Crazy January Weather

It's time once again for a long post with lots of pictures in an attempt to get caught up-to-date.  The weather this month has been crazy.  We've had beautiful spring-like days in which we play outside without our jackets on, as well as frigid days with snow on the ground.  Not only have we had both types of days this month, but within a few days of each other. 

Charlie has really become a great baby.  He doesn't fuss much anymore, and when he does it is usually because he is tired or hungry.  We let him "cry it out" to sleep at night a couple weeks ago, and naps and bed have been much better since.  Before, we would rock/bounce him for 15+ minutes sometimes to get him to fall asleep.  Now we put him in his crib and walk out.  Sometimes he fusses a bit, and sometimes not at all.  His last nap of the day (around 5 p.m.) is usually the hardest. 

Charlie loves to watch his older brothers.

I took some pictures of Jack and Charlie while Patrick napped one afternoon.

Jack LOVES Charlie.  He likes to talk to him in a very high-pitched voice, and usually about 2 cm from his face.

On January 4th, we met Colleen and her family at the mall to celebrate Sean's 3rd birthday.  The kids played in the play area, had Subway for lunch, and then got to ride the train!

My cousins Mark and Rachel came back from Brazil (Mark had been there since early July studying abroad, and Rachel went to travel with Mark after her semester was over).  We got to spend some time with them (and their parents) before they headed back to college (Mark to D.C. and Rachel to CA).

Jack was "decorating" the room for his Hot Wheels tracks one day.  You'll notice the track along the windowsill at the bottom of the picture.

On your mark, get set, go...

Charlie has become a little thumb-sucker.  Let's hope he doesn't take after his mom and suck his thumb into his double digits!

In fact, he's not particular.  He'll suck just about any finger he can get into his mouth.

Patrick continues to be a great napper!  By the time Jack was his age, he was done with naps.  Ugh.  So, I am quite pleased that Patrick still takes a good nap.  It usually lasts around 3 hours (but today it was FOUR!).  Here's a post-nap picture of this cutie:

We still bathe Charlie in the kitchen sink.

Jack took some pictures of Charlie with his new camera.  "Say 'cheese' Charlie!"

"Want to see your picture, Charlie?"

Charlie was a little more interested in the taste of the camera than the actual pictures.

So, there are lots of pictures of Charlie in this post.  He's just so happy and cute; the camera loves him!

An attempted picture with the camera's timer while Patrick napped:

We went to the zoo one day last week when it was so nice outside.  I got to try out my new telephoto lens. Here are a couple pictures of penguins.  Jack has a video on his camera from the orangutan that came right up to the window when I held Charlie to it. 

Uncle Patrick and Aunt Ingrid gave Jack this puzzle for Christmas.  He has enjoyed putting it together all by himself several times.

Two days after our nice day at the zoo, we got to play in the snow in our backyard.  Crazy!

Patrick entertained us with a little guitar, just like Daddy.

"What do you think of this tune, Charlie?"

My three oh-so-happy Irish boys!

End of 2011

Now that January is more than half over, I thought I would finally post the last pictures of 2011. 

Jim's sister Karen and her family came in town the day after Christmas.  We were fortunate to spend a lot of time with Aunt Karen, Uncle Lenny, and Colin while they were in town.  Jack and Patrick really like playing with Colin.

Colin got to hold his newest cousin.

On New Year's Eve this year, we atteded three parties.  First, we went to Kathleen's "Countdown to Noon" party.  Then, after Patrick's nap, we went to a pajama party with kids.  From there we went to another friend's house where we (yes, all five of us) spent the night.  It was a lot of fun.  After the kiddos went to bed, the 4 adult couples hung out and played games while we waited for the ball to drop.  I took very few pictures that day, and all before noon.  Happy New Year!  I hope 2012 is a good year for you.  It will be a year with many changes for us (Jack will start Kindergarten, we will sell our first house and buy a new house, Charlie will turn one, and so much more!).

Christmas 2011

We had a good Christmas this year.  Jim was scheduled to work both Christmas and Christmas Eve, but a co-worker volunteered to work for him.  So, we got to spend both days all together!  On Christmas Eve, we went to church with Jim's brother Paul and his family.  Our niece, Bridget, was in the choir.  When we sat down, Jack very loudly said, "HI BRIDGET!"  Fortunately, we arrived about 15 minutes before Mass started so it wasn't a big deal.  After church, we went back to Paul and Margaret's for a bit before going home.  When we got home, we put the kids to bed.  They were quiet and soooo good knowing that Santa Claus was coming that night and they needed to be asleep.  Then, we had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with my parents and Uncle Matt and Aunt Sue.  We usually go to my parents' for Christmas Eve dinner, but since my brother and my cousins weren't going to make it this year, my parents decided to bring the food to our house to make it easier on us.

The boys were pretty excited Christmas morning!  One of Jack's favorite presents was a camera from Nana and Papa.  It is very cool.  He can take pictures and videos, and we can upload them to our computer and print them if we desire.

Charlie took in most of the action from his swing.

Patrick found this orange in his stocking and did not want to open any presents.  He just wanted to eat his orange.  Then he wanted to eat Jack's orange.

Apparently he was still hungry, so I gave him a banana.  Patrick didn't finish opening his Christmas gifts until the 28th of December.  I imagine next year will be a little different.

We went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for Christmas brunch, and more presents of course.

Jack was a seasoned gift-opener by this point.

Patrick was more interested in opening presents at his grandparents' house.

Sir Jack:

Firefighter Patrick:

Charlie got to spend time with his Godmother, Aunt Margaret.

He enjoyed watching his brothers and cousins.

Jack's other favorite gift was a Matchbox racecar track from Grandma and Grandpa. 

Bridget helped Jack put the track together.

Charlie's great-aunt Jane got some snuggle time, too.

Our budding photographer captured many of the day's memories on his new camera.  As you can see, it was very nice outside (no coats needed!).

Lastly, we went to Uncle Matt and Aunt Sue's house.  I didn't take many pictures there, but here is one of Ryan, Asher, and Charlie.  They are three boys born within a few weeks of each other.  Cuties!