Circus, Beads, and Bees

Jack's classmate, Allison, invited us and another classmate's family to the circus with her family.  Jim was out of town, but Jack and I went (Patrick stayed at his aunt's and took a nap).  It was awesome!  They had a suite and we had lots of free food and drinks.  The kids could sit and watch, or move around.  At first, the three classmates sat at the counter, ate popcorn, and watched the show.  Later, they moved to the stadium seats in front of the suite to watch.

Jack loved it!

They each got wands that light up.

Allison twirls her wand and shows off the bright colors.

While we were having fun at the circus, Jim was having a different kind of fun in New Orleans.  His buddy from college is getting married in May, and the bachelor party was last weekend.  Six of his college friends from all different cities met up in New Orleans and had a great weekend.  Here is a picture of the group in front of the Mississippi River.

Daddy brought beads home!

Jim got home really late Sunday night (flight was delayed - thanks Sue for picking him up).  Luckily he had Monday off work.  We got to spend some time together as a family on Monday.  We took a trip to a playground and enjoyed the nice weather.

Patrick wasn't interested in the actual playground as much as running in the grass.

On Tuesday, Patrick and I went Jack's preschool to see their spring parade.  Jack's class was dressed as bumblebees.  Super cute!



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We enjoyed the beautiful weather today (record high of 83)!  We ate lunch outside and played in the backyard a lot. Jack wrote, "Happy Saint Patrick's Day" on the sidewalk in chalk.  I told him which letters to write (except for the word Patrick, which he knows how to spell).  After Patrick's nap, we went to the playground near Jim's work and played until he met us when he was finished for the day. It was an excellent day!

 

Catch Up

I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog.  I feel like I have been so busy lately that it has been easy to put off updating the blog.  I hope you have time to view the many pictures below.

A few weeks ago, we stopped by Paul and Margaret's (Jim's brother and his wife) house on our way to a friend's house.  I am taking a photography class now, and am trying to bring my camera with me even more often than before.  Paul and Margaret are a super-cute couple:

Jack had fun playing with his friend, Charlie.  Charlie gave him a hockey stick to take home!

Charlie's big sister, Ella, joined in on the fun.

Jack played Wii for the first time.

The good-bye hug:

The next day we went to the Botanical Gardens.

The boys had fun in the maze.

A waterfall at the Gardens:

My friend, Anne Marie, volunteered to pose with this statue.

Patrick does a good job feeding himself with a spoon or fork.

It's just a little messy, though.

Jack is definitely still interested in trains.

Jim took a picture of me and the boys in Jack's bed the other night.  It's a tight fit!

Every chance we get to play outside, we do!  It snowed all day yesterday, but is supposed to be in the 70s by Thursday!  Here are some pictures from milder temperatures last week.

The playhouse my Aunt Sue gave us (that her college-age kids played with when they were little) is still a big hit.  The boys have colored on it in chalk.  I think Jack was playing "store" in this picture.  He will sell you things and makes up a price when you ask him how much it is.  You can even haggle with him if you think it is too expensive (or too inexpensive).

Jim and Jack went to the St. Patrick's Parade on Saturday.  They had a great time.  I stayed home with Patrick while he napped and got ready to host 16 people for dinner (only 12 ended up coming)!

Tool Time with Patrick (Grandpa would be proud of the safety goggles):

Today they celebrated Jack's birthday at preschool.  I was able to come for snack time and stay for a bit afterwards.  Jim's mom came to watch Patrick since siblings weren't supposed to come.  I got there a little early, so I was able to see Jack and his class dancing in the gym.  It was so cute!

Then, we went to snack time.  We brought dinosaur cookies to share with the class.

Jack's teacher gave him a candle to blow out.

After snacks, we went back to the classroom for stories and songs.  All the children were very well-behaved!

I was so happy I got to be a part of the celebration!