The New Aunt

On Saturday, Adam and Erin exchanged vows and the kids gained a new aunt. Erin is wonderful with the kids and they absolutely love her. She looked absolutely beautiful. The kids were quite adorable in the formal duds too. It was a long day (I think I may have been more exhausted than the kids), but after some bribing (throwing all parental philosophies aside), Tate and Lily managed to stay on the stage for MOST of the ceremony. I was just glad they didn't knock everything off the stage. Of course, they were just looking forward to the reception where they could display their moves. Now, Adam and Erin head to Michigan where Adam will attend law school. They will be greatly missed...

Let Wedding Week Begin

We spent the week at Robbie's parents before heading to Portsmouth, Ohio for Adam and Erin's wedding. Friday night we had the rehearsal dinner. Tate quickly showed us all that being a ring bearer is tough stuff. He was napless and over stimulated and as he said "embarrassed to stand on the stage in front of everyone". Lily was shy at first but finally warmed up to the idea of being a princess. After rehearsal we went to the hotel for dinner and I quickly ushered the kids up to the room for a good night's rest.

Dancin' In the Stars

One of Tate's favorite shows is "Dancing in the Stars". He and Lily both showed their skills at the hoedown the other night. So much so...they received a round of applause to which Tate responded with a hearty bow. This one picture of Tate cracks me up. He gets all his moves from his daddy. We stayed well past curfew and the kids (and adults) danced the night away...

Hunting...I Mean Hiking

On Saturday morning we met my whole family at the lodge for a hike to the Natural Bridge. It is tradition that every year at the family reunion we wear matching shirts (Poor Robbie!). Some of the "seasoned" folks took the skylift to the top while the rest of us headed up the mountain by foot. Tate kept saying that we were going hunting and Lily would correct him and tell him it was hiking. He then started correcting himself by saying we're on a hunt...oh...well...I mean hike. Mom had a bum knee but was a trooper and just took her time. My 80 year old grandpa even hiked it with us. We made lots of stops along the way and during one of them, Lily managed to con a granola bar from some man and his son. I swear...you'd think we never feed that child. When we got to the top it was worth the trouble. It was such a beautiful view. Tate informed us that he was "too tired to walk all the way all day down that mountain" so we decided to take the skylift down. After the hike, we went to the pool for a few hours where I was able to enjoy some adult conversation with my cousins that I haven't seen in years. The kids had a great time playing and jumping about. They are getting quite confident in the pool. Needless to say, we headed back to the cabin and the kids crashed for VERY long naps.

Mooney Family Reunion

At last...I have internet access. I finally got my laptop to work here in the mountains of Kentucky. This weekend we went to Natural Bridge, Kentucky for the Mooney Family Reunion. It's actually quite weird that I married an eastern Kentucky boy and always tease him about being from the mountains, and my grandpa is from 45 minutes up the road from Paintsville. We stayed at a beautiful cabin with my Aunt Lynda and Uncle Rick, Faith Ann and Paul, Rusty and Cami, my mom and my family. I don't realize how homesick I am on a daily basis until I spend time with them. There is a definite void living 800 miles away from them. We had a great time and the kids just loved being with their family.

The Hoedown

OK...this might be the funniest thing I've ever seen. Last night we went to the Hoedown at the state park where our family reunion was held. The kids had a ball dancing around. The video below is not great quality, but hopefully you can see Tate (and Lily popping in and out in bottom left corner) busting a rug! I have more pics to post at a later time, but wanted to share the laughter with all of you...

One Year Older and One Organ Shorter

Tonight we had a low key birthday celebration for Robbie since he is still feeling a little whipped from his surgery. We were going to Chattanooga to Ichiban, but mid-day Robbie called and said he didn't feel up to it so we went to House of Japan here in Cleveland. It was a great meal and we all left blown up like puff fish. The kids loved the sliced pineapple with cherries on plastic sword toothpicks that they brought out for Robbie's birthday. They were even singing and playing a drum! When we got home, the birthday boy was expecting to turn the Home Run Derby on, but lo and behold, he was outvoted and ended up in the chair with both kids watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Poor daddy!

Water Logged

Today we went over to Ben's (my second cousin) for a barbeque and swimming. Ben and Pam have a seven year old named Reid. The kids had a great time playing on the playground and swimming. The day ended with a little drama. Poor Tate was coming down the slide and got stung by a "wasper" (as he calls it thanks to his daddy). Of course, my initial reaction was worry about him being allergic, but thank goodness he doesn't appear to be. Of course, he narrated the entire incident on the way home saying that "mean wasper" came up and stung me as I was sliding down into the water. Within five minutes of walking through the door, both kids (and daddy) were sound asleep. What a fun day!

