Sidewalk Chalk

After naptime we all went outside to play with sidewalk chalk in the driveway. We drew lines on the driveway and the kids actually stayed in the designated area! Very very exciting!! More pics on the photos link to the right.

A Team Party!

We were so excited to have all our neighbors from the old house over last month. We had such a great time!! The kids got to play with everyone for a couple hours and then Mommy and Daddy got to play after the kids went to bed. It was such a wonderful time, we wish we could have done it every weekend! Above are some pics of the kids getting horsey rides from Uncle Joe and Uncle Steve! Additional pics are located in the link to the right.

Baby Kelleher is Here!

Momma Bridget was scheduled for induction today at 8am. I went to the hospital to visit her at noon today to help pass the time. Well, she actually naturally went into labor at 3am and was 3cm when I arrived. I hung out with her until her mom came around 3:30-3:45ish. By the time I came home, I saw the post that Baby Kelleher was born at 4:11 today. She does not have her name yet, but she was 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 19 1/2 inches long and has amazing blonde hair. I guess she was waiting for me to leave to come into the world! Bashful little Bah! Well, I went back tonight to see her, Mommy and Daddy...and well, smell that new baby smell. She is beyond gorgeous! and so so sweet. Here are some pics of the new Daddy and hit little Bah!

The Birthday Celebration!

On Saturday, we had all the family over to celebrate not one, not two, but three birthdays!! Christian is now 13... a teenager...WOW! He will turn 13 on the 12th and Ben and Maddie will be 2 on the 17th. We wanted to celebrate all the birthdays this weekend since we will all be together as a family.... with our family. It was such fun to have everyone over to the new house and get both the Yeingsts and the Forests (and Aunt Michele - an honorary Forest)together again. As I type this I realize it has not been since the babies' baptism that we were all in the same place. The weather was perfect as all the kids enjoyed playing outside in the yard with the older cousins doing all the baby-wrangling. (Thank you SO much ladies!) Everyone had such a good time that Chris and I are thinking of having another family gathering soon.

Christian was so happy to have a party and blow out his birthday candles with family. We were overwhelmed with all the wonderful presents! After the unwrapping Christian could not wait to go put together his new Lego set. This morning the RC motorcycle got some attention and some battery charging. Since today is a day for indoor activities (thunderstorms) we will be forgoing the trip to the park with the new bike, but we can certainly put all the cool accessories on it!

Ben and Maddie we so excited by their presents too. They had fun tearing into the wrapping and discovering each new toy. I think the unwrapping part (bedlam!!!) was their favorite part, well, maybe that and the cake massacre!

Thank you to all who came and helped make the kids' birthdays so special and so much fun. It was truly a special day for all.

Additional photos can be viewed using the link to the right.

A special thanks to all for your help with the cleanup at the end. After everyone left I started looking around to pick up and realized that everyone brought everything in and there was so little mess I almost cried!

Happy Memorial Day

This past Sunday, we had a little BBQ with all the grandparents and cousin Emily! Here are some pictures of that beautiful day and all the fun we had...

(more photos on the link to the right....)

Mommy's Little Helper

Ben did the cutest thing today. Maddie got her finger stuck in the dishwasher door. (Mommy did not see her there and tried to shut it. Bad Mommy!!!) She was howling! I took her over to a chair and tried to sit with her and an ice pack, but she would have none of it. Ben -- no prompting! - went over to the freezer and started taking out different frozen packs and brought them to me. First was a teething ring which Maddie held onto for about a second and started crying again. Then he brought over Boo-Boo Bunny and the Eagles ice pack. By the time he was done he had picked out all the boo-boo things in the freezer and brought them to me.

I started worrying how I was going to get the freezer shut before everything defrosted and wouldn't you know it! Ben went over and closed the door, wiped his hands together (as if to say... my work is done here) and came over to see how his sister was doing. He had never done this before and never shown much interest in the freezer before. What a great little boy! I just stunned.

The big move!

Well, last Monday we moved into our new home. It was a very busy time and it went so much smoother thanks to our family. Grammy Ruth graciously came to stay for almost a week and watched the kids. It helps to have a "pro" around! Jim and Tarri came in on Sunday like knights in shining armour to help with the painting. To put it into perspective, I spent the entire day on Saturday painting one coat in the babies' room and 1 1/2 coats on the trim. Jim and Tarri were here for about 4 hours and they finished the babies' room and got two coats on the other two bedrooms. I was just lost, and they (along with Dad!) really came to my rescue.

Tarri was a big star during the week with helping me get packed, organized, moved, painted.... is there anything this woman can't do? Hmmmm I don't think she takes out the trash. But I bet she could do it if she wanted to! So the move is almost done, just a few odds and ends in the old house and a handful of boxes here in the new one.

I also wanted to take the time to thank all the people who helped us out during this frantic time.
Grammy Ruth - we could not have gotten much done without you here to take care of the kids. It was so nice not to have to worry about them because they were in the hands of a pro!
Tarri -- can I even say more? You were my guardian angel!
Jim - Painter extraordinaire!! and a great referral service!
Dad -- for everything, painting and the movers!
Mom - for helping not lose it! You are my rock!
Ken - For the great furniture. Only you could have provided a kitchenette set as well as bedroom furniture. And you were right. It is a vanity!!
My new neighbors - for making sure we moved into a home with a mowed lawn! And putting together that climber without any instructions. I am so excited to have such great new neighbors!
The movers - who pointed out the overflowing gutter so we could take care of it!
And I can not forget all our prior neighbors: Patty, Jaci, Joe, Steve, Julie, Rodney and Cathy. Thank you so much for the coming to Patty's party to send us off on such a high note. I am so sad to leave, but happy to be able to host many A-team parties in the future.

Thank you to everyone, and those I have forgotten to list (the brain is mush!) for such a great move. We love our new house and can not wait for the first of many gatherings of friends and family!