Miss Mary's First Recital

Mary had her first ballet recital this past Sunday and it was so much fun. She loved getting her hair and makeup done and could barely wait to get there. I dropped her off backstage with her ballet teacher and she went from excited to very quiet which made me a little teary-eyed. The next time we saw her was on stage and she didn't even crack a smile. But then, the music started and she hopped up, put on a HUGE smile and danced her little heart out. At first the tears welled up in my eyes because I couldn't believe my little baby was dancing on stage but then they started spilling over when Mary wouldn't stop hamming it up. She forgot where she was supposed to stand and just decided to stand directly in front of the other girls and perform. She was laughing, dancing and having the time of her life. I was laughing, snorting and wiping the tears away. The video we took is terrible because Ryan was laughing so hard he couldn't hold the camera still. Note for next time: bring the tripod and keep my snorting away from the camera.

Motorcycles Are Dangerous

Ryan broke his hand the day before Mothers' Day after a little spill off of his motorcycle during a race. What a thoughtful gift. Mary has been talking about Daddy's broken "nickel" (knuckle), going to the hospital, motorcycles, etc. every second of every day since. Aunt Stephanie caught some of the hilarity on video. That Mary...wise beyond her years.

Isn't He Pretty?

Mary was helping Patrick accessorize.

Patrick's first time in the swing. He loved it and Mary loved pushing him. Win, win!





She's Almost Three

Mary is such a smart, sassy and thoughtful little girl. Every day brings something new. Like the slide in the picture below. For the longest time she would never go down it at the park because it was so high and twisty. She'd get to the top, sit there and then inevitably turn around and come down the stairs. But a couple of weeks ago, she just went up there and slid right down. No big deal. I was WAY more excited than she was but she did think it was pretty fun.

And below you are witnessing what we call the "potty" scooter. We had promised Mary a scooter once she used the potty every time she had to go and it was finally time to make good on that promise. She had a hard time choosing between the Tinkerbell and Princess scooter but ended up going the princess route. Excellent decision.

Driving lessons from Daddy...

The other day Mary was suspiciously quiet so I called out from the other room, "Mary, what are you doing?" And I hear "I'm just riding Chasey."

Seven Months Old

Somehow Patrick is already seven months old. I'm not sure how it happened so fast but he's the happiest, chunkiest seven month old I've ever met! He loves to laugh, especially at Frankie and Mary, and it sounds more like a cackle than a laugh. But when you hear it, it's impossible not to laugh out loud too. Definitely contagious. He also barrel rolls across the floor to get to what he wants, is eating lots of different fruits and veggies and babbles like a champ.

Patrick also loves to stand. Prefers it to sitting actually. His legs are like tree trunks and his feet are like meatballs so he's actually pretty sturdy.

Mary's Fairy Party

A few weeks ago Mary and I went to a fairy party at a local garden center. We met Mary's friend Mallory and her mom Kathleen and the girls were in fairy heaven. They got wings, wands, a tutu, a fairy figurine, made a fairy necklace, went on a fairy hunt and ate sparkly fairy cupcakes and had magical fairy punch. Mary is still talking about her "sizzle" drink...it was lemonade with pop rocks in it!

This was her fourth cupcake. You know, just one more for the road.

More Easter Pics

Easter weekend started off with an Easter egg hunt on Saturday. You'll notice the double stroller in the background...Patrick snoozed his way through the chaos. He had the right idea.

Easter Sunday was full of fun, food and more Easter egg hunts. This year, Mary was poised and ready to throw elbows for some candy.