Taking on new purpose...

I didn't intend for my wreath to be used as a tree. But here we are - with a wreath on the front of our house and a birds nest in it... No eggs in the nest. Leave it or get rid of it??

Josh's first home run

April

~a trip to the O's game with cousins

~a day trip to NYC with the gals, to celebrate Nonna's birthday

~our authentic italian waiter at Il Cortile in Little Italy

~ Julia Child's day #2

Papa Joe and Jess making Chicken sauteed in Herb, Butter, Garlic and Egg Yolk sauce

accompanied by Stuffed Baked Tomatoes

~YUM!!!

~Easter Sunday at Mountain Branch with the fam

~Josh's first Tball practice and a birthday celebration at school (all the summer birthdays at once)

~a day trip to DC with Uncle Steve and Caleb

went to the Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial

A blustery day outdoors...

... has encouraged us to use our imagination indoors. I got out ALL the playmobil and transformed our living room into a town.

Andy's making me post this...

This is what we found out front on Sunday morning. Thank goodness it's NOT our vehicle!

My sincerest apologies for what you've just seen...

By George, I think they've got it!

After a week of practicing, Ryan and Josh can ride their bikes without training wheels!

Catching Up

Getting rid of the training wheels?
It's a hard task, but it's got to be done. Both boys handled our day of practice quite well. No big falls and only a few tears of fear. We went up to Nana's to practice in their spacious (and non-visited) court. It was great to see my mom recovering well from her spinal fusion surgery!

Surfin Safari Night at Awana. This night was pre-warm weather in Baltimore, so it was a nice treat for the kids to wear their summer clothes!

Monopoly with the Uncles

Monopoly is Ryan's new favorite game. Over the winter stay-cation, we played 5 times and he beat me each time. Only 1 time at Grandma's did he lose. Uncle Alex and Uncle Tony visited for dinner a few weeks back and took on Ryan's monopoly challenge with a smile. Ryan was out first, but my brothers weren't far behind, leaving Mom and Dad to duke it out for the win...

The finished Deck

Shortly after New Years, our deck was completed! This weekend was the first time we actually got to USE it though. We enjoyed both lunch and dinner outdoors on our hand-me down table (thanks grandad!) and spent other restful hours sun-bathing in our beach chairs (actually - only Jess did that)!

Julia Child's anyone?

Diana, Peg, Maddie and I attempted the long and difficult Boeuf Bourguinon recipe a few weeks ago. We didn't realize how long it would take to make the meal and didn't get to taste the deliciousness til about 8 in the evening. I think we were all in agreement that it was well worth the wait!

A Trip to the Library

The new Perry Hall Library is wonderful! The kids love the playroom, fully equipped with dress-ups, a play kitchen and a play food store. I think Josh has a great future ahead of him...