Boys' Day with the Helicopters

While Hannah and I were enjoying our girls' weekend in Michigan, Pat and the boys spent quality time together without us. They went to Marine Week's static display of 5 or 6 helicopters plus some huge rescue vehicle at the DuPage Airport not too far from our house. As you can see Josh and Ryan got to sit in the 'copters and had a great time hangin' with Daddy.

Zoo Time!

We went to Brookfield Zoo with our neighbor Brenda and her kids Jenna and Joey, along with new friend Caroline and her kids Aiden and Tyler today. It was crowded again, but we still had fun. We got to see the big brown bear get his feeding of lettuce, fish, and rat-ewwww! We had a picnic and just generally had a good time.

A Potty Success!!

That's right! You read correctly...I'm talkin' potty. Ryan was the first of the twins to successfully go potty on the potty chair. He did it tonight for the very first time! It was quite a surprise to all and we made a big deal of it. He was very proud of himself!! :) Go Ryan!! You'll get those Thomas & Friends "underwears" yet!

Last Storytime Craft

Look at these faces...hmmm...anyway, the kiddies are holding their giraffes that they made from Storytime this morning. The theme was "On the Wild Side" for the summer reading program (or something close to that that I can't really remember). This was their last class and the craft was basically ripping some paper to glue onto the giraffe as spots. Oh well, there were other cute crafts before this one - LOL! At least Ryan didn't shove it away instantly, he liked the glue stick. Overall the Storytime experience was fun and we didn't have any big problems...success!!

Hannah's 4th Birthday Party with the Boyle's

Tonight we celebrated Hannah's birthday with Jim, Mary, Rachel and Jimmy at our house. We grilled out, played outside, had cake, and opened presents. The kids all napped well so were ready to party! The boys were bummed that it wasn't either of their turns to open presents, but they got over it when Hannah shared hers with them. They all especially liked Han's Bitty Baby swing and Polly Pockets dolls. Hannah even enjoyed her new clothes with comments, "How cute are these!" I still can't believe our little girl is four...

Happy Mother's Day Storytime

Today was our second to last storytime at the library. Ryan started to get into it a little, but still insists that I pick him up whenever we stand to do dances or songs. Josh is totally into it, and Hannah sometimes chooses to sit the entire time. They all do enjoy the craft though, so all is not lost!! This week was a "Happy Mother's Day" theme and the kids got to color a pre-cut tea pot with crayons, then I stapled it to a white teapot with a tea bag on it. Ryan shoved his tea pot away instantly and refused to color it, so I colored his with polka dots :) Hannah and Josh did a great job on theirs and Hannah proudly wrote her name on the inside. Inside it reads, "Here's a gift for Mother's Day: I'll try my best in every way. But when you get upset with me, Relax and have a pot of tea! Love, (child's name)" Pretty cute... Happy early Mother's Day to all you moms!

Hannah's 4th Birthday Party

Our little Hannah will turn 4 years old tomorrow! Unbelievable how time flies. On Saturday we had her birthday party with my side of the family in St. Joe at mom and dad's cottage. We had nice sunny weather and a great turnout! Thank you to everyone for making the jaunt. Hannah was so happy to play with her cousins, that she started crying when she knew we had to leave them later that night. We learned some new things this get together: Hannah discovered clip-on earrings with Great Grandma Lampert, Jordan discovered the kitchen was adjoined to the dining room and to the living room so she could walk in circles, and Evan and Ryan fit well together as they both enjoy tackling! :) Hannah had a really great birthday party and thanks to everyone for their generosity (well, she didn't say it like that, but close enough!) and for sharing this fun time with us. We appreciate it!! Here are some pics...