Lilly Lapp Straley Goes to Loveland

In their whirlwind tour of the United States, Kathy and Lilly made a weekend stop with the Muses. We were so excited to finally meet Lilly, and enjoyed our short time together swapping stories and kids (I got to take a break from my toddlers by feeding and rocking Lilly; Kathy got to take a break from a newborn by playing games with Alex and Avery – and watching Snowbuddies).

And yes, we did force Lilly and Avery to wear matching outfits for at least one picture. It was much easier getting them into the clothes, than having them sit still for an outdoor photo shoot.

Auf Wiedersehen, and click here to view more pictures.

Ground Hog Day in Gulf Shores

Once Alex and Avery finally recovered from the stress and side effects of a 15 hour car ride (they started the week sick, tired and shy and ended it fearless, energetic and outgoing thanks to plenty of rest and baby Tylenol), our days in Gulf Shores, Alabama ran like a well-oiled machine with very little breaks in the action or the laughter (or even our daily routine)! The kids enjoyed every minute with their “older” and “newer” cousins, as well as all the extra aunts and uncles.

So except for a fun-filled, four hour dinner at Lulu’s (don’t worry, the kids and Andy only had to sit still for 45 minutes) and an after hours excursion by the middle generation to Tacky Jacks (don’t worry, no one was arrested), here is a recap of our daily vacation schedule …

· Breakfast
· Bubbles on the porch
· Walk (or run) on the beach
· Pool time
· Lunch
· Pack the cooler
· Beach time
· Three hours at the driving range (Ok, that was just Aaron)
· Three hour drive to Pensacola (OK, that was just Mary An and Denny)
· Miller Lites and pretzels under the tent
· Ride the waves
· Wine, cheese and crackers at the beach house
· Watch Alvin and the Chipmunks (Ok, that was just the kids)
· Happy Hour at Tacky Jacks (Ok, that was just the grandparents)
· Grill out or order pizza
· Evening wiffle ball game
· Night swimming
· Watch the fireworks
· Night cap (or two) on the porch

More pictures are below or click here to see all the pictures we took from the Foley-Kirwin family vacation to Gulf Shores. Click here to see photos taken by Jen and Mark.

Pictures from May 2008

From bubbles to babbles, click here to see more pictures from last month.

Her First Words …

“Daddy,” called Avery after waking up in the Pack-N-Play at the Trainor house and seeing Andy walk toward her. She has been mumbling “dada” for the past few weeks, but this made it official that she can say it AND she knows who she is talking about.

This was then followed by a slurred “Al –Ves” that was produced while standing at the bottom of the steps trying to get her big brother’s attention. I am hoping I am next, but after hearing Alex shout “mom” at least 100 times a day, I can wait a little while longer.

His Final Words …

“I’m not tired. I want to go to two more parties,” said Alex after a long weekend of four cookouts and one birthday celebration. Obviously, the chair was his last stop