kids will play...

Our kids play HARD! They love the park...being outside is a FAVORITE!! And we have been able to be out a good bit. On the flip side, our kiddos also love a chill evening watching a movie or an episode of He-Man (or Super Mario Brothers or Avatar). Here are some new photos of our outdoor/indoor adventures. You can also check out my blog here to see the ins and outs of our month of July.

Milk and snacks in hand, kiddos are ready for a fun family movie night--the Incredibles.

Joe peeking his head out of the pirate ship at the Honi-Honi while Corey played a gig

Libby played so hard that she fell asleep with her hand in the chip bag

Libby has become quite the ham...this is her striking a pose for the camera.

and of course a couple pictures of Libby Lou Lally on her birthday!

5x a miracle

My baby girl turns 5 today. To think she started off this small...

But every year she has grown and developed and changed. This year her personality has really bloomed. She is JUST LIKE HER DAD with a hint of Wanda Marple. She has a crazy sense of humor. She never tires of being silly. She is so caring and mindful of her brother. I love to see her heart for him. If we buy her a treat at the store she will always ask, "What are we getting for Joe?" He is never left out.

Libby age 1

Libby age 2

Libby age 3

Libby age 4

Some things remain the same though...

She is still our miracle baby

Happy Birthday Libby Lou Lally. I love you!!

Happy Birthday!

We call him Joebot and Monster Truck. Libby calls him her "brudder." He is our sweet little man. Full of energy and craziness. He has the best sad face ever. I can't believe he has only been in our life for 3 years. Our family just wasn't complete until he made his debut.

LOVE YOU JOE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

new adventures

Libby's surgery went off without a hitch last month, and it really didn't slow her down at all! She is an amazing kid (I know I say it all the time, but c'mon, she is!). We've done our best to fill the summer with fun things that she can do too i.e. no water activities.

Here are some photos from a hike we took in Cooper's Rock. She had a blast in the stroller while Joe and I ran and ran and ran. I'm convinced he has two settings: Hi and Lo. Nothing in between. We ended up at the overlook and a fun park where we had a picnic and let the kids play. It was a great day.

More next month... It is just about birthday season here in the Bozic house, so lots of pictures to come!

A month in review

It seems that life continues to happen, and we remain busy, busy, busy. So here are some photos to help review what we have been up to.

Lovely photo of Libby-one of my new favorites.

Easter--not a "normal" photo int he bunch. But I like this one :)

A trip to Charleston to visit my grandparents... Grandpa is doing SO much better!

Libby likes it when Joe pushes her on the rocket.

More to come as the summer progresses!

Spring Fun!

It hasn't been much of a spring so far. We have been hibernating in the house for so long, it seemed like it would never end. One good thing about being inside -- we learned that the kids LOVE cup stacking. Hours of fun with 20 cents worth of plastic cups.

Today, however, was lovely. I took the kiddos over to mom and dad's for an outdoor adventure. They wanted to wear their rain gear, despite dry conditions. So I let them, and the photos turned out really cute. ENJOY!

Forever Friends (and a little birthday fun)

The last couple of Fridays, Shawna and I have been getting the kids together for a play date. It is so fun that our kids have been friends for their whole lives. When they are together, very little is required of Shawna and I. We usually enjoy some coffee while the kids amuse themselves.

Last week was also a special day for a special PawPaw. We took ourselves and the kiddos to mom and dad's house to celebrate! The kids especially loved blowing out the candles on Dad's cake.

Celebrating old friends!

I feel like I keep starting every blog with "these last few weeks have been hectic" or some variation thereof. But in our life there are seldom weeks where things are not crazy.

A couple weekends ago was especially jam packed with events. One of Corey's best friends Noel was in town for one night and one night only--so his great wife Mandy threw him a surprise party. The Jabbours live in Minnesota right now, so it is always a treat to spend time together. It was really GREAT to get to celebrate Noel turning the big 3-0!

The next day, an extra special visitor arrived at my mom's house from Argentina! Omar was an exchange student that spent a year in the U.S. 16 years ago. He was a student at the same high school my sister attended and the two of them were really close friends.

So when Omar didn't particularly like his host family, he came to stay with us. And then he ended up staying for the summer too. He was one of those people that made you smile no matter what. He and I spent a LOT of time together--no idea where the rest of the family was, but it always seemed to be me and Omar hanging out. He loved 80s music, so I would write down song lyrics for him (also helped him learn English).

Now Omar is a software engineer in Buenos Aires. He hasn't visited since 1998--which means he had met none of our kids or husbands or anything. Joe loved him immediately. It was great to catch up. We just started off right where we left off... Hope it doesn't take another 13 years to have a visit! Libby will be graduating from high school around then (AHHH) for now though--she is just styling in purple shades :)

Staying sane :)

We are in the thick of things right now. School stuff is piling up. Viruses are circulating around. Weather keeps changing from winter to spring and back again. But the Bozic household has been doing what it can to keep spirits high and stress low. One of my favorite activities is cooking with Libby. She is quite the helper. We both have to wear aprons and she pushes her stool next to the counter. Stirring and measuring are her favorite.

Getting out of the house is also a key part of sanity. We visited Grandma and PawPaw last weekend and it was great. Then we went home and had a fun movie night. You can read about it at my blog here.

We have also just been really silly lately. I laugh at Joe all the time (except the times when I am pulling out my hair because he is stubborn). He is a crazy kid sometimes :)

Fun things...

We have been busy, but with a new camera, I have also been taking more pictures. The winter chill is still upon us, so we have been staying indoors. That doesn't mean we haven't been having a blast. I'll let the pictures tell the stories (and captions).

Precious moment captured post-bath.

Libby helping me make roasted squash and ricotta stuffed shells.

She LOVES to cook and eat. Look at the tongue stuck out in concentration!

Joe in big boy underpants. He is NOT potty trained, but we are moving in that direction.

Family movie night. The kids got the comfy chairs, candy and strawberry milk.

I got the couch and a Care Bear movie (I think they won in this scenario).

Joe trying to coax daddy into another horsey ride.

Joe weighs right at 40 lbs, so the horsey can only go so far.

Cute kiddo feet. This is mainly me playing with the camera :)

Ball race in the basement. This has become a favorite activity for the kiddos. Libby makes me whistle to start the race.

A fun weekend away (for everyone)

Last weekend, Corey and I headed to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg TN area to stay in a cabin with the Taylors. The kiddos, however, stayed in Webster Springs with Corey's aunt and uncle. They had a BLAST!!

There was dress up

And tea parties

Joe got bored with the tea party eventually

We heard there was also a Valentine party complete with streamers and cupcakes. The weather was nice so Debbie and John took them to the river to see the fish and throw rocks. Libby got to take naps in the tent--which made her SO happy. Thanks so much guys! We had a great time relaxing, and our kids were WELL taken care of.