Joe's first week of school and Weekend fun

Joe finished his first week of school. He seemed to like it. The only way for me to really gauge that is by his willingness to go back. It was weird to only have him home in the afternoons but I know he's learning a bunch and hopefully growing in the skill of sharing. :) it is nice to have some one on one time with Lydia too.

Pics from first day (it was Hat Day for Lydia)



Saturday we had a great family day. We rarely have a free Saturday so it was really a great gift to have a free day combined with glorious weather. We got breakfast out at Grammy D's (last time I was there was 2 days before Joe was born!), played at a fun new playground, got some flowers from Home Depot, and went on a bike ride, which was fun for all. We did the Palatine bike trail. Thanks to some friends of ours for the bigger bike trailer. Our kids outgrew our old one last year. Hopefully by the end of this summer Lydia can bike along on her own. We're working on it!


Halfway through bike ride we stopped at "The Hill"(one of Marc's memorable childhood spots) for a break/snack.

And later on in the day we tried out a new to us bike attachment for Lydia.  We weren't sure how she'd do or feel about it, but I feel pretty safe saying it's her new favorite thing!  

Joe is 3!

What a great year this past year has been for Joe!  He has changed so much and it has been fun to watch!  His personality is coming out more and more, and we're seeing his sense of humor (and mischievousness!) all the time.  He just LOVES to be with his sister, and has even learned the "art" of teasing her.  Payback can be brutal.  This week, despite the rain, snow, and more rain, we had much reason to celebrate, as we celebrated Joe's life, specifically him turning 3!

His actual birthday was Wednesday and he woke up to a medley of Thomas balloons in the kitchen, and a special birthday breakfast (cinnamon rolls, bacon and OJ).  For those of you who know what we eat most mornings, this was indeed a special breakfast! Then we went to the Choo Choo restaurant in Des Plaines.  This was a cute little restaurant that has a train that brings the food to you.  So fun!  Then on the day after his birthday, we had family over for pizza, cake and ice cream.  Joe was super excited about all the fun!  He got some trains, CD's, a t-ball set, and even a fake mustache from Lydia(she picked it out at the party store, lol).  All in all we had a great time celebrating Joe.  We are so thankful for him and the way he makes us all smile and laugh!  Happy birthday Joe, we love you!

Joe, Marc, and I at Choo Choo

Lydia(being camera shy) and Nikki at Choo Choo

Thomas Cake: Pre-Frosting

                                                       

                                                  

Thomas Cake: Outlined!

Thomas Cake: Finished product!

Singing Happy Birthday to Joe!

                                                                 Yum yum yum...........

Catching up- Winter/Spring 2013

I had made the lofty goal of blogging more in 2013, and I have failed.  I'm okay with that, though.  I think my new goal is to blog more in 2013 than I did in 2012.

This winter has been really hard for me.  Unexpectedly so.  There are a few reasons for that.  The move to a new house, though so exciting (and believe me, we are still enjoying the "newness" of it), was a bit more stressful than I anticipated.  I know that moving is on the list for things that cause stress, but I guess I was thinking more about the packing and the stress of closing, etc.  Moving with 2 small children, one of whom is tied to, and finds great comfort in his routine, made life after the move a little bit more difficult.  Also, Lydia had separation anxiety for the first few weeks when she was back at school after the move, while Joe had tears/tantrums almost every time we left the house the first few months(due to being in a new environment).  One of these alone was enough to cause anxiety, but combined, oh boy!   Thankfully, we've made it through and there were many times when I would pause, breathe slowly,  and ask God to get me through.  He did, of course!  I'm sure as a parent, I will have countless more moments like that, due to various reasons!

My Grandma Wise passed away in early March.  This came rather unexpectedly, and we miss her.  I'm just thankful I got to say goodbye.

Grandma Lohela has also been in the hospital a couple times, and we've been up to visit her and Grandpa a few times, which has been nice.

But though it's been a hard few months, we've had a lot of great moments.  And spring will be here soon. :)

Visiting Grandma L. while she was in the nursing home.

Playing in the snow!

All dressed up for Palm Sunday

Visiting Grandma and Grandpa over Spring Break. Joe was giving Grandpa "squishes".

Easter Egg Hunt in our back yard on Easter!

All the kids holding their eggs (aka candy!)