Catchin Up

It's been a few weeks since I last wrote so I thought I would catch you all up. If you have not been getting the Kodak pictures or following us on Facebook, then you may not have seen many of these pictures yet. We have celebrated Timmy's and my birthdays, welcomed Olivia Rose Casares, played at the beach, visited with family and friends up in MA, muddled through the changing moods of a 5 yr old, and just had good ole summer fun! Enjoy!

Botanical Gardens

We met our playgroup at these gardens for a Prince/Princess dress up date. There was a huge castle and the grounds were beautiful. The kids got to run around and really enjoy being in nature. I do not have pictures of the boys in the princess dresses, but they enjoyed that part if it too.

Zoo

We found a fun, new zoo to go to today. Not only did we see lots of animals but we had ice cream, rode the carousel, rode the train and took a pony ride. The picture of the boys in a window is looking out over the prairie dogs. They enjoyed that!

Tribute to Ele

This was totally unprovoked moment by me. I came upstairs and TG was wrapped in toilet paper. He told me he was trying to dress like a priest to have a "Mass" for Ele. When the toilet paper would not work, he let that go but still wanted to do his mass. Here is what he came up with...

4 for William

Since Timmy was off and riding, William wanted to join the fun. He got his new skates on and tried those out. Although, he did not take as quickly to his wheels he enjoyed it, until he fell.

Fast Wheels

The big moment this weekend was that Timmy finally decided and learned to ride his bike without training wheels. I will admit that after a long day Saturday, I took a nap Sunday. You can imagine my surprise when I woke up and saw Timmy cruising up and down the street on 2 wheels! He and Daddy worked very hard and got it done. We were up and out by 7:30 Monday morning to keep practicing. He is off and riding! Good job Timmy.

Evil Empire

Our appreciation of history brought us to Yankee Stadium over the weekend. Personally, I do not get all the hype. Fenway is so much better than this park. Had it not been for the entertainment value of cheering against the home team and seeing them lose, it would have been pretty uneventful, except for the unpublishable moments! Anytime you put Anne, Dave and Al together in NYC it is bound to equal fun!

Cape House

After all the parties, we finally got to see Papa and Mamie George's new house on the Cape. It was a lot of fun. Cousin Nicholas Ryan made it in from VA and we ran around and played a lot of hide and seek. He can now walk and scream so he is fun to play with. There is even a hot tub here to Daddy and Timmy relaxed after a hard day! We hope that the next time there is no rain so we can see the beach.

Red Sox friends

We were so happy to get to see our friends from Maine, the Casares'. Not only do the boys get along so well, there is a common interest in the Red Sox, for the daddys too! Thanks for coming down to celebrate.

More birthdays

While we were up in MA, we were able to celebrate Amber turning 4 and Ava turning 2. They are so much fun and we enjoy spending time with them both. Watching Amber and Timmy play together is so great. I am sure that next year the 4 of them will be up to all sorts of trouble.

William turns 2!

Trip to MA

We finally made it home to NJ after a jam packed trip north to MA. It was full of many highlights and we enjoyed seeing as many of you as we could. Thank you to all who joined us for William's 2nd bday. We wish he had been feeling a bit better, but he still go to have his cake! It was a very special day for all of us and we were glad to have shared it with special friends. There were many family moments throughout the week: Amber and Ava celebrated birthdays, Nicholas came up from VA for a visit, and of course we all said goodbye to Ele. I think we paid her a real tribute by celebrating her life and those of all these beautiful and special kids we get to watch grow up.

Timmy's dive

Timothy had to pass the diving test at the pool so that he can use the diving board. He passed and now loves jumping.

William "swimming"

Big boy pool

Belly floats

William meets water

Sprinkler fun

...the summer buzz!!

The start of the summer cut...

The proud family

The proud metal

Timmy and his proud brother

Graduation Pictures

It's hard to believe but we have a Kindergartener!! Seems like just yesterday...The old cliche is true, time goes so fast. Timothy had a very successful year. That may seem odd considering it was just pre school, but based on the fact that the boy moved 2x this year, started at a new Catholic school and had to meet new friends in a new town, we are very proud to have made it through. By the Grace of God...

Timmy's Pre K Graduation

Abplanalp Boys

Hi Everyone! Welcome to our family blog. I finally gave in to technology. I hope this will be an easy way for us all to stay connected and for you to keep up with Timothy and William. I always have lots to say and share, so I hope you find this blog to be a place where you are up to date with all the happenings with the boys. Feel free to share your comments on what you find here or to just say hello to us. We are just down in Jersey! Send some love from MA, NY, VA, Maine, PA, RI or wherever you are checking in from.