61st Month

5 years old! Liam had a great time at his first real birthday party—the first one to which he was allowed to invite friends. His party’s theme was Ocean/Underwater. We had lots of blue helium balloons for an ocean, ocean sand-art bottles, a Ziploc-bag aquarium craft, digging for seashells in sand, and fishing for goodie bags. The cake was a shark coming up out of the water. Aunt Emily, cousin Travis, and Maw Maw and Pots even came. It was a great party—lots of fun.

62nd Month

No more preschool! Kindergarten, here we come! Liam “graduated” from Little Friends this month in a really cute ceremony—cap and gown included.

Liam had his Kindergarten testing early this month, but we have not received any results yet. He is most definitely reading at this point, so he should have a good start for Kindergarten.

We had several trees taken down in the backyard this month. The kids all had a great time watching the guys climb way up in the trees to cut them—they really loved feeling the ground shake when the trees finally fell.

We got to see 4^th of July fireworks twice this month—once at Mercer County Park and again at Etra Lake Park. Liam loved them—wasn’t afraid of them at all, and even spent time comforting Susanna, who was afraid of them.

 Liam got to ride the Strasburg Railroad this month, and of course loved it.

 Mom took the kids to see Cars 2 in the theater (Liam’s first time)—enjoyed by all—especially after Mom got everyone popcorn.

64th Month

The weekend of August 27-28 saw Hurricane Irene hitting us here in NJ. Many parts of the state were flooded, but we were very fortunate—none of our trees fell, our basement stayed dry, and we never lost power. We all slept in the basement the night it hit us because there were tornado warnings. The following week we were supposed to go to the mountains in Bushkill, PA to meet Grandma Mel and Pop-Pop for a few days, but the house they had rented lost power in the storm. By Tuesday morning the power still was not back, so they came here and stayed with us for a few days before heading back to LA. We had a fun time with them—we took them to the Popcorn Park Zoo and the Jackson Jungle. Grandma Mel and Mom had some craft time with the kids. Their last night here, they decided to stay in a hotel so that we could all swim in the hotel pool—that was probably the highlight of the week for all the kids—it was actually the pool where Rachael used to take swim lessons.

 Now it’s time to gear up for a new year of school! Liam is so ready for Kindergarten—his reading skills have grown tremendously this summer. He will be in the PM Kindergarten class with a teacher new to Walter C. Black.

65th Month

Kindergarten!! Hard to believe it’s time for this already! A few days before school started, Liam had orientation—he got to meet his teacher and see his classroom and even take a ride around the block on the bus. If he wasn’t excited before that, he sure was after. He is really enjoying being in school—and is even in the same class as his friend George. No homework yet, though. He likes being able to say that Rachael’s school is his school, too.

LSU football has begun and we have continued our tradition of watching on the deck, grilling, and glow sticks. And having Maw Maw and Pots come from NY to watch with us.

Mom took the kids to see The Smurfs in the theater.

 

66th Month

A new backyard addition this month—a treehouse (well, actually, a tree platform with a railing)—it is being thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, even the neighborhood kids. We wrapped the trees with Christmas lights and Rachael made a “clubhouse” flag.

 Liam asked to have the training wheels taken off his bike this month, and the next day he was riding it. He is so very proud of himself, and so are we.

 Liam went on a field trip to Lee’s Turkey Farm (Mom and Susanna met his class there) where he learned all about the farm, got to see lots of turkeys, and took a hayride. Unfortunately, because of all the rain we’ve have, Mr. Lee didn’t have any pumpkins to pick.

 Liam, Susanna, and Mom got locked out of the house one morning this month. After running errands, we got home to discover the power was out, so the garage door opener wouldn’t work. Mom also realized the security chain was still across the front door. Mom checked windows but didn’t find any unlocked. The neighbor had a painting crew working at their house, and they volunteered to help find a way to get us in the house. We discovered one of Rachael’s bedroom windows open, so the guys got their extension ladder and climbed up to try popping out the screen—no luck. Mom had already been able to pop the screen on the kitchen window, so one guy tried using a knife to get the window unlocked—no luck. Then Mom mentioned that the front door could be unlocked but not opened the whole way because of the chain. So, the guys got a screwdriver, reached in the partially open door and unscrewed the chain from the door frame, so that the door could be opened. Liam had been very concerned that we were not going to get into the house in time for him to go to school.

 Halloween weekend was very busy with parties, both birthday and Halloween. Liam dressed as a Strong Man. The big surprise for the weekend was SNOW!! Two days before Halloween we got several inches—went trick-or-treating in the white stuff. And, on the same day, Liam lost his first tooth!

67th Month

Liam lost his first tooth this month! He was very excited (and a little nervous) when it finally came out. He was also very excited that the Tooth Fairy left him a dollar coin, but he was a little disappointed that she didn’t eat the apple he left for her. (oops).

Thanksgiving was a fun-filled event, with Grandma and Grandpa and Maw Maw and Pots coming to celebrate with us.

Mom had conferences with Liam’s teacher this month, and she had nothing but wonderful things to say about him. In fact, the first thing she said to Mom was, “That’s one bright boy you’ve got there.” He is in the highest skill group in the class, and his reading skills are off the charts for Kindergarten. He is also doing well with his writing skills. He gets along well with everyone and is very kind and helpful. We couldn’t be more proud of how well he is doing in school

 

68th Month

Santa was very good to Liam this year, bringing him lots of Legos, books, and a really cool Imaginext pirate ship. His favorite thing, though, seems to be something that wasn’t even a Christmas gift—Rachael’s hand-me-down DSi.

Another favorite gift was the membership to the West Windsor pool given to the family by Grandma Mel and PopPop.

Another tooth came out this month, this time at school. Liam was very excited when he hopped off the bus that day. He was also very happy the next morning when he discovered that the Tooth Fairy remembered to eat his apple this time.

 

70th Month

Liam has now lost all four of his front teeth!

Winter is fast coming to an end, and we are amazed at how mild a winter it has been. Of course, the kids are a little disappointed that there hasn’t been any good snow to play in, but Mom and Dad are quite happy.

 

71st Month

Liam has become quite good (and creative) at building Legos. He says that he wants to be a Lego Designer when he grows up

Grandma Mel came for a visit over Palm Sunday weekend. It was chilly and rainy but it was still a good visit. Grandma Mel even enjoyed Easter games at church with us.

 

The 6th Birthday Cake