About Us

Saturday, April 16, 2022

San Diego!

In early February I decided we all needed to get away, so I booked a very impromptu trip to San Diego during Spring Break. It was exactly what we all needed. My best friend and her family also flew down for a few days and it was so nice to have other people to hang out with and let the kids entertain each other.

Connor and I were the only ones who didn't get seasick though on our whale watching cruise.



We saw exactly zero whales and hundreds of dolphins.



That hair is everything.



The Zoo is as amazing as everyone says it is, even when crowded.













This is so fitting.



Alicia is the best iphoneographer.







The beaches were, by far, our favorite though. Even though the water is cold, we played lots of football and frisbee, and the kids had a blast. Coronado was my top pick for sure. It helps to have former San Diegans along who know all the places the locals go that are less crowded.











Sweet, little E was kind of enamored by Evan. It was adorable.



A much needed break and probably my favorite family vacation we've done, even topping Disney.







I've always said he has Tom Cruise vibes. Ha!





Within the first day, Dan and I were ready to move here, then we looked at the housing prices and had a good laugh.

Friday, April 1, 2022

The Music Man and Snow White's Adventure

The first three months of 2022 were hard. Harder than I've ever encountered as a parent. Grief is the devil and there is no linear progression to it, just good days and bad days, then turn around and repeat. I was ever so grateful that in the midst of all of it, Evan had a show to focus on and we were preparing for spring sports and Connor's first show. Not that either of these things can repair the damage, but they gave us a reprieve and things to look forward to.

Evan was still in middle school when he auditioned so he was a River City kid and townsperson, and did several of the dance numbers with the older kids. It was really a fantastic show, as always. This school has such an amazing program.





Behind-the-scenes photos are some of my favorites.





Evan has had some wonderful mentors along the way.







About a month later, Connor's school put on Snow White's Adventure. He had so much fun with his royal page role.







Sunday, December 26, 2021

Christmas 2021

It's the most wonderful time of the year, right? Hectic and busy and so much juggling, but wonderful. Before kids, I would wait until after Thanksgiving to set up the tree and really get into the season, but now balancing life, work, school and extracurricular schedules, I find it *much* less stressful and more enjoyable to start decorating earlier in November. That, and my Christmas tree just makes me happy!

After all the planning, shopping, and visits to Santa, the boys had a special Christmas morning checking out what was left under the tree. Christmas morning isn't complete without a few "bed head" photos.









Then we make oursevles presentable and get together with family to celebrate.



















I love the look on my Dad's face for this one. We bought tickets to see the Orchestra perform an evening of John Williams' music. I grew up listening to Williams and it was such a fun night for all of us.





Then my brother and nephews stopped by for a little bit. I wish we saw them more often, but it's always fun when we do get together!



It's a blur, but always a good day.

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Halloween 2021

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year in our neighborhood. We get a LOT of trick-or-treaters. Connor knew by mid-summer he wanted to dress up as his favorite baseball player, Nick Castellanos. So I honed my beard drawing skills and got him a jersey and he was set.



Evan wasn't sure he was going to trick-or-treat, but got a simple costume just in case. Turns out it was a nice complement to Connor's athlete, though technically an umpire would have been more appropriate (not too many of those costumes in the stores).



And bonus, now that we're the same size, I borrowed the shirt and hat for a costume party the same month. I'm pretty sure he's aging himself out of trick-or-treating after this, but I'm glad he's still a sport about having fun and dressing up for it.





And as usual, we have more fun with friends!