Jam-packed weekend

Phew...it's been a busy (but wonderful) weekend!
Let's see...
Saturday started with brunch at our friends and neighbors' house for a delicious pancake brunch. Alex and Ari had fun playing with their friends Charlotte (4 years old) and Sam (3 months old). Charlotte had fun dressing up like Madonna and dressing Ari, as well. It's hard to tell from this picture, but Ari is adorned with an extra bib, ribbon, and beaded necklace compliments of big pal Charlotte (as you can see, she enjoyed the attention):Following brunch, we took a trip to the local children's store to buy Alex and Ari their "big kid" car seats. Since Alex is only a half of an inch away from outgrowing his infant seat, we figured it was time to make the jump to the larger, permanent seats. We have enjoyed the convenience of using the portable seats, but it's getting harder and harder to carry the kids (OK, Alex!) in the infant seat anyway.

Sunday morning Nana and Poppy Jack got up early (very early for Poppy Jack) to come over to our house at 7:30 to babysit the kids while Mommy and Daddy ran a 10K race. The cold morning proved to be good for running, as Mommy ran her best 10K since 2001 with a time of 42:39 (6:52/mile pace, good for 4th woman overall) and Daddy finished just a few minutes later at 45:06 (7:16/mile pace, finishing 20th man). Maybe Mommy and Daddy were just in a hurry to get home to Alex and Ari, although they were more than happy getting spoiled by Nana and Poppy Jack.

After Daddy coached not one but two soccer games, we all headed out to our (twin) friends Lilli and Gregory's one-year birthday party. Alex and Ari had a great time playing with their friends and getting a sneak peek at what lies ahead for them in a few months (cake!) Here are Alex and Ari playing at the birthday party:
Next it was home for a quick nap and then out again to a second one-year birthday party for another neighbor friend. "Party on," Alex and Ari were heard shouting with excitement.

Finally, we all ended the weekend at Aunt Lori and Uncle Sam's house for a special dinner with Nana, Poppy Jack, GG, and Uncle Sam's family (oh, we can't forget Ozzie!) Dinner gave us the opportunity to take a picture of four generations of our family.
First, here's a picture of four daughters, three mothers, two grandmothers, and a great grandmother :
Second, here is GG with her daughter, granddaughters, great grandchildren, and great granddog:
All in all, a great, albeit busy, weekend. It was actually just a preview of next weekend, which consists of volunteering at our Parents of Multiples sale, soccer games, three birthday parties, three Halloween parties (including our big neighborhood Halloween parade)...and oh, yeah, a marathon for Mommy and Daddy. Guess we better rest up this week!