Wow last time I blogged something, it was snowing out....I better get more active in my blogging. This has been a quick year....backing up the calendar, in March - Billy and Laura bought a new house on Tuesday and were moved in by Thursday. It took long hours alot of gas going back and forth and many helpers. The house is great and finally large enough to handle all the crew and toys and dogs....they certainly deserve the additional space and I wish them well.

The next week Amy and Eric bought their house in Lombard but they took a little more time moving into theirs and moving out of their apartment...It is a perfect size for them, 3 bedrooms and basement, attached garage and partially fenced in yard, complete with 2 annoying dogs next door....again I wish them well and it has been fun watching both siblings moving, decorating and enjoying their new homes.

In April, good Friday to be exact we took down 2 60 year old trees in Mom's backyard. It was pretty scary at times but it sure makes a difference in the yard. It appears much larger and sunnier that before....Billy was on a 52' lift cutting and sending the chunks down to the ground with help from Andro, his cousin Pat and Pat's wife Beth and brother in law. It took all day to get the trees down and has taken all summer to get rid of the wood...it seemed appropriate that on Good Friday when we commemorate the nailing on the tree of Christ,..we are cutting them down..

In May, we celebrated Mother's Day and Mom's 84th birthday....she preferred to keep a low profile...we went out to dinner with Greg and Deidra and paid dearly for it later...

In June we bid farewell to our Priest at our Church and had a party for him after all the masses. It was a busy weekend but he certainly deserves to retire and enjoy himself. To say we will really miss him is an understatement....it is not easy getting use to someone new all over again.

Amy and Eric actually went to the JP and tied the knot on June 25th, 2010. They did this for many reasons mostly work and insurance reasons. They will have their official ceremony still in October. We were planning to have a garden wedding reception but the weather this year has been so unpredictable and volitle that it was finally agreed upon to have the reception at the church in their hall. It certainly does make planning the event easier...but someday I would still like to do an outdoor wedding..fortunately I am running out of children to get married so it will have to be for someone else.

In June we also went to the girls (Alana, Ava and Brooke's) recital. After a year of dance we saw the fruits of their labors. It was long but quite enjoyable. They really put in alot of work to acomplish their goals. Ava and Alana are also in dance competitions and will be dancing their way to Mrytle Beach South Carolina in July....good luck to them both.

In July the 4th was relatively uneventful. We bar-qued at Kate and Blakes and watched the fireworks in the evening. The best part of the weekend was the extra day off on Monday.

During all this time and these events, Mom and I have been working on the backyard to get ready for Amy and Eric's shower....Man there's alot of weeds out there. But finally on the morning of the 4th we actually completed the yard. I love sitting out there and just looking and imagineing what to do next.....

The next event was Brooke's 4th birthday and we spent it with all her friends and family..

We celebrated Ava's birthday when they came back from vacation at the bowling alley with all her friends and cousins.

Next up was Mason's 1st birthday.....turning 1 is a big deal...just waiting for him to walk and talk....if he is like his sister...we may want to still wait a bit...

In August, we had Amy and Eric's wedding shower. It turned out to be a great day, no rain, no mosquitos thanks to Eric, but we did have little bees all of a sudden....here are some of the pics...

Thanks to Kathy for coming all the way out for the shower and bringing these lovely homemade bride and groom sugar cookies....pretty cute...

The Bride and groom really cleaned up and after the event so did Kathy, Mom and I....only 38 more days until the wedding and then it will be time to relax and enjoy the fall.....looking forward to that............................................... Well that is as far as my brain can go in one evening....and I have promised myself that I will blog more often...it is a lot easier than trying to remember......