Lucas' First Communion

Today we were honored to be with the Amatores to celebrate Lucas' First Communion.

The church ceremony was beautiful. Lucas did a reading and looked so handsome.

 The reception was held a beautiful golf course in a tent outside.  

The baseball theme was everywhere and looked fantastic!

 

I was so happy to be with my best friend on this special day.

 We enjoyed a delicious meal, lots of dancing and great conversation.

The kids rocked the dance floor and then enjoyed gaming systems and playing on the lawns. 

 Our sweet boys

 Uncle Alex, Sully and Daddy

 Finn and Godmomma Rosemarie

 God Bless Lucas

 The kids celebrate!

 Alex even had a special birthday cake made for Rosemarie!

It was a fabulous celebration and we were so happy to be there.

God Bless Lucas, we love you!

Saturday in NYC

 After having a special bagel breakfast with the Amatores, the five of us headed into the city for a day of exploring.  It was a day of transportation; subways, boats and cabs, oh my!

 Our first stop was the battery park ferry where the ranger took a liking to the boys and let them try his special hat before boarding the ferry to Liberty Island.

Because our entire family did not reach the heigh requirement to climb Lady Liberty, we explored the Island, and had lunch in the courtyard right next to the statue.  The guys really loved The Statue of Liberty - Finn said her flame looked like a giant rubber duck (and he was right)

We took the ferry back (not stopping at Ellis Island this trip)

 

Everyone loved the skyline and view of NYC

 Back in Manhattan, we took a cab to SOHO.  The boys decided that what they really wanted to do was go to the Scholastic Book Store (the only one in the country).  Much to their surprise, outside waiting for us was CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS himself!  Their favorite book character.

 Once inside, they went into the magic school bus, and explored everything the store had to offer before choosing their special gifts.  Nannie and Pop Pop gave them spending money and Gill and I bought each boy one treat as well.

Sully got PETE the Cat stuffed animal and PETE Goes to the Beach Book

Patrick chose Super Diaper Baby Vol. 1 & 2

Finn got an Art Book about drawing Star Wars characters and a new Star Wars book

 After our special outing, we took the subway back to brooklyn and then went out to dinner with the Amatores to celebrate Aunt Rosemarie's Birthday.

What a day!

Fun Friday

Today was a big day for us.  

We got into NJ late the night before and slept well in the hotel.  

We woke up early and drove to Basking Ridge for a special birthday breakfast 

with Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Neil.

After a nice visit with them, we travelled to Jersey City for a special day 

with Uncle Ralph at the Liberty Science Center.  The boys were in HEAVEN, they loved the museum.

We went to their first IMAX show and watched an amazing movie all about the Hubble Telescope.  The pictures were amazing and it truly felt like we were in space with the astronauts.

The science center had a new exhibit all about Rubix Cube.  

We saw all different versions of the cube, robots that can solve the cubes 

and a wall of Rubix.  

Because the boys have NO fear, we ventured into the Touch Tunnel.  

It is an 80 foot, crawl-thru, pitch black maze that forces you to use 

your senses other than sight.  We each paired up, one grown up to child, 

and the 6 of us went into the tunnel.  

We mastered the tunnel with no freak outs!  The boys were not at all scared, 

or at least I didn't think so, until we saw these infa-red pictures taken 

by the tunnel cameras!

After 6 hours at the science center, it was time to say "goodbye" to Uncle Ralph - he was off to the Coast Guard for the weekend.  Then we headed to Brooklyn to see the Amatores.

The boys hugged cousin Lucas and got right to playing, 

while the grownups enjoyed time together.

We had a delicious italian dinner together and then got the boys settled 

for their FIRST friend sleepover.  (That's right, even Lucas had never had a sleepover 

with anyone but grandparents before - it was a big night!)

Gill and I said goodnight to the boys at 10 and went to the hotel.  

Rosemarie assured me that by 10:45, all 4 buddies were sounds asleep.

What a big day!

Hershey chocolate tour

We took a very small (but delicious) detour on our way to New York City. 

We went 10 miles off the highway and followed the sweet smell 

all the way to the Hershey Chocolate Factory!

Inside the factory, we went on a great animate ride of the factory.  

The boys loved seeing how the chocolate was made (and the singing cows, of course!)

It may have been a short visit, but it sure did make our travels sweet!

Visit with Uncle Brendan

Last weekend we had a surprise visit from Uncle Brendan.

He wasn't here long, not even 24 hours, but we made the best of it.

Finn has been begging me to see Brendan so he can do some animation with his Uncle/GodFather.  

Finn's wish came true and on Sunday morning, they worked together on a little cartoon.   Finn designed it, Patrick helped with the sound effects and Uncle Brendan did all the grunt work!

What a fun visit!

Teacher appreciation day

Yesterday was Teacher Appreciation Day in both schools.  

I arranged for Mrs. Fields students to each bring her a stem of her favorite flower 

and wear her favorite color to school.

Sully brought his teachers rose bushes that he picked out himself.

At lunch time, I delivered lunches to some of the staff at the elementary school.

WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS!

Flashback Friday - Golf Tournament

Last weekend, PopPop and Gill took the boys 

to the Wells Fargo Golf Tournament for the FIFTH year in a row!

2014

2013

 

2012

  

2011

2010

The boys had a blast - everyone loves this family tradition!!

Preschool mothers day brunch

Today was a special Mother's Day brunch at Sully's preschool.

My sweet boy made me a beautiful pot with hand-print flowers, 

a candle holder and gave lots of details all about Mommy!

After a delicious brunch of fruit and donuts, the kids performed a song for us.

The class truly made every mom feel special!

Recycled Art Project

For the second year in a row, Patrick and Finn entered the school's Recycled Art Contest.

The boys collected tons of recycling; from our bin, from the neighborhood and even from friends who dropped off exactly what they needed.

For two weeks, the boys designed and assembled all their pieces 

with no help from mom and dad (except for use of the box cutter!)

Every afternoon after school, the boys would take turns painting pieces of their art.

Even Sully got in on the action!

Using my laptop, Patrick created the master list of all the materials used in their project.

And, after 14 days of hard work, their masterpiece was complete -

LEGO MOVIE Recycled Art!

The blocks on the back of the project said "Recycling is AWESOME" 

(a play on the Lego movie theme song - "Everything is Awesome)

Patrick and Finn did an amazing job - we were so proud of them, and they were proud of themselves.  I won't lie, the boys were disappointed that they did not win this year.  But, they got much praise from their teachers and peers who enjoyed their art.  And, by the following day, they were already planning next year's project.

Great job Finn and Patrick - we think you are AWESOME!