Uncensored

Okay...I know its totally disgusting to post a pic of my daughter's bodily fluids, but its a big day! It is noon and my daughter is at home and she is still dry!!! She made a deposit about an hour ago and was so excited. I hope this is the beginning of the end of diapers. We'll see!!!!

Friends for Life

Last night we went over to Heather's for a barbeque with Meyer, Purvis and their crews. We had some GREAT burgers and the kids enjoyed ice cream cones on the front patio. They were all so cute playing together. The girls have this ongoing thing where they won't talk to each other. They will play with the same toys in the same room, but will not speak to each. It is hilarious.

A Team Effort

The O'Bryans wouldn't make it without help from a ton of people. Today Robbie had gallbladder surgery. He is now laying in the bed resting and starting to show signs of life. A big thank you to Nonny for watching the kids while we were at the Surgery Center. Later this afternoon, Beth dropped by with some dinner...what a relief!!! The kids were getting cabin fever so Stef and Kendra (otherwise known as DeeDee and LouLou to the little bits) took them to Chick Filet for a little break from mommy. They then came back to the house, folded some laundry, played with the kids, and ended the evening watching "So You Think You Can Dance". I don't deserve such great friends.

Mimi and Pipi Go Down in a Game of Memory Compliments of Lily Bean

Mimi and Pipi (my mom's parents) are in town visiting my great aunt. We enjoyed a great dinner, bathtime, and then a competitive game of Memory. Tate won the first round and then Lily came from behind and creamed us all in the last two games. I think Mimi and Pipi were distracted in their game by Lily's squeals of delight when she would make a match. It was great to have family in town.

Max's Battle in the Backyard

Connie called me today gagging and screaming into the phone. Apparently Max became more than territorial when a three foot snake travelled into our backyard. Connie had to snap some pics so we knew she wasn't exaggerating.

Celebrating the life of Nonny and Daddy

Yesterday we had a dual birthday party for Robbie and Connie. We also said farewell to Robbie's gallbladder (surgery on Wednesday). The kids led the gang in a Happy Birthday and also enjoyed daddy's new Baggo boards. They have been named the official beanbag fetchers. It was a great night with good food, great laughs and wonderful friends.

Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom

On Friday, Michelle and Allan drove in to go to the fireworks with us. After dinner, Guthrie three, my family and Stef headed up the mountain to see the show. The kids had a great time playing around. One of my teacher friends brought his family also. Of course, once the fireworks show started Lily was on my lap with her eyes covered and Tate had found some friends to sit with on the hill. It was a perfect night.

Handy Helpers

This week we did a lot of work in the backyard preparing for the party. I snapped this pic as Robbie found he had all the help he needed.

A Long Drive

After 12 days and around 2,000 miles we returned back home. The kids were really great in the car (with the exception of Miss Lily who kept wanting to unsnap her carseat). We found Robbie's new company car to be extra compatable for long travel with the kids. They had plenty of room and could sit in two different rows so as not to be tempted to torment each other.

The Big Apple

This week has been nuts so I haven't really had a chance to post the rest of the pics from NYC. We had such a great time on our visit to the city and the kids were just great the entire day. We started the morning with a busride through the Lincoln Tunnel. Once we arrived at the Port Authority, we took the subway to Ground Zero. The kids were so excited to ride a bus and a train all in the same day. It did not take us long to figure out the NYC is not the most kid-friendly place in the world. We were breaking through security alarms left and right in order to get the stroller out of the subway and then we had to carry the thing up two flights of stairs. I don't know how mothers do it on a daily basis. After Ground Zero, we headed to Times Square and FAO Schwartz toystore. The kids looked around and found a lot of things they wished they could bring home. The coolest thing in the store had to be the Big Piano. Tate was too distracted by all the toys, but Lily and I had a great time on it. Tate found the perfect truck and trailer and Lily bought "The Hungry Caterpillar". After FAO Schwartz we walked to Central Park for lunch. After being slightly lost, we managed to find this great open space for the kids to run around for awhile and bought some great cheeseburgers from a vendor. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Times Square shopping. Both kids took great naps in the stroller. We eventually met up with some of my parents dearest friends and we headed to the Toys R Us. This store is like nothing you've ever seen before with a huge ferris wheel in the middle of it. The kids enjoyed a good ride and then we headed to find somewhere to grab a bite. Standing outside of the restaurant, our stroller decided to blow a tire. Yep...that's right folks...we are in downtown Manhattan with two kids and no stroller. Toys R Us to the rescue. I ran back over and bought an umbrella stroller for Lily. After dinner, we split up and the boys (and Nonny too) headed to the Yankees game while the girls hung around the city looking for some illegal purse vendors :) We eventually met up with my cousin Jacquelyn for dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night. The boys had a great time although Robbie was slightly disappointed that Tate colored and played with his trucks the whole night. He had no interest in the game whatsoever. Poor Robbie!