Team i6 Takes on No Fear in this Dojo

I could make about dozen or so more Karate Kid references, and well, really I can't promise I won't in the future.  But at this point I will just show you some cute pictures of Lincoln at his Tae Kwon Do lessons that he started a few weeks ago.  

I mean, he has a little gi, how cute is that?  Daddy was the sucker on that one for the record.  I was just gonna order a plain one from Amazon, but this one is pretty darn cute.

Team i6 Takes on a Trip to Cleveland Full of Surprises

It had been a good long while since we’d made the trek to Cleveland so mid-September seemed like the perfect time to go.  We took an extra few days off of work and headed west.

  

Grammy Sparks even made the trip to Cleveland too so she could join in the fun!  The first day we hit up a fall festival at one of the local orchards and rode a wagon and played on all sorts of fun playground stuff & tractors.  We also got some of the BEST doughnuts & treats I’ve ever had. 

  

And then Mommy had a trick up her sleeve…I had arranged for the grandparents to watch Linc and Delilah Friday night so I could surprise Todd with a trip to downtown Cleveland for dinner and an overnight stay at a nice hotel.  It all went off without a hitch and Todd had no clue what was planned.  Our dinner at XO Prime was fabulous and the hotel was perfectly located.  And the BEST part was the 10+ hours of uninterrupted sleep in a cozy, fluffy bed with gentle rain outside & room service snuggled in said bed in the morning.

Saturday we checked out and headed back to see how the kids and Grandparents faired.  All was well & we headed into a day full of family time.

...And what turned out to be another fun surprise but this one was not of our doing.  During a planned family picture Andy and Taryn surprised the whole family…maybe a little too well hahaha!  Ready, set, “Say we’re pregnant”!  What?!? Who?!?  Yay!!!!!!  We are so SO excited for them and cannot wait to have another sweet niece to spoil and love.  Mazel Tov to them!

All too soon it was Sunday and time to hit the road back to home.  It’s always hard to say goodbye to everyone even when we know we’ll be back for a visit in a few months.  Lincoln just adores his cousins, aunts & uncles, and grandparents and is becoming more aware of the distance.  On the drive home he said to Todd and I…”Mommy, Daddy I think when we get a new home we should get one closer to our family”….awwwww, sorry fella that would be one heck of a commute. 

Team i6 Takes on the Maryland Renaissance & Daddy’s Birthday

The beginning of September brings some really fun things!   This means it was our yearly trip to the Maryland RenFest & Daddy’s Birthday, two of our very favorite things to do and celebrate in the fall.

The weekend we decided to head to RenFest just so happened to also be Pirate Weekend.  Man oh man was Lincoln happy.  Knights and dragons and Pirates and scallywags, that loud booming sound you just heard was Linc’s mind being blown.  Hahaha!  Per always we had a great adventure there.  We filled our time with giant wooden slides, pony rides, ELEPHANT rides, sword fights, and eating turkey legs the size of Delilah’s head.  Huzzah!

And after that big ol’ fun day we got home and after family naptime it was on to celebrating Daddy’s bday.  And present numero uno was a fun new toy that the boys could not wait to play with.  I’d say the remote control helicopter was pretty fly. 

Team i6 Takes on High Holidays 2013

Then there was Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish High Holidays.  L'shanah tovah!  Happy New Year to our Jewish friends & family, well you know, a few weeks late but still.  We celebrated the New Year with dinner at Matt & Cyndi’s place.  Todd blew the shofar and we ate SO much food!  The boys were fascinated by the shofar.  And we had a good discussion about Shabbat candles and how they are different from Birthday candles and how you do not blow them out, lol.

We went to family Rosh Hashanah services again this year and they were great.  We just love our Rabbi, and of course Mrs Nell is just the best!  Lincoln did pretty well for Lincoln.  He was especially attentive to the shofar time, but listened well to the story/teaching. 

Later that same day our congregation meets at a local park for Tashlich & a picnic.  The first part was great and we had fun tossing our bread in to the water and seeing temple friends.  The dinner part didn’t really go as planned when everywhere we seemed to try to eat we were swarmed by bees!   So we called it early and went home to eat in peace. 

The next weekend was Yom Kippur and our normal plan of observance got thrown out the window with a very sick Delilah.  Croup with a side of ear infection does not tend to make a happy girl. So we laid low and all tried to get a little rest and reflection that weekend.

Team i6 Takes on Siblings

These kids could not get any cuter when interacting with each other.  They just love each other so much!  I am sure dynamics will change again and again as they grow and get older and go through different stages, but they just light up when they see each other.  It is the most adorable thing!  And as an only child I still kinda marvel at it, every single time I see it happen. 

Team i6 Takes on Playdates Galore

Lincoln has been quite the social butterfly lately.  We’ve had playdates with several of his classmates and other friends too.  It is nice to get out and do new things on the weekends and meet some new parents.  It is also nice to get to see some of our friends that have moved and Linc doesn’t get to see those kiddos at school any more.    And then we always welcome the chance to hang out with our college friends and their kids too!  Lincoln is such a social little dude that he just loves seeing his pals and spending his weekends playing his little heart out.

Team i6 Takes on a PreSchool Promotion

The end of August was Lincoln's last day as a Blueberry with Mrs. C.  It was bittersweet.  I was sad he was leaving his safe little nest of wing C but so exciting to see him grow and be READY to move to the bigger area with the bigger kiddos.

 

He specifically asked to go buy Mrs. C flowers for his last day with her.  It was very sweet and he was very careful picking them out for her, he wanted bright pretty colors.  He was so proud to bring them to her.

They must have had a really big last day because he even fell asleep on the way home from school.  He NEVER does this, EVER.  Delilah does every day but not Lincoln.  He was worn out! 

Then after the long Labor Day weekend it was time for Linc to start in his new class.  New teacher, Mrs E, new classmates (mostly new, he knew 2 or 3 of them), and a whole new atmosphere/class room area.   Lincoln is now an Elephant.  He had a great first day!  Yay!  On to year #2 of PreSchool, bring it.

Team i6 Takes on How to Get to Sesame Street

First off…Yeah yeah yeah…I know I know.  I am sorta sucking at this blogger thing.  Sorry, I've been taking time off to enjoy my babies, my family, and just chill a little bit.  I am going to get some posts out here to catch up anyone who still check from time to time.  **waives at grandparents**

Now to the good stuff!  Mid-August we met up with our fabulous friends The Carmeans to visit them at their beautiful new house in PA.  We spent the night there and enjoyed hanging out, playing some card games, and we may or may not have drank an entire box of wine that had the equivialant of 4 bottles.  The next day after a hefty breakfast and A LOT of coffee, we made a little trip to NJ Sesame Place.  It was super fun.  The kiddos as well as the adults had a blast.  Once we got over the crowds of the first day and lucked out with some cloudy weather on day #2 it was smooth sailing.  We did practically everything in the park & had breakfast with Elmo & Friends...& a photo sesh with Big Bird!

     

 

Lincoln may have ridden the Super Grover roller coaster no less than 8 times.  He really did love it that much!  The fun overload resulted in a Lincoln that was asleep before we ever left the parking lot the second day. 

And he remained that way through the 2hr drive, the transfer from the car to the bed, and all night long until 7am the next morning! 

Such a fun trip, lots of memories made!  Well, at least for us & Lincoln...Delilah spent most of the day looking like this. 

So excited to have our friends now just a car trip away!