Building Blocks

We headed back to Ohio for the Fourth of July this year. James turned on the charm for the whole family and got lots of snuggles in return from everyone, especially Granpa and Nonni.

It was a fun-filled weekend, starting with a much-appreciated birthday celebration for me and Jack. (The cake was so big we had to keep celebrating the whole weekend). We also made a trip to COSI, an interactive science center that I remember visiting as a kid. The big boys had a great time exploring water, wind, electricity, and gravity.

The boys also had a blast at a nearby - and really nice - indoor pool with waterslides, a waterfall, and a lazy river. We finished the weekend with a visit from Nana, looking smashing as always with her four great-grandsons here.

Fourth of July

The Big Four - OH!

2011-08-23T20:43:00.002-04:00

From Birthday and Block Party

Jack is four. One of the big boys now. It's been pretty amazing to watch him grow these last four years. This year has already been a big year for him. He's talking more, and showing us more of his funny little personality. He's braver and bolder than ever, jumping headlong into pools and barreling down giant slides. And, he finally learned (or decided more like it) to ride his trike.

Jack has so many adventures ahead of him this year and the years to come. And, while we'll always be right there to cheer our big boy on, he'll also always be our baby.

From Birthday and Block Party

Enjoy these pictures of Jack's birthday party and our annual block party.

Birthday and Block Party

A Memorial Day to Remember!

2011-06-18T11:09:00.003-04:00

We made our annual trip back to Ohio for Memorial Day this May. It was James' second trip to Ohio, but his first up north to meet my extended family. We made it a long weekend so we would have plenty of time for fun with the family. We started the trip with a day at the indoor water park. Grandma and Poppy have wanted to take Jack for a few years, and he was more than ready this year! He had a great time in the wave pool, on the water slides, and the lazy river ride. He has been asking to go back ever since.

We also got all dressed up to go to Grandpa Bill and Alice's wedding! I was certain that Jack would refuse to wear his dress-up clothes and would end up wearing a Lightning McQueen shirt to the wedding. But, it turns out he really enjoyed getting all decked out. He especially liked wearing a tie and he told everyone at the wedding: "I have a tie and awesome pants!"

He was as good as you can expect a three-year-old to be at a wedding, and James was good as always.

Jack was rewarded with a milkshake at McDonald's for good behavior afterwards. And, we got to spend the night away in Cleveland thanks to Grandma!

James' First Trip to Ohio

We finished the weekend with a great picnic hosted by Grandma and Poppy. Hope to see you all again soon!

Memorial Day 2011

Going back to Ohio

2011-05-20T23:38:00.002-04:00

Back in February, we made our first trip to Ohio since James was born. Because he was born early, we didn't travel for the holidays. But, we went to Columbus on President's Day weekend so James could meet more family members and make his first trip to the Buckeye State.

Jack got to reconnect with his cousins Ethan and Mike. They always have such a great time together. We really wish they could see each other more often.

From James' First Trip to Ohio

And James got to meet Aunt Karin, Uncle Dave, Aunt Pam and Nana for the first time. As always, Aunt Pam lived up to her reputation as the "baby whisperer."

From James' First Trip to Ohio

James also met cousins Ethan and Mike. Mike seemed okay with giving up his spot as baby of the family.

From James' First Trip to Ohio

The weekend was over too soon, but we're hoping to make another trip out this summer!

Merry Christmas, Jack Buening

2011-01-05T16:19:00.003-05:00

From Christmas 2010

This year, we were fortunate that our family brought Christmas to DC instead of making our usual trek to Ohio for the holidays. With James still so young - and sick with a cold - on Christmas, we were more than grateful, although we were missing other family members back home.

Like all good things, our guests arrived in threes. Grandpa Bill and Alice were the first to arrive the weekend before Christmas. They stopped through on their way to Ohio. They brought lots of great gifts and it was great to see them. Grandpa also brought a picture of himself when he was a baby, and he looked a lot like James! We'll have to post that on the blog soon.

From Christmas 2010

Grandma Boop and Poppy came next bringing more gifts for Jack and James to open. Despite a rough start with James' cold (earning us a night in the hospital), we had a great visit with them too. We celebrated with a delicious dinner cooked by Niki and Nick, although Poppy was missing the traditional Christmas breakfast. We should have made it Christmas "brinner." Grandma also took good care of us with her home cooking and by helping out so much around the house - the best Christmas gift we could ask for!

Finally came Nonni and Grandpa bringing even more gifts from family in Ohio. Their visit was special because Grandpa hadn't met James yet! It was great to see them and we hope to visit the family we missed very soon.

