Trip to the zoo

This was our 3rd annual Memorial weekend trip to the Southwick Zoo, in Mendon, MA. Although, we knew that this year was going to be a little more interesting, as we now have 3 walkers!! We ate lunch at home and then left for the zoo, so that Connor would be able to take his nap during the ride there. What I didn't think about was that after sitting in the car for over an hour, none of the kids would be interested in riding in a stroller. We did bring the double stroller and poor Connor, despite his protests, saw most of the zoo stroller level

Connor did enjoy getting out and walking around the petting zoo. Here we are saying hello to the baby goats. Connor was really enjoying himself and kept saying, "Puppy, puppy!"

Aaron, Matthew, and Ryan purchased some food and fed the animals!

The elephant waving the American flag to the music of "I Am Proud to be an American".

My little flirt!

Matthew's first play date

Matthew's friend Sophie, from preschool, came over for a playdate this morning. They had a great time playing trains, swinging on the swings, and drawing pictures of the oil spill.

Connor's new tricks

Connor is quite the 17 month old. He is running around, chasing his big brothers. He wants and tries to do everything that Matthew and Ryan do. His words include: bye-bye, nye-nye (night, night), apple, Nana, Mama, Dada, more, please, baby, puppy. I have also been trying to teach him animal sounds and body parts, such as his nose.

Connor's most recent trick is pulling out the kitchen table chairs and then climbing up onto the kitchen table. He then, begins to stomp his feet and run around, making it difficult to get him down. Here Ryan has joined in the fun!

Ryan's bug bite

This past week, we were playing outside and I noticed that Ryan's right eyebrow was slightly swollen and what looked like to be a scratch. I asked him if it hurt and what he bumped his head on. He denied pain and stated that he did not know what happened. The evening continued with dinner and bathes, and I didn't think about his boo-boo anymore.
The next morning, Ryan woke up with right eye completely swollen shut. He kept saying "I can't open my eye." I called the pediatrician and spoke to the nurse who recommended that we try benadryl, because this should help if he was a bug bite. The nurse also requested that he give her a call back in a few hours with an update. 3 hours after the benadryl, Ryan's eye looked even worse and he was beginning to get fussy and rub his eye. I called the nurse back and she stated that it could be an infection and scheduled an appointment for Ryan to come in later in the afternoon. The dr. confirmed that his was some type of bug bite, and that the swelling should come down in the next day or so. He also gave us an antibiotic to give to Ryan to prevent an infection. Poor Ryan had a difficult time completing even the simplest of tasks, such as watching television (he would tip his head back), sitting on the bench at the kitchen table, and walking around the house. Throughout the following day, Ryan's eye continued to improve. He was very happy and kept saying, "Look, my eye open now!" Ryan does not like the taste of the antibiotic so I have been mixing it with chocolate sauce, which he seems to enjoy!

Matthew's Field Day May 25th

Field day at Mile Tree school was on a hot and humid day. Aaron was able to leave work for a little bit to watch. Here is Matthew outside with his friends: Will, Nora, and Ethan.

Matthew and his classmates had a great time!

Ms. Clark and Matthew

Class photo with Daddy and Sophia's mom

Playscape!!!

Even through there is a school playground less than a half a mile away,with baby #4 on the way, there was no way, I was going to get all 3 kids down to play in the summer heat. So, we began researching playscapes. After much debate, we purchased one from Costco. Daddy and his friends put it together in 1 day. The boys had a great time watching and assisting.
The boys favorite part is the swings. Connor sits there for quite some time, laughing and saying "weeeee." I loves the swings as well, because it keep Connor and Ryan safe and buckled up!!!!


The boys also enjoy climbing up the rock climb. They like to put on their bike helmets and pretend that they are climbing up a big mountain! The slide is super fast, and if you don't have your feet down to catch yourself, you end up landing on your rear end. To the right of the slide is a ladder to also get up to the fort. Connor climbs up the ladder and then slides down the slide like a big boy. Hard to believe all that he is doing at 18 months old!
I am so happy that we made this investment, with 4 boys and all!

T-ball.... Go Twins

Matthew has really enjoyed playing t-ball. He is energetic and sociable during the games. Here he is giving his family as a thumbs up, after he caught the ball. The coaches are wonderful and during each inning, every child gets a burn to bat and then they rotate positions out in the field. During his most recent game, Aaron assisted as one of the coaches. Therefore, I was left to watch the game alone with Ryan and Connor. Lets just say they both threw anything that they could get their little hands on. While in the out field, Matthew waved at us and shouted out, "Hi Ryan and Connor. It's your big brother Matthew!"

Here Matthew is playing first base. They have been teaching the boys that every time, they catch the ball, they should throw to first base

They have been using a tee for batting, but starting in the next week or so, will be switching over to the coaches pitching. Matthew is the youngest player on the team, as the other boys are in kindergarten. Matthew has been developing his skills, and is learning the rules of baseball. Ryan has attended every game wearing his baseball hat, and is eagerly awaiting when he will be old enough to start t-ball.

Ryan turns 3

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Ryan, Happy Birthday to you!!!!! Ryan was so excited for his birthday! Here he is showing off his new bike. More pictures to come with it put together and him riding it!Nana got Ryan a horn for his new bike! It is quite loud, but I guess that everyone will hear him coming!

Ryan really wanted to have a dinosaur cake. So to spice things up a little bit, Nana made her famous brownies and then decorated them with a dinosaur. It was beautiful! Here the boys are making a silly face for the camera.

GG and Connor are sitting patiently waiting for some brownies and ice cream!