Dear Israel as you turn 5....

I can't believe this kid  http://tmvigneau.blogspot.com/2010/02/israel-videos.html is 5!!!

Turning 5 is such a milestone because suddenly you are eligible for school.  Real school. It means you are growing up. Just last week you suddenly told me you didn't want a mower ( gasp!) cake you wanted a Star Wars cake which is funny because you have never seen Star Wars and you don't even know all the characters and you ask me who such and such is and I have no idea! I know some of the main characters because I grew up with 4 brothers but my Star Wars knowledge is slim to none. So we went with a Star Wars theme. You picked out your plates and table cloth and we found light saber cupcake toppers and the theme was born.  Daddy and I wanted to take you out on a birthday date just you and us for some quality time. You picked 5 Guys Burgers as the restaurant. We went our for burgers just you and me and Daddy and then we went to Toys R Us to pick out just one more gift. You picked out 2 Lego sets. We already gave you some Lego sets but all you wanted for your birthday this year was Legos and an excavator.  You also wanted to go to Tractor Supply and pick out a mini fork lift so we did that too. You bought the fork lift with your own money that you earned helping Daddy with yard work and other various chores.
After our date at 5 guys and Lego shopping we went home and had Star Wars cupcakes made by Daddy. You wanted vanilla cupcakes with jimmies in them and chocolate frosting.

 Your birthday chair. The birthday chair is very important in this house for some reason.

 Your Star Wars decorations you picked out

 Holding the mini fork lift you bought with your own money you earned

 An excavator! Thank goodness for Tractor Supply as this thing was hard to find for less than $50 but Tractor Supply had it for $20.

 Samuel is excited that you received a truck for your birthday

 Keira made you the cutest card complete with pictures of Darth Vader and pictures of the birthday boy

 You kindly let your sisters help you open your presents, something they have talked about for the past 6 months

 The awesome cupcakes

 Its always so much fun to go anywhere with just one kid as we can actually listen to everything you say and just enjoy being with you. No fights to break up, no one to discipline and no toddler to chase.

 You ordered a cheese burger with pickles and bacon and ate 90% of it

 Holding one of the Lego sets you picked out at Toys R Us

Samuel thoroughly enjoyed your birthday as well!

Carter Hill 2014 / Apple picking

 " Daddy this  apple cider doughnut is the most amazing thing EVER!!"

 Another awesome family picture with at least 2 children frowning

 We pretend we love apples the most but really we come just for the  apple cider doughnuts

Dear Samuel at 18 months old,

You are officially 1 1/2 years old. It seems like such a long time ago that you sat and crawled and acted like a baby. Now you run, you whine, you throw fits, you say sentences and you clearly have likes and dislikes.  You love your siblings and always want to know where  Israel ( you call him EEE-ooo) is when he is at school. " Where EE-ooo? You ask. " Where daddy? " You love to wrestle with Israel and play trucks and mowers with him. 

 Trucks are your favorite things. Truck toys, real trucks that you see from the window of the car or house and truck books. We check out every truck book from the library we can find and you sit and thumb through the pages over and over and over and then you bring it to me or daddy, throw it in our lap and say " Read it!! Read it!" You adore the old TV show called Mighty Machines that has episodes about different kinds of machines and trucks.  ( Israel loves this show too as they have a whole episode on just snow plows) Many times throughout the day you come to me in your cutest pleading voice and say " Mighty Machines? Mighty Machines?" If I say " Ok!" you say ""YAY" and immediately go sit in front of the tv. If I say no you say  "Why?" in your whiniest voice. Your big siblings taught you that. They also taught you to scream "TOO TIGHT!" every time we buckle you in your carseat.

 You also love these Duplo blocks and dump the basket out several times a day.

 You love to play outside and ask to  "Go out?" whenever anyone else goes out. When I am not looking you sneak over to my tomato plants and pick cherry tomatoes. You call them blueberries.

Your favorite foods are anything breakfast ( eggs, sausage, oatmeal) cheese, yogurt, strawberries, grapes, yogurt and pasta. But you mostly eat what we eat and aren't super picky. You still nurse 3 times a day ( morning, nap, and bedtime). Everyone adores you and you rank right up there with Keira as as our easiest/ most pleasant baby and toddler.

Mt Washington Breakfast Cruise

Mikes parents wanted to do the Mount Washington breakfast cruise  on Lake Winnipesaukee with the kids and us to celebrate Mike's birthday. The kids were delighted to ride a boat and eat breakfast. 

Looking at the boat before boarding.

It was a cloudy/ windy day but all the mist and clouds and trees and mountains and homes on the lake were still gorgeous.

Keira is always striking a pose. Must be a 7 year old thing.

All tuckered out on the way home. I love sleeping carseat pictures.

Conked out

Playground problems

 This is what happens when you are spinning on your concrete playground at school. You do a face-plant into the ground. It looked alot worse 2 days ago when it happened. Thankfully the tooth that got knocked out in the fall was a baby tooth that was already loose!

Happy 33rd Birthday Mike

Apple Crumble pie was requested by the birthday boy and made by his doting wife.

John Deere Festival 2014

We ( or should I say the boys?) like John Deere. So Mike knew he had to take Israel to the John Deere Festival when he heard about it. Nairi likes to go wherever Israel goes so Mike took the two of them to the festival and Keira, Samuel and I went to the library which we thought to be way more fun than looking at antique tractors.

First day of school 2014

Israel Pre-k ( 2 days a week) and Keira second grade at Saint Benedict Academy. Nairi just wanted her picture taken.