Nathaniel's 2!

Nathaniel turned 2 on Monday and what a time we've had celebrating! On Sunday- we began with a pancake breakfast... Here is Nate saying "Opa" with his fork!

Then we headed to the zoo! We had great luck with the sharks - Patrick touched 5 and Nate touched 2... with the help of Daddy!

The goats were especially friendly - I love this one of Patrick and the goat looking at each other eye to eye! Patrick loved petting and brushing all of the goats!

Nate was a bit more apprehensive, and needed the reassurance of daddy's hand - but he loved it too.

They got to pet a lizard and a snake! YUCK! But, they thought is was very cool!

We went to the splash park, which Patrick LOVED... But, Nate wasn't too sure - maybe that's because it was almost 2 o'clock and well past his naptime, but I loved the big hugs he gave me as he held on tight!

After nap, the boys watched some racing...

Then, we had cupcakes and a gift! Nathaniel blew out his candles on his first try! He's a pro.

He loved his piano and microphone! And Patrick LOVED dancing to the music.

Nathaniel loved the funny sounds he was able to make by yelling into the microphone!

And, Patrick thought it was very funny too!

What a great 2 year old he is! This week he started at Learning Time 2 days a week and loves calling it "my school." On Monday he finally tried the "motorcycle" at my parents house - and after 20 minutes of riding it while holding onto my hand the entire time, he finally let go and had a ball driving in circles. We're so proud of our Nate! Happy Birthday baby.

Lake Cumberland With Friends

Thank you Julia again for making this happen! Last weekend, we went to Lake Cumberland with the Watkins' and Miles' families. We enjoyed boating (the kids were fantastic!). Patrick tied Ella for best-behaved child, while Nate won for "worst" in a land-slide... Good thing he's so darn cute!

Patrick is a water-bug for sure-- after a day at the lake, he spent 4 hours in the pool on Saturday.

Here's April & Meg... Patrick called her "Meggers" and loved babysitting her... Of course, Nate turned on the charm when he saw Meg the first morning by singing her love songs.

Here's Ella - #1 behaved 4-month old ever!

Dinner was an event & always good! Just don't ask me to make S'mores (sorry Ben)!

Here are the Watkins! How cute and coordinated can one family be?!

Finally... BATH TIME! Even that is fun when you're on vacation!

Thank you Watkins & we love you Miles'!

Touch A Truck at the Park!

We had a ball at "Touch a Truck!" My friend, Julia, and I took our kiddos to Broad Ripple, where they were able to explore all kinds of trucks. Patrick LOVED it, but Nate was a bit apprehensive. However, he is happy to be wherever Abby is - so he still had a good time! Patrick's favorite was the firetruck!

Brian meets his hero!

Calling all race fans! The Andretti family just happened to be in town in May, and Brian and his friend Darrell met up with the famous Mario Andretti! Mario was at a local wine story promoting Andretti wine. Now we have a few bottles of Andretti's merlot, and these pictures to savor the memory!

Patrick's Gymnastics Show Day!

Patrick was in the FunnyBugs class at My Little Gym from January - May! He had a great time and was in class with his good buddy, Jake. Here is his "Show" from June 4. He smiled the entire time and it was so exciting to watch him grow.

His audience.... we're big fans!

Here is his class receiving their medals!

Here are Patrick & Jake, very proud!

This is Patrick with his teacher, Mr. Drew. Drew has amazing energy & spirit! He's wonderful at his job and for Patrick and Nathaniel.

That night we watched the video of the show over and over again! What fun!

Kindermusik

We've done Kindermusik since Patrick was 6 months old with my good friend Lisa, and her kids Elle (also born in August 2004) and Ainsley (August 2006). Here are some pics from the last class of our Family Session! The boys were as wild as ever - but oh so much fun! (Thank you Lisa for these photos!)

Wrestling is one of their favorite activities - whether at home or at Kindermusik!

Trying out new instruments is part of what's so much fun about K-musik!

Here are most of the kids from class with our teacher, Miss Stephanie! She had great patience with the kiddos and was especially good at reeling our boys in!

(Ainsley & Elle are sitting just to the left of Patrick & Nate - aren't they beautiful!)

Hilton Head - May 2008

We had a great time in Hilton Head this year! The boys loved playing in the ocean and with all of their cousins.

This was perhaps the funniest moment of the week for us - Patrick ran over to say he had to go potty, and then stood at the edge of the ocean and dropped his pants! He received a few cheers from some nearby beach-goers and we laughed til we cried! The best part - is Brian did the same thing on the New Jersey shores years ago, when he was the same age. At least we know where he gets it! Boys are so funny....

These are all 9 of the grandkids - ages 22 months-12 years!

Here's everybody - we stay in one gorgeous home on North Forest Beach! It's a tough life, but someone has to do it - right?!

Once we got Patrick in the water, we could not get him out! He LOVED the waves.

And Patrick and Nate loved chasing each other. They are quite a pair now!

We had a wonderful time! Thank you Memom and Gramps!