Lancaster with the Alfords

Sometimes your really amazing friends that are basically your family move.  This seems to be happening a great deal more than we are happy with as of late.  

Our dear friends the Alfords left a year ago and have been enjoying a journey in North Carolina.  We decided we needed to meet them in the middle to get some quality time in.  We met in Lancaster, PA and enjoyed a marvelous time exploring Amish country and spending a day at Hershey Park.

Their little boy is a red head just like Viv but has the most amazing tight curls you have ever seen!  We loved seeing Owen and getting to know him more. Such a sweet chill yet active baby.  Wish we could see these three more often!

The landscape here is honestly breathtaking.  SOOO open, with rolling hills, lovely farms and green pastures and amber waves of grain for miles.

Vivienne's TWO Year Old Photos

To say she is cute is an understatement.  She is beautiful both outside and in, she is my sweet baby girl Viv and I love her completely.

A Very Minion Birthday for this SEVEN year old boy!

Holy Crap, how is my baby boy turning SEVEN years old?  This kid looks forward to his birthday ALL YEAR LONG!  Literally!   He loves his special day and I have a big job to make sure he is not disappointed in how his day goes.  We started off the day with special Star Wars with marshmallow (limited addition) cereal and then the opening of presents!  The kid just opened a million presents 6 days prior, but hey why not open a few million more! He was not disappointed with Legos, Minion Stuff, art supplies, money, puzzlets and Star Wars gear.

This was his first birthday in Framingham, so we decided to go big or just go big.  We invited a selected group of friends from school and a few others from his Somerville school to a Minion Birthday Party.  Auntie G and I made these hats for the kids, we had a fun photo wall, pizza, a glow in the dark Minion dance party (seriously the funnest), cake, presents, pinata and the watching of the movie THE MINIONS.

Top left to right: Maddie, Zack, Berkeley, Phillip, Madelyn, Rachel

Botton left to right: Avery, Chase, Ruby and Vivi

Not pictured: Juliette and Maddie

(yes we had 3 Maddies at the party!)

Berke's amazing kindergarten teacher Ms. Scrima came for the party; she is seriously the best!

This is at 11:15 p.m.  so Berke is clearly a bit tired from an amazing day and has NO energy to smile.

Family Minion Fun

Berke is basically an amazing boy!  He is kind, funny, smart, sensitive, creative and loving.  Berkeley is reading like crazy now; if you don't hear him singing, it is because he is reading.  He also LOVES movies and shows and would watch tv and movies all day long if we let him.  He loves Minions, Scooby Doo, Minecraft, Angry Birds and Star Wars.  He started first grade at Stapleton Elementary this year and has done amazing!  He has so many friends both boys and girls and loves to make his friends laugh.

Berke is a loving big brother, he has been wonderful to share his toys with Vivienne and is always trying to make her laugh, teach her new words and figuring ways to make her mad.

Berkeley loves soft things and will wear "soft pants" all the time and cuddle in blankets and pillows constantly.

His favorite foods are bean and cheese burritos, fish tacos, pizza, macaroni and cheese, chips, sprite, cheese and raisin bread.  His favorite restaurants are Taco Bell and Papa Johns (I promise we take him to good restaurants!)

I love this sweet boy who made me a mama. He brings so much meaning and purpose to my life.  I love him more than I can express.  

Happy 7th Birthday sweet boy! 

First Christmas on Birch

It was our first Christmas in our new house.  I have to say it was all magical except our outside lights, which lacked a bit, but it will be better next year! 

We had two trees (fake ones) this year, one upstairs to be seen out the window and one downstairs so Santa could bring presents down there and we could open there with more space and have our tv fire going.  The kids were spoiled per the usual, between Santa and grandparents they were hooked up!

Christmas Eve was spent with just our family, all other friends has places to go this year, so no traditional Christmas Eve party, which in all honesty was pretty sad.  But we made the most of it and had a lovely meal, read a Christmas story and watched Home Alone with the kids.  It was low key and actually, really nice.  Christmas morning, Berke slept until 7 and then we all got up and went to see what Santa had delivered. 



Berke's favorite presents included: magic kit, telescope, Scooby Doo Legos, Darth Vader and Sons book, Spy Gear Kit, awesome Minion and Star Wars PJs.
Vivi's favorite presents include: castle tent, box of bows, beanie boo, and trains.

Christian got an expresso maker, a warm jacket and few other necessities. 
I received this lovely sign for out house, some awesome cordless headphones and a device to hold my phone for when I drive around town.



Christmas day was wonderful, the kids opened presents and Nana and Papa Sorrels Facetimed so they could see the kids open presents.  Vivi was afraid of her life sized Elmo but has now learned to love him so much.  Berke's very favorite present FURBACCA has been driving us all nuts, but is pretty cute so we will keep him!  We stayed in our PJs the entire day, ate monkey bread, cheese ball and delicious salmon for dinner.  We watched movies, did a puzzle, played with toys and ate food the whole day.  It was pretty perfect.  Our new house is so wonderful and has plenty of space for us all to just be and enjoy each other. 
Christmas was another success this year; both kids still believe in Santa and the magic was real.

Vivienne turns TWO!

 OH MY!  What a difference a year makes!  I cannot believe how much this girls has changed over the past year.  She is fiercely independent, has lots of beautiful red hair, is extremely polite, loves to snuggle, started daycare and is picking up Portuguese, loves dogs, trains, Elmo, and Mickey Mouse.  Viv loves to play with her bro bro, but is now learning how to be a bit sassy and tease him.  

Viv can be shy, but once she knows you she is the life of the party.  Her little voice melts my heart and I can understand most of what she is saying.  She loves to play legos and blocks and build things.  She also loves her babies and takes good care of them.  

This birthday we gave her a baby and a carriage to push them around.

 Papa Taft got her a train table which is a big hit!  Except that she doesn't want to share with bro bro, so that hasn't gone too well.

 This sweet pea is a total ham and posed for this picture when I told her to, "Say Cheese!"

 We love this little red headed two year old and feel like the luckiest people in the world to have her be part of our family!  XOXO Vivienne!

 Vivi and her pal "Baby Rosie"

 Always love from Auntie G and Aunt Steffie.