Good times, Great friends

 Last weekend, we got to visit with a special family. Baby Jack was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 4 months old. He was one of my first patients as a nurse practitioner. Jack has two of the most amazing parents - Bev and JP - and an awesome big sis, Kaitlyn. It's been a rough road for Jack and his parents, but they have finally hit on a chemo that is working and his tumor is stable. Bev and JP had a wedding in the area this weekend, so they made the trek north. We spent Friday at the Children's Museum, which was the perfect place for a very active Kaitlyn, then Bev and JP left for the wedding and the kids stayed with me. It was so great to get to reconnect with Jack-man, and hang out with the rest of the family as friends, instead of in a more professional role. And, to watch Addy and Pete playing with Jack and Kaitlyn was priceless. Of course, even in these good times, Jack is a complicated kiddo, with lots of medications and feeds through his G-tube, but I was thrilled to be able to give Bev and JP a night away from it - and hope they'll come back soon.

 Jack's signature lounging style

Saturday was the grand opening of the Splash Park in Winchester, which is a cute little area with about 12 sprinklers. The fun was interrupted by a rogue thunderstorm with raindrops the size of your fist. We rode out the storm, but left soon after that.

Addy's first taste of sand.

Then we had to say our goodbyes to the Purssords, who were headed to spend the rest of the weekend on the Cape.

Loving this little car at a BBQ we crashed. It's now on our Yard Sale Wish List

Pete took me on a hike up a "mountain" in Winchester that boasts a great view of the Boston skyline... if you can make it up. In my defense, it was really hot and humid. And I did make it up, but it wasn't pretty. Until we got to the top.

And, in case you're wondering where all the pictures of Chloe are, there are none. She spent the weekend at a horse show in Harrisburg, PA. The most exciting part? She flew in a plane by herself for the first time (and a chartered flight, no less.) We discovered the Bedford, MA airport - which only flies to Trenton, NJ, and you only have to arrive 30 minutes before your flight leaves. Could it be any more perfect?

We hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend!

Photo Shoot

The weather finally cooperated for us to do our photo shoot yesterday. It was perfect - sunny and warm. I had a great range of kids there, from 3 months to 3 years. Some of the kids made getting good shots look easy, and some made me work for it a bit, but I'm hoping everyone comes away happy with the pictures they'll get. Here's a quick sneak peak of the pictures - I'm still working on getting them all edited and sent off!

We've got a pristine weather forecast (and we deserve it!), so we are hoping to break out the water table today after Addy wakes up from her nap. We are really excited to have the Purssords visit us this weekend - baby Jack (who is now almost 2!) was one of my patients in DC, so I'm excited to see how much he's grown. The splash park in Winchester is having it's grand opening this weekend, plus cookouts galore, so it should be a great time!

More pictures to come!

Graduation

Sorry for the long delay in posting. Last week in New England was rainy - and not that nice, spring rain type of rainy - it was cold, dark, and pouring. All week.

Last weekend was our epic trek to Ohio. My baby sister, Kati, was graduating from Kenyon College (near Columbus, OH), and Pete had a wedding and his half-Ironman (near Cincinnati, OH). So we loaded up Thursday night for the trip down to NJ, got in around midnight, and then I got up with my sisters around 6am to start the drive out to Kenyon. We rented a mini-van, and piled in.

Smiles at the beginning of the trip.

We filled that van to the brim. Including the middle aisle. Ah, isn't traveling with children fun?

Thanks to Kip's speed-of-light driving, we made it to our rental house in just over 7 hours, stretched, and went up to Kenyon to have dinner at Kati's.

 Stretching those legs after a long drive.

 The graduate.

My Mom took this picture. In case you are wondering, that's (left to right) me- 2nd oldest, Julie -oldest and due in September, Kati- youngest, Jess-3rd oldest, and of course Addy and Chloe. Nope, none of us are twins, and yep, we look like sisters.

 Kati (Meirs) on the record board.

Kenyon has a big old train on campus. I missed the whole story about it, because I was running on empty at that point, but we had a good time exploring.

A nest of birds hiding under the train. The babies have almost outgrown the nest, ready to fly off on their own. And on graduation weekend, it proves that Mother Nature loves a good cliché.

And then it was time for the main event. A 3 hour main event, and I'd like to brag that Addy held it together for the whole thing. And promptly passed out as soon as she was strapped in and the stroller started to roll.

Proud parents.

We helped Kati and Andrew finish their packing, went out to dinner, and crashed into bed. When we loaded up into the car the next morning, it was a slightly different mood than the ride out...

We made it to NJ, and waited for Pete to arrive home from his triathlon to make the 6 hour drive back home. He completed the full half-Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in just a few seconds over 8 hours. And has the medal to prove it.

I'll make up for my lack of blogging last week - I have a big photo shoot tomorrow!