Boy Story

When Brady picked out his new "Buzz Lightyear" PJ's, we thought that Carson could have "Woody", but they didn't have his size, so we got them both "Buzz" instead. Hmmm...these two "Buzzes" could not be more different. Short, tall. Chubby, skinny. Goofy, tough. But the little one ALWAYS tries to copy what the big one does. We laughed so hard when they started posing for these photos...Carson with his hands on his hips, Brady flexing his biceps...where do they learn this stuff?!

Treats and Parties

On her recent trip to Houston, Nonni spoiled the boys one last time before hopping on a plane back to Philly. They were both very willing for snuggle with the woman who forked over the ice cream! That's pretty much how I get my hugs and kisses, too.

The following weekend, we went to celebrate Ava's first birthday party at the Dean's house. Carson was so spent when it was all said and done, that he literally fell asleep sitting up!

Good times.

Be Very Quiet...

We're hiding!

When I found the boys "hiding" with their little bums in the air, I had to get a picture. As Carson gets older, they get nothing but funnier together. Even though they fight like, well, brothers, it's completely obvious that they love each other.

Carson's First Day of School!

After A "last hurrah" at the cupcake store, it was back-to-school for Brady, and the start of Children's-Day-Out for Carson. Brady was an old pro on his first day. As we got to the door of his classroom, he spotted 2 of his buddies, and ran into the room without a backwards glance. I didn't even get a smooch. Oh well, I'm glad he's happy!

I expected Carson to cry a little and maybe cling to me. Instead, he carried his own nap mat proudly and put it in his spot. At the door, he looked slightly skeptical, but went into his classroom without hesitating or crying, and apparently never cried all day. When I picked him up, his teacher told me that he was a happy guy, and he was smiling from ear to ear. He even told Jeremy later about a song he learned during music class. My baby...!

Summer Left-Overs

My dad sent me a few pictures today that he enjoyed taking over the summer. You might wonder who Brady is fraternizing with in one of the pictures. Our favorite Italian restaurant in the whole country (it's in Philadelphia) is called Tre Scalini. Franca is the chef and owner who prepares food so amazing that it leaves your mouth smiling for days after the meal. Francesca is Franca's daughter who runs the business and planning side of the restaurant. Micheal is Francesca's husband (he's German, but we choose to be kind and over-look the fact) who waits tables, among other things in the restaurant. Alberto, who is pictured with Brady above, is husband to Franca and father to Francesca. What does he do in the restaurant, you ask? As far as I can tell, he makes himself available to partake in Grappa toasts, tell entertaining stories, and, all around, make diners feel like part of the family. Franca also always makes a point to come out and tell me how beautiful my children are, even though she has a beautiful granddaughter herself.

I was very jealous to hear that my parents were spending the evening at Tre Scalini tonight, but I'll try to just feel happy for them instead. Salut!

More Fun in Corpus

Also while on vacation, Carson learned the joy of having pockets (now he looks for them every day once he has pants on), Brady decided that visiting museums is much more fun when done at Mach 5 speed, and Jeremy and I (as parents of young children) managed to eat dinner at completely benign, "kid friendly", NOT new places.

The aquarium was especially fun, with Carson meandering so that his hands wouldn't come out of his pockets, Brady getting yelled at every 3 minutes for walking too far ahead, and we were finished observing interesting sea creatures in under 2 hours (with a soft pretzel in our hands). You just gotta learn how to do these things when you become parents!

Padre Island...Who Knew?!

We had an awesome time on our mini vacation in Corpus Christi and on the Padre Island National Beach. Honestly, I thought we'd have fun, but be done with it by the time we came home, but we really had a blast. The boys were SO much fun on the beach, where we swam, boogie boarded, and built sand castles every morning. Then, in the afternoons, there was always something fun to do. We got to visit an aircraft carrier full of fighter planes one day. If you know my kids at all, then you know they were beyond delighted...such boys! We definitely plan on going back sometime soon.