From Christmas 2010

Many thanks to our family for making this Christmas - James' first - a special one. Of course, Jack now thinks that Christmas is a weeklong gift extravaganza. But, he actually really enjoyed Christmas this year. He was interested in all things Christmas - Santa, reindeer, elves - but he was especially into Christmas music. He learned and sang many Christmas carols for us this year, with Rudolph and Jingle Bells as favorites. He also really enjoyed his Christmas-themed books, particularly "Merry Christmas, Curious George." He liked it so much that he started saying, "Merry Christmas, Jack Buening" after reading it! We hope that Christmas will stay magical for Jack and James for years to come.

Christmas 2010

Giving Thanks

2010-12-01T12:58:00.002-05:00

We have a lot to be thankful for this year. We have a great house in a great neighborhood, great jobs, and great friends. But we are most thankful for our family. This year, we are thrilled to have added to our family with baby James. It still takes me aback when we talk about "our sons." James has made us a family of four - and has made us complete. We look forward to all we will share together in the years to come.

We are also thankful for our extended family. We were grateful to share Thanksgiving with my mom and step-dad and with my sister and her husband. We hadn't spent Thanksgiving with them in a number of years (or had my mom's famous stuffing!), so it was really special even though we were missing other family members.

To all of our family, we want you to know that we so appreciate all that you have given us over the years, but we especially appreciate the help you have given us with the arrival of our new son this year.

Hoping you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2010

Brothers

2010-11-29T09:07:00.011-05:00

It is amazing to watch how James is similar - and how he is different - from his brother Jack. You can see how much they share in common, yet you can also see how they are unique. Over time, their similarities will bond them together, but their differences will also help each brother encourage the other to learn and grow.

Homecoming

2010-11-16T14:15:00.003-05:00

From James Comes Home

Since James came home, he's met many family, friends and neighbors. Among the visitors, the grandmas put in extra time and energy to welcome baby James. Nonni took the first tour of duty, which included driving me back and forth to the hospital every day until James came home from the NICU. By the time he left, we were both really tired of hospital cafeteria food! Once home, Nonni helped us finish all of the preparations we hadn't gotten to yet since James was five weeks early. And, she did all of our laundry! Grandma "Boop" took the next tour. With her trademark home cooking, Grandma kept all of us well-fed and happy. Both grandmas spent just as much time keeping big brother Jack busy, which was much appreciated by his tired parents.

From James Comes Home

James also had visits from Aunt Niki and Uncle Nick and he met Grandpa Bill and Alice. But the most anticipated meeting was between big brother Jack and baby James. We were more than a little anxious about how Jack would react to James' arrival since he has thoroughly enjoyed his time and attention as our only child for the last three years. We're happy though that Jack seems really interested in his baby brother and wants to hold and help him (with close supervision of course!). Most of the time, Jack is not too jealous and we can tell he can't wait for his brother to get old enough to play with him. Jack can often be heard asking "Baby brother play cars with me?" Soon enough!

Thanks again to all who have visited and brought or sent gifts - especially food!

From James Comes Home

James Comes Home

Marathon Man

2010-11-11T09:47:00.007-05:00

This year, Michael decided he wanted to train for his second marathon. It had been seven years since his first one - the inaugural Akron RoadRunner marathon sponsored by his company. He figured he wouldn't have much time for running after our second baby came along this fall. Michael had a great training season and was more than ready for the Columbus marathon on October 17th.

From James at Sibley

Since I was five weeks from my due date, we decided that I should not make the trip to Columbus to cheer him on. But, his family was there to watch him run a great race. He posted a sub 3:30 time, besting his previous marathon by 30 minutes. He also managed to raise more than $2,000 for charity - the American Cancer Society - making him the highest ACS fundraiser for the event. Exhausted but excited to have met his goal, Michael planned to spend Sunday night in Columbus recuperating and celebrating with his family, returning to DC on Monday.

Back home, Aunt Niki spent the weekend helping me take care of Jack, who had much more energy than I did at 8+ months pregnant. She had a business trip on Monday, so she headed back to her place on Sunday afternoon. Around 7pm on Sunday night, though, I called her up to come back over. Five weeks from my due date, my water broke! She and Uncle Nick made it back to our place in record time. Meanwhile, I called Michael and told him to get on a plane because we are having a baby tonight!

