Friday, August 29, 2008

Getting out...

For the last two weeks, the boys and I have enjoyed getting out of the house and hosting play dates. Last week, for the very first mommy-only outing, I took the boys to Lowes and Toys R Us. Not bad for little men! We desperately need to baby-proof our kitchen so that the boys have more room to roam. They are no longer pleased with being gated-in in either the playroom or the sun porch. So I pulled the boys around Lowes in the wagon searching for child-proofing locks and screws - they have learned to pull over the radiator covers, so we're going to have to screw them to the wall! It is so liberating to take the boys out by myself! I know most new moms are out and about days or weeks after the baby is born. But in the old apartment, we couldn't just leave the boys out on the front porch as we ran up and down the stairs getting the others. And when we moved to the 'burbs, we didn't have anything that held all 3 until recently. So it has taken me a year, but it's worth it.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Sweet Ava

Our dear friends Mark and Lesa have a beautiful girl, Ava, who is just a few weeks younger than the boys. They were in town visiting last week, so Lesa brought Ava over for a playdate. It was so good to see them as always!

The little beauty

Wesley became enamored with Ava. I seriously have never seen him so happy!

Wes nuzzling Ava

Look at that smile on his face!

Ava and Win playing in the ball pit

Lesa and Charlie

More Maine

Before I let our Maine visit get too far away from us, I wanted to post a few more photos from the trip.

We went out to eat for the first time with the boys while in Boothbay Harbor. And as it turned out, not only was it babys' first meal out, it was also babys' first dive bar, babys' first fried shrimp and babys' first french fry. And yes, we took them at 11am and the place was empty.

The rain cleared for a few hours one afternoon, so Grammy & Poppy and I took the boys to Pemaquid Lighthouse.

Brayden, Colby and Hayleigh were so great with the boys - they would come over every day to help out and play with them. Here they are feeding the boys lunch.

Babys' first trip to the beach! And yes, this is a beach. In the two weeks of rain, there were a few beautiful days. So when the sun came out, Grammy and I brought the boys to Sandy Cove, a little corner of sand amongst the rocky shore. And on this trip we learned that the boys will eat anything and everything - ocean water, seaweed, handfuls of sand and rocks. And for the rocks that were too big, they would just try to gnawl on them like they were sharpening their teeth. We also learned that if we are not on home turf, we should never be outnumbered. Two adults to three toddlers on a beach was...exhausting.

Charlie with sand all over his face and shirt, while Win eats the beach in the background.

Dining on the deck with Poppy.

On our last night, we all gathered down at the cottage Jim & Mi Jung rented for a lobster and clam feast. We needed a place to contain the boys and found the empty kiddie pool was perfect! Alex jumped in and they all had a great time playing together. It was funny to watch the boys. Win and Wes immediately started bouncing all over the place, squealing with delight, while Charlie just sat there taking it all in. After a few minutes, Charlie just got up and flipped himself over the side!

The fam

What the cove looked like for most of the trip

But where there is rain, there is a rainbow

The other highlights of the vacation were the huge clambake down at Jim's and being treated to a Korean feast from Mrs. Kim. Hopefully both will become traditions for years to come!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Maine Birthday Party

We just returned from a two week vacation in Maine with family and friends. We only get to see everyone (my brother, sis-in-law and her parents, niece, nephew, and the Green Pond gang) once or twice a year. So it was wonderful to be with everyone, despite the fact that it rained every day but two. Thankfully, one of those two days was the boys' Maine Birthday Party, held on the lawn of my brother's rental cottage. (This is the same cottage my parents rented when my brother and I were very young - so it was quite special!) It was held on August 5th, the day that Charlie and Wesley came home for the first time (after 11 days in the NICU). (Winston came home the following day.) It also marked our 4 year anniversary with Julep!

The best birthday party location! The boys hanging out with Hayleigh and Brayden.


Mrs. Kim and our nephew Christian

Pool time! Wesley started reaching down and trying to drink the water. Perhaps he was trying to tell us something?

Grammy and Win drying off on the steps

Cousin Alex showing Charlie & Wes how to use the phone. I love that Charlie is reading the directions.

Aunt Jen Jen deep in conversation with Winston

Cake time!

The boys all grabbed their pieces of cake and shoved them in their mouths. At this point, we realized that green frosting was probably not the best idea...

Charlie and Daddy

Win and Mommy

Wesley mistakes Grammy's finger for cake


More Maine photos and stories to come...

Friday, August 1, 2008

Family!

Lala, Bias, Traci, Bruce, Ann & Abby came up to Boston for the boys' first birthday. The boys had so much fun playing with their cousins!
Ann playing in the tunnel

Wes, Winston and Charlie playing with Abby (Yes, Charlie has a bow in his hair. The boys kept going after Abby's hair bow, so she decided to share it with them - much to our amusement.)

Winston and Traci

Abby resting in the sunroom after a long day exploring Boston

Win, Charlie and Wesley playing with their birthday toy