Playing Catch Up

Ok, so it's been forever since I've blogged. I'm not quite sure where to start to get caught up, and truthfully, don't really want to attempt it but here's a quick glimpse of the last 9 months starting from the most recent events...

It's fireworks season which means our basement is now an extreme fire hazard. We are having our annual 4th of July party this year complete with a fantastic fireworks show put on by Tom and our neighbor Rico.

It's been great having Shelly home. She is engaged to Ben (who the kids absolutely adore!) and will be getting married and moving to Lansing, IL this Sept.

Tom burned a lot of calories this winter shoveling snow... in our backyard. He made an incredible terrain park for the boys who spent MANY hours sledding and snowboarding on Daddy's creation.

Claire turned 2 in January and has been such a joy to have around. We love our boys (and all their energy) but there is something special about a little girl.

Claire is an animal NUT and is usually walking around holding some sort of stuffed animal. She especially loves horses. I'm taking bets on how long it takes before she start batting her eyes at Tom and asking for more pets.

This is the kids with their good buddy Jules on Halloween. We spend as much time as possible with the Mitchell family. Tom and I have gotten really close with Zack and Kari and the kids love to play with Jules and Butchie! Words cannot describe how much we are going to miss them when they move to Texas this fall. In fact, Drew just informed me the other day that we need to move to Texas too and buy the house "right next to Jules and Butch."

This is Drew on his first day of Kindergarten. Hard to believe the school year is almost over and he'll be a 1st grader.

One of the highlights of this year (at least for Tom and I) was our trip to Cabo. We went with a great group of people and had a wonderfully relaxing time away from the kids and all the responsibilities we typically deal with every day.

Within the last few months I've taken on a new job at a local YMCA. I've truly enjoyed the chance to use my education, enjoy some adult interaction, and learn some new skills. While I'm teaching or working with clients the kids play in the tot-watch at the Y or participate in Karate (at least the boys) two days a week.

Time to go get changed for a wedding at Drew's school. The letters "Q" and "U" are getting married today :) Drew is excited to be the limo driver as well as the guest book attendant. Good practice for Aunt Michelle and Uncle Ben's wedding in which he'll be a ring bearer.