birthday pictures

Hey everybody,

Ben and Alex are napping away as I write this (they didn't sleep very well last night because of the heat). So I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to take over their blog and put up some pictures of our combined birthday parties. The first picture is of a get-together we had with some friends to celebrate 4 birthdays: the boys', mine, and my friend Marie's, whose birthday is around the same time (we celebrated turning 30 together last year). The other pictures are of the following weekend when Fred's parents and sister --plus his cousin and family--were at our place. As you can tell, Ben and Alex enjoyed the chocolate cake! The last picture is past their bedtime on the same day (it's only your birthday once a year, after all!) watching a video with their second cousin Tifanie.

It's been pretty hot here lately--the boys and I went to cool off at a friend's pool Friday afternoon. We've been having some car troubles: Fred spent most of yesterday fixing a leak and then when we were ready to leave for church this morning the car wouldn't start. This time it seems like the battery is dead. Nothing major, but problematic when you only have one car! (Since I don't see Fred carting the boys and I around on the back of his motorbike.)

Hope you all are having a great summer; we're looking forward to seeing you and/or talking to you soon!

love, Jill

more photos

Ben the future computer junkie and Alex the purse snatcher. :-)

summer and birthdays

Hi everybody,

Sorry it's been awhile! We're loving summer now that the good weather is here and we spend most of our time outside (except when Mom makes us take a nap). We also love going to the beach and digging in the sand, even though we're not too sure about the water. This past weekend our Mamie and Papy were here visiting again, along with Tatie (Aunt) Celine and Aka the dog. We celebrated turning 2 and also Mom's birthday with a big meal and some yummy birthday cake--we got chocolate all over us again!

Other than that there's not too much new to report; Mom and Dad are still waiting for the construction permit from the town hall so that the builders can start work on our new house. We spend our days playing in the backyard, taking walks with Mom, and sometimes going to the beach and getting together with friends to play. We're getting ready for our next big trip over the pond on Aug. 28th--we can't wait to see everybody! If you're available and can make a trip to the Richmond, VA or Lancaster, PA area we'd love to get together (well, Mom and Dad would anyway!) Here are some pictures of us at the beach a few weeks ago; we'll add some pictures of our birthday to the next post. Talk to you soon! love, Ben and Alex