Birthday Juliana Lucille

I have the "Second Child Guilt".  I documented Conor's every move from the day he was born.  You've probably noticed that I have not been very diligent about updating the blog since our lovely Jules was born.  Thanks to Warren you've been able to see a few very cute pictures and videos of her over this past year.

What I can tell you is that Juliana is a very spirited child.  She knows what she wants and she goes for it.  Determined is an understatement.  She loves music and making as much noise as possible.  If it gets too quiet she starts singing.  She loves to sit and bang toys together.  We lovingly call her "Bam-Bam".  She has seven teeth.  She eats just about EVERYTHING...she hasn't met a food she doesn't like.  She has no interest in holding her bottle...she would rather we do it.  She began walking way too early...at about 10 1/2 months.  She mocks every sound I make right now...which she thinks is pretty funny.  The girl has a sense of humor and she knows it.  She purposely makes funny faces just to see our reaction.  She's a very smart little girl.  She loves and needs her sleep (which we are so very grateful for).  She loves bath-time.  She greets us every morning with a huge smile and open arms.  She loves to hug and snuggle.  She is such a joy!  We both agree that we wouldn't mind her staying this age forever.  We are her favorite people in the world right now...its really quite nice :)

As I sit here on the eve of her first birthday all I can think about is how much has changed in a year.  This time last year I could not sleep due to some painful contractions.  I decided to get out of bed and get some things done...I had a feeling that my time was very limited.  I sat here at the computer paying bills and emailing my work accounts and colleagues  notifying them of my maternity leave.  I went into "survival mode".  I ignored the pain as best I could and attempted to organize the house for the grandparents who would be arriving to help us out with Conor.  I wasn't thinking about the arrival of Jules, but of how Conor would manage without us for a couple of days.  Deep down I was so anxious to meet this baby that we'd been waiting for.

And now she's here!  We cannot even remember life without her.  We just love this little girl!

My Baby

Funny Faces

Jules has a way of cracking me up with all her faces!

Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual excursion to the pumpkin patch this year a couple of weeks ago.  It's crazy to go back and look at our first trip there and compare it to now.  Conor has grown so much!  And of course our family has grown.  We were also fortunate enough to meet up with Aunt Barb, Uncle Jeramy and Cousin Sophia at the pumpkin patch.

Jules and her faces

This baby is close to walking!

Bath Time

First Day of Kindergarten

Conor had a wonderful first day of school!  He loves his new school and teacher.

My Sweet Baby

Cousins

The cousins got together a few weeks ago to go out to dinner with Nana and Pops.  They had a blast together.  You can tell that Conor adores his baby sister and baby cousin so much.  He always wants to hug them!  And of course Jules thinks she looks pretty cool in her shades.

Conor playing Soccer

Conor has become quite the little soccer player.  He usually scores between 5 and 7 goals a game.  He must have inherited his Daddy's soccer abilities (I kid-apparently I was more entertained picking at the grass than playing anything that resembled soccer).

Happy Belated Independence Day!

My Babies

Happy Father's Day Warren!

Warren is a super Daddy.  He brings calm to our crazy lives.  Upon returning from a four day work trip to NYC in April I was not sure what to expect.  When I walked through the door I was amazed to see a clean house and kids in bed.  Whether he's getting up early to feed Jules or getting up in the middle of the night with one of the kids, he's always trying to do whatever he can to give me a break.  These kids just adore their daddy.

And Happy Father's Day to our dads!  We love you!

The Big 5!

I can't believe that Conor is now 5 years old.  Rather than have a big party here, we thought it would be fun to have a smaller party at his Nana's house.  We had a great time spending the evening with family and friends.  Thank you to everyone that was able to be a part of the celebration!  I think Conor had the best birthday yet!  I know he was really excited that all his grandparents were able to be there with him.