Celebration

We celebrated our ten year anniversary this past weekend with a special getaway to Baltimore and had a blast!





A special thank you to Mimi and Poppy for taking the boys so we could get away and re-charge!

Check-Ups

The boys had their yearly check-ups this morning. Both boys were well behaved and made me so proud. Eli had to get two shots and was a trooper. Carter didn't have to get any shots and was very happy about that. Their stats are as follows: Carter William is 42 inches tall, that is a growth of 6 inches in one year! He weighs 34 lbs. which is gain of 5 1/2 lbs. All else checked out. He recieved a clean bill of health. Elijah Brian grew one inch in three months and now is 30 inches long. Ever my consistent child he also gained one pound in the last three months and now weighs 20.3 lbs. Both boys continue to make strides and are thriving. Eli still meets with Kelly once a week and is still doing quite well. He is now a seasoned crawler and is so fast that it is almost impossible to catch him. He has been working hard at pulling himself up and gets up on his knees with ease. He has come close to pulling himself up comletely to standing postion a few times so I am sure that will follow. Carter is doing well. His speech has improved greatly and he says new things everyday. His word clarity and sounds continue to get better daily. Carter continues to get excellent reports from school which makes us very happy and proud. We are feeling a bit of sadness as the year is beginning to wind down and summer break will soon be here. Carter and Elijah are truly the most wonderful blessings in our lives and everyday we are thankful for the opportunity to watch them grow and flourish.

Beautiful Weather

With the the inviting weather we have had as of late the boys have been taking advantage of the parks and playgrounds in our neighborhood. Most recently they have been working on their swinging skills. Carter loves the swings and this year has become a little bit daring, challanging us to swing him as high as we can! Eli, of course, takes everything in and wants to swing high just like his big brother!

Giddy Up

I LOVE these adorable cowboy pajamas that my grandmother found! How cute do the boys look? I have been keeping my eyes open for inexpensive cowboy hats...I think that would really complete the PJ's. If anyone knows where I can find them let me know!

Party On

What a beautiful day we had to celebrate Elijah's 1st Birthday with family and friends! Everyone had a wonderful time especially the 16 (yes, I said 16) children under the age of 10 that were in attendance. All of the kids enjoyed playing in the sand box and the moon bounce (a special treat from our good neighbors, The Torrisi Family). Below you will find pictures of all the special people in our lives. I am sorry that I didn't get a chance to snap off more but things are always crazy for the hostess! If I missed catching you on camera I am sorry.

It is hard to believe that just a year ago my little guy weighed in at only 5lbs. 15oz. All of the nurses were correct...he did grow indeed!

Blowing out the candles.....check out Carter in the bottom right corner....what a scream! He sure can blow out a candle.

Hands down this party was the best day of year so far for McGraw. Kids drop food everywhere plus there are benefits of knowing the birthday boy.Thank you to all who celebrated with us. We love you all and are very lucky to have such wonderful friends and family in our lives

Later in the evening the boys tore into Eli's gifts and really enjoyed themselves....especially Carter who thought that everything was for him! What wondeful surprises they unwrapped!

One Year Old!

What an absolutely wonderful day to turn One! I can't help to feel a little tug at my heart as it seems Eli's first year of life passed much quicker than Carter's. Even though difficult, Brian and I welcome the thought of leaving "babyhood" behind us (for right now) and moving on to new adventures with both the boys.
We had wonderful adventures today.....First we headed off to buy some pretty flowers and then it was off to a friend of Mimi's to visit her beautiful natural spring fed ponds. In the larger pond were some of the biggest Koi fish I have ever seen and the boys enjoyed feeding them. In the smaller pond we looked for turtles and watched the frogs dive deep below the surface. We then headed to lunch at McDonald's where Eli enjoyed three chicken nuggets! (Man, can this little boy eat!)

Later in the evening we celebrated with a small cake and some singing.

Eli was not sure what to do with the candles so our seasoned birthday boy was happy to help blow them out.
Eli shares his Daddy's love of sweets so eating cake.....well.....was a piece of cake.
Things got messy quick but the giggles and enjoyment on our little man's face made the mess worth it! Before long he had finished and was looking for another piece. On Saturday we will celebrate again with all of our extended family and friends. Until then.... sweet dreams my little angel, Elijah Brian.

And Then He was Three

Yesterday we celebrated Carter's third birthday! It is hard to believe that three years have passed! It seems like yesterday when this beautiful boy entered into our lives, with his sweet disposition and the largest brown eyes ever seen. Our hearts were immediately stolen and our world forever changed.




Even though he is growing so fast Carter still remains our sweet angel who loves to give us a challenge on occasion. I can't think of anything better than having the privilege of waking up every morning and watching him discover the world!

Happy Birthday, Carter William! Make a wish!!

The Walking Path

Along the Bushkill Creek now runs a wonderful walking path. Originally an old railway bed the path is a great place for Carter to explore and have a little bit of freedom since no motorized vehicles are allowed. Carter's "very best friend", and partner in crime, Jacob lives right on the walking path so we decided to head out for some fun.

One of the first things we discovered was this old stone bridge. Jacob, Carter and Ashleigh had fun exploring and watching the creek slowly wind underneath the bridge.

Everywhere are signs of spring. Tiny ferns cling to moss and grow along rock walls, trees have begun to bud, patches of green are evident along the river bed and birds are busily building their nests. We saw a pair of Mallards and Canvasbacks swimming down stream and we were also lucky enough to see a red winged blackbird in flight.

Little Elijah and Cassie were happy to be pushed in their strollers and watch their big brothers. Eli tried really hard to take a nap but there was just too much to see. The boys found some pretty wildflowers and Carter presented me with a beautiful little bouquet. We found enough flowers and Ashleigh made a little wreath for Cassie. Such a princess!

Carter had such a good time he fell asleep talking about his adventure with the Hoffmanns and it was the first thing he mentioned this morning. We are looking forward many more sunny filled walks on the path.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

This picture equals total bliss. Finally we had a beautiful day and Carter was ready to try out his new bicycle.
Even though his birthday is still a few days away we couldn't resist giving Carter his birthday present from us this past Sunday. Carter has asked for a bike and he was so excited to acquire this beauty. We spent quite a bit of time today practicing and we even ventured around the block to the post office. He did pretty well but still has work on how to use the pedals. (Mommy did alot of pushing!) He was so pleased to show off his new ride to all the neighbors.

Sunday was the first of three birthday parties. (Lucky Kid!) His birthday celebration takes place tomorrow at school and Carter happily helped me decorate cupcakes and did an excellent job. And on Thursday we are planning on a small cake......the more cake and parties the better!

Happy Spring

I love the adorable lion and lamb Carter made at school. I think that the lamb with his wooly little head is my favorite craft of the whole year so far.

Holding true March came in like a lion and out like a lamb. The boys and I have been enjoying the sunshine and Carter has taken a special intrest in walking around the flower beds to see how much the plants and flowers have "popped" out! We even took the some time to plant pretty pansies this past weekend that were hand picked by Carter. So much fun!