Friends!!

A few weeks ago...between our many trips of the summer...one of my best friends from college came up from Georgia to visit for a few days. She had not met either of the kids yet, and though her stay was short, she was a huge help and an immediate hit with the kids!! And a little heart to heart conversation with me one evening was much needed as well. Miss you Stacey...thanks again for visiting, you will never know how much that meant to me!

Smiley Riley

Though she still sleeps a lot, Riley is spending longer periods awake and alert and it is so fun to see her take in the world. I still love to watch her sleep though too!

Riley has really been smiling a lot now. Mom, Dad and Conor all work very hard at being silly to make her smile!! Conor has come up with many nicknames for her, some by repeating what Mom or Dad may say and some all on his own: Riles, ClaireBear, and SisterBiscuit are some of his most frequent choices. He still loves being a big brother, almost to the point of literally smothering her...we know he means well, hope she understands that when she is older and he still won't get out of her face :) Enjoy some of the smiles we have captured forever!

Memorial Day in Minnesota

Bright eyed and beautiful.

Conor learning to play the guitar from Grandpa on mom's old guitar. This was after he got to play the bongos in church after Mass where grandpa plays bass guitar. Conor even sang Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while he drummed along on the bongos with Ralph.

Fast asleep in Aunt Leah's cozy arms.Taking a picture of each other taking a picture.

Playing at the playgroung after spending the afternoon at Como Zoo.

Hugging the Sparky the Seal statue.

So sweet

No words for this one...just had to share these!

Just hanging out at home

Some great candid shots of how we've spent our days lately...

Conor showing off the hippo chocolate that our friend Ryan sent from Germany. He still asks for "Germany chocolate" daily for dessert. Thanks for all the treats, Ryan!!

Trip to the Zoo

In May, we took a trip to Brookfield Zoo with our good friends, the Torio's. Madelyn and Conor have been best friends since birth. They had a blast together. Riley had a nice long nap!

Caught underneath the waterfall in the monkey's jungle habitat. Sitting in the boat next to the alligator exhibit.

Peaceful and precious!

Watching the seals and sea lions up close, and counting them as they swim by.

Checking them out from above too.

Best buddies!!!

Lovin' daddy for giving him a better view.

Precious moments

Here is a sweet photo to hold you over until I have a chance to download photos from the camera and upload them to the website from the past month....we have been busy. Stay posted.