new york

happy birthday to the little guy who made me a mom!

baby girl couldn’t wait for the little guy to open the gifts from her.

she gave him matchbox cars, gummy bears, and gummy worms…which were all on his birthday list!
he also go a phone call from meme and topher, and was able to open the gift they sent to him.

i ran out to get birthday breakfast from dunkin donuts.
nothing like being able to light your own birthday candle!

bops took us on another hike in the area.

i got a little one on one time with the birthday boy…my favorite part of the day!

after lunch and a little rest we went swimming.

we forgot our go pro, so my iphone and life proof case will have to do!

birthday dinner.

homemade ice cream cake.

presents.doesn’t get much better than that when you are eight…or any age for that matter!

new york

fourth of july.

independence day.

we took a whole family photo, which happens every two years when we visit.

there’s usually a theme associated with the photo.

this year, each generation wore a different color bandana.

the cousins are still stair steps, but some of them are evening out.

{18, 13, 10, 8, 7-364/365, 5, 5, 3}

this guy was way too big for me to catch. he was wondering why we were invading his quiet space.

for duck races, of course!

the creek wasn’t flowing as fast as it had been a couple of days ago.

the ducks had to be urged on a bit.

the kids swam in the pool while we prepared dinner. ryan and i were in charge of most of the food. there was definitely plenty to eat!

fireworks…

new york

watching your kids play is fun.

playing with them is even more fun!

we played today.

walks.

bike rides.

scooters.

trikes.

a game of bocci.

an epic nerf gun battle.

it was awesome to move and laugh with the kids today.

look at what i found…

i noticed a mama sparrow with food sitting on the front porch railing at my sister-in-law’s house.

i watched where she flew and peeked after she left.

one little baby.

ryan went out with some friends tonight. after i got the kids to sleep, i watched the fireflies dance all over the backyard near the creek.

ryan’s mom tells a story about the night that the little guy was born. one of our nephews was having a sleepover at nana and bop’s house and said he saw something winking at him out the window. they looked out to see fireflies all over the backyard.

so magical.

new york

i fell asleep to a cool breeze and sounds of the creek through the windows last night.

this morning, after a slow start, the kids and i went for a hike with ryan’s dad and their cousin while ryan and his mom drove to buffalo for the day.

bops took us on a cool hike just a mile from their house.

he has been volunteering with the friends of webster trails for years and is very knowledgable about the trail systems throughout the area.

many of the trail projects, including boardwalks and bridges, have been local eagle scout projects.

others are all volunteer efforts by the friends of webster trails.

you can read more about the projects and the trail system in the newsletter that my father in law is in charge of editing.

of course, knowing that there might be something old and rusty on the trail kept me going.

there were a few old cars out here…story is that they used to be used in mud races when this was just an empty field.

looks like this one wasn’t victorious.

afternoon was spent playing outside and cleaning up the creek for duck races later in our visit.

and, for the record, i almost caught a frog! i am no good at holding frogs and snakes and i would like to, at the very least, be able to hold little frogs for the kids. this was a cute little guy that i tried to catch. i am bound and determined to catch one by the end of the trip!

new york

i asked the kids to sit for this photo last night because i knew i had another one from our last visit to rochester over the fourth of july 2013.

after searching through the photos on my computer without luck, i scrolled through two years worth of my instagram feed and found this…

wow. they have grown up a lot!

decorating rubber ducks for cousin duck races in the creek.

puzzles.

crafts at aunt tracy’s house.

cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents!

a little play time in the creek until the skeeters found them!

we were up at 3:30 am to get to the airport for a 7:00 am flight.

after a short delay we were on our way!

the trip was so smooth and easy compared to the last time we flew with the kids. it’s amazing what a big difference two years can make. they really do grow up fast.

almost exactly two years ago they sat on this same bench.

we made it to new york!

some friends in the neighborhood brought these adorable balloons for the kids last night. thank you, brandi, elle, and ava…the kids LOVE them!

most of today was spent packing, covering last minute details, and getting things organized for our house sitter before we head across the country tomorrow morning.

now i just want to get this show on the road!