earthquakes and haircuts. big day. big.

Yesterday we felt the earth move under our feet like we were Carole King herself! But despite CNN's coverage making us feel like we shouldn't leave our house for fear of the Apocalypse, we ventured out in the name of beauty! Andy's hair was so long even he was telling me he needed a haircut, and Rowan's mullet was starting to get out of control. So we took a risk and headed out to Zippity Doos.

I expected Rowan to be less than cooperative, but he surprised me, and was actually cool as a cucumber! Even he knew it was time for the hair to go.

So without further adieu, I give you the big reveal. . .

BEFORE

DURING. . .

AFTER!

Who knew he could get more handsome?

And if you are wondering where Andy is in all of this, he was actually a very good boy, too, but declined to pose for any photos for mommy. Though I did catch him in one:

My little guys are getting so big! (sniff, sniff)

uh oh, mommy.

Andy came in while I was washing my face and told me "uh oh, mommy, I dropped my book."

His book. Happy Monday, everyone!

girls' day out.

This weekend was Grandma's birthday, and we celebrated it with some girl time in the city. I'm still recovering from all of the walking we did, but we had a blast! We started off the day in the garment district pretending to be contestants on Project Runway (hint: we were here, Designers), headed toward the City Quilter, stopped quickly in this toy store, then grabbed some lunch at Blue Water Grill.  After lunch we browsed at the Union Square Farmers' Market, spent a ridiculous amount of time in ABC Home and finished our day down in SoHo at Pearl River Market and Purl Soho. Ambitious, no?

It really was a marathon of a day, but we got to see a ton and had a stupendous birthday time doing it!

After our excursion, the boys picked us up from the train and we all headed back to Mom-Mom and Papa's for dinner and a birthday cake decorated with heart and soul by Andy (and a little help from daddy).

Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you lots and lots! Here's to an awesome birthday and an even better year ahead! xoxo

aunt kiki comes to town.

This weekend Aunt Kiki came to visit. While the weather was less than perfect, we still had a great time and are missing her already! The boys are obviously going through withdrawal, because it's only 10 am, and they are both napping! Unprecedented!

Thankfully we had one nice day, which we spent at grandma and grandpa's, but by that evening, the rain had begun.  And it ended just in time for Aunt Kiki to step out of the car at the airport. To keep ourselves busy in the downpour, we did our fair share of eating plenty of unhealthy snacks, pampered ourselves with pedicures and facials, and played a lot of scrabble (the inappropriate words were all Aunt Kiki). Come back soon, Aunt Kiki! We miss you! xoxo

it's friday.

Have a under-ful weekend!

butterflies shmutterflies.

Scenario in my mind: My friend Jen and I would take our kids to the butterfly garden. The kids love butterflies, so they would be really entertained. We'd bring lunches to enjoy on the farm where the garden is located, and everyone would have a really great time. . .


The Reality: By the time we found the butterfly garden, Andy's only concern was when we were going to have our "picnic." He refused to even look at a single butterfly. Strollers weren't allowed in the garden, which left me holding Rowan (a.k.a. The Squirminator) while trying to get Andy to acknowledge even one butterfly's existence. So, to sum it up for you: after a twenty minute drive and then a twenty minute walk on gravel and dirt paths with the double-stroller, we saw the butterflies for maybe two minutes.

For lunch, we pushed our strollers down endless gravel paths (I can sweat just thinking about it), until we found some picnic benches to eat on. When we did sit, we found ourselves suddenly surrounded by chickens, begging for scraps. Which would have been fine (I guess), except Andy and Jen's little boy both screamed their heads off every time a chicken came near them. Rowan, on the other hand, was petting the chickens.

And so went our day at the butterfly garden. 

The End.

ripe for the pickin'.

On Saturday, we headed out east to do some berry and peach picking. Andy probably ate his weight in blueberries -- not kidding. One for the bucket, one for his mouth, one for the bucket, two for his mouth (see proof below). 

On Sunday we baked. And baked. Blueberry muffins, blueberry-peach pie and raspberry sauce! The pie was truly divine. Aside from its uber-freshness, there is just something that makes the food taste better when you played a part in gathering it from the source, dontcha think?

caumsett.

On Sunday, we finally made our way over to Caumsett State Park for a very long-feeling 3+ mile walk. I guess the hills and how long the walk felt was our penance, since we probably should have been at church (woops).

In case you were wondering, no, Andy did not walk up this hill himself. I carried him the entire way. On my back. And I was very, very tired.

rowan is ONE!

Today our sweet boy Rowan turns one year old. It is hard to imagine life before he was here.

rowan, you are such a special part of our lives. You have made us so happy in so many ways. We have loved watching you grow from our little baby into a little boy with so much personality over these past 12 months. From our dark-haired, little peanut into a hearty, rough-and-tumble little boy with blonde hair and the biggest brown eyes we've ever seen! We love you so much, Rowan, and we can't wait to see what this next year brings! Happy first birthday!

And now, onto other important matters of the day.

Today is also the day, eight years ago, that I married the man who is my best friend, the man who makes me happier than I could have ever imagined, and the man that I look forward to growing old and cranky (okay, crankier) with when we retire somewhere on the shores of the Mediterranean in our romantic bungalow (a girl can dream, right?)

tom, I love you with my whole heart. It has been an amazing eight years together. We have grown and changed so much over these eight years, and as long as we continue to grow together and in the same direction, there is nothing we can't handle! This past year has been particularly filled with it's share of changes -- our little Rowan, the loss of two important people in our lives, and our latest little (big) surprise -- but each change only makes me love and appreciate you more.  You are the rock that I lean on for everything. Your help and love make everything possible. I am so lucky to have you.  You are a wonderful husband, father and overall person. Happy Anniversary. I love you.

little gentleman's party.

This weekend we celebrated Rowan's first birthday and Andy's third (again) with our family. The theme was "little gentlemen" and seeing the boys all dressed up in their gentlemanly attire was adorable and hilarious at the same time. I think both birthday boys had a great time, and in the end, that's really what matters!