Easter Weekend

We had a fun Easter Weekend. Nana is in town staying with Aiden and Lauren for a few days. She brought Aiden to see Ryan's baseball game (another win for the Twins 7-0!!).  On Saturday night, we took the 4 big kids to Indian Hills for an egg hunt in the dark! They spread the eggs all over a section of the golf course and the kids use flashlights, headlamps, etc.  Nana and the kids slept over and we were invited to an impromptu egg hunt with our neighbors Sunday morning! More candy!  We had a nice lunch and rounded out the afternoon with Star Wars Episode III.  Everyone was tired but we had a great time.  Nana is here for a few more days so we are looking forward to more fun with her!

Nana gave the girls 80s-style side-ponytails!

All the cousins 

SLUGGER!

Ryan is having a great season with the Shetland Twins this spring.  He has improved so much since the fall. The team is undefeated through 6 games. They have pulled out a couple of very close wins.  On Sunday, the team faced the Dodgers. We were losing 5-1 after the first inning which didn't give us much hope. The boys found their groove and after 2 more innings, the score was tied. Ryan came up to bat and he hit his first HOME RUN! The ball went all the way to the wall and he was able to get around the bases before they could throw him out. He was so excited!  We won the game 16-15! Ryan also received the game ball. We are so proud of him! He is learning more and more about the game and having so much fun too!

The red gatorade mustache is very intimidating!!!

Spring Break 2011

We returned last night from an AMAZING week in St. Kitts! We traded our Marriott week in Aruba so we could try something new. We loved it! The weather was perfect...80s and breezy.  The kids loved the pool, kids club and the beach! We were able to swim about 10yards off the shore and see TONS of fish. We didn't even need a snorkel or goggles. The water was crystal-clear and the sand was soft.  Allie asked why the ocean wasn't brown like in Hilton Head...ha ha.

We took the ferry over to Nevis one day but it was raining. We had a nice lunch at The Four Seasons but we were happy to stay put on St. Kitts for the rest of the week. Sean enjoyed his first dip in the pool and his first time on the beach (other than the trip to HH when he was only 8 weeks old). He experimented with eating some sand but really preferred to dig his fingers into it.  The jury is still out on his feelings about being in the ocean. I think he is a pool-boy for now!   Neil took Allie & Ryan on a taxi-tour of the island on Thursday. They saw the Batik factory and Brimstone Hill (old british military fortress). We enjoyed delicious food and several trips to the pool bar for 'smoothies' (both child and adult versions!)

All three of the kids were great travellers this trip! Sean slept 13hrs a night...that caribbean sun must have tired him out! On our flight home, he was great but I felt like I should leave a tip for the flight attendants, he made SUCH a mess...crumbs, ripped paper, water. Oh well, he was quiet and contained for 4+ hrs!

We have already booked our week in Aruba for spring break 2012 but we may put in a request to trade for St. Kitts again!

PJ Party

Love daylight savings and new pajamas!!

Author Allie

Allie's class has been working on non-fiction books about animals for the last few months. Allie was assigned 'kangaroo'.  We printed off lots of information from the internet and Neil even took a picture of some stuffed kangaroos on his last trip to Australia.  Last week, all of the parents were invited to hear the children read the finished books. Mrs. Mullins told the class that they could 'dress-up' so Allie picked her fanciest dress. One boy in her class wore his baseball uniform!  The presentation was very cute and Allie was so proud of her book.  She dedicated the book to 'my whole family' and made all of the illustrations. The books are on display at school so everyone can see them!

Buy me some peanuts and CRACKER-JACK!

Today was opening day for the 2011 EastSide Baseball spring season. Ryan is in the Shetland league again and he is on the Twins (Not the Red Sox but at least it's not the YANKEES!).  Ryan has been practicing with his team for a few weeks and he has definitely improved since the fall!  The league is 'coach pitch' for 5 pitches and then you get to hit off the Tee. He hit off the coach every time today!! The Twins beat the Phillies 20-14.  Ryan had 4 singles, a few RBIs and scored 3 runs.  The kids were all great and had a lot of fun!

Ready to play!

#7 again

Ryan's biggest fan!

Action Shot

9 months

Sean is 9 months old! I cannot believe that we are only 3 months from his first birthday. I feel like I will blink and he will be 4!  We had his check-up today and other than the return of his wheezing, he is doing great.

23lb 11oz - 90th %
28 in - 50th %

He is still short and stout...a tank baby. Sean is such a good-natured baby. He smiles and 'talks' to everyone.  He is starting to crawl and pull-up. Sean LOVES to stand-up. He 'thinks' he can let go and walk...but he can't. Sean is wearing size 12-18mo clothes, size 5 diapers, and taking 2 naps (and still sleeping all night 7pm-7am...heaven!!).  He loves to interact with Allie and Ryan. They always make him laugh and smile.  Sean is eating all kinds of food and prefers food that he can pick-up and feed himself over spoon-fed baby food. He is changing so much every day!