Strawberry Season

New Jersey continues to prove that its worthy of the nickname "The Garden State". (So far, the only plant life our yard hasn't been able to support is grass.) Last weekend, we were pleasantly surprised to see that our strawberry plants produced a delicious crop of red, juicy berries.

Ariella and Morgan searched through the leaves and quickly filled our basket. Many of the strawberries were big -- and, as Morgan demonstrates below, some were "teenie."

With a big basket of berries at their peak ripeness (plus another basket we bought at the grocery store earlier in the day before we realized ours were ripe), we needed to eat them fast. So after dinner, Morgan got to enjoy her first taste of chocolate fondue. Yum.

The Unofficial Start (and end) of Summer

Memorial Day weekend is often called the "unofficial" start of Summer. Unfortunately, with our little one due in mid-July, our Memorial Day weekend trip to the lake will have to take the place of our usual week-long vacation. So we were forced to cram a week's worth of summer fun into just three days.

We arrived in Connecticut late on Thursday night, so Morgan hit the beach first thing Friday morning. "Mayie and P-Pa's giant bathtub!" she said.

The beautiful weather on Friday gave Morgan and "Mayie" (aka Andy's mom) a chance to model their new summer beach wear.

On Friday night, we checked another Summer tradition off our list by making a trip to get We-Li-Kit ice cream. (Yum!) After her ice cream, Morgan wanted to burn off some calories on the tractor. (After all, she's showing off some belly in her new swim suit this year.)

On Saturday morning, we took Morgan to the park to burn off some toddler energy. She enjoyed the swings and slides. But the real highlight for Morgan was chasing the ducks and geese.

On Saturday afternoon, the Truax gang came to visit. Morgan hadn't seen the aunts, uncle and cousins since last Summer but once she got reacquainted, she was thrilled to play clay with Sarah, and then play flashcards with Aunt Tina.

On Sunday, Andy and P-Pa finally got the chance to put the final few sections of the dock into the water -- which gave Andy, Ariella, and the thing living in Ariella's belly a chance to lounge in the sun.

Of course, too much sun is a bad thing. So Morgan demanded that she and Ariella sit on the porch under some dirty Sham-Wows. (I guess Morgan thinks Sham-Wows soak up UV rays, too!)

By mid-afternoon on Sunday, the temperature hit 80 degrees, so it was time to get in one good swim before we had to hit the road home. Andy was the first one to take the plunge (and keep his streak of 38 straight summers swimming in Alexander's Lake alive!)

Morgan said "Daddy make big splash in P-Pa's bathtub!" And then she had a great time making some big splashes of her own.

After driving home Sunday night, we were up bright and early on Memorial Day Monday so we could meet Morgan's buddy Cooper at Philly's Please Touch Museum.

Dr. Morgan made sure Daddy wasn't carrying a baby in his big belly, too. (Nope. It just looks that way.)

Morgan and Cooper held hands all the way from the Alice in Wonderland exhibit to the Carousel. Too cute.

But our weekend wasn't over yet...

After a long nap, we headed to Cooper's grandparents house for an afternoon pool party swim. Just like Morgan, Cooper's usual summer travel plans are out the window (Bonsteel Baby #2 is due in early August). So Cooper is cramming a summer's worth of activities into one weekend, too.

It took us 4 days, 3 states, and over 600 miles in the car. But we feel like we've had our Summer vacation, even though it's only June 1. So now we can rest up and get ready for the big event due on July 18. (After all we've done this weekend, resting is going to be very easy.)

8 weeks to go...

It's hard to believe Ariella and baby are at 32 weeks already. Two months from now, Morgan will be a big sister, and the Sauciers will be a family of four.

We had a final ultrasound tonight... images below...

In the photo above, she is facing the camera with her eyes shut. You can already see that she's got the same chubby cheeks that Morgan has.

Next time we see her will be when she meets the world. Eight more weeks!

3 Girls and a Baby

After getting snowed-out in February, we finally had a chance to get together with our friends the Candullos and the Muses -- and their little girls, Jaimie and Ava (far left and far right in the photo above). Of course, in the three months that have passed, the Candullos went from a family of 3 to a family of 4 (little Sam was born in April... hence the title of this post.)

Our weekend started at the Steppingstones Kid's Museum in Norwalk, CT. Morgan donned her safari vest and checked out the gorilla family.

Later, Morgan and Jaimie discovered a common bond in their mutual love of splashing in water.

After snack time at the museum, we headed back to the Candullos house for lunch and naps.

Unfortunately, the girls weren't down with the nap plan. Morgan and Ava didn't nap at all. Jaimie didn't nap very long. So, basically, they had more time to play outside.

In addition to all the play time, the weekend trip also gave Morgan and Ava a chance to work on their big sister skills.

Morgan asked if she could hold baby Sam, understood that she needed to be very gentle, and generally seemed awed by the whole experience. (Insert sound of Andy and Ariella breathing a giant sigh of relief here.)

Ava (whose little brother arrives in early July) was a total pro when it came to holding the baby.

On Sunday morning, after we had gorged ourselves on pancakes and bacon, there was still time for the girls to have a big Pajama Dance Party before everyone had to hit the road.

It was great to finally see everyone again, and meet little Sam.

Thanks, Heather and Frankie, for hosting us all.

2nd Birthday Party!!

Can you tell me how to get... how to get to Morgan's 2nd birthday party?

On Saturday, May 8, we hosted Morgan's Sesame Street-themed birthday party. Appropriately, the party was sponsored by the letter "M" and the number "2".

The house was decked-out in balloons of Elmo and Abby. And even the food had a distinct Sesame Street flavor: Oscar's Sloppy Pulled Pork, Big Bird's Magnificent Mac n' Cheese, and Alphabet Pasta Salad, just to name a few.

The weather forecast looked grim at first, but we ended up with a nice afternoon to swing on the swings, ride bikes, and play in the sandbox with Cooper.

For a fun craft project, Ariella threw together some dowels, sparkly pom poms and pipe cleaners, and -- ABRA CADABRA! -- everybody got to make an Abby Cadabby magic wand!

The party's most amazing magic trick, however, was fitting 3 cousins into one chair meant for a toddler. (Yikes.)

When it was time to open presents, Morgan got a little freaked out that her card from Karen, Shawn, Katie and Andrew sang "Happy Birthday to Morgan". She quickly got over her fear, though, and now we get to hear the song 10 or 12 times a day.

After presents, it was finally time for birthday cake. Abby Cadabby and Elmo made another cameo appearance as the cake and cupcakes.

"Happy Birthday, dear Morgan... Happy Birthday to you!"

Mmm... Elmo's eyes taste like marshmallows!

Thanks, everyone for helping us make Morgan's birthday a special day she'll remember for a long time.