summer is here!

this past week, the weather has been absolutely gorgeous. enough so that it motivated us to finally order our much-anticipated swingset! in addition, meme (grandama sue) & papa lou were up to visit. lucky for mom, meme stayed to help out with the little keenans for a few days. we spent loads of time outside and getting the kids some new summer clothes. it was great!

penny's first time on a swing!

tiny hand, big hand

every time we're in ct, penny has so much fun hanging out with our dear family friends kenny & sharon (lauren & andew too!) here she is comparing hand sizes with kenny...

start spreading the news....

this past weekend, the boys stayed home while mom and penny visited auntie heather and uncle andrew in brooklyn. penny rode the subway, went out to lunch and dinner (slept during both, thank you very much), went to babycakes for a vegan vanilla cupcake, and even visited her first art gallery! we had a fantastic time and the weather could not have been more perfect for strolling around the big apple. here are some highlights (thanks for some of the pics, h & a)

she really does love brooklyn, i can tell. penny, grabbing some lunch in the lower east side.

enjoying her time with auntie heather.

dazzled by the art at the nicelle beauchene gallery (heather's friend from way back when...)

paper towel

zack, congratulations...you've started stringing words together! (you've been saying "i love you" and things like that, but that was sort of memorized, where now it's more deliberate...). all of a sudden, after months of separately saying "paper" and "towel", you busted out with "paper towel". also on the list of new phrases: "duke ball" (basketball) and "new diaper". your parents are extremely proud :)

friends

each week mom, zack & penny head to a variety of playdates / activities with our mom's group. zack has made some great friends and it has been so great watching them grow together. a few snapshots (mind you, getting "good" shots of toddlers is next to impossible!)

zack and luke....up to something?

here he is with pals madeleine and tyler (who i didn't quite catch in the shot, but is being so sweet by coming over to say hello to zack). here is zack & madeleine's first ever duet: (until zack turns into a piano hog):

5 months old

happy five months, sweet penelope sue...

two laughs

this past weekend, penny let out her first laugh:

in related news, zack started fake laughing:

easter fun

the little keenans had a egg-cellent first easter together. the easter bunny made a special visit to meme and papa lou's house, where they stayed overnight. zack's sandcastle bucket "basket" was filled with some awesome treats, including books, a truck, sand shovels, a wiffle ball, and sunglasses (one of the benefits of having tons of allergies -- toys!) penny got a couple of easter books, a new blabla bunny rattle, and a snuggly soft stuffed rabbit.

zack checks out the card aunt pat sent...

hunting for eggs...

thinking about summer, equipped with new sunglasses and watering can...

fast friends!

mom was lucky enough to share her pregnancy with laura geraghty, whose daughter madison was born just a couple of weeks after penny. today, we had the opportunity to see our girls finally meet (maddie and laura live in fairfield, ct and were troopers driving up for the afternoon!). i think they're well on thier way to becoming wonderful girlfriends, just like thier moms.

19 months young

zack, today you turn 19 months old. and, though 19 months isn't a particularly noteworthy age, I can't help but celebrate the fantastic little guy you've turned into. sure, you got put in time-out today for grabbing my face super hard (i even have a baby scratch on my nose), but in general, you've turned into this person that i simply cannot get enough of. i can honestly say i love spending time with you and miss you when you're asleep or i'm away. you're loving (generous with hugs with mom, dad, penny, grammy etc etc), kind (when penny cries, you genuinely seem concerned, pointing and saying "baby...baby"), good (going into your "cozy" to read when mom's too busy to play or going to bed and naps without ever making a fuss) and so fun (making your "funny" or "cute" faces to make us laugh). even today, after the nose-scratching incident, you cried, said you were sorry ("sah - wee") and then said "all done....ni-night". you knew that you were not fit to be around and decided you needed a nap. i love you for that and for a million other reasons i could rattle off. so happy 19-month birthday to you, my dear little friend. your dad and i (and i am sure many others would agree as well) truly enjoy the little boy you've become.

what a weekend!

the little keenans had one fantastic weekend:
on saturday, uncle john stopped by with grampy and nonnie. zack had loads of fun playing with him, especially riding around on the big truck.
then, on sunday morning the kids went to home depot with mom and dad to help them pick out some new harware for their doors. zack was fascinated by the hydraulic lift that went "beep...beep....beep" and insisted upon "more!".
finally, the weekend was topped off with a surprise visit from grammy and jackie, who were driving home from maine. zack sure loves his meme, showering her with lots of sweet hugs. thanks, jackie, for a wonderful surprise!

(that's the face zack makes if you tell him to "smile"...!)

cleaning crew

whenever we're at a playdate where there is a vacuum, zack can't seem to get enough of it. here he is vacuuming during the "teddy bear picnic" (yes, it is ironic that he's wearing a mr. messy shirt when all he wants to do is vacuum):luckily, later that day, zack's very own dirt devil was delivered: and here it is in action. the best part about this toy vacuum? it actually picks up dirt. hallelujea!

april fools

(apparently big brother zack is beyond such silliness -- and refused to be any part of it!)