Smitten

The boys are completely smitten with little Eliza. They cannot get enough of their baby sister, telling her all the time how much they love her, and Ben has told us that he is going to protect her. It makes my heart swell to see them being so sweet to her.

Ben wanted to share his much beloved blankie with his sister.

And when I had to coax him away from her, he told me, "I bet God will watch out for her." There are no better words.

First Days of School!

Yesterday Noah started 3-day preschool at the same fabulous school where Ben spent the last couple of years. He was such a big boy!
Walking into school.
And getting right to work on the stickers. He had a great first day!

And today Ben started Kindergarten at his new school. We've been talking it up all summer and he was very excited to finally get started,

One of his teachers helps Ben find his name to see which room he'll start the day in - the Art Room - perfect! Each day the kids start in one of three rooms - the Art Room, the Block Room (creative play), or the Middle Room ("academic" work).

Ben's new cubbie.

In front of his new school at pick-up. He's holding the popsicle stick airplane he made today - a total success!

The boys haven't both been to school on the same day yet, but I'm looking forward to that tomorrow! It's going to be a great year!

Introducing ...

Eliza Tae (pronounced Tay, my Korean name before I was adopted), born August 12, 2010, 7 lb., 7 oz., 20 1/2 inches - absolute perfection!

Strangely, this was taken before the epidural.

The morning after her birth, Jess brought the boys to the hospital to meet their new baby sister! Noah helping "Big Panda" give Eliza a kiss.

Eliza gave presents to her new big brothers. Ben still wonders aloud how she got to the store so quickly.

The boys' faces in the next pictures say it all - they are IN LOVE with their new baby sister! And nothing could make my heart melt more.

This was my hospital room view for much of our stay ...

Nothing sweeter than a Daddy and his girl.

And then it was time to head home. Let the adventure begin!

Noah Turns 3!

We celebrated Noah's 3rd birthday with a party at a local children's art studio. Noah and his friends created some fun birthday art, listened to stories, played with play-doh, sang and danced, ate snacks and cake, and had an all-around great time.

After two cupcakes, a sugary sweet smile.

On the morning of his actual birthday, Noah woke up to a birthday banner and balloon breakfast, a tradition at our house ...

After Ben's t-ball game, we headed to Bryson City, North Carolina, for "A Day Out With Thomas" on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.

Noah and Daddy with "the real Thomas!"

Thomas pulling us for our big train ride.

While it was fun, the memory I will forever have of this outing is how insanely HOT it was. This is what my thermometer read when we got back to the car ...

So, ice cream was definitely in order. Of course, we had to sing to our birthday boy one more time ...

Happy 3rd birthday, sweet Noah! Your last one as the baby of the family!

4th of July Weekend Fun

It was a gorgeous 4th of July weekend here. On Saturday we took the boys to Centennial Olympic Park for their annual summer romp in the Fountain of Rings ...

And that afternoon we headed to Turner Field to see the Braves take on and defeat the Marlins. The boys always love to go up to the kids' area and run for home plate ...

The next day we headed downtown for the Pied Piper Parade ...

And then met up with some friends at church for the fireworks. While we waited for darkness to fall, the boys lit their first ever sparklers. A big hit!

Happy birthday, America!

Cape Cod

Because of the oil spill in the Gulf, our annual beach trip took a twist this year. Lucky for us, we ended up on another coast a bit farther north. Thanks to our incredibly generous friends Amie and Rob who let us stay at their summer house, we spent a week on Cape Cod away from the suffocating heat, humidity, and mosquitos. We had an amazing time. While we did a TON ("Cape Cod on speed," as Amie put it), we also had time to relax and do things like visit the children's museum, paint some pottery, go cosmic bowling, and hang out at the beach. We're so thankful for these memories. (I'll warn you that there are a million and one photos, and it's just a fraction of what I took. Get your scrolling finger ready.)

On our first day there we took a scenic lunch train through the Cape. Such a cool experience for the boys ...

Of course we had to buy the cheesy picture they sell to all the tourists.

The next day we drove up to Provincetown. It's a colorful artists' haven lined with tons of eclectic shops and restaurants. The boys loved walking on the pier and checking out all the fishing boats.

Loved P-Town! (or pee-pee town, as the boys called it)

The next day we took the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard and it was one our favorite days of the trip. It seemed that everywhere you looked was a scene from a postcard - just spectacular. The boys, of course, thought the ferry ride itself was pretty cool.

Ben on the Flying Horses Carousel - the oldest operating carousel in the U.S.

Jess and I fell in love with Edgartown. We'd love to go back without kiddos someday.

Chillin' on the Vineyard.

Ferry back to the Cape.

It was a BIG treat when, upon arriving back in Hyannis, the captain opened up the doors to the cabin and let Ben and Noah sit up front in the captains' seats!

Later in the week we took the ferry to Nantucket. The island was incredibly charming. I kept telling Jess that it felt like we were on a movie set because everything was so picturesque. We strolled around downtown, but spent the majority of the day lounging on the beach. The weather was perfect.

Lunch on Jetties Beach.

More shells!

Quintessential Nantucket.

The following were taken in Hyannis on the first day of our trip. The weather was cooler then, but the boys loved exploring the harbor anyway.

In front of the JFK Memorial.

On our last day, we toured Hyannis and the marina aboard the Cape Cod Duckmobile. Ben and Noah still talk about the silly lady who made us say, "Quack! Quack! Quack!"

We spent the rest of the day at the beach, and of course, we had to have ice cream on our last night (as we had done practically every other night). Four Seas came highly recommended. It was really close to the house and the oldest ice cream shop on the Cape - SO yummy!

How every summer night should end!