And finally, Margaret's cake

Here is the last group of shots from Margrate's big bash!







Without flash



Ready, set,


BLOW!

Christian's 5th Birthday

Today we had two birthday parties. Unfortunately the second one, Parth's pool party, was rained out. We have been friend's with Christian and his mom Donna since Christian was a baby and we had a fabulous time celebrating his 5th birthday with him. His was supposed to be outdoors too, but his Mom was able to move everything inside at the last minute. I like to call her Martha Stewart. She is amazing in many ways.

Donna had 2 high school girls playing games with the kids and keeping them entertained. Here are the kids having fun.











Dylan winning a game of spoons!



Christain and Daddy



Blowing out the candles







Here is a close-up of the cookie on the cake. Christian's Aunt made this.



And finally, a break in the rain that lasted just long enough to whack the pinata open.

More Candids

Just a few more snapshots of the fun day.

Candid Shots

Here are some candids from the party.

Surprise!

Saturday night my cousin Diane and her husband Brian hosted a Surprise Party for my Aunt Margaret's 60th Birthday. Diane and Brian are the most fabulous hosts ever. Their home is amazing and everyone always has a fantastic time there.

Diane & Brian



Now, the big SURPRISE! Margaret was called over to Gail's to babysit baby Evan while Gail and the girls were "at a birthday party". Meanwhile, Gail was helping Diane set everything up. When Margaret left Gail's, she phoned us to let us know the countdown was on and we all came into the house. Our cars were parked at the bottom end of the Cul du Sac way out of sight. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so without further adieu, here is the reaction.





















More posts from the party to come this week. Just wanted to add one more of the 4 sisters here in the US. My mom is third from left in the polka dotted dress.

Sporty Squirts and a Gray Evening

Yesterday was the last class of Sporty Squirts. Dylan loved this program. Coach Ian and Coach Paul are two English blokes in thier twenties who really like to have fun and the kids have so much fun with them. Sporty Squirts is a program offered through the town recreation center where the kids play a different sport each week. The did baseball, lacrosse, hockey, soccer, etc. There were four boys from Dylan's preschool class so that made it super cool for Dylan.

Here is the whole gang



Dylan shooting a goal with Coach Paul




Here are some from a gray evening around the house.

"Mommy, you said some FUN pictures"



One more "not so fun" one



Notice the stark change in expression here. Dylan likes to ride his plasma car down the driveway and crash into Katie's coupe, the empty garbage cans, or just make sharp turns around the van and come to a smashing stop at the steps. Because it was so gray I couldn't capture any action shots of him doing this. Don't fret though, he does this everyday so you will be seeing him in action in a future post. This is right after a smash into the steps. Could life be any better?



Here is Katie watching his crazy antics from higher up on the steps with horsey. This is her signature grumpy Katie expression.



Moving on to the backyard, here is Dylan pouring sand on his head. It was so much fun washing it all out in the shower that immediately followed this stunt. LOL

Old photos of my baby

Katie (Kathryn Jane) is nearly 2.5 years old now. My colicky baby is now fiercely independent and a mamma's girl at the same time, or really whichever one suits her at the moment. She is clever as can be and loves to give mommy kisses and hugs.

She loves to play outside best. Much to mommy's dismay, she is an accomplished climber. Getting big pushes on her red swing while mommy chants "Super Princess" puts the biggest smile on her face. "Super Princess" is a name that she came up with, not me. She is a huge fan of the Disney Princesses, all animals, and loves to watch Pinky Dinky Doo and Calliou on television. She idolizes her big brother and thinks she can do everything he and his friends can do. The bruises and scratches are proof of this. Thank goodness for photoshop.

It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. I was going through old photos and came across these from the early days. These were taken with my old point and shoot, the one that Katie broke last year when she slammed it on the floor. That's what prompted me to get the Rebel, a blessing and a curse. Ha!

Just two days old



Also from the first few days.



Two weeks old.



With me at about 6 weeks old. When I first saw this photo I could hardly believe how much make-up I had on. I must have been trying hard to hide that tired mom look that we all sport in the beginning. LOL

Gummy D and Kate

As mentioned in the previous post, Dylan lost his first tooth last week. He has another that is loose, so I thought I ought to get the official first tooth lost photo before there are two gone.



Serious swinging.



So the lighting is far from perfect, but she is sitting and looking at the camera. :)



My little monkey.



We saw these guys while on a walk up by the school yesterday. It was dark in the woods and I didn't have the opportunity to set my camera properly, but at least I got something before they bolted off.

The Graduate

Dylan graduated from preschool this week. He also lost his first tooth. That's a lot of growing up in one small week. My baby, who I could have sworn was born ten minutes ago, is now officially a kid.

The two classes had a joint ceremony which consisted of singing, accepting diplomas, thanking teachers and class moms, and a few words from the classroom teachers and the principal. It was absolutely adorable.

On the stage being goofy with buddies Grant and Sarah



Spotlight small group singing performance (could they look any less thrilled?) The long haired girl is Dylan's girlfriend. They plan to be married someday. He is also planning to marry another girl in the class. I suppose when you have more girls than boys in a preschool class, polygamy is an acceptable practice.



Accepting the diploma





Congratulations Dylan!

Matt's little get together

Sunday we went to my cousin Matt's house for a get together. Matt's Mom is my Dad's sister. They have a new baby called Matthew who is 10 weeks old. The poor little guy had a tough start in the NICU, but all is well now. Of course I couldn't let the day go by without suckering them in for pictures. :D

When I went to pick these up today (along with Caitriona's communion photos) I was asked by the girl in the lab if I was a photographer. I relpied, "Not a real one." It was so flattering to be asked. Awwwww!


Here is Matt with his son Jack (3.5 years old), Baby Matthew, and wife Maureen





With my Aunt Mary









Dad with Aunt Mary



This shot of Katie cracks me up



And one more of my little yoda cake girl

Dylan in Action

Dylan is a very physical boy and is happiest when running, jumping, and playing outdoors. He loves to play in the water.

Recently we got a slip n' slide which is a huge hit here. Much moreso with Dylan than with Scott who is not a fan of what it does to the lawn. I say who cares, but you know men are about their lawns.

Dylan and Anthony playing in the sprinkler





Dylan testing out the slip n slide





First swim of the season in our neighbor's pool



Playing in the pool with Daddy at my cousin's pool party





And one of Miss Katie doing her favorite thing -- eating sweets! Just like Mommy. :)

A few more...

from the Communion shoot. :)













As promised, baby brother Evan.