Pirates Cove

 Today, we met friends at this tiny amusement park called Pirates Cove. It was super cute. Perfect for toddlers. The park was small, well manicured, and all the rides/activities are designed for little ones. Nora had an absolutely blast. She has been wanting to do everything "by myself" lately, so this was perfect.

 Jayden and Nora had fun on the little train acting like such big kids.

 I even got Teddy on the carousal but we were booted off because parents can't ride. He had fun for 2 minutes though!

 I did take all the kids down this super long slide though. I must admit-it was great!

Nora being big stuff!

I'm looking, I'm looking....

I just can't find them. Where did the last 9 months go????
That's right. Teddy is 9 months old! Can you believe it? I can't. The little guy keeps us all laughing. He has a tough act to follow since Nora is quite a funny girl. But, he is not one to take a back seat. Teddy is a mover too! 

He doesn't sit still for long. Teddy is crawling really well. He pulls himself up on chairs, toys, bins, really anything. He even climbed up the stairs already! I was right behind him. But, he did it! 

Below is a picture I was trying to take of him. But, he was not being very cooperative. :)

 He has quite a head of hair at 9 months old.

 He loves doors. He likes to open and close them which scares me because he can easily slam his fingers. Doors are usually the first thing he goes towards when we put him down.

 He has been making this funny face for about 2 weeks now. He scrunches his nose and snorts. It seems to be his favorite way of communication currently. It cracks me up!

 He still adores his sister and the feeling is mutual for her.

See, look at this face...

 

He is able to sign "more", show us "so big" and look towards people when we ask for certain people. For example, we will ask him.."where's Nora" and he will look at her. He does this for mom and dad too. He is eating most fruits and veggies and still nurses often. Last night, dare I say it, he slept through the night!!!

 
He is my little boyfriend. I am smitten by this little dude!

Lately....

We have really been enjoying our VERY HOT summer. Last weekend, we went to the city to watch a mini regatta. I LOVE it. Just being there made we want to join a crew team again. I wish we had somewhere close to row, I miss the sport. We enjoyed the race while having a picnic and headed to a fancy coffee shop before going home. 

 

Nora has been playing more independently much more often recently. She has an incredible imagination. Often times, she is just playing with herself and imaginary people/characters that we can't see. Today, she told me I was stepping on a smurf! I had no idea the smurfs were under my feet, silly me! She still loves her stuffed animals though. And she occupied herself one morning by gathering many of her puppies and feeding them. When I walked into the kitchen, this is what I found...

 TJ has been taking guitar lessons and the poor guy can never practice alone. When his guitar comes out, so does Nora's. However, she likes to sing in addition to playing the guitar. Teddy typically is not far away either. He LOVES strumming the guitar strings.

 Hello Mr. Happy face. Teddy is crawling like a super star, pulling himself up on everything, and keeping us on our toes! He is 9 months old already! I cannot believe it. I will post about that later.

 This weekend, we went to a Ralph's World Concert, met friends at the Race track, and enjoyed a BBQ with friends. Busy weekend. Our kids were tuckered out tonight!

 Teddy prefers drinking from a straw. He will do everything in his power to get to a cup that has a straw. Unfortunately, many of those cups are currently pink or purple. Poor guy.

 Here's a picture of Teddy and his friend at the Race Track. Teddy blew all his money on the wrong horse. Bummer! :)

Fourth of July 2012/PROPOSAL

 As many times as I try, I cannot get a good picture of both children looking and smiling at the camera. But, at least they are both looking towards the camera here.

 We started our fourth of July morning out skyping with Aunt Lesli and then after Teddy took a nap we headed to the parade. I thought this would be a great idea since Nora LOVES parades and Teddy enjoys looking at everything going on around him. However, we lasted about 30 minutes. The town was SUPER crowded despite the 100 degree weather! We found a shady spot but to no avail. It was way too hot to keep the kids out. We watched the first 10 min. and left. However, the best part of the day was yet to come!

 My parents have a big party every fourth of July with family and friends. It's complete craziness, especially now that there are so many little kids. But, we all have a great time. Teddy Loved the water and Nora would stay in the water all day if we let her. This year, we had an extra special surprise...

 My older brother proposed to Heather!!!  EVERYONE was totally caught off guard. While many people were trying to get the food set and finish up the grilling and others were swimming in the pool, Charlie yelled..."MA come out here for a second". Meanwhile, Heather got irritated for Charlie yelling at my mom and started to walk away. Then Charlie shouted "Everyone be quiet, Heather come here"  Meanwhile, I was standing behind them with food in my mouth that I couldn't even chew because I was so excited and couldn't believe what was about to happen. He quietly said something to her as we all just stood around watching. Heather was equally as shocked.

 I love this picture because they were both all teary eyed at this point.

Heather's dad was at the party too which was so nice because he was able to be included in this special moment as well. I love that the parents surrounded the newly engaged couple with hugs, laughter, and tears of happiness together. So sweet.
This moment made the day so wonderful and special and one we will never forget. I love that our whole family was able to witness such a happy occasion.
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH!!!