If You're Happy and You Know It

Samuel has really gotten his act together so I thought I'd share this lil video of him doing one of his favorite routines (please excuse my lovely singing)...

Our Home Invasion...

The week following Easter, my home was invaded by 4 boys and their mother...

Well, kind of, but it was actually my dear friend, Michelle [Bolker] O'Neill and her four boys... ranging in age from 15 months to 11 years old. Her older boys were on their spring break from school and she decided to drive out and visit with us and let her boys experience all that Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. have to offer. We were thrilled to have them all.

When I first mentioned to Benjamin that they were coming, he was ecstatic. We always spend time visiting with them when we are in Illinois and he was thrilled that they were finally all coming to his home.

Michelle's husband, Eric, wasn't able to join her and the boys for the first leg of the trip due to work constraints. So, Michelle made the 12+ hour trek as a solo driver. She is such a trooper to begin with but that long of a car ride is hectic for anyone... never mind, 4 kids including a 15 month old! Everything went smoothly though and after leaving Sunday night and spending a night in Ohio, they arrived safely at our door on Monday afternoon.

We had a couple rainy days but enjoyed an indoor moon bounce place and the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum (which is close by). Then the rest of their stay was full of gorgeous weather.

The boys all had a great time together and my boys' truly enjoyed having all the boys in their house! Samuel and Eli (15 months old) have very similar interests and enjoyed shooting hoops (in the little hoop we have indoors) and dancing around together (see video clip below!) We visited a nearby playground and enjoyed chocolate fondue one night as well. I asked the O'Neill boys several different times what their favorite part of their day or trip had been and they always came up with more than one thing!

They spent Friday night in DC and toured much of the sights then we met up with them on Saturday. Michelle got up early and made it to the Washington Monument to get in line for same day tickets to go up to the top. Benjamin has been asking to go up int he Monument for sometime and it's something I've been thinking we need to do before we leave this area. So, I was more than thrilled when Michelle was able to get tickets for all of us to go!

It was a beautiful day which was great. Except that thousands of other people decided to head to DC as well and parking was horrific. I drove around for about an hour once we got into the district just for parking. ugh. Finally, we parked and I raced to the Washington Monument pushing the double stroller as fast as any 6 month pregnant woman could. Phew! We made it just in time and all enjoyed our quick time up in the monument.

After our trip up to the top of the Washington Monument, we stopped for a bite to eat then headed to the Smithsonian's Museum of American History. They had a good children's area that the boys all enjoyed.

At about 3:30 p.m. we headed back towards the car. It was a long tiring day but we all had a fun time.

The O'Neills all packed back into their SUV that night and started their journey back towards Illinois. We enjoyed every minute with them and look forward to spending time with them when we visit Illinois this summer.

The Hill Is Alive with the Laughter of Chapman Boys

With the exception of a few rainy days, we have been enjoying some really nice weather lately. The boys have been loving the time we spend outside, as have I! We have made many trips to the nearby playground, enjoyed walks around the block, the boys have been rediscovering their outdoor toys and sidewalk chalk and just love to be outside.

Ever since Benjamin was little he has always loved to run and roll down a hill in our neighborhood near the playground. And now, he has showed Samuel the way and the two of them race down it with excitement and big smiles. It is a great way to exert their energy!

I managed to snap a few photos of them running up and down that hill last week! And also of our "Boy Blue" who was decked out in all blue, including the new blue sunglasses the Easter Bunny left for him.

I love the expressions on Benjamin's face in when he runs down the hill. He is always full of smiles; however, he has been opting out of many photos lately and not showing his beautiful grin. These photos capture the spirit of the boys I know and love so much!

Our Eggstrodinary Easter

We had a busy but fun-filled Easter! When we started our day to shouts of joy coming from Benjamin's room "It's Easter Day! It's Easter Day!" He always wakes up soooooo happy (whether we're ready for it or not!).

When we went downstairs the boys were quick to notice that the Easter Bunny had visited and they had Easter baskets on the dining room table. They were delighted with all their treats.

I had been telling Benjamin for weeks that on Easter he was going to wear a shirt with buttons. If you keep up with our blog, you may remember that our Benjamin despises buttons. I keep thinking he is going to outgrow this aversion but that day is yet to come. So, when I was getting ready for church and blow drying my hair I could hear some crying and carrying on even over the noise of the blow dryer. hmm. I turned off the blow dryer and asked Don what was going on. His response, "Do you really want to know?" This, was Daddy following through on Mommy's promise to Benjamin that he WOULD wear a button down shirt on Easter. Once it was on and some buttons were concealed by a tie and vest sweater, I think he pretty much forgot he was wearing it! Mission accomplished.

We were off to church at 9 a.m. I volunteered in the nursery during part of a morning social time then I got to meet up with Don and enjoy some fellowship time and yummy breakfast as well. This year our church did a special Easter program that consisted of a play. Both Benjamin and Daddy took part in the play. Benjamin sang with the other children and was also an angel. Considering he is the youngest one out of the group of children, he did quite well. He was jumping up and down a bit, moving around more than the other kids and attempted to put his vest sweater over his knees. We weren't really sure what stunt he was going to pull next but I think he managed to entertain most of the congregation as we enjoyed lots of feedback on his stellar performance. One of the pictures of Benjamin dressed as an angel he looks quite pitiful; however, he really wasn't upset about being an angel but they had been in the church, expected to sit quietly much longer than usual... once he saw me smiling at him he perked up a bit.

Don acted as one of the travelers going to visit Jesus' empty tomb. I think he was thankful that he didn't have a speaking part and he did a great job as did all the participants in the play.

