Mark's out of town, meaning I'm up late poring through pictures I never get around to taking off my camera. Like this one, and the others I took around Nellie's 8 month birthday, which you can check out here. 

Catching Up: Eamon's Buggy Bash

It's been a while since I visited this blog. Life is whooshing by at a frenetic pace and I rarely have a chance to sit on my computer and do something that's not work related. Anyway, summer came and (sadly) went in an instant. We had a wonderful one. Lots of sun, fun, and adventures. Including Eamon's big fifth birthday bash--or shall I say bashes. Because you only turn five once in your life, we threw Eamon TWO parties, one with our family and close friends and one with our friends from Eamon's preschool. The thought of having one gigantic party with up to 40 children under 10 was way too scary for me, so we decided to split it up into a two-day event. And we pulled it off, somehow.

Party #1 was a bug-themed bash. All summer long, we discovered all sorts of creepy crawlers in our backyard, so I thought why not roll with that theme for the party. Perfect for a little guy, right? Setting the stage was this cute invite from Paperless Post:

I then popped on over to Pinterest for some party inspiration and realized you could go in a million and one different directions for a bug party. I opted to keep it simple with one craft (decorate your own bug jar), a  game (pin the tail on the bug), some "entertainment" (face painting) and a bug hunt. Not a real bug hunt, of course, but one that would involve the kids searching our back yard for plastic insects.

As luck would have it, the weather looked BLEAK on party day. Rain, rain, and more rain. I tried not to stress as I quickly came up with Plan Bs for all of our planned outdoor activities. Fortunately, we have a basement, so I set up the craft, games, and facepainting there. Not ideal, but it worked.

The basement, ready for a party!

Bug Jar Decorating

Pin the Tail on the Bug

Facepainting

Bugs from way back.

About an hour into the party, the sun broke through, and we decided to hold our big bug hunt outside. Before the guests arrived, Aunt Mo and Mark went out and hid about 300 plastic bugs throughout our yard. Then, the kids took their jars and ran wild seeking the bugs out. They were all so cute and excited, and it was an awesome way for all of those little ones to expend some energy! 

Nora showing off her find. 

After the hunt, it was time for cake. And not just any cake. Since I basically massacre any type of dessert I attempt (at least those that are supposed to be "pretty"), I usually stick to cake pops, because they're simple and you can make them cute with a couple of sprinkles and candy eyeballs. I decided to re-created Nora's first birthday caterpillar cake pop creation, and it was a big hit with the kiddos--and the birthday boy

. 

Love the look on E's face. Pure joy!

We also had some delicious bug-themed cupcakes made by Erin and Grandma, and I couldn't resist whipping together some classic Worms in Dirt.

These grape caterpillars were also a hit with the kids. 

For favors, I quickly threw together a "Bugs and Kisses" goodie bag with Hershey Kisses and more plastic bugs. Because who doesn't need 50 fake roaches, millipedes, and mantises in their house?!

The kids took these goodie bag homes, along with their bug jars.

We loved having all of our friends over to celebrate Mr. E. I'd say our little bugs had a pretty fab time! 

Who do you look like?

I find it fascinating to see how genes are distributed and filtered among the next generation of little ones in our family. Eamon and Nora both have brown eyes, yet they have different hair color and texture, different noses, and different body types. Nell seems to have a variation on Nora's nose, yet her eyes are shaped completely different (more wide-set and almond-shaped) and they're blue. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the three at 2 months. See any resemblances? 

New Addition!

Hey world! We're now a family of five! Life's a little more crazy, louder, and exhausting, but we're loving having little Nell in our world. Still can't believe she's here. One month in, we're figured out a pretty good balance between Eamon's ever-growing list of activities, exploring our new(ish) neighborhood, and having plenty of chill time at home. I'm focusing on keeping everyone happy, healthy, and getting back to work--and working out. Excited for the spring and plenty of time OUTside.

New Digs

Closing Day! We drove down, waited five hours to finally sign the paperwork, and drove right back up to Hoboken only to move 48 hours later. 

Where to begin. My dreams and aspirations of becoming a better blogger (and even a professional one, at that) were all lost in the whirlwind that's been the past few months of our lives. SO much has happened in such a short span of time that even the thought of sitting down and documenting all of the changes at the end of the day seemed overwhelming. Long story short, we...

...found out we were expecting baby #3 (due late January) in early August. 14 weeks in! (A story for another day...)

...decided that with 3 kids, our 2-bedroom, 4th-floor walkup would just not do.

...also decided that with 3 kids, we would be much better off in an area with more family support.

...threw ourselves into househunting in the DC area. First rental apartments, then rental homes, and then homes for sale.

...spend 3 solid weeks vetting home after home online (redfin.com is amazing!), visiting as many as we could in person, and finally, finding a home we adored.

...had our first experience negotiating as a home-buyer. Stressful, exciting, and satisfying (because we got the price we wanted for a house that is worth way more!)

...said many tearful goodbyes to all of our dear friends in Hoboken, and packed and moved our entire place in the span of 48 hours as Superstorm Sandy barreled down on NYC. (Pulled out of our town at 1am; the town was flooded and powerless no more than 24 hours later). Mark and I caravanned down the Turnpike in a hurricane, barely survived crossing the Delaware Memorial Bridge in tropical-storm force winds.(Another story for another day...)

...enjoyed the good life with the Flynns for a week or so before we could move into the new house.

