Cullen's Baptism

We had the honor of having Cullen baptised in November.
Pastor Dan did a great job - and included the girls in the baptism. He knelt down so they could see what he was doing and made them feel apart of it.
It was also special because Cullen was baptised with our friend's daughter, Quinn. It was great to be up there with Kris & Kent celebrating this wonderful day.
We enjoyed a great brunch at our house afterwards. Too bad the french toast casserole spilled over and filled the kitchen with smoke. It all tasted good and everyone was glad to be together.

Happy Halloween!!

The girls were very excited about Halloween this year. Reagan dressed up as a fairy butterfly, Nola was a witch and Cullen was the cutest skunk you have ever seen!
The festivities started on Thursday with pumpkin carving. We had so much fun and the girls did a great job deciding what they wanted the faces to look like.
The fun continued on Friday by taking the kids to the costume parade at Reagan's school. Even though she doesn't go in the morning, we were able to participate in the parade around the school - very fun!
Later that day I was lucky enough to help with her class's Halloween party. It was fun to meet her friends and help with the crafts. I even was able to read a couple books.
On Halloween the girls and Pat went to Owen's Not-so-scary Nut-free Halloween party and had a blast - games, snacks, fun.
Then it was finally time to trick-or-treat. Cullen took a ride in the stroller as the girls hurried from one house to the next getting way too much candy!
Next up was our annual trip to Aunt MariPat & Uncle Bill's house for more candy and a little trick-or-treating.
We ended a very fun day at Cori, Ed & Cassidy's house for pizza and a time to play. A busy, but very memorable Halloween.

Go Cheetah Bears!

Reagan had another great fall season of AYSO. Her team, the Cheetah Bears, played great and had a good time. Reagan really enjoyed playing and definitely improved since the spring. She had a few goals, which makes her smile, and played awesome defense. Looking forward to seeing her play again in the spring!

Apple Picking

After a few years of going to the pumpkin patches, I thought it was time for a new fall tradition. So we headed out apple picking. Due to the hot summer, many of the apple orchards were closed by the time we wanted to go in early October, but I found one in Libertyville that still had apples. Cori & Cassidy joined us on a Sunday afternoon and we headed on our adventure.
The orchard was wonderful! We first picked golden delicious. It was fun to watch the girls look for good apples and try to reach them. It was a good thing Pat had the long stick for picking since a lot of the good apples were up high.
We then moved to the other part of the orchard and picked red apples. We're still not sure what type they were, but they were delicious and so much fun to pick.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Nola!!!

Nola celebrated her third birthday in September. On her day we celebrated with ham dinner (one of Nola's favorites) and cake & ice cream. She was very excited to receive her dark-skinned Bitty Baby. She also received a ballet outfit for Bitty Baby, so she would be dressed appropriately to watch Nola in dance class!
Her big party was so much fun! She wanted to have another balloon party so balloons it was!! And a chocolate Costco cake for dessert - made her dad so happy. Nola was excited to have her friends and family at her party to celebrate. She did a great job opening presents and playing with her cousins and friends.
Nola is definitely our free-spirit. She loves to laugh and is great at pushing buttons - especially her sisters. She can easily get into trouble, but she does have a heart for service. She is always getting Reagan's drink for her and always wants to help. She has become an expert at cleaning our shower and can't wait for the next project Pat needs assistance with. She is great at skipping and is enjoying her dance class.
Looking forward to watching her grow this year - and excited to see all that she will learn. We love you, Nola!

Kindergarten...can you believe it?!?!

Reagan started kindergarten in the fall. Not sure how she became old enough to go to kindergarten, but in a blink of an eye it was time!
The first day, Pat & I were able to go with Reagan for an hour to meet her teacher, Mrs Marusarz, and see her room. On the way into the school we were telling Reagan how proud we were of her and how we knew she would do great in school. Then she said, 'Yeah, I think I'm probably the smartest kid in the school.' So no need for self-esteem classes.
Reagan was excited to be in school and couldn't wait for Mrs Marusarz to play the piano for her class.
The second day she went by herself. She had a great time and hasn't looked back. She loves centers, going to the library and computers. She has made new friends and has learned to read.

Introducing...Cullen Patrick Mulcrone

We are so excited to announce the birth of Cullen Patrick Mulcrone on Friday, August 13th at 9:52 pm. He weighed 7 lb 15 oz and was 20" long.
When I went to the doctor that morning for my weekly visit he said I was only measuring at 37 weeks so he did a quick ultrasound to find out that my fluids were getting low so I needed to be induced. I headed home to get my things - and Pat and then headed to the hospital. Lucky for me my dad was watching the girls for my appointment so he just took them home with him.
Induction and labor went smooth and easy and we were thrilled when Cullen was born. We didn't know if he was a boy or girl (I was convinced he was a girl) but it is exciting to have a son.
Cullen is a great baby - he eats well and is very content. Cries only for food, clean diaper and for a quick nap.
We are now 4 weeks into being a family of 5 and we love every moment of it. The girls are great with him and its so nice they have each other to play with when I can't play with them.
We have been blessed by family and friends who have visited, brought us meals, took the girls for a while and taking good care of us.
We can't wait for Cullen to meet all his family and friends - he is one lucky boy!