The O'Brien's Wedding

 My cousin Bobby O'Brien and his wife, Wendy, renewed their wedding vows on October 13.  They invited family and friends to celebrate with them.  Wendy was nice enough to let Quinlan and Reilly act as her flower girls. They did well for first time flower girls.   Wendy made the flower arrangements for them, complete with glittery pins and earrings and I made sure they were dressed for the event. 

Quinlan, Reilly and Max pose with Mima Reilly at the reception. 

Autism Walk - September 2012

 We did the Autism Walk at Monroe Community College with our Sib Shop, Parent Support and Recreation/Skill groups from CDS.  We raised a pretty good amount of money as a group.  This was the first time we had participated and the weather was a little chilly and overcast, but it didn't actually rain until the walk was over.  After, our family went out to lunch. 

 CDS provided the shirts.  Here is a picture of our group before the walk.

 It is a little hard to see, but this is a picture of the line of walkers/fundraisers.  

Reilly and Max were a little ahead of us.  Her shirt was just a little big.  The butterfly is CDS's logo.

First Day of School - 2012

 First day of school.

Max went back to Willink Middle School for 7th grade.  Quinlan and Reilly started at Schlegel Road School (same district, new school) in 4th and 1st grade, respectively.  It is the first time I am by myself most of the day.  Definitely an adjustment.  Quinlan is learning to play the viola, joined Orchestra and 4th grade Chorus.  I get to help out in Reilly's classroom and in the library.

Reilly's Birthday - 2012

My baby turned 6 on July 12.  We celebrated at the lake, at a Japanese Steak House with cousin Mina, at home with brownies and Skippy Jon Jones. Then we had a pool party for her friends and neighbors.  I decorated the fish cake to go along with the pool/fish theme. It was a beautiful day for a pool party.

 Amina, Reilly, Meg Wade and Quinlan.

Avery and Reilly

Disney - 3

Found this in the drafts bin.  More pics from Disney (Nov. 2011).  The anniversary of that trip is coming up and boy, do we wish we were going back again this year.

More Summer 2012

 The kid show off their prizes from the boardwalk at Wildwood NJ.  Chris won the giant Hello Kitty for Quinlan by shooting baskets.  She had asked him to try and (to my total surprise) he agreed.  He scored on the last try.  Luckily we drove the Tahoe there and had room to bring it home.  I kidded Quinlan that I would need to put her on the roof to do it.

Max and Quinlan fish off the neighbor's dock.  Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Reed.  I bought the worms, put them on the hook and took the fish off the hooks after the girls caught them.  Chris wanted nothing to do with worms or fish.  He was our official photographer.

Summer 2012

Here are some pictures from Summer 2012.  The Bennetts came to visit us at Keuka "Poppy's" Lake and then we met them at Wildwood NJ for our annual beach vaca.  Reilly was happy to see her old friend Cara (the dog) at the lake and the dog was happy to see her.  Most mornings the dogs would wait for the girls to go to the beach to play!  Quinlan and Reilly caught their first fish!  And we think it was the same fish - caught twice.  Max didn't get one but there is always next year.  I wish I had pictures of our first family visit to a waterpark with the Bennett girls in Wildwood.  Chris and I actually went down the slides too.  For me it wasn't so much the down but the up the l-o-n-g  staircases that were the end of me.

 Quinlan, Sydney Reilly and Reilly celebrate at Mima's Annual Birthday Bash!

 Elizabeth and Megan Bennett hang with Reilly and Quinlan at Keuka Lake.

 No. It isn't a giant bat.  Quinlan, Reilly and Max give "Skippy Jon Jones" a big hug at the Strong Museum of Play.  He is my favorite book character.  I hugged him too.  Although he looks a little demented here (his eyes).  He is a siamese cat who thinks he is a chihuahua.

 Reilly attempts to pull the sword from the stone.  We read "Sorcerer's Apprentice" a few dozen times this summer.

 Cousin Emily Croft moved to the big city and couldn't take her stuffed puppy with her.  Reilly agreed to take good care of it.  She calls it her "Vanilla Lab" because Quinlan has a chocolate lab stuffed animal.  Makes sense to me.

We had a wicked rain storm the first night at the beach (of course it was nothing compared to Hurricane Sandy).  It rained buckets for about 3 hours straight. The underground parking garage next door was flooded.  The next day a whole bunch of horseshoe crabs washed up on the beach - dead.  Our girls, and some others on the beach, carried them around, posed for pictures with them and used them to decorate sand castles.  It was pretty creepy to have one of them brush up against you while you were in the waves.