Christmas Eve Party

We only had time to snap a few photos of our third annual Christmas eve party. We had at least 20 guests, all of whom seemed to have a great time. Christina cooked a huge lasagna and eggplant parmesan. We hosted a gift swap. Megan is shown opening a gift from "uncle" Ryan, and also aunt MaryJane. Teri, Dave, and Deric pose for a new sepia family tree photo. Megan was thrilled to have Grammie and Grampy and Nonni and Papa here for Christmas!

Three Birthday Parties

My 36th birthday, my cousin Brett's 40th birthday, and friend Lilah's 4th birthday all came on May 20th. Christina gave me an apple picker to reach the tall branches on our apple tree. No more eating apples off of the ground!

Lilah's party was Disney's Alladin themed. Although our cookout was rained on, everyone had a great time. Megan enjoyed the pinata filled with lolipops.

Brett's party was great fun, family, and food. Brett had an awesome custom made red velvet Red Sox cake. The kids were entertained by two clowns who provided balloons, games, and body painting. Megan bravely asked for her arm to be painted by the clown lady and then proceded to show it proudly to everyone she knew and didn't know at the party. Megan also had the company of aunt Linda and her second cousin's cousin, 4 year old Macy, who played with her all day long.

Maine Vacation, Summer Storms, and Parties

We enjoyed our second vacation in Maine with Megan in June. She didn't mind walking in the sand (in March down in Florida, she didn't like the feeling of sand on her feet), and she actually enjoyed digging in the sand and used her beach toys. She didn't enjoy having her feet dipped in the cold Maine ocean, though. She observed some hermit crabs in some shallow pools and particularly enjoyed climbing around on some rocks along the marginal way walk. We had a very nice, spacious room at a cheap rate (thanks to the bad economy). I found a Little Mermaid vanity playset for Megan for sale on the side of the road during a drive back from the town one day. This turned an afternoon of tempermental behavior into a fun-filled evening.

This June has been the rainiest on record, I believe. At least we feel like we are not missing much by spending so much time on house searching. Our hard-wood floors came out really well in the dining and living rooms. Another benefit of summer storms are the spectacular rainbows. Look - at the end of the rainbow is a wonderful raised ranch for sale!

We enjoyed visiting family during cousin Jennifer's college graduation party. Megan enjoyed John and Kathy's pool.

The kids got to play together at Jackson's 4th b-day party!