Eamon Originals

One time not too long ago, Eamon and I started this little game where we make up and perform original songs to each other. We introduce ourselves, the song, and then belt it out. Some of his classics include, "Put the Pictures Back," "Dip my Waffles," and "Make a Worm." It's really silly, but Eamon loves it. He even created his own stage name he uses during these performances, Eamon James. (Don't ask).

Anyway, I happened to have my camera with me this morning to capture one of Eamon's original tunes. Especially love the dramatic finish and how he oh-so-graciously accepts the applause at the end!

Boys & their Trains

 

 

 

On Sunday, we rode out to the Whippany Railway Museum to celebrate Sam's birthday in grand style: A ride on an authentic caboose! Ours was a 1930's-era caboose--bare bones but very exciting for the boys. The ride was 45-minutes along the railroad, including a 40-feet-high crossing over the Passaic River. Afterwards, Eamon and Sam watched a model train circle the tracks for over an hour straight! They are beyond obsessed. Happy birthday to Sam, can't believe you are FOUR!

Big Boy Bed!

 

 

 

First preschool, now a big boy bed--things are progressing rather quickly on Washington Street! We set up Eamon's very cool loft bed over the weekend and he loves it! He only takes up about an eighth of the twin-size mattress, so it's roomy enough for me to crawl in for story time (and, uh, to take a brief snooze after a particularly long day...). Underneath is a fun little nook for E--and N, too--to read and play.

Off to school!

 

Where does time go? Only three years ago, we were in a sleep-deprived, awe-struck haze both overjoyed and overwhelmed with our new little baby boy. Today, that baby boy walked right into his new classroom and began playing with blocks and rocks like it was no big deal. But it is a big deal to me. As happy as I am to have him in an environment where he will learn, thrive, and make new friends, it's also bittersweet to see the years slip by so fast. Although I will say that I'm looking forward to having more time to get work done and actually be productive during the days.

I took TONS of pictures at the beach, so I'm still editing them into an album...however, here's a sneak preview, via this little slideshow. Enjoy!

This photo album created with Smilebox

Happy birthday, Eamon!

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Eamon had his usual variety of birthday celebrations this year: At the beach, at home, and at the park alongside some of his best buddies (Sam, Jack, Aiden, Owen, Sadie, and respective parents). He was treated to some of the best cakes grocery stores have to offer (my only homemade contribution were the baked ziti and football-shaped cake pops which didn't turn out as pretty as I wanted them to be, so I wrapped them in cellphane and gave them out as favors). I tried to keep things low-key this year, and Eamon seemed OK with that. He did get a very cool bike (a Craigslist find courtesy of Uncle Speed) and some fun new toys from all of his many admirers. Thanks to everyone who sent gifts--he was delighted with each and every one.

Hard to believe my baby is 3. He starts full day preschool on September 7 and my heart is already in my throat thinking about it. I know he'll be fine and will thrive in the classroom, but I'm going to have a little bit of trouble letting go! And Nora will miss her playmate/entertainment throughout the days. We'll get by, I'm sure.

Just a note at what Eamon is up to at 3 (for my own records): He is really grown up in that he will carry on a conversation with just about anyone. He is incredibly enthusiastic about everything, has no trouble serving up his opinion and correcting others with what he believes to be the right answer (cute now, let's hope he learns to curtail that trait eventually, hah hah). He always plays shy with new people but eventually opens right up and cottons to adults and kids alike. He is definitely all boy--active, aggressive, physical, dramatic and always on the go. He is engaging and loves to entertain; just last night, we had a crazy dance party where he was busting out some wild moves (need to get video of that!) But underneath that tightly-wound bundle of energy is a cuddly, sweet, gentle sweetheart. And most importantly, an excellent, caring, and protective big brother.

He makes me smile. He makes me laugh. And yes, more often than not, he makes me want to jump off a bridge. In a nutshell, Eamon drives me crazy and melts my heart every single day.

Happy third birthday, Eamon! Click on the picture above to see a slideshow of b-day pics.

Back from the Beach

 

 

Always hard to come back from vacation...especially a lengthy one! But at least I have a ton of fun pictures to remind us of all of the good times. Will post more later; but here are a couple of our beach babes!

Moving and Grooving.

 

 

 

 

Nora is *almost* officially a crawler! Via a scooch, shuffle, peg-leg slide, and an actual crawl, she manages to reach a destination entirely on her own. We've just begun to encourage her to crawl and she loves hearing us cheer, "Go, Nora, Go!". Here are some pictures of her making her way around the other day. And, oh yes, standing! She's not quite pulling herself up on furniture yet, but once she's up, she can hold herself up for a while!

Beach Day

We traveled "down the shore" to Avon-by-the-Sea yesterday. It was Nora's first time at the beach, and she absolutely loved it (and only ate one handful of sand!). The weather was perfect--not too hot, no humidity, and a bit of clouds and breeze to keep things pleasant. We played in the sand and in the water a bit, then had a great beachside dinner before finishing the evening with big scoops of ice cream. Home by 8:30 with snoozing kids (who proceeded to snooze until 8am this morning!); think we're going to have to do this again soon!

I couldn't resist doing a little photo shoot with Nora in her various beach gear...even got a few cute shots of camera-shy E. Here's the album:

Avon Beach

Happy Camper

 

E started summer camp last week. He and Sam go twice a week from 8:30am-3:00pm and, so far, love it. Like typical boys, they don't talk much about their day as we pepper them with questions at pick-up, but we do know that they are having fun. They paint, play, go to the park, and (sometimes) sleep during nap time. Their teachers are very complimentary so we assume they are behaving!

Baby, You're a Firework...

 

We had a fab fourth! Spent a couple of days in New Paltz then headed home to Hoboken to see the amazing Macy's display over the Hudson...just a few blocks from our place!

 

 

Caught this moment a few weeks ago as Mark and Eamon were horsing around...love the light and the happy look on E's face.

Berry Fun

 

In what's become a seasonal ritual for my friends and I, we traveled to Chester, NJ, to Alstede Farm to go berry picking early this week. This is the same farm we've been to for apples and pumpkins for the past couple of falls, and berries last summer, and it's a great spot that the kids love. As soon as we got to the berry patches, Eamon got busy "sampling" everything he picked, so we wound up with hardly a berry in the basket. (I was busy feeding Nora, so I was useless). Oh well, at least I got some great photos of Eamon, Owen, and Aiden (and Nora, too!).

Here's a link to all of the photos from the day:

Berry Picking

Nora's first barette!

 

Nora's little tuft of hair that runs down the center of her head is finally long enough for a little barette! I've been a big fan of headbands lately, but they're a little ridiculous (in an adorable baby kinda way) so these little bow clips are a nice, subtle statement for my girly girl! Of course I ran out and bought a pack of them...so now Nora will have a clip AND a headband to match every one of her many, many outfits.

Summer!

 
 
 

It's been a while! The days continue to fly by with no time to post pictures or write anything other than the words I'm paid to write, but I just wanted to share some pics of the past week. We had a great impromptu summer kickoff at my parents last week. Pool, ice cream, picnics, playground...E and N did it all and loved every second. More photos (and stories) to come, I hope! Happy Summer!

Happy Birthday, Diz!

Here's Eamon last night, sharing a special message for Diz (that's my mom, for anyone who doesn't know).

Dancing In the Streets!

Here's Eamon's extended version of the pee-pee dance. :-)

 
 

Helping me with the laundry...the clothes serve as a perfect cushion for any falls!

 

Someone's way too big for her bassinet!