Where we've been

(Where haven't we been???)

We apologize to all of you who have visited Two For Fun only to find the same old post. It has been a very busy six weeks for us, so we beg your pardon for neglecting you. We’re going to attempt to make up for some lost time in this post. Below is a (not-so-brief) photo essay of major Perese-Gallagher events since mid-March.

1) We all went to Pittsburgh for Easter. That Saturday, my mom and I got out for pedicures and a little shopping while Kevin and PopPop took care of the babies. On Easter Sunday, we went to Aunt Mary Pat and Uncle Tony's to visit with the O'Connell clan.

Great Grandma O'Connell and Ian on Easter

Great Grandma O'Connell and Eleanor on Easter

2) The following weekend, Kevin and I went to Chicago for Ayelish and Aziz’s wedding and left the babies with GiGi and PopPop Gallagher. It was such a treat to get away for a long weekend and leave the babies in such capable and loving hands. We had a wonderful, restful time (once we recovered from imbibing at the wedding). GiGi and PopPop had a great time too, but they were exhausted by the time we got back home.

Millennium Park

Ayelish and Aziz at their wedding reception

PopPop and GiGi with Eleanor and Ian

PopPop with the kids on the porch

3) The week we got back, both babies started sitting up on their own...

Ian and Eleanor munching away on pieces of their play mat - a favorite past time

4) Then Ian started crawling...

In this video, he's crawling to the tune of Kevin's guitar and my cackle (you'll have to cock you head to the left to watch!)

5) And Eleanor cut two bottom teeth. (We have no decent pictures of them, but they sure are cute and sharp!)

4) In mid-April, we celebrated Uncle Joe Perese’s birthday in Philadelphia. (Again, we have no pictures of the event but we had a great time seeing the Perese clan!)

5) During the following work week, our old friends and housemates Dylan and Gina came through town. Dylan came over with our old friend Ruben after a job interview in DC. It was awesome to see both of them and we're excited at the prospect of Dylan possibly returning to DC. Only a few days later, Gina and Daniel and their two-year-old daughter Zoe came and stayed with us. Zoe is adorable.

Zoe and Ian

5) In the last weekend of April, Kevin and I went to Connecticut for Beth and Patrick’s wedding and left the babies with Aunt Karen and Nannie Perese. On the way back, we met Kara and Dylan’s new baby Ashland and visited with Mannie, Elisa, and Gabriel in Brooklyn. (Unfortunately, we lack documentation of Ashland, Aunt Karen, and Nannie Perese.)

Beth and I at her wedding reception

Gabriel napping on his dad's chest

7) And finally, this past weekend, we went car camping with friends at Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania. It was fun to hang out with the old Penn State crowd and their offspring. We slept in an embarassingly large tent with enough space to accommodate two adults and a pack-n-play. It was a challenge to take care of the basic business of camping (setting up and taking down the tent, cooking, eating) while wearing a baby, but folks were quite generous in their willingness to hold Eleanor and Ian, so we managed to pull it off. And it's a minor miracle that all of our gear fit into the Camry. Who needs a minivan when you've got a Camry?

SuperDad!

The Boys

The Girls

Baby Zoe, Ian, and Eleanor

(Dirty) Family Portrait