Aunt Niki drove me to the hospital while Uncle Nick tended to Jack. I hadn't yet prepped Jack about Mommy going to the hospital since I thought I had a few more weeks. So, I told him I was going to the store! Back in Columbus, Michael and his family were frantically looking for flights to DC. Turns out the last direct flight to DCA had been delayed in Columbus so he was able to get on (for a considerable price that is). His plane was set to leave when all air traffic was halted in Columbus. Turns out President Obama was also in Columbus that day and Air Force One was about to take off! After about an hour delay, he was in the air and on his way home.

Back in the hospital, I was having contractions and getting prepped for a c-section. Aunt Niki was prepared to dress into scrubs to be there with me during the surgery. But, thanks to a delay in my pre-surgery bloodwork, Michael was able to make it just before they took me to the OR. He arrived at 11:30pm and James Engle Buening arrived at 12:01!

From James at Sibley

We were grateful that Baby James was born a healthy 6 lbs 4 ozs despite being five weeks early. He did have to go to the NICU right away though. He spent the first few days getting help with his breathing and then with jaundice. While it was difficult for all of us, especially not getting to hold him right away, we were again grateful that James did not have any serious issues to overcome as a preemie. He spent 9 days total in the NICU and has been thriving at home ever since.

Many thanks for all the well wishes from family and friends!

Here are some pictures of James' early days at Sibley Hospital.

James at Sibley

Beach Boys

2010-09-23T20:46:00.003-04:00

From Dewey Beach 2010

Jack made his second trip to Dewey Beach this year. This time, he was joined by cousin Ethan and Uncle Dave, which made for a great vacation. It was Ethan's first time at the ocean, so Jack showed him how to have fun in the sand and surf. They played in the waves, built (and smashed) sand castles, and ran down the shore all week long.

From Dewey Beach 2010

As a newcomer to the beach, Ethan was a little nervous about getting into the water at the beginning of the week. Each day, he waded in a little more (except for a minor setback after seeing a blue crab!). But by the end of the week, it was surf's up!

From Dewey Beach 2010

We introduced Ethan and Dave to all of our other beach favorites too, including Grotto's Pizza, the Jolly Trolley and the Rehoboth boardwalk. We hope we can all do it again soon!

Dewey Beach 2010

The Big Three

2010-09-17T21:13:00.002-04:00

From Jack's 3rd birthday

Somehow, Jack ends up having more than one birthday party every year. This year was no different. We started Jack's birthday weekend with a cupcake happy hour on Saturday. Jack helped bake the cupcakes, which the neighbor kids (and their parents) all enjoyed.

From Jack's 3rd birthday

On Sunday, we hosted a small birthday party with family and close friends. The main attraction was a Thomas the Train cake. Jack had seen the cake at the grocery store last year (I did not attempt to bake a cake this time...), and he had been asking for the Thomas cake ever since. While I'm sure the other parents did not really appreciate the dark blue icing, Jack loved it.

From Jack's 3rd birthday

Many thanks to all who helped Jack celebrate turning the big three this year!

Jack's 3rd birthday

Summer Fun Part II - Biggest Block Party Ever!

2010-06-29T20:40:00.004-04:00

For the third year in a row, our stretch of Kennedy Street has hosted a block party in June (I realize that was several months ago now...). The first year, we had a good turnout from our block and a few friends too. By the second year, we realized we needed to invite more people to eat all of the good food our neighbors make for the party. This year, while we were missing friends and neighbors who've moved away, we ended up having the biggest block party ever!

From Block Party 2010

We've made a lot of new friends in the neighborhood this summer and gotten to know others a lot better, which made for a great crowd. We had a kiddie pool for swimming, a supersize moon bounce, and face painting courtesy of neighbor Erica.

From Block Party 2010

For fun and games, we had a water balloon toss (that quickly turned into a water balloon fight) and "cornhole," an import from Ohio known as a bean bag toss everywhere else. We even had a TV set up outside to watch USA play in the World Cup.

From Block Party 2010

We're already planning the next one!

Block Party 2010

Summer Fun - Part I

2010-06-27T12:48:00.005-04:00

It's been so hot here it feels like it's been summer for months. We kicked off the summer fun this year with a visit from Grandma and Poppy. We gave them a break from working on our house (for once!) and we toured around the monuments downtown.

From Summertime 2010

We followed up with a visit to Ohio a few weeks later for Memorial Day weekend. Grandpa Bill hosted a cookout on Saturday and Grandma and Poppy hosted one on Sunday. It was great to see everyone... and to share the big news that Jack is going to be a big brother this fall. Jack announced the news himself with a t-shirt, which he read aloud on demand: "Big Brother...TO BE!" We're excited about the new addition and will keep you all updated.

