starved rock

so corey and i (& jeanne!) went on a little getaway to starved rock state park in utica, illinois! mimi and papa stayed and watched the boys while we went hiking. we had lovely fall weather and really enjoyed ourselves although we kept seeing things that would make us think of the boys (note the pix of the barge heading into the lock... james would've had a heart attack to witness such an event!) jeanne was a real trooper. she does love the bjorn and, as a result, (unfortunately for her) slept through most of our hikes. anyway, we're back and feeling rejuvenated!

october is here

i have no catchy title this time. our pictures are from a variety of outings and home life, so i could not come up with a unifying slogan (any thoughts, anyone, after seeing all the pix?) anywho, jeanne is growing... BIG time... literally. she is by far my biggest babe yet (and that's saying something!) she was 15 lbs. at her 2 mos. checkup, and i guarantee has put on quite a bit since. and while she is off the charts with her weight, at least she is also off the charts with her head size and in th 99th percentile for height. all this to say she is at least proportionally large. and what a sweetheart. she gives the best smiles and has even started laughing when i tickle her! 2 nights ago was her first night in her crib in her own room and she did just fine. before we'll know it she'll be sleeping through the night (fingers crossed!) james is a pro at this whole school thing, and he has been a big help on mondays and tuesdays, holding sean's hand as they get out of the car and walk up to school. it is quite a cute sight to see them walking hand in hand up to the door and out again when school's over. he has been taking swim lessons once a week, going with papa to knollwood and the reports have all been good (not that he has actually put his face in the water yet, but we're making progress!) seanny is still our little seanny. we're so happy that he has taken to school well, and he has become quite sweet on jeanne, his favorite activity being pointing out all her body parts (especially her nose- check out the photo.) corey and i are definitely staying busy, but loving the fall weather. love you all.