Tuesday, September 24, 2013

The Rest of June

Yep.  I am blogging about June in the end of September.  That's the way our life is these days--it is really busy at the B-Hive.  But, I can't leave these pictures out...

Paul had a big birthday--#45!!  we did a very low-key celebration per his request.  I made Jambalaya (one of his favorite dinners) and Yummy Banana Cake (one of his favorite desserts).  We enjoyed our wonderful celebration dinner on our deck.






T-Ball seems so long ago, but in June the awesome Coach Paul had the teams get together at the field for a little awards ceremony, pictures and snacks.  Did I mention he is such an awesome coach?  Somehow it turned out that he was the head coach for both Max and Sam's teams, and he did a remarkable job.  All of the parents were pleased to have a kid on his team :)




In early June, Paul and I had the chance to do something we have never really done since having kids almost 6 years ago:  Go on an overnight date--just the two of us.  We hired our favorite babysitter in the whole world to watch the boys for 25 hours so that we could head to the shore and enjoy a little mini vacation.  Our destination--Rehoboth Beach, DE--was recommended by several people and it did not disappoint.  In fact, it was amazing!  The town seemed really laid back, the beaches weren't too crowded, and the food was incredible.  This is definitely a place we will go back to, hopefully soon!

The ocean was beautiful.  West Chester is so close to both the New Jersey and the Delaware shores, but it is rare that we ever take the time to make the 2 hour drive and go.  My boys think that the Schuylkill River is the ocean (that's pretty sad)...

In June, Jack became obsessed with Mickey Mouse ("Mouse," as he calls it).  He would wake up in the morning and demand that we immediately put it on the television.  Too bad he wasn't this into "Mouse" a couple of months ago during our Disney trip...

Jack is so funny.  He loves to wear goggles and hats and sunglasses...


Max and Sammy are still into wearing costumes...
These boys need haircuts!!


Max and Sam love to sleep together in each others' beds.  Max's is a queen so they have plenty of room.  But, when they decide to sleep in Sammy's room on his twin-sized bed, it gets a little tight.  We check on them every night before we go to sleep and usually wind up repositioning them a little bit, but this particular night was so funny.  Sam is literally using Max as a pillow.  It is so heartwarming that they love each other so much--they are great friends!

Sammy LOVES artichokes.  I am not sure if it is the actual vegetable or the butter he likes better, but he can eat two full chokes in one sitting...

We got TONS of rain in June.  Sometimes our driveway looked like a river.  We had so much fun splashing and playing in all the water...
 



Here we are enjoying a picnic at a local park between going to the Y and swimming lessons.  I think this was our first official picnic of the season!
Max and Sam took lessons in the backyard pool of Carolyn Bingham.  She is a local lady who has been teaching for years and years.  The boys learned so much from her and never complained about going.  I was amazed at how much they progressed in just two-weeks time.  Now I just need to nurture these skills by taking them swimming regularly so that they don't forget...

The thing to do (what every body does) around here in the summertime is join a pool.  The are several around with different perks and prices.  We never join because most of our summer is spent in UT, but we had the opportunity to hang out at a couple of different pools with some friends this summer.  The boys had a blast!!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Preschool Graduation

Sniff, Sniff, Sniff...

I can't believe my big boy graduated from preschool!  This event was a little hard to swallow.  Max is growing so fast.  It is crazy to think that he was younger than Jack is now when we moved to Pennsylvania.  Back then I never even imagined that I would have a child preparing to enter kindergarten, that just seemed so foreign and forever away.  Unfortunately, the older my kids get, and the more siblings we put into the mix just seems to make the time go by even faster...

The graduation program was super cute, and Max looked so handsome...




The class sang a few songs and then each child walked over a wooden bridge and recited the following poem:
"I cross the bridge to graduate
I'm growing up, you see!
I'll always do my very best
To make you proud of me!"

Here is a pic of Max crossing the bridge and reciting the poem...




Max and his best buds, Luke and Conner

Sam's class also had a little program to celebrate the last day of school...



Here is a pic of Sam with his teachers, Mrs. Silvesti and Mrs. Thomas...

Here is a pic of the boys on the morning of their last day...


Compared to the morning of their first day...




Before we know it we will be doing it all over again!  September is right around the corner...





Sunday, August 4, 2013

4th Annual Memorial Day BBQ

Since May of 2010, we have enjoyed a fun Memorial Weekend BBQ with our great friends, the Impriano's.  We switch houses every year, and for 2013 this annual activity was hosted by the B-Hive.   May was rather rainy and cool this year, so we were excited that the weather had warmed up significantly so the kids could splash and play in the water.








Sara and I always get a pic together for this event and this year I made sure to remove my shoes so that I don't look like such a giant next to her...

Per tradition, we always have S'mores after the hamburgers and hotdogs.  This is the kids' favorite part!