weekend fun

What a day!  Today our neck of the woods reached temps in the 80s!  Let's note that over the last 2 days the high was in the upper 30s and 40s.  The kids spent almost ALL day outside... riding bikes, drawing with chalk, running around, playing with friends, and just hanging out together!
Tobin and Will began plans and ventured out for supplies to build the kids sandbox too! We can't wait for more days like this!

  Saturday Will had another soccer game... not so good this day.  He went out for about the first 5 minutes, and then didn't want to play.  He was still real intimidated by all the people at the games.  We are hoping that if he continues with practice sessions, then he will play when he is comfortable.

On Friday morning we had a fun playdate with the Schilens.  It's always fun to hang out with their lively crew!

 

practicing dance moves!

 

2nd try at Soccer

Good day!  Today Will had his first official Soccer practice.  Only a few kids showed up (which made it less intimidating to him), and he did great.  Some of the other kids in his group are almost a year older and it's their second season, so I know he needs to catch up a little.  However, he was a great sport out there today and had fun!  Great job buddy, we love you so much for trying!

the girls played at the playground while Will practiced! Oh... and yes.. it's still FREEZING here!  Hoping for some warmer weather this weekend!  If not... Florida is only 2 weeks away!

little mommy

Today I looked over and saw Isa bent down on the ground... she was sniffing Gabi's bottom!  She looked over and said "Gabi went pee pee and poopies in her pants, I need to change her."  Gabi in fact had gone... but I am not sure Isa is ready to change a diaper for me (well, she IS, I am not! =).

p.s.. after spending the morning at Julie's house and looking at pictures there... I concede.  Gabi does look A LOT like Isa =)

this and that

Will started Soccer this Spring. This was his first game... it wasn't great, but we are working on next time. He is excited, but said he was "scared of all the people there". Must be a little overwhelming.

Will's biggest fans!
and yes... it's still COLD here!

Here is a little video of Will "reading" his Dinosaur Bones book.  It's just an excerpt since the video is 9 minutes!  He managed to memorize the whole book!

Isa:  hair like mine....

last Thursday Isa got her hair trimmed 2 inches.  Since then, this is how her hair has looked... the curls are gone =(.  We'll see if they return when the humidity returns.

loving her baby

 A little video of my helper Isa.. she does quite a good job at folding clothes!


Gabi:  Gabi has been walking around everywhere!  She is moving around as if she has been walking for months.  It's fun to see her now chasing Will and Isa around and cracking herself up with her newfound mobility!  What a fun time!
This past weekend I headed out to a Scrapbooking retreat and finally completed Gabi's 1st year book!  What a relief to have it done.  Tobin braved a whole weekend alone with the kids, what a hubby!

our week... part 2

Ok... so I can't believe that it has really taken me this long to post our week... but we have been crazy busy.
So... back to last Saturday (the 19th).  After visiting the Rooney's we headed over to the West Side of NYC to meet the littlest Sikora (and her mommy and daddy!).  Mira Mae did not disappoint!  She is such a cute little doll with wonderful alert time and awesome strength!  Gabi was so excited to meet her new lil cousin and it was so cute watching her try to give her a kiss.... precious.  We had a wonderful time just hanging out, catching about parenting tips, trying pacifiers, and yes... another photo shoot.  We felt SO blessed to have the opportunity to meet Mira while she is still so little. 
Thanks for having us Justin, Mary and Mira.  We love you and miss you already!

Gabi meets her cousin Mira

Daddy's and their lil girls!

sweet Mira Mae Sikora

 Upon returning to Ohio we played catch up on many things on the home front.  There was tons of laundry to catch up on, cleaning and unpacking.  I also had about 25 embroidery hat orders to get done by Tuesday! 
We had our usual Tuesday with Gramma and Gramma Thomas!  Coffee, lunch at Bob Evans and hanging out with Kateri and Chloe.
Thursday, Kateri and I had a mommy playdate!  We took an afternoon off to watch a movie while the girls napped.  We also took Chloe's 9 month pictures.  When the girls were all awake... they had fun hanging around.  It's fun to see how much closer in age Chloe and Gabi seem now =)

 What a crazy awesome week!  This weekend also ended with a bang! We spent more time with family, did alot more cleaning and organizing, and I did some long overdue clothes shopping!

everyday artwork... Isa gets better every day!

We also got to spend a day with Jenny to celebrate her 25th birthday.  She met us at The Little Gym on Saturday morning and watched the kids do their class.  We then had a mini movie day and headed to Red Lobster (part 2) to try our lick with her dinner of choice.  Luckily we got in this time! 

love for the birthday girl!

 WOW...long week!  Today we ended our week with mass, brunch and some more special time with family.  We are blessed!

 

our week...part 1

We have had a busy, fun and whirlwind week! I will start with last Friday, the 18th. The kids and I started our morning meeting friends at the park (enjoying the short lived spring weather). This was Gabi's first time moving around a the park. She loved it. All 3 kids had a blast and loved the swings, climbing all over the playgrounds, and just being able to run around!

After coming home, Tobin and I packed our bags and began a little adventure.  We dropped off Will and Isa with their Gramma and Bapa and began a last minute trip to NYC to spend some time with family.  We packed up Gabi, put in some books on CD and began the 8 hour drive.  Gabi did AWESOME.  We arrived at my cousin's Carla's apartment in the city right at midnight. 
The next morning we were awoken by 2 sweet little boys that were so excited to have us there!  We spent the morning with the Rooney family!  Carla, Tom, Jack, Matty, and their newest little addition... Tommy!  We felt so lucky to make the trip.  Although we didn't go out to visit any NYC sites... the trip was perfect because we got to just relax and spend it with family!

Rooney Family

 

Gabi meets baby Tommy!

 

room with a view!

Gabi Walks

Gabi finally started walking across the room the weekend of March 12th! I was finally able to catch it on video. We can't believe how long it took her to walk! She has been standing and pushing around a walker for almost 3 months now, and took steps on her own before her 1st birthday. The saying that each kid has his/her own agenda is so true. She is still crawling about 1/2 the time, but is definitely moving around more on her feet!
As you can tell from the video... she has an excited fan base! They were SO ready to transition Gabi from a baby to a Toddler =) (or "tobbler" as Isa would say!)

more posts about our exciting and busy week coming soon!

Will's 1st sleepover buddy

Will has had people over and he has slept over at family's homes, but last night Will had his 1st boy sleepover with his long time buddy Sam.  It was a REAL sleepover with all the basics... late night, popcorn and a show, sleeping bags under a fort in the room, and snacks while in bed. Sam was great the entire visit!
Poor Isa kept trying to join in on the fun, but kept getting locked out.  The boys had a blast and the morning is starting with some Chocolate Chip pancakes!  Great way to start the day!

being silly

the fort

night night!