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!

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!

Request for Comments...

So I noticed that there are quite a few people who read this blog from parts of the country (or world) that are not familiar to me and I don't think I know anyone who resides there. If you read my ramblings or check in from time to time, would you leave me a comment so I know who you are? Most of the time I think I just write this for myself, but it appears that there are at least a handful of people who are interested in life on Snow Pond. So let me know you're here...please?

Where did Summer go?

As I write this I am bundled at my kitchen table drinking a cup of tea thinking about having a bowl of chicken soup that I made for dinner last night! I guess it's time to say goodbye to summer! We've had a string of tropical storms that have brought a lot of rain and cooler weather to New Hampshire and while it doesn't really feel like Fall yet, it doesn't feel like Summer either. I am just so not ready for Summer to be over. I've been sleep deprived and foggy most of the summer and I am not looking forward to the upcoming cold and flu season. Just thinking about it makes my heart have palpitations.

Since I don't have a time machine to have a summer do-over, I'll share a few pictures of what we've been up to the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

The boys have played together as much as is possible for a four year old and a five month old to play!

Jameson has decided that lying down is for the birds. He wants to sit or stand all the time. Of course he's too lazy to figure out how to roll over or sit or stand on his own. Props like the Bumbo are his best friends!

We seem to have gotten over the hump of hating tummy time. While he's still not the biggest fan, he doesn't scream like he's being tortured anymore! Bonus!

He's also learned that the swing ain't half bad! If only he had learned this before his little buddha body topped the weight capacity for the swing...

OK, this is a big one and really deserves it's own post, but...time is ticking so here is a picture of Brody on his very first day of Pre-K!! Can you believe it! Look how happy he is!

And here he is showing me how excited he is to start Pre-K!

And one of Mommy & Brody...yes, I realize I look terrible and sleep deprived. You'll have to bring this up with Jameson!

Speak of the devil...here he is chewing away. I forgot how teething can ruin a perfectly good baby!

Here he is with his favorite toy. Yep, that's right a burp cloth is this kids favorite toy. I guess with the reflux, the burp cloth has become somewhat of a lovey for him!

Just hanging around...a jammy sort of day!

And this is just to show you that I actually exist. I'm not just some blog voice-over. Here I am, unshowered, sans make-up, covered in dry spit-up, you know...the usual! I don't know if I'm delirious from not having a full night of sleep in over five months or from the post-partum hormones still lingering in my body, but as hard as life is right now, I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Good Dog Carl (er...Sampson)

OK, I know you've all (all two of you who read this) have been waiting for pictures of Sampson! He is turning out to be a great dog. He loves people and all he really wants to do is be near us. He does get a bit confused sometimes about what are his toys and what are the boys' toys, but he's pretty good at putting things back that aren't his once he's reminded. He gets a bit spastic sometimes...he is a puppy after all, but in general, if he gets a walk in the morning and gets to play in the afternoon, he's pretty darn content as long as he's near us. As long as he's near us is the key point. He apparently loves us so much that he can't bear us leaving him home alone. He has figured out how to get out of his crate - even when we double locked it. Surprisingly though, he didn't destroy anything in the house. He simply waited at the door in the mudroom until one of us got home! So we're going to have to re-work our plans of crating him while we're at work. So without further ado...I give you Sampson, our sweet, loving, kissy, separation anxiety-ridden pup!

 At the park and ride in Nashua waiting for the rescue dogs to arrive from Tennessee!

Waiting for Sampson to get off the trailer!

Here he is.

Playing in the back yard!

Sampson loves sniffing out the wildlife in the back yard!

 

 And going on morning walks with the boys!

This was a cooler morning. The boys were all dressed for their walk. How stinkin' cute is Brody in this picture?!!

So all in all, life is pretty good for our little Sampson! We feel lucky that we found such a great, loving dog to join our family...and seeing the incredible speed at which his little nub of a tail wags, the feeling is mutual!