Gavin's Acting Debut: The Three Piggy Opera!

A highlight of Kindergarten is to be part of the first big play: The Three Piggy Opera!  Gavin was in the singing pig gallery and also told a joke into the microphone with his great buddy Will.  Here it is...Will starts with "How do you get more pigs on a farm?"  And Gavin finishes with "Build a sty-scraper!"  When you're in Kindergarten, this is super funny!  We loved seeing their class performance and are so proud, as always, of our Gavin!

Grandma and Grandpa Reder's October visit

We were so excited to have Grandma and Grandpa Reder come to town for a fall visit!  They were able to attend Grandparent's Day at the kids' school, which was such a nice treat.  Beyond that, we kept each day busy with lots of fun activities and outings.  We also all spent a Saturday in Lafayette with the Harding and Burkholder families, making for a fun fall reunion!  Here are some photo highlights of our time together.  I think we sent them back to Florida ready for a nice nap.  Ha ha.

So excited they have arrived!

Spending the day at Wagner Farm with Tyler while the older two are at school

Relaxing in the rocking chairs!

In Gavin's classroom for Grandparent's Day

In Cassidy's classroom for Grandparent's Day

There was an all-school Mass to wrap up the special day at school.

We spent time cheering on Gavin's soccer team.  He scored a few goals and played his heart out!

We spent an afternoon at the Botanic Garden and saw their beautiful autumn displays.

Bedtime chats with Grandpa

Taking in the lakeshore scene at Gillson Park

Celebrating Tyler's 2nd birthday!

Cassidy is modeling her peacock Halloween costume, made with love by Grandma Reder!

Stopping by our favorite local frozen yogurt spot, Cocomero, for a sweet treat.

In Lafayette with all the Reder cousins!

Tyler with Emily and Ellie

Tyler, our little rascal - with Michael

Family photo, Fall 2014

Tyler Turns Two!

Is it possible that our little baby is turning 2?  We can't believe it!  Tyler brings so much joy to our family - we are so grateful for him and so excited to celebrate his 2nd birthday!

Sibling love on his special day!

Opening birthday gifts

Trains are his favorite toys these days!

"Look what you got buddy!"

The birthday cake

He enjoyed every bite! (Can you tell I was unprepared with birthday boy plates, and had to use some extra pink ones from summer?  Ha!)

Tyler loved his trampoline from Grammy and Grandpa Brown!

We even got to celebrate with Grandma and Grandpa Reder when they came to visit in October!

Summer family portraits

This summer, we had some new family photos taken.  We really didn't have any current pictures of our family that included little Tyler!  And Cassidy and Gavin are just growing like weeds right before our eyes.  So, it was time!  Here are our favorites...

Back To School 2014!

Summer has come to its official end...school is back in session!  Cassidy is starting 2nd grade and Gavin is starting Kindergarten.  They are both so excited for a fun year ahead.  Tyler's going to miss his two buddies all day long!  It will just be me and him at home now.  I'm sure we'll find plenty of adventures and fun to keep us occupied, but we'll miss these two for sure!  Off they go - here are a few pictures of Day 1!

A West Virginia Wedding

Erik and I spent a beautiful summer weekend in West Virginia as we attended the wedding of our long-time friend Damian and his new wife Kelly.  Damian and Erik have known each other since grade school and I have known him since our college days at U of I.  Erik stood as a groomsman and it was a beautiful sunny day in late August for their outdoor wedding on a rural hillside - really gorgeous!  We are so grateful to Grammy and Grandpa Brown who took care of the kiddos for us while we were away; it was a great getaway for us and a lovely evening of celebration with the new couple!

Erik and Damian, weeks earlier in Miami for the bachelor party

Two nights before the wedding, we went out with a group of old friends, all in town for the big day.

Erik and Matt Neal - groomsmen

Roia Barrios, me and Kate Neal - seated as we await the bride's walk down the aisle.

The groom and (many!) groomsmen, ready to go!

The happy couple!

After the vows - the party begins!

Our photo as we waited in the airport for our flight home - sent this one to the kids to let them know we were on our way and so excited to see them again!

More Sweet Moments of Summer...

There are just a few sweet pictures left that I enjoyed looking at as I sorted through our summer photos.  As usual, many involve dress-ups!  These are the spontaneous family moments that I hope to always remember.

Dress up day

A mommy/daughter selfie!

Gavin, protecting the galaxy

Tyler - a confusing identity in this one!  Half princess, half jedi.

Tyler loved trying on goggles this summer

The boys and their special bears

Cassidy enjoyed twisting and twirling around on the playset bar this summer

A fun summer afternooon in the backyard

Playtime in the playroom

Going for pony rides

Driving over to the beach one summer night at dusk to try to catch a glimpse of the full moon (too cloudy!)

Brothers

Tyler loves to run the train on the ipad

Dress up in mommy's summer slippers!

Erik and I enjoying a summer night out on a friend's rooftop deck in Chicago.  The sunset was really beautiful!