Magic House

 Field trip #2 was with William's class to the Magic House.  They have a new area where the exhibits change from country to country.  In the fall when we were there for the cub scout overnight it was Kenya.  Now it's all about China. 

 They started out with a little lesson on what life if like in China.  The kids were then given the green light to go explore.  They had to be on the lookout for what is similar to our lives and what is different.  William loved cooking at the restaurant.  I seriously was served 1000 meals by 82 different 2nd graders.  "Here William's mom eat this!" "William's mom do you want more tea?"  It was pretty cute.

William also loved trying out this scooter.  He thought it would be pretty fun to zip around China's narrow streets on one.  

For the grand finale the kids got to wear traditional Chinese dress and parade thought the Magic House.  William was sooo excited to be chosen to help with the dragon.  It was a pretty great parade and he took his job very seriously.

  Before we knew it the time had come to board the bus back to school.  I love that I have the opportunity to go on field trips with my boys.  It's one of my favorite things about being at home. 

Purina Farms

 I have been on four field trips in the last two weeks - May has been crazy!!

First up was Purina Farms with Jack's class. 

 I swear there is nothing cuter than 100 little kindergarteners - especially when they are playing with baby animals.  We started with the dog show before the kids had time to explore.  Another mom and I were given a group of four - two girls and two boys.  It was so funny - the girls wanted to stay with the animals and the boys wanted to go upstairs to climb through all the tunnels.

It was crazy busy, but they all had a great time and didn't seem to be at all bothered by the crowds.  It was a pretty great last filed trip of the year.  I can't believe his next field trip will be as a 1st grader!

Kindergarten Circus

 It's the cutest little ringmaster ever!!  I can't believe this is our last kindergarten circus. 

Our music teacher does an amazing job of giving each child the opportunity to shine.  The kids sang several songs together. Each child also had a line or solo to do all on their own.  Jack did great saying his line when his turn came - "Ladies and Gentlemen, Moms and Dads!"

 NOnna and Nonno were lucky enough to see the circus as well.  We all thought that Jack did an amazing job!!

We celebrated with frozen yogurt at Menchies afterwards - along with what felt like our entire school!  There were lots of little circus performers running around. 

God Bless William

Will celebrated his first holy communion on May 4th.  I couldn't stop smiling the entire day.  I even teared up watching him receive the sacrament for the first time. 

 Before mass began Great Aunt Carmelina presented William with a very special rosary she had purchased at the Vatican.  She had the rosary on her when she was in St. Peter's square being blessed by Pope Francis.  It was right by William's heart as he received Christ.

 William offered a blessing over us at the end of mass.  His psr teacher has been wonderful!  She is such a kind woman and does a great job working with this wild group of boys each week.

We continued celebrating with lunch at Edgewild.  This room was the perfect spot for everyone to relax and chat.  William is so lucky to have so many people that took time from their lives to celebrate with him. 

The love for our little man in the middle was just overwhelming.  Growing up as an only child my cousins were like my siblings.  The fact that all of them were there to celebrate William made me so ridiculously happy. 

I still can't stop smiling thinking about how special this day was. 

Happy Birthday Jack!

How is it possible that my baby is six?!?  By the time Max was six he was a big brother two times over.  I can't even imagine.  It just goes so quickly!

Jack had a super great day celebrating at school.  He couldn't wait to get to school for his birthday ribbon and pencil. 

 We celebrated at home with brownies before William's baseball game.  Jack loved being the center of attention. 

The look of pure joy on his face is priceless.  Jack has grown so much this year.  Only about six more days of kindergarten to go and he will officially be a first grader.

 He went to bed on his birthday and said it was a perfect day.  He woke up 30 minutes later yelling that we forgot to have his birthday party at Bounce U.  Silly boy - the party wasn't until the weekend. 

 He had a great time celebrating with his friends from school.  He loved that everyone was there for him.  It was a pretty great day all around.

Before Jack joined our family I knew something was missing.  There was a Jack sized whole, even if we didn't quite know that's what it was. 

He hugs like his life depends on it and loves his momma like no other.  I couldn't imagine a day without our Jack man.  It's an honor to watch him grow day after day. 

Spring Campouts

 It was a big weekend for all three boys - spring campout time!  For Max that meant something super special - his first two night campout with the boy scouts!  I was nervous dropping him off, but he did great!  He was proud to inform me that the wore the same shirt the entire time :)

 While Max was away we took William and Jack to the Cub Scout campout.  Our usual location was booked so we tried a new park and it was beautiful!

 The boys were able to explore the river bank - including this giant mound of mud leftover from the flooding the previous week. 

Everyone got ridiculously dirty and had the time of their lives. 

I love this picture of William and his buddy Sawyer.  Little boys and a beautiful setting.  Pretty much perfection. . . until it was time for bed and I was too cold to sleep :)

Happy Birthday William!

EIGHT!!  How did that happen!?!?  I can't imagine life without our William.  He brings to much laughter and joy to our family.  He is always the man with a plan.  He is so clever and can solve any problem posed to him and he usually comes up with a pretty great solution. 

 His birthday fell on Easter this year so the celebration included lots of family and was even extra special. 

These three may fight like cats and dogs, but I love how they love each other.  The sheer adoration Jack is showing his big brother melts my heart.

 It wouldn't feel like Easter without a Mattera backyard egg hunt.  As always the boys had a blast and everyone walked away with way too many goodies. 

 Jack's grin here just cracks me up!

 All three boys had a pretty amazing easter.

Of course no celebration would be complete without pictures with Nonna, Great Aunt Carm, and Aunt Anna.  These three amazing women love my boys something fierce, and it brings me more joy than they will ever know.