From Summertime 2010

Summertime 2010

Hoppy Easter

2010-04-17T13:52:00.004-04:00

From Easter 2010

This year, we made a trip to Columbus to spend Easter with the Buening family. Jack had a great time reconnecting with his cousins Ethan and Mike, who he hadn't seen since Thanksgiving. They caught up in no time though.

We had great weather all weekend, and we spent as much time as possible outside. At Karin and Dave's house, the boys had great fun going on bike rides and playing on the swing set out back.

From Easter 2010

On Saturday, we started the day with a trip to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Although we live in the nation's capital, I have to admit that the Columbus Zoo is way better than the National Zoo, which I used to think was pretty nice! The boys had a great time together. Jack was really into his cousin Ethan especially. He followed him everywhere, and when he couldn't find him, he asked "Where's E-tan?"

From Easter 2010

Later that day, we drove down to Cincinnati where Nana hosted Easter dinner and the annual egg hunt. The little boys were definitely more into it this year, although Jack didn't really get interested until we started cheering for each egg he found. We also celebrated birthdays for Grandpa, Aunt Karin, and Little Mike.

From Easter 2010

Back in Columbus on Saturday night, Ethan taught us to play Rock Band on the Wii after the little boys went to bed, although we didn't get any photographic evidence. It was really fun though! The weekend ended with a second Easter egg hunt on Sunday before we headed back to DC. Thanks for hosting a great weekend Karin and Dave!

Easter 2010

It's so hard to say goodbye

2010-04-05T22:35:00.005-04:00

Our dear neighbors and friends, Danna and Sanjay and their kids, are moving back to Montana this week. After more than five years together, it is hard to know what to say or where to start, so we'll start at beginning (but keep it short!).

Back in 2004, Michael and I bought our first house in Warwick Village. As a long-time rental, it was the kind of house you had to see the "potential" in to buy. But, we were so proud of our little house that we couldn't wait to move in. Driving by one day before our closing date, we met our neighbor-to-be Danna. She saw us peeking in the windows of our soon-to-be house and let us walk around hers so we could envision where our furniture might go. She also gave us the scoop on the other neighbors, who would come to be our "urban family" over the next five years.

We spent the next two years fixing up 34 Kennedy Street. When we weren't at Home Depot, we were hanging out with our new neighbors and friends on the front porch (also a DIY project). For years now, many a summer evening after work has been spent drinking wine and eating cheese in good company on our porch. And while it is hard to remember now, before Jack and Sonja joined us on Kennedy Street, there was Zane and Erica.

From Zane, Sonja, and Jack

We had great fun watching Zane and Erica grow over those first two years while we were still "nesting." By our third summer in the Village, Jack came along. Always a good neighbor, Danna had Sonja three months later, an instant playmate for Jack.

From Zane, Sonja, and Jack

Over the years, its has been so special to watch our kids grow alongside each other here on Kennedy Street. From pool parties to birthday parties to just hanging out, there was always an impromptu playdate right out our front door.

From Zane, Sonja, and Jack

We can't believe we actually have to say goodbye this week, but we wish Danna, Sanjay, Zane and Sonja all the best on their new adventure in Montana. When can we visit?

Zane, Sonja, and Jack

When Jack Met Ellie...

2010-03-07T14:13:00.003-05:00

Actually, it started when Michael met Jeff... in the alley while taking out the trash back in 2007. We had been living in Warwick Village for about two years, and it turns out, so had Jeff and his wife Kathleen. They had moved to the Village from Glover Park in DC, and as you know, so had we. We were expecting our first baby that summer, and it turns out, so were they. As excited (and nervous) new parents-to-be, we started hanging out and awaiting our bundles of joy together.

Although Kathleen was due earlier than me, Jack came first that summer. In fact, he and Ellie nearly swapped due dates. She was due on June 28th and Jack was due on July 7th. Although I really wanted Jack to be born on 7/7/07, I didn't complain when he came two weeks early on June 26th. Kathleen had to wait it out a few more (long) weeks, but Ellie finally arrived on the 7th!

It was a long hot summer, but it was great to have another couple to share the ups and downs of parenting newborns with. Ellie was a superstar from the start. Like many girls, Ellie was ahead of most boys - Jack included - on just about everything - eating, sleeping through the night, crawling, walking. When we weren't jealous, we were happy to have good friends to share the worries and triumphs of new parenthood with us.

Through the years, Jack and Ellie have grown into toddlers, and new babies have joined the block. We're sad to see Ellie and her family move this weekend, but we wish them all the best on their new adventure in Thailand!