Hadley Elizabeth

I got a new neice this weekend! My younger sister, Michelle and her husband welcomed their second baby girl to the family.  They named her Hadley Elizabeth and she was 8lbs 2 oz!  She's a cutie!  Take a look!!

Summer Night To-Do's

We are always looking for stuff to do during the week, not just on the weekend.  This week, we had a couple of things planned, which made me happy!!  On Monday, it was hot!  Like scorching hot!  So I decided to man up and bring the kids to the movies.  Alone.  It sounds so stupid, like why is taking my own two kids to sit in front of a big huge TV for 2 hours hard? But it made me nervous!  What if Avery needed her diaper changed?  Then I would have to take a perfectly content Cameron out, making him sad, starting tantrums with both of them!  But no bad scenario played out!  We all loved Monsters University and the popcorn :) Cam sat in his seat, like a perfect little kid the whole time.  Avery, stood in front of her seat the whole time, but no one was in front of her so it was ok.  That girl needs to learn how to whisper, though! But I think they did great!  I'll definitely do it again, hopefully to see Despicable Me soon!! 

On Tuesday, a little traveling circus was coming to town!  So of course we had to go!!  It was another 95 degree day, and under a tent felt like a million degrees, but we had fun anyway!  The kids loved it, especially when Mark got pulled up into the ring to do some little tricks with the clown!  This was the second year in a row that this happened!  He's such a good sport.  Oh and with pony rides and cotton candy, why wouldn't the kids have a blast? 

(Phone Pictures)

On Wednesday night, our town had The Great Duck Race.  Its an annual event where everyone involved buys a numbered plastic duck and they dump them into Fullton Pond and let them go over the waterfall and down the river.  The first bunch to cross the finish line win a prize. This was the first time we went, and it was much more people then I thought would go!  Which meant soo many little ducks!  It was so fun to watch the kids watch the ducks floating by!  It was even more fun when we found out one of our duckies won!!  

We took the wagon to the pond

Racing duckie!!

After they put their racing ducks in the water, they kids got to bring home a rubber duck souvenir

Tons!

After the race, we went to the town common at the end of our street for the movie under stars. We always like doing this.  This time, even with tons of bug spray, Cam got eaten alive!  He has huge welts up and down his legs!  I guess he has sweet blood :)  

Madagascar 3!

So anyway, that was some weeknight fun we had this week.  Keep the plans coming!  I can't get bored! 

Ry-Ry is 4!

My little Ryan, the sweetest nephew ever, turned 4!  My sister had a great Indiana Jones-themed party for him yesterday, complete with bouncy house. He was so excited to see that everyone was there for him and we were so excited to celebrate with him!  His new baby sister is coming at the end of August, so this is his last birthday as an only child.  He's going to LOVE being a big brother!! 

Happy Birthday, Ry!

 Proud Daddy!

 Tina, Ryan and Mike

 Big boy "reading" his cards

Silly girl and her Papa

Our Typical Father's Day

Mark has been a father for four years now and for those four years I think we have celebrated Fathers Day the same way every year:  on Cape Cod.  We don't go "just 'cause".   It's always been his request, which makes me happy.  This year was no different.  We get family time, he gets alone time, I get my Daddy time and he gets his kiddo's time.  Win, win, right? 

So, we had crazy torrential rain on Friday, so we decided to go down on Saturday instead.  When we got down, we changed right into our beach clothes and went to the water for a swim.  It was pretty cold water, like the kind where if you walk in you'll scream at each step cause the water hurts, so instead you just run straight in and dive under to warm up.  Well, Cam must be some crazy, tough kid cause he just walked in slowly, stopping to pick up jelly fish and crabs, until he was up to his armpits with  out loosing the smile once.  I can't do that!  I'm a cold water wimp.  Like Avery!  She ha a blast, too, just in more shallow water :) 

To the beach in the Jeep with Papa

After the beach we had a cookout and got ice cream. Then went to a playground on a beach nearby for the kids to play while we watched the sunset.  Out of any time we can spend on the beach, I think my favorite time is after dinner, getting close to bedtime, when the air is cool enough to pair long sleeves with your shorts. Its so peaceful, even with kids running around you.  

Holy bite, right?

Swinging with my Daddy

 She loved the sunset

 Flying!!

Sunday, on Fathers Day, Mark and my dad brought Cameron out fishing on the boat.  Men time!  They caught some fish, that Cam told me were "ginormous" but weren't actually keepers.  The kids took some naps in the car while Mark and I drove around and picked out the beach house that we will someday own.  For sure. Tina and Ryan came down and we spent the rest of the day on the beach!  Low key.  It felt great, just hanging out. We packed up on the earlier side so we could out to dinner with my parents and then we were on our way. Before 7! 

Ready for the fun!

 Ginormous, right?

 Or maybe he meant this one..:)

Fishing off the dock

Family pic! 

Papa and three of the grand kids, for now!

And with two of his kids

My main man and our babies!

 Out take :)

Happy Fathers Day! 

Mothers Day 2013

Happy day to all of those who celebrate: the moms, moms-to-be, grandmothers, and god mothers all around us. But in addition, I believe any woman with the huge amount of motherly love and influence on a child should be celebrating today. Because its not only the mothers who birth these little bundles that raise them into the adults that they become. Aunts, sisters, cousins, teachers, friends; they can all have such an impact on a child's life that they need to be honored on Mothers Day, too! So, because of that, I'd like to make a little shout out of thanks to some special women who have had a huge influence of love on either my own, my husbands or my kids lives. Mimi, Googa, Grammy Matz, Grammy King, Joanie, Gramma Lightbody, Auntie Kathy, Auntie Dorrie, Tina, Michelle, and Steph. We love you more then you will ever know and will always thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

Happy Mothers Day, 

Stacey, Mark, Cam and Avery

                                   

Mommy's Day Brunch, presented by 4 year olds!

Today, Cameron's preschool hosted a Mothers Day brunch for, well, the moms. And oh my goodness, it was adorable! The kids came in and put on a little mommy themed concert for us, which I would have cried my eyes out through if I wasn't taking pictures! Instead, I just smiled a huge, proud mommy smile while I watched Cam belt out some, "Bringing Home Baby Bumble Bee" and "I love my mommy. Mommy loves me. Lucky me. Lucky me." Those kids are rock stars, I'm tellin' ya.

After the concert, our adorable little preschoolers took our hands, and sat us at our tables. Then, get this: they brought our plates to the buffet table, loaded the plates up with garden salad, fruit salad and cold cuts and brought them back to us! With not a single spill! It was the cutest thing! I swear, I've never seen Cameron look so proud! He even brought my empty plate to the trash! What the what? When and how does this ever happen? Miss Maureen and Miss Pamela must have magic ways with these children, cause tonight after his Popsicle, guess where the stick went? Stuck to the bean bag! 

But that's beside the point! For 45 minutes today, I had twice the perfect boy I'm used to! After our lunch and dessert, we opened our gifts, which were days worth of beautiful little crafts made from our beautiful little children that will live forever in my "Box O'Cameron".  I mean, what mom doesn't love pins with photos of there kids making adorably awkward faces?! Or those yearly questioners the teachers ask them about us? 

(from my phone)

All those little things make my heart hurt with love. Cherish it all. Today, as quick as it was, will be cherished always as a great day with my great little boy.  I love you, Cam Bam.