Immediately following church, there was an Easter Egg Hunt on the church grounds. It was a little cool outside but that didn't stop the kids. They had a blast seeking out the hidden Easter egg treasures.

We got home from church around 12 p.m. and Don put all of our prepared Easter dinner into the oven. I declare Easter as my "No Cook Holiday." We are always so rushed with church and trying to eat dinner before nap time that it has just become easier to run to the Honeybaked Ham store and pick up their lovely ham and prepared side dishes.

Anyway, while the meal was heading up we headed outside for a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. There were about eight kids and they were so excited. It seemed like there were eggs everywhere but it only took the kids a matter of minutes to find them all. They sure had a good time!

We were a bit rushed but managed to visit with the neighbors briefly before we headed back in for our dinner. By this time the boys were eager to gobble up all the treats they'd collected throughout the day. They did pretty good though and managed to make it through our dinner.

Don was off to Germany on Sunday for a conference and get acquainted trip with his future coworkers. So, it wasn't long after dinner that we were heading to the airport to drop Daddy off. We were thankful, however, that he was able to be here and share the excitement of Easter with us this year before he had to depart.

The boys were wiped out... as was I. And they both started to doze off on the 15 minute ride home from the airport. I managed to carry Samuel up to his bed (which is getting harder and harder for me to do as he and I both continue to gain wait!). Then Benjamin and I laid down for a rest. I did manage to sneak a little nap in while Benjamin enjoyed a little t.v. time.

Overall, our Easter was awesome, even though Don had to leave on his trip.

Visiting Daddy at Work

On Tuesday, the boys and I headed out to see Daddy at work. This was a real treat for them. It is about a 45 minute drive so it's not something we do often. Actually, I don't think Samuel had ever been to this office before!

And, of course, Daddy enjoyed having his work day slightly disrupted by his two lil guys and enjoyed introducing them to his coworkers.

We brought chocolate chip cookies (Daddy's favorite) and a few new pieces of artwork that the boys made special for Daddy. They were thrilled to check out his office, ride in the elevator, and have lunch at McDonald's with Daddy.

When I asked Benjamin what his favorite part of visiting Daddy at work was he did not hesitate to say it was eating chocolate chip cookies! And,

as you can tell in the photos, Samuel was enjoying his cookies too.

At one point, Don and Benjamin had gone to use the bathroom and Samuel and I were in Don's office then headed into the hallway. As soon as we went into the hallway, Samuel exclaimed "Daddy!" and took off running full speed towards another man in uniform. It was really cute and luckily the guy was rather receptive to our toddler as he threw his arms around this stranger's legs. I told Samuel it wasn't his Daddy but I don't think he really realized that until Don did appear.

National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade

Last week Don was in San Antonio, Texas for work for a few days and returned Friday evening. Even though he was only gone for three days, we were all so glad to have him home again.

Saturday morning was the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in D.C. It was only in the low 40s outside so we bundled up and headed towards the District. We took the Metro in with thousands of other people but got there about an hour before the parade started and found a good spot along the parade route on Constitution Avenue (just down the street from the White House). It was cool and windy but not too miserable. The boys jumped around and played a bit before the start of the parade then we all nestled up together ont he street curb and took in the parade. It started at 10 a.m. and lasted until about noon. By then it had warmed up quite a bit.

We saw lots of fun things and the boys rarely took their eyes off the parade. Lots of Ford Mustangs which Daddy and the boys are, of course, big fans of so they enjoyed seeing those. But there were also parade floats, marching bands from all over the country, people on roller skates, clowns, unicyclists, and, Alex Trebek (of Jeapordy fame) was the Grand Marshal. We spent a good two hours enjoying the parade and all the while looking in the direction of the sun. It warmed up a bit and we shed some coats and hats. We had a pretty good time.

Then we joined THOUSANDS, yes, THOUSANDS, of other parade goes on the Metro back home. We took our time leaving the parade... ate lunch, used the bathrooms, strolled back to our Metro stop... and still we waited about a half hour just to get an elavator down to the Metro level we needed to be on. (We had the stroller so the escalator was not an option).

Somehow we survived the massive crowd and made our way back home. We were all tuckered out and the boys both fell asleep on the way home.

Once we got home we noticed that we all started to be turning pink faced. ugh. We all had sunburned faces. As we watched the boys faces turn several shades of pink then Samuel's turn bright red, we felt like horrible parents.

By Sunday morning Samuel had a blister on his cheek from his sunburn and now, on Thursday, the blister has burst, scabbed and fallen off. He's on the road to recovery! Soon there may be no physical evidence of us not thinking about sunscreen but as for now his cute lil chubby scarred face is a constant reminder of how damaging the sun can be.

Also posting a couple photos taken this past Sunday... the day after the parade. Samuel really wanted to wear a tie to church! He looked so handsome... sunburned and all. And the tree in our front yard was in full bloom this weekend. Love those cherry blossoms!

The Chapman Brothers

Took some pictures of the boys after church on Sunday. I figured it might be the last time they'll be able to get away with wearing turtlenecks and corduroy pants for the year. Benjamin loves to have matching outfits (although I think one day he might regret that excitement as he looks back at pictures). For now, I enjoy it! Although, I can't take credit for these cute outfits... Grandma Pat gave them these this past Christmas.

They are such good brothers and really enjoy each other. Of course, they are both rough and tumble and also like to stir up trouble and wrestle around and tackle each other but such is life of boys. I managed to capture some pictures of them really squeezing each other tight. They always give each other big hugs at bedtime like this.


With my current pregnancy, people assume that we're eager to have a lil girl running around our home, which, of course, would be a delight... but with boys like this another lil Chapman boy would also be so great!