Proof of Life

Each day that we were away, Grandma and Papa sent us photos of Tate.  It was clear that he didn't miss his Mommy:

Crayola

First stop on our vacation:  Crayola Experience in Easton, PA.  What a fantastic place!  Every floor had a variety of craft projects, toys to climb on, and interesting facts to learn.  Adam asked when Tate will be old enough to visit, because he wants to go back again soon.

Then we visited the impressive Civil War memorial across the street:

Chatting with Family

Tate was in rare form, chatting with family. 

Tate:  I am so big!

Tate:  I can knock down anyone!

Wha?  I thought my speech was protected in front of my lawyer?!?!

Last Day at Drumlin Farm

At Drumlin it's not so much of a graduation as it is a farewell to spring and a hello to summer.  The kids sang a song, made crafts, and took some photos.  It was a sweet ending to a wonderful year.

Becca, Ashley, Adam, Martha, Susan

Panera Pic

The kids in our house always love going to Panera.  This was Tate's first trip.  He seems to like it too!

Eight Months

Some of you alert readers might have noticed a small omission from the blog on June 14.  Tate is eight months old!  While he was basking in the overindulgent care of his grandparents, his parents and siblings were away on an early summer vacation.  From the looks of it, Tate was having a great time.

New tricks:  Tate makes a wide variety of clicking noises with his mouth.  He's sitting up almost unattended, and can play for extended periods of time in an exersaucer.  Current favorite foods:  mango and salmon. The tyke has a sophisticated palette!

Taking a photo is much easier without Mommy making funny faces.  Grandma's faces are better!

Tate with seasoned "month photo" veterans

Ashley Graduates Preschool

Today it's Ashley's turn!  And for those of you wondering how I decided to post Adam's graduation photos before Ashley's, there's a very simple reason.  We often alternate who goes first based on whether the calendar date is even or odd.  Adam, born first, takes odd numbers.  Ashley, even.  Score settled.

Rachel, Ashley and Amy

Adam Graduates Preschool

Yes, Adam and Ashley are big kids. They graduated this June from BDPS and are having lots of fun this summer before starting kindergarten in the fall.  Today's post will focus on Adam's graduation.  Tomorrow is Ashley.  So without further ado, take it away Adam!

Becca, Adam and Raina

Father To Son

Every now and then, father and son have a chat:

Water Play

What do you do with a sitting baby when the weather is hot?  Play with water, of course!

Outdoor Dining

We are very lucky to have a few weeks of outdoor dining before the bugs decide to join us.  Tate was thrilled to join us for his first al fresco experience.

And the alert readers will recall how much fun this is for kids at our home.

Chocolate Goatee

When Adam likes a food, I mean really likes a particular food, it becomes a whole body experience, as we saw in this post and this post.  So when I saw him quietly tucking into his chocolate ice cream cone, I couldn't help but point out that he was sporting a chocolate goatee:

Cutest part is that this also happens when he's eating vanilla too!

And one last thought, if you've read this far.  This is post #900!  Think we'll hit 1,000 before the end of 2016?  

Factory Five Guy

While Daddy, Adam and Ashley were off checking out the other cars at the Factory Five Open House, Tate and I kept ourselves entertained.  Judging by his smile, I did a pretty decent job.

Raspberries

Tate has been known to blow raspberries.  Now he likes to eat them:

Polar Seltzer

Toys today are sometimes overhyped.  Give this kid a Polar seltzer bottle and he's a happy tyke.

Cutie!

Sometimes a smile is so cute you jus have to snap a photo and share it.

Ball Pit

Tate is 8 months old today!  Photos will be posted soon.  Instead of posting his 8 month photos, we'll look at some from a few days ago instead.  Do you remember that Tate did not always love his tummy time mat?  Now that it's been converted into a ballpit, he's a big fan.

Bedtime with Cousins

Everytime we go to NY, we always get to share our bedtime routine with our cousins.  It's one of our favorite things about visiting NY!

Baba's Cousins

Baba's cousins came to visit us a few weekends ago.  Hanging out with Isabella was lots of fun!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

If only all days could start out like this:

Tomato Soup

Tate has a sophisticated palette for a wee 'un.  He vastly prefers whatever is on my plate to whatever puree is on his.  Case in point:  tomato soup.

Out of Season

Might no longer be winter, but it's always the season for fun with Daddy's hats:

Snoozin'

Sometimes all you want is a quick snooze:

Recital Part 4: The Grand Finale

All of the excitement you've witnessed in the past three posts was from the dress rehearsal on Saturday.  Then we got to do it all over again for the big performance on Sunday.  So today we're bringing you photos of Ashley with her friends from the big day.

And with her biggest fan of all:

Recital Part 3: Tippity Tap

Lucky for us we're able to get up close and shoot a video during dress rehearsal.  It takes me a moment or two to find Ashley, and then it takes her a moment or two to find me.  But once she does, I get a great big smile.  Hint:  Look in the middle of the back line at the start of the performance, or look for the most talented kid up there.  Your call ;)

Recital Part 2: The Outfit

Ashley's class was decked out in blue.  Adorable!

Why is the cutest photo always out of focus?!?!?

And the hair.  So proud of her hair.

Recital Part 1: Before and After

At the end of the ballet season, all of the ballerinas and tap dancers take part in the big recital.  This is a chance for the kids to perform and have fun.  It's also the time when a mom starts sweating about the directive received from the ballet studio:  

"Dancers must wear their hair in a bun.  If your hair is too short for a bun, it must be pulled away from your face as much as possible.  It is distracting for dancers to have hair in their face while dancing".  

Gulp.  This is a tall order when it comes to Ashley's hair, which defies gravity and an assortment of barrettes on a daily basis.   I am super proud to report that Ashley's hair and I made a spectacular debut.

Before:

After:

And with makeup:

Bishop Bears-In-Training

Part of the preparation to become a Bishop Bear (our elementary school's mascot) is to participate in the annual Bishop Bear Fair.  These two had a ball!  Adam was so fast that I had to try twice.  I'm super proud of Ashley's hair:  it held up through her first ballet recital (next post) all the way through dinner.  Miracle.