vacation!

last week we went on vacation with our friends brad, jenna and parker to naples, FL. we were fortunate enough to be able to stay at tim's parents' home. the boys, around 17 months old, are finally beginning to notice each other. i think after 5 days together they know they are buddies and may start high fiving in the hallway at their school this week.

plane ride. ANGEL on the way down! i can't talk about the way home.



they loved climbing up in this chair at the same time all week. parker would screech and pound his fists on the chair and declan would belly laugh so hard he'd double over!

the ol' shampoo mohawk shot


it was great to go on vacation with another family b/c we could take turns going out for dinner at night while the other couple stayed home to watch the boys and put them to bed. we also hired a real babysitter for friday night so the adults could all go out together. we shopped a little and went to campiello for dinner, delicious italian and also a fun scene.


my baywatch babes

he just wanted to be independent and stay near the railing and the top steps all day all by himself


one tired baby after the pool


lots of playing!












last day at the pool. it was sad to come home... but at least we came back to beautiful weather in the 80s. we can go to our own neighborhood pool now this summer.

mother's day

we spent mother's day weekend in chicago this year because tim's mom just came home from being in florida for the winter and she was anxious to see all her grandkids. we haven't seen her since january! we enjoyed a fabulous and very lovely brunch at the union league club downtown chicago with family including tim's sister and her family and also tim's cousin and her family.

best present of all, declan was so well-behaved and happy all day!




tim's mom carol, aka "ceci"

mary kate

mitch and nate




7 cousins, the impossible shot!


he loved rolling around on the floor and looking up at the chandeliers

playing duck duck goose in a ballroom, where else?!

miss caroline

just cute

fun in pj's

around the end of april we had a few really warm days in a row and one morning it was easily 75 degrees out by 8am! i have been waiting all winter to open the front door and let declan just run outside after being cooped up in his highly mobile stage all winter! he was so happy to cruise around the yard in his bears pj's for awhile, and then we took a little walk around our cul-de-sac.



dada was so nice, he did a starbucks run for me and declan joined up to help in the driveway. he is ALL BOY wanting to get in and drive a car already!

BBQ

lots of catching up to do!

our friends the whitworths and their new baby jackson recently moved back to their hometown of louisville, ky. some of ashley's girlfriends coordinated a surprise BBQ to say farewell (for now)! it was a fun evening with the adults having an opportunity to catch up and children running rampant all over the backyard!

here's just a few from the day. don't you just love declan's patchwork madras hand-me-down gap pants from his cousin mitch? they couldn't be more perfect for a backyard BBQ if i had bought them myself.


the cute family

some of the girls, jenna is pregnant with #2!


declan's newest and most favorite toy, my old cell phone

"text me later, i'll swing by and pick you up"

he went crazy in this igloo tent, kept rolling around in it and it would flip over

he especially loved being in the tent with the cute, older girls ava and emma

the girls went along with it for a few minutes but then they asked if i could please get him out of the tent, his first rejection, sigh. it was to be expected, he was going crazy in there, luckily he is too young to care!