Birthday boy

 Jack was a sweet and handsome baby.

 Two years later he is still sweet, and still handsome.

 We went out for a birthday dinner.

 Followed by cake. Excuse my horrible cake. Apparently you CAN mess up box cake.

 He didn't mind.

I think I write a lot about the girls and how wonderful they are, and maybe I shouldn't crash Jack's birthday post with stuff about the girls, but this picture is just so cute that I had to post it. It could be that it is because Jack is getting older, or maybe it is that Ali is getting older, but these two have become inseparable. When Ali gets off the bus, he runs up to her with his arms wide open for hugs. She carries him on her back constantly, just for fun. And she is always reading to him. Kat still loves Jack too, but her affection tends to lead to tears. Looking at this picture just reminds me that I am lucky.

Halloween 2013

My little zoo

 Cutest monkey ever.

We carved pumpkins. This picture just has so much going on that I had to post it. In case anyone is feeling sad for Jack, just know that he is crying because I put the monkey hood up when he wanted it down.

 I love the East Coast autumns, and even when it is night the colors of fall are still beautiful.

 I got so many compliments on these girls' costumes. For the record, Abuelita got them for the girls (thank you!). Aren't they just so beautiful (the costumes AND the girls)? While trick-or-treating someone told me that I specifically need to take a picture of their backs since the costume is so glittery from behind.

Fall fast approaching

Fall is my favorite time of the year. It is beautiful and the temperature is cool but not cold. Here on the East coast it is especially beautiful with the leaves changing. Plus who doesn't love a pair of boots.

Not sure why they are curtsying.

There is a short drive to a hill overlooking our city.

Even if all the leaves haven't changed yet, it is still very beautiful.

Any rocks of this size beg to be climbed.

There was also a fall festival in our little town. It was cute. They had a hay bale maze,

a police motorcycle,

animals and face painting.

Another favorite part of fall is Halloween. I will for sure do a separate post about Halloween, but for now...

a little sneak peak. Isn't he just beautiful?

My baby brother, Sam got married! Congrats! Abuelita came and watched all three of my kids so that I could fly out to California and see him get married. It was a beautiful and very fun wedding, so, of course, I have no pictures.

Last picture, I promise. This little boy is getting so big! He barely fits in his crib anymore. He doesn't climb out yet, so I want to keep him here as long as possible. I hope he starts sleeping curled up.

September

 It has taken me awhile to post, but September seemed to just fly by quickly. Even with school starting, things have actually been very chill. It is pretty much just Jack and me hanging out all day. Kat has full day kindergarten, so Ali and Kat get home at the same time and once they get home Jack (and the girls) go crazy.

Here is a picture of our house, and, of course, my three cuties on the porch

Ali found that it is fun to carry her sister on her shoulders in our front yard.

The gloves signify the beginning of fall. So does the brown grass, despite our neighbor with the beautiful lawn. In fairness he is a landscaper (landscape engineer?) I will post some leaves changing pictures in a few weeks.

Kat and Ali started ballet. Since I always forget my camera at the class I took a picture with my little ballerina at home. She is so silly.

Well, they are all super silly.

For Ali, starting school has been awesome. She quickly made a friend who lives close by, and rides the same bus route. First time playing scrabble.

Since Jack and I get to spend all day together, we do get to do some fun things. Last week we went apple picking. He is not a fan of the outdoors (Manhattan Beach was not abundant in raw land) so he did not want to touch any of the trees, or apples... or the grass... or the dirt. Perhaps had there been some sand and waves...

Once I picked an apple for him, and wiped it off, he was willing to eat it. They were yummy.

Despite not liking the outdoors, this tractor was a HUGE hit!

First day of school

 My second grader and Kindergartener

 

 New backpacks (Jack wanted to stand with them)

 

 Waiting for the bus

Bus taking too long, so silliness ensues.

When bus pulled up they were gone. :( They grow up so fast.

Commons

 We made the trip up to Boston again today. I got to meet up with some of my Boston friends and it was lots of fun. Of course I didn't get any pictures of us adults. 

We made it to the swan boats.

 The frog pond

 Jack was a big fan of this place. He didn't want to get out. I told him to smile, and for the first time ever he smiled for the camera. He didn't LOOK at the camera, but he smiled.

 Pulling up to the park we saw this cool bubble guy.

 I don't think that they ever wanted to leave. We probably could have just spent all afternoon in front of this guy. Jack was beside himself with excitement.

 I know it is a lot of pictures of bubbles, but this one was my favorite. If you click on it to see it bigger you can see Ali's graceful jumping. It looks like she is dancing with bubbles.

 Of course we had to stop by and see Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings.

 

 Here is Jack, on Jack. (well, one of them is Jack, and since Jack decided to sit on this one then I dub it 'Jack')

 

 Finish off  the day with some balloons and a trip to see Jim, and this has been a great day!

Find Joy

 I miss California. I will start by saying that when I moved here I was very negative. I missed my friends and I missed Gaby and her boys, and I didn't want to like living here. I am not sure when my attitude changed, but I decided that I am going to make the best of living here. To start enjoying this new life of mine, I have to start by loving my house. It is after all a house!

 And now we have a nursery! I never had a nursery before and I am so excited. I bought a sheepskin rug because Jack loved it so much in the store. Now every time he gets out of bed he lays on the rug and snuggles it. This picture is from the first day we got it. The kids were so very stoked to be able to see Nick because he rarely gets home before they are asleep.

We also have an amazing yard! One of the trees in our yard has been designated "the butterfly tree" because it is always covered in butterflies. My girls found this one with its wing ripped off and were determined to heal it. We also have frogs in our yard which the girls have caught and released into the stream that runs through our backyard. Honestly how could I have been so negative?!?

 

 To top it all off, we have a great beach near here; it's only a 20 min drive to this cute beach. It is no Manhattan Beach that is for sure, but it is decent. Also, since it is along the Long Island Sound, there are the tiniest waves so the kids could actually swim in the water (plus the water is warmer here!)

 

 The girls loved digging in the sand and building a swimming pool. Not sure they can do laps in it, but they had tons of fun anyway.

 One huge difference about the beach here is that it is very rocky. The sand here is littered with millions of rocks. While it is painful on feet, Jack was in heaven. It is his ideal world, a world full of rocks that he is free to throw into the water at will.
I still miss California. It still hurts that I can't see Gaby (especially her boys) or any of my friends but I think that Connecticut might be a great experience, and if I have the right attitude it will be.