After several days of celebrating, we had a family dinner at Il Fornaio and came home to open a few gifts. Happy Birthday, Lucas! We all love you so much.
Lucas’s 8th Birthday
Lucas’s 8th Birthday Party
After the controlled chaos of inviting every kid in Lucas’s grade over last year, we dialed it way back this year. Lucas is still really into Harry Potter, so we had a toned-down version of the party Olivia had last year. He had just a few of his buddies over for lunch, some activities, and a short screening of The Sorcerer’s Stone.
It was a nice afternoon with friends on a rainy afternoon. We thank Lucas’s friends for helping him celebrate turning 8 years old. Happy Birthday to our little big man.
Our annual pilgrimage to American Girl
Someone else took one of my favorite photos from our RV trip.
First Day of School – 2016
Lucas and Olivia are entering 2nd and 4th grade, respectively. Looking forward to a great year with new teachers and old friends.
Lucas’s 7th Birthday Party
Lucas turned 7 today. Seven! He wanted to invite both the girls and the boys from school to his party and he has buddies in both classes. So we invited 40 first-graders over … to our house.
Kate, our old nanny, planned and prepared all the details for Lucas’s Star Wars-themed extravaganza. Between the jumpy, crafts, Episode IV and a relay race, there were plenty of activities to keep the 30 or so kids who attended busy. In addition to my parents and Jen, we put all parents who were foolish kind enough to stick around to work! Thank you!
Despite many sideways glances (like, what were we thinking), Kate and Grace pulled it off and it seems like all the kids had a good time, especially the birthday boy. We haven’t told him yet that his party next year will be a sleep over with one friend, and by friend, we mean his sister. Just kidding!
Happy Birthday, Lucas! We love you so much.
First Day of School 2015
The start of school is always exciting for us. We feel fortunate that Lucas has the same teachers Olivia had in 1st grade. Olivia continues to pave the way in 3rd grade. Wishing them both a great school year, which I’m sure will go by too fast.
December Beach Day in Half Moon Bay
Grace is on a girls weekend in Chicago / Lake Michigan. There was some serious plumbing going on at the house, so we had to get out of there. HMB is my go-to for having a day outdoors with the kids. I’d say there’s a routine, but every wave is different and makes for an adventurous time.
It was crazy to see what the recent storms did to erode the beach. Shortly after walking off the steps there’s about a 5-6′ sand cliff to the newly contoured beach. The seas were still pretty rough and I did have some fear of the kids getting washed away. There was a low-point on the beach that I told Olivia to avoid, though she kept taunting the ocean. This young couple went for a stroll right into that area and were soon soaked to mid-thigh of their rolled-up jeans. It was funny, but also made my point to O.
Though there were some scuffles and a war of wills, there was also a lot of teamwork. We had a late lunch at the hotel before heading home. HMB is always a great little getaway for us and it turned out to be a beatiful late-Autumn day.
Lucas’s 6th Birthday Party
On November 1st, Lucas turned six years old! We hosted a party for him at home for his Kindergarten buddies. Lucas enjoys many things, but none more than Legos. Our nanny, Kate, went all out and pulled together the decorations and activities, including the hand-drawn cups with Lego faces.
The rain ended just in time for our outdoor affair. Thanks to all his friends who helped him celebrate. Thanks, especially, to Kate for all her hard work.
We can’t believe our sweet little boy is six already. Lucas, we love you very much and hope you had a wonderful birthday.
School Dropoff
Dropoff is not old to me.