Rose’s hair was beginning to look a little ragged, so Susan decided it was time for a haircut.
First Day of School
Today was the first day of school for the kids! It means a new and more structured routine for our life on the road. Andrew is in 8th grade, Mari 6th, Elliot 5th and Lucia still in preschool, though she is insisting that Susan teach her letters.
Crazy Day
It was a crazy, emotional day today. Susan, Erin, and her mom went to the house this morning to clean. They were there for a few hours, getting everything perfect for the new owners.
All of the Lieslands went over after Rose’s nap, to say goodbye. There were a lot of tears shed. We also had one last visit and popsicle with Rick & Donna, our closest neighbors ever.
By dinnertime it was time to transition to the traditional May 29th affairs – our 13th anniversary. Erin & Nate watched the kids so Susan and I could go out to dinner. We ended up at Cool Basil – table 13!
Happy Birthday, Andrew!
Today we celebrated Andrew’s birthday! It is hard to believe it has been 13 years. We celebrated Andrew’s birthday after soccer with the Liesses and the Reagens, and Will. I think Andrew had a fun day, with school work in the morning, piano, hanging out with Will in the afternoon and dinner, and then everyone came over to celebrate with us.
At the age of 13, and continues to be a young man who is happy and excited about life. He is passionate about and open to many things. He still loves to read, listen to music, and play sports. He continues to excel in school, open to learning about each subject and taking pride in his work.
Favorite song: Heathens
Favorite color: Orange
Favorite food: Chicken Noodle Soup
Favorite band: Coldplay
Favorite book: Harry Potter 7
Favorite sport: Soccer
Favorite movie: Jurassic Park
Rose’s First Words
Rose is starting to make more noise that sounds like talking. She has been saying ‘uh-oh’ for a few months, ‘hi’ maybe for a few weeks, and just recently she has started saying ‘baby.’
Rose Walking
Slowly, but surely, Rose is starting to walk. She took her first steps on Susan’s birthday a couple of weeks ago and has been adding a few more each day. We have had a hard time getting a good video, so we combined a few.
Rose’s First Steps
Rose took her first few steps today. We tried to get a video, but she would not cooperate.
Susan’s 20th High School Reunion
This weekend Susan’s friends were in town for her 20th high school reunion. The Foley-Murphy’s (Andrea, Murph, Grace, & Jack) stayed with us, which was great. It was great to be able to spend so much time with them. Susan, Megan, Missy, and some other classmates have been planning the reunion for a few months – tracking down classmates, choosing the venues, and decorating.
The weekend consisted of a girls’ night at Megan’s, family time at Beaverdale Park on Saturday morning, Mass and a school tour on Saturday afternoon, and then a Saturday evening event at Noce. For the Saturday evening event Susan and I got a babysitter for the first time since Rose was born.
Mari’s 11th Birthday
This evening we had the Reagens and the Liesses over to celebrate Mari’s 11th birthday. We hit the pool in the afternoon and then had everyone over for Skyline, cake, and presents. The weather was great – the kids had a fun time playing in the yard and we all got to spend the evening on the deck.
Mari loves to read and spends a lot of time sitting in the living room chairs reading. It is the first thing she does when she wakes up in the morning and before bed. Speaking of which, Mari is up around 7:30 these days, even in the summer, and goes to bed at around 10. She sleeps in her own bed, with Lu in a separate bed in her room. She reads with a little light while Lu falls asleep a little earlier. Her favorite food is Skyline. Her favorite song is Lost Boy. Her favorite color is blue. For clothes she is mostly wearing sporty clothes these days.
Rose’s First Birthday!
It is hard to believe that Rose is already one! What joy she has brought to our lives. At one, Rose is a fairly easy baby. She sleeps fairly consistently, waking for the day at 7 or 8, napping at 11 & 3 or just one nap at 1, and going to bed at night at around 9 or 9:30. She still nurses a few times during the night and about every 2 hours during the day.
She loves to eat, but does not eat a ton. She likes cheese, egg whites, cheerios, bananas, & strawberries, but she will try everything. If we are eating, she wants to be eating.
When she is not eating or sleeping, she likes to crawl around and get into things. This morning, when just she and I were awake, she crawled upstairs and started to climb in to Lucia’s bed while Lucia was still asleep – she loves to hang out with her siblings.
She enjoys music in brief spurts and doesn’t hesitate to dance with one arm when she hears music.
She communicates a little, saying “uh-oh” fairly consistently and signing “more” when she wants to eat. She can’t quite do the sign for more, but she claps, which is close enough.