Shaz by the Sea

The Bosch's came to visit DC this weekend and we had such an awesome time. We could literally sit in our living room for 5 days straight and have a blast. We didn't realize til this morning that Suz and I hadn't even left the house since they landed on Friday. It was so adorable seeing the three of the babies interact and play together, since the last time they were all together was the summer...and real briefly over the holidays. They are so much older and playful now. And they are more and more on the same schedule with foods and schedules and bedtime. We loved it. Conor and Tori were best friends. Con is usually very affectionate with Caden. Ever since they were teeny, Conor would always stare at Caden, look for Caden, laugh at Caden and give him kisses -- it's just the way he is. And this time he was giving Tori kisses. All three were playing and sharing toys - but Con had a special little thing for Tori. ;) I think everyone's favorite

We were so lucky to have TWO visitors this weekend! Auntie Theresa came to visit Thursday and Friday - and she watched the boys while I went to work on Friday. It was soooo helpful and the boys loved having her here. We went for a walk down by the Potomac and then went to the Port City Brewery for a few tasting flights...the boys did awesome! It was a fun night. Keryn and her doggie Prim came to visit Friday night....Saturday we had a few friends over and went to brunch in Old Town. The boys again, loved having them. Caden thought Prim was HILARIOUS! He couldn't get enough. And a couple of favs to make your Monday a bit brighter!  Happiest boys...and Conor has his learners permit! xo, Shaz, Conor, Caden

I wanted to update my new parent "must haves" from when I first wrote about the newborn stage in June 2014 - when the boys were not even 4 weeks old. You can find my newborn suggested items  here . Now that we have fast-forwarded about 9 months, here are both me and Jim's favorite baby items at this stage....it ranges from clothes to toys. Warm Hooded Onesies: Nana Phelan bought the boys these 9 month "Burts Bees Velour Hooded Buntings". Since that is a complicated name, Jim and I called their their gray suits. They were the best thing ever this winter -- the boys loved being snuggled and cozy, and we loved knowing they were warm. Halo sleep sacks When the boys were younger (and during the summer months) they wore an Aden and Anais light cotton sleep sack to bed. Now that it's colder, they have been wearing the fleece halo sleep sacks and they made a noticeable difference at night. They were much warmer. When they woke in the morning, their little

Happy 10 Months, Conor and Caden! It's hard to believe this time last year Jim and I were settling in to a new life on the east coast. We just moved to DC and had two baby boys on the way. We transferred both our jobs, found a place to live, started seeing a new ob/gyn and resumed treatments out here at INOVA Fairfax (which coincidentally is right across from Jim's work at ExxonMobil). We had a ton on the way. I must say that we have come a long way since then and I couldn't be happier to Conor and Caden's Mom. They're the best.   Here are a few fav shots over the last few days..... Grammy came to visit this weekend.  She planned a trip down here because she was planning to watch them on Friday, 3/6 when I went to work. Turns out we had a huge snow "storm" in DC and her flight was cancelled Thursday night. She ended up flying in on Friday i

I'm kidding - we don't do any real modeling here, but I noticed that "Miss Jackie" (ha) took some amazing pictures of the boys over the past few weeks.  I love when I turn on my camera and see cute pics she has taken.  It's a fun surprise.  And you know what I like most about them?  They are individual shots!  I tend to take so many pictures of them together, either posing or playing, but these are all solo pics and I love it.  The boys will appreciate solo pics of them as babies when they grow up. :)  Here's Conor chillin by the window, longing to be outside in warm weather again...  And here's Caden, most likely watching Daniel Tiger...his fav! I also wanted to share some photos from one of the days it was snowing here in DC. It doesn't happen too often -- not like in MA -- so Jim and I took the boys on the deck for some cute snow pics. Conor enjoyed it a tiny bit more than Caden, but neither of them loved it as

I'll set the scene for you - it's a Sunday morning, the boys are [quietly] playing together and it's snowing outside. What better Sunday activity is there then bake chocolate chip cookies? It will warm up the house and nothing beats the smell of cookies baking in the oven. Right? I used this Betty Crocker recipe - still trying to recreate those soft chocolate chip cookies I made in December. They were the best cookies I've ever made. I also tried researching what makes a soft chocolate chip cookie - is it the baking soda? baking powder? brown sugar? butter? baking time? heat? I have no idea. So til then...it's trial and error. Ingredients 3/4cup granulated sugar 3/4cup packed brown sugar 1cup butter or margarine, softened 1teaspoon vanilla 1egg 2 1/4cups all-purpose flour 1teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips    I mixed them all with my hand-mixer, then slowly added the flour and baking soda.