Thursday, September 29, 2011

Share Some Suppa'

When Brody was just a wee boy - maybe around a year and a half. He would shuffle himself into the kitchen and shout out to us "share some suppa". It was hilarious for many reasons, mostly because he had this little Boston-like accent when he was first learning to talk and also because he always said this to us in the morning. Every meal was suppa' regardless of the time of day.

I was thinking about how our meal times have changed since Ryan and I were footloose and fancy free newlyweds (all 2 minutes of it before we had Brody)!  I would spend leisurely hours after getting home from work to prepare dinner. I would put on good music and enjoy a glass of wine while I chopped and sauteed and paid careful attention to each task. We would sit for at least an hour enjoying our food and each other's company. We would each take turns talking about our day. And finally, we would clean up together, laughing and talking over doing the dishes and clearing the counter.

My oh my how times have changed. 5:00pm - 7:30pm is absolute chaos in our house most nights. There is no time for sipping wine (and lord knows this Mama needs some more than ever). Actually, most nights there is no time for both of us to sit down. We sacrifice talking about our days in order to hear about Brody's day - which is honestly more interesting than anything Ryan or I have to share. Two dinners are usually thrown together - one for Brody and one for us...usually at different times because Jameson needs to be rocked or fed or paid attention to in the evenings or he squacks angrily at us.
One night earlier in the week, however, we did manage to all eat the same thing at the same time and Jameson had taken a late nap and was actually enjoying sitting with us.  And it was blissful. And it gave me hope that someday, I will be able to come home from work and pay careful attention to making dinner while the boys play together or do their homework or wrestle or do whatever it is that boys do (I'm still trying to figure that out), and I will sip my wine and we will spend at least an hour enjoying our food and taking turns talking about our day. And instead of spending this time with one man of my dreams, I'll get to spend it with three! How lucky and I? I know those dinners are a while away, but knowing that they are there in the future for me to enjoy is enough right now. Until then, I'll "share some suppa'" with these little men of mine and be grateful.


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Happily Ever After...

Here's to my sister and my new brother-in-law who most certainly deserve their own happily ever after! (And Kate DiMeco who took the most amazing photos to capture it all!)

Rehearsal - me & Mom

 Brody, Wilder & Bella on the swing.

 Roasting marshmallows - Brody asked me if I wanted him to catch one on fire for me.

Simon & Garfunkel...I mean Clint & Steve

The big day...full of charming details, joy, and a whole lot of love!







 

The wedding party

The Wedding duds!
 

Sibling love!

da boots!

And I would like to pat myself on the back for a minute here. Is this not the cutest picture you've ever seen? And do you know what makes it so cute? no, it's not the lovely bride and groom...it's the signs, that I made for them! Yep, this cuteness is brought to you courtesy of me!

This cuteness is also brought to you courtesy of me...and I guess I should give Ryan some credit too. Seriously though, look at that tie and vest! I could eat him he's so cute!

 And he's sweet. He thought Auntie Laura was crying because she was sad (she was in fact very, very happy) so he gave her some big huggies.

We all wrote wishes and words of wisdom for the bride and groom on leaves and hung them on this tree at the reception!

Do you think these kids love their stepdad? Or DJ as they now call him (Dad - Jeff)!

Wilder did some karaoke to who else...Justin "Beaver" Never Say Never. He knew every single word! (Side note: We're pretty sure that Brody thinks Justin "Beaver" is an actual beaver!)

 The lovely Jones girls!

One big happy family!

Just another wedding where I try to keep up with Ryan on the dance floor. God, I love this man!


This might be my favorite picture from the day...so hard to pick.

Think they're happy?!



I mean seriously, is she not the most gorgeous bride you've ever seen?

And there they are...they clean up pretty good!

Pirate socks in honor of Wilder J!

And Ryan and JJ...I have to give credit to my amazing husband who is an even more amazing father (if that's possible). He took care of Jameson the entire weekend so that I could spend time with my sister. He entertained him through the ceremony, he rocked him to sleep during the reception, he brought him back to the house, gave him a bath and put him to bed. He is one fabulous dad! And not bad too look at either!

More signs, but even I have to admit that the signs are overshadowed by the amazing backdrop. It was such a beautiful place!

Now this looks a little more like the real thing! One big happy, cooky, family. I love them so!

Spiders and Bears!

A strange combination, but that's what we've got around our house this week!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Brotherly Love...what could be better?

No words necessary...just feel the love!




Soccer Season

Brody started soccer last weekend and it was awesome! The whole family relaxed on the sidelines and cheered as Brody learned some fancy foot work and had a blast. We were so proud of him. He ran right over to the team - no hand holding necessary. He made a couple of new friends. He fell down and got right back up, got the ball stolen, stole the ball, and ran, ran, ran all! It was just good fun and so fun to watch. He can't wait for next Saturday and neither can I!

team rally

line up

 doing some drills

what a kick!

 soccer Bro!

 water break

 Jameson enjoyed watching from the sidelines as he chewed his soothie!

 Does anyone have any idea who this kid looks like? He's incredibly handsome, but doesn't seem to resemble either of his parents...

Another line up.

Waiting their turns

Brody!