Happy Birthday Brendan!

My sweet Brendan is nine today! What a handsome and intelligent young man he has become... I feel so privileged to be his mother.

Brendan still loves legos and reading, as always. He has devoured nearly every book in our house and we thought it best to purchase lots of new reading material for birthday gifts this year. He opened a brand new book this morning at breakfast and was so excited that he started reading it immediately and then packed it in his bag for school.

Brendan is also excited to be part of the scouting program - now he'll be a Bear scout! He's not so excited about piano, but faithfully practices and attends lessons each week with a wonderful local teacher. Great work Big B!

We love you!!

Pole Vaulter

We recently attended Kooper's first home meet as a pole vaulter! We were very proud of him and he worked hard this season. At the home meet he cleared the beginning standard height of 8 feet after only a few weeks of practice. He loves the sport and is looking forward to working toward clearing higher heights in the future. Way to go Koop!

Pinewood Derby

Brendan (and Michael) had so much fun preparing for this year's Pinewood Derby. The design of the car evolved over time and many ideas were discussed - from lego cruiser to hotrod racer and such. Ultimately, they decided on a clean, sleek look without decoration, but with LOTS of sanding and coats of paint. The original color was a dark red, but after about 27 coats of paint, the final result resembled a lovely ripe eggplant. Beautiful work! Call it luck or a sleek paint job - the boys took first place in the competition for the Wolf Den. At least the pressure's off for next year... way to go team Lewis!

Time blurs by...

We were so fortunate to have family here to celebrate the birth of James. Michael's mother flew in to help prepare meals, take care of the house, and shuttle the children to their many activities. Then my beloved sister Shannon came with her adorable little boy Emerson. She also was such a great help to me despite being 6 months pregnant. My recovery was quick and pain free thanks to these helpful and hard working ladies. I was able to rest and regain my strength without worrying about taking care of everyone. A huge thank you to Debbie and Shannon! Here is a recap of the past month's events...

Michael took Audrey on a date to see Jackie Evancho (a talented young opera prodigy) :

Brendan won first place for his Wolf den in the Pinewood Derby (more to come on that):

Everyone enjoyed holding James:

The children and our next door neighbors set up a lemonade stand, complete with candy and portrait drawings offered:

Audrey danced in an Irish performance (here she is watching the older girls from backstage):

Emerson was oh-so-adorable! He and Caleb became buddies (Caleb even cried when we took Emerson and Shannon to the airport):

Me and my sis:

What a wonderful month!

Little James

It's hard to believe a month has gone by since the birth of little James. He has grown so much and we adore his chubbiness and sweet smell. He is certainly loved by his siblings, who constantly request to hold him, while completely smothering him with kisses. I love his dark hair and blue-gray eyes. He is so calm and alert. I can't wait to watch him grow and to see how his personality fits into our family. I cherish the quiet moments I have to hold him as his little body snuggles into a limp ball. He is simply precious.

Sweet Baby James

Happy 7th Birthday!

This weekend we celebrated Audrey's 7th birthday! We went shopping for some new clothes, went out to dinner together, took a long walk to the park, and had a family party at home.

Audrey is such a lovely young lady. She is calm, helpful, graceful, cheerful, and so fun to be around. She loves school and learning, as well as playing school at home by teaching her younger siblings. What fun to celebrate Audrey. We love you!