A 5k and a 1st Birthday

Last weekend we headed to NJ to visit Sonia and the girls. Sonia invited me to run with her in her first 5k, the Big Chill at Rutgers University to benefit Toys for Tots. I was really excited to be able to run this race with Sonia. She was amazing (do you see her body? She has 3 kids under 5!), ran through a belly cramp and beat me by almost 2 minutes. It was a lot of fun and I was so happy to get to run her first 5k with her!

Marino came with us. Wil was nice enough to push the jogging stroller so Sonia and I could run (there were some hills that would have killed me with the stroller). Of course he was still MUCH faster than us. Marino was really well behaved and had a lot of fun. He particularly enjoyed the cadence chants from the ROTC.

The kids always get along great (except when they want to play with the same toy). Here they are looking like they are doing a great job sharing ::wink::

The big kids got busy decorating cupcakes for Alana's birthday. They loved it, of course. My boy has no interest in "art" unless it involves food!

Sweet girlies.

And this happy, sweet girl turned 1. Time flies. And this girl is a twin of her big(gest) sister.

Marino had a great time with the big kids. EJ, Sonia and Wil's nephew, is 12 and Marino thought he was so awesome. As soon as he walked in, Marino asked me "What's his name? Why isn't he talking to me?" Later EJ said to me "That kid is cool. Most kids that age are just, like, babies. But that kid is awesome."

Instagramming fun with Uncle Wil.

Love these girls!

The boys who were too crazy for McDonald's playplace...

Last week we had a little reunion with Marino's crew of buddies from school.  This year, the crew split up, and only one of the boys still goes to school with Marino. Marino misses his buddies, so we planned a little playdate at McDonald's. Oh my, these boys were nuts! They were soooo excited to see each other and they were really rowdy. I'm pretty sure the entire place let out a collective sigh of relief when we left, but the boys had a great time. Here's a few shots of the crazies! 

Alex, Carter, Dylan, Marino & Ike

Alex's brother Ryan wanted to get in on the craziness, too!

Pajamas and Playseum

We had a very fun and busy weekend! After storytime and naps on Saturday, Marino and I headed to a pajama party/fundraiser at his old daycare. We had a lot of fun visiting with old friends and teachers and meeting new friends, too!

Marino and his "Shi Shi"

He loves this car at the playground there!

Sunday was a yucky, rainy, cold day, but we still got out and had some fun.

We started a new "pretend play" class. This one is focused on Superheroes and, of course, Marino LOVES it. He was dressed and ready to go 30 minutes before I was!

After a nap, we headed out to the Playseum in Bethesda, which is my favorite rainy day spot!

We met my friend Monica and her two boys, Kanye and Vincent there.

We all had a great time. It's always interesting when we go there to see which new things Marino is interested in. The fire trucks and tools are a constant favorite!

How cool is this lizard? His name is Toothless and I love him!

More fire truck time with new friends...

Vincent checking out the tools and safety gear...
Learning how to work a pulley

Marino keeps asking when we can see our friends again! Looking forward to more sunny playdates soon!

Spring Break 2012 - Part 2

Easter was a lot of fun this year. Marino understood the concept and was very excited for the Easter Bunny's arrival. This year, the Easter Bunny brought some treats, but also a toy recycling truck (by far the hit of the day), sunglasses, some books and a tiny kite. Marino still isn't really into candy - he just wanted to eat marshmallows.

We headed over to my mother-in-law's house in the early afternoon...

this is what Marino wanted to wear.

We had a delicious dinner and lots of fun visiting with family.

Monday was our last day of Spring Break. In the morning, we got together for a playdate with our friends The Richmond's, who we met back when Marino and Hayden were neighbors in the NICU. Today they are almost 4 and it's hard to believe they were ever so fragile and tiny!

Marino loves swings right now - the higher he goes, the happier he is!

I love this picture of Hayden - so handsome!

Serious conversation while climbing...

Pretending to drive...

Sweet brothers: Jackson and Hayden

Spring break is over but we made the most of our time off!