...finally, MOVED on November 4 with the help of some amazing family members who not only lugged our hefty boxes and furniture into the house but put new stuff together, too.

...and have been settling in ever since.

To say we love the house is an understatement. We are so fortunate that we happened upon a property was extremely well-cared for over the past six years by the prior owners. It was virtually move-in ready and we've done NOTHING but fill it with our belongings. They left no stone unturned, and we hope to continue to legacy by adoring this house as much as they did. Big shoes to fill, sure, but we're determined to keep it up.

It's quite an adjustment living in a much larger space in a very quiet neighborhood where deer frolic in our yard and our neighbors actually talk to us. But I think it was definitely time to begin this new stage of our lives and let Eamon and Nora (and soon, baby GIRL!) enjoy the ease of suburban living. Just the little things make us all happy...that they can run outside and play without a huge production and we can pull up to our garage without having to search for a parking spot for 45 minutes gives me a huge sense of peace and calm. Not to mention they are loving being around all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends whom we can see anytime now as opposed to special occasions or hectic weekend trips.  Eamon started school on Monday and the transition was absolutely seamless. I know he misses his Hoboken friends dearly, but he is doing a great job adjusting to the new class and is fitting right in--even though he is the youngest by over two months! (Some of the kids are almost a year older than him, which in preschool might as well be decades!)

I have untapped my inner domestic goddess and have been decorating and organizing like a crazy lady. For so long, I've filed away many ideas for how I'd like to live. But because we simply ran out of space in Hoboken (and the interior of our place was a crumbling old mess), I pretty much snuffed out my creativity when it came to design. Not anymore! I am loving making each room in the house a beautiful space we can enjoy (and as for all of the shopping that comes along with it, I can't complain! I've been scoring some major bargains and having fun doing it).

So, nearly two weeks after moving in and many late nights later, I'd say we're just about "settled". There are a few projects left to be done, but I'm going to shift my focus (and my budget) to the holidays before we make any more major changes. We'll be here for a while, so why rush, right?

Here are some photos of the house, so far. I have a few rooms left to take pictures of and we're still working on Eamon's room and the soon-to-be-nursery. One of these days, I am going to put together a nice tour if I can figure out how to take better shots of entire rooms.

View from the living room into the dining room/my "office". We purchased the furniture after seeing it on Joss & Main and absolutely love it. It has this cool gray finish that gives the rustic farmhouse finish a modern twist. 

A shot of Nora's "big girl" room. Skinny bookcases flank each side of the daybed (a Craigs List find) , and the custom prints are from Etsy. Nora picked out the pillows herself at Home Goods! 

Little girl on a big bed! 

One of my DIY projects. I cut leftover styrofoam from our table  packing material to fit in the back of each shelf, then covered with fabric. Gives the boring bookshelves a pop!

More DIY projects. The table was an old one we had in Hoboken that had seen better days. We repainted it white and then I later painted the vertical stripes in aqua. Hoping Nora uses this as a little table she can play on or as a mini vanity. The frame collage on the wall I found at Target for $5 and spraypainted in pink, than filled with scrapbook paper to add more color to the room. Oh, and the rosette lamp was another clearance find at Home Goods! 

The Master Bedroom. It offers just the right amount of serenity we need at the end of the day. I am working in a lighter shade of blue to correspond with the calming blue walls. With three large windows, the lighting in this room is fantastic and it's lovely to wake up to the view of the trees in our backyard. 

My bedside table. With two drawers to store stuff, I'm hoping to always keep the surface this tidy!

Our largest purchase this far...a mondo sectional couch from Macy's for the living room. It's heavenly! I am still toying around with colors for the rest of the room, but with the stone hue of the couch, you can go many ways and change it up season to season with throw pillows. 

Our kitchen table. The kids love the bench and I love looking out in the morning during breakfast and seeing the leaves fall (oh, the leaves...they are so pretty on the trees, not so much when covering the back yard!). 

Always wanted a yellow kitchen!Another choice color we won't have to change. Thinking about a nice photo gallery on this blank wall. 

Buggin Out

I love this little Polarn O. Pyret number Bec got Nora for Christmas. It's getting a little short for our long-legged lady, but I'm hoping she can wear it a few more times before it gets too hot--and we'll have to pass it on to Lily.

Welcome, summer!

From baseball games in the park to bowlfuls of ice cream, we are welcoming summer with outstretched arms!

Fun with Instagram

Well, I did it. I finally got an iPhone. And wow--has my world changed! I can actually look at websites and photos on my phone (without waiting 15 minutes for them to upload), I can play games galore, and--the kicker--I can TAKE FAB PHOTOS! My former phone had an awful camera/video, so I was desperately lacking. I've become a bit obsessed with Instagram...the cool little app that lets you edit your pics with all of these filters. Needless to say, I've been really distracted with my new phone (and, oh, life in general), so I haven't had time to update this blog. But here are some snippets of recent days... Nora in total chill mode at My Gym

Looking a lot like Grandmommy here!

Can't get enough of Nora in this dress.

coloring like a big girl! (she was mimicking the girl next to her at the puppet show)

adorable little boys at a birthday party

A little fun in an obscure spot

I found this forgotten fence in the back of town that's distressed just enough that it's actually really attractive. At least in my opinion! I took my muse there the other day for her 17-month "photo shoot". I use that term loosely as it was more like me snapping a couple of pics before the little miss decided she had had enough of this weird, industrial area (and I had too. Let's just say it wasn't the cleanest part of town...but I may go back again with Eamon!)