concert ready

Post workout class he put the cones on as is and told me he was going to a concert.  The imagination on this one...

I also have to give Keegan a shoutout because although I didn't document it, moments before Keegan put a cone through each foot and started walking, telling people they were shoes. 

Did I not tell you he's the best? And she knows it, too. 

lucky charms

Declyn was in charge of snacks at school. The only requirement was that it be whole grain.  What did he choose?  Lucky Charms, of course.  I threw in a box of Triscuits for good measure. 

Waiting for Dec to get out of school, hoping that the rain would stop pouring. 

Coughing all night, plus a full day of preschool, will do this to a kid. And yes, that is a bag of (leftover) Lucky Charms in his hand. 

brad paisley

Our friends (and ride) were stuck in DC traffic, so we took it upon ourselves to start our own tailgate in my parents' driveway. 

Such a fun concert with some very entertaining friends. 

thumb sucker

Declyn could not get it more right in the big brother department. He is honestly the best.

And we have another thumb sucker; we're 2 for 3 at this point. 

Hey you guysssss.

Oh, there you are.

Establishing eye contact before he goes in once again for the kill. 

baptismal celebrations

One of my besties, Kristen, sent this to me with the caption "Adilyn's face when she realized we were her godparents."  I thought it was fitting. And funny. 

It wasn't until we were back in the pew that Kristen pointed out that we probably should have removed her bow.  Whoops! 

Love this not-so-little family of mine. 

Adilyn's godparents: my best friend married my childhood friend and it couldn't have been a more perfect fit for us to choose them. 

Spoiler Alert : Christmas card 2016.

Mike's side representing. 

Hey, pretty girl. 

Hanging with her Aunt Lyss. 

Enjoying the afterparty at the winery. 

I love these two so. 

jaws

Always on the move with these three. 

He kept pushing his feet further and further out to avoid getting ice cream drops on his clothes.  I thought for sure his pants were going to split down the middle. 

That smile-ly smirk. 

date night

Whenever we're back in northern Virginia we try and take advantage of babysitters (aka my parents and grandma).  This time we opted for some drinks before seeing Sully.

We also like to pretend we are underage and may have snuck in a bottle to pour into our shared XXL soda.

a gal's best friend

Fenway thinks she's a lap dog and is a huge leaner.

And Adi's cool with it. 

Got to spend the afternoon shopping with these two gems. 

day two

Day two brought zero tears and lots of smiles.  He tells me he loves school and gets so excited whenever we're walking out the door. 

But he never fails to ask Keegan if he's going to miss him.  

D: "Keegan, are you going to miss me while I'm at school?"

K: "No."

Literally every time. 

Bubbles post class. 

first day of pre-k 9⃣.1⃣6⃣

How is our baby starting preschool?!  I know every mother asks the same question, but seriously ... where is the time going??  BUT. We couldn't be more proud of the sweet soul that he is. 

I refused to get him a huge backpack just because his folder sticks out of his body-appropriate-size backpack.

Name tag on - check!

He wasn't impressed with the paparazzi. 

He did, however, give hugs and kisses and waltzed right into the classroom.  [I would later find out that he had a moment during the day where he shed some tears, but he was able to pull it together and now loves school!]

I, on the other hand, looked at Mike, threw on my glasses, and told him we had to get the hell out of there before I was that parent who physically wouldn't let my baby go and instead lingered until the teacher pried him off of me and shut the door. 

Sometimes you have to take naps where you can get them. 

meet and greet

Got to meet his teachers, see his classroom and greet his little safari man. 

We have our Halloween costume ready to go -- Amazon Robot. 

adi's first smooch

Bedtime stories are just a little better when CC tells them. 

Adilyn received her first kiss from Meagan's son, Felix.  He's a little aggressive every time he sees her and literally tries to eat her face, but in between her tears and state of shock, I was able to snap this cute pic. 

When both boys take over our bed, they do it together. 

paving the way

Fun fact (that's obvious but you might not think about it): we aren't born knowing how to fall asleep on our own, but instead have to learn it through some tears and time of just laying in our own space. 

Passing the time before James was allowed down the hall to his kindergarten classroom. 

Declyn took this picture of James and I think it sums up perfectly how he felt ... a little nervous combined with a lot of excitement. 

He was crying. I was crying.  My mom was the only sane one in the mix. The assistant teacher kept comforting me, telling me it would be OK.  I didn't have the heart to tell her I was just the aunt who couldn't keep it together.

Big hugs for our big boy!

And while James is at school ... we play.

and ride tractors. 

even if we have mixed feelings about them.