Faces

We got 'em, man.

Sweet ones

Dangerous ones

Sunshiney ones

Worried ones

Really worried ones

Annoyed at brothers for taking away toys ones

Upset ones (about the toy)

Devastated ones (again, the toy)

American Gothic (and more worried) ones

Cuddly ones

Um...other ones

And crizazy ones

(By the way, I love SPF shirts that are featured in this post.  So much less work at the pool!  I love less work!)

Domo Arigato Mista Tow-Mato

You've gotten us through the most tumultuous month of this family's existence.  We are forever grateful.

Tokyo Mater


Unidentified Flying Mater


Rescue Squad Mater


Monster Truck Mater


Heavy Metal Mater


El Materdor


Mater the Greater

We haven't seen the new Cars movie, but the boys found these on disneyjunior.com and have now watched them so much they are burned into their brains.  Forever.  I know this because I find them all over the house staging lively "replays" of the action.  And because giggles and squeals like the ones these shows elicit are the real deal.

They're funny tho.  You won't be sorry to spend 15 minutes on them.  Especially Tokyo Mater.  Pleeeease watch Tokyo Mater.

As for our move (and a few other things) I'm just not ready to blog about them yet.  Not necessarily too painful or anything, just too much for me to synthesize.

I thought I'd come out of semi-retirement by posting these videos, but ten minutes after I started this post I got a heartfelt email from Matt's sister, Rachel, asking Natalie and me to please please update our blogs because she and Stephen love their nephews too much to bear any more blog silence.  So, with that in mind (and let me tell you how sweet it was to receive such an email) here are the boys on the "slippy slide" (Nico's pronunciation). 







Here's a sample of Benjamin's hair when dry.  Such enviable curls!  By the way, he spent 10 minutes with that bag of cereal.  Throwing it.  Mashing it.  Hugging it.  Dog piling on it.  All while smiling like this.  Totally worth the "investment"!  The honey nut O's held up very nicely and were still totally edible.  That's my mom advice for this post.  Bags of cereal.  You're welcome!

What can four cousins and a dog do?

Share an inflatable double bed, of course!  

You need to know

That sometimes Benjamin's hair is really, really curly.

That sometimes he likes to look out the window and smile at passers by.

And that sometimes he sits in 60 year old arm chairs to read (and chew) books.

I guess I'll have to go for that P.h.D. after all

I've enjoyed being the only member of our family with a graduate degree.  I mean, you know, mommy got her masters!  And man it helps me in my day to day parenting adventures.  Nothing gives me greater joy than to discuss word order in Dominican speech or the etymology of the word "gringo" with my boys over the proverbial pb and j.  Soon enough my degree will serve me professionally, but for now it's just bragging rights.  Bragging rights that Matt has pried out of my cold, dishpan hands.

I knew when Matt got out of school he would also have a masters, and I would have to be happy with an educational tie.  Alas, it was not meant to be.  A few months into his MBA we realized that, for a myriad of reasons, it would make sense for Matt to also get a masters in Public Policy.  Two degrees!  Two.  Bah.  You win this time Hutch.  Only this time.

It really was a great time to celebrate Matt's accomplishments and our family's small role in them.  We're so grateful for our time in Chicago (something I know I've beaten into my readership).  And I am so proud of Matt's hard work and dedication.  My parents were able to come out for the graduation and unsurprisingly my dad took a million wonderful pictures of the event.  Here are some of my favorites.  There are a lot of them.

Graduation was held in Rockefeller chapel, which made me feel like Matt was graduating from Hogwarts.  Seriously, with the stone walls, cloaks and scepters (I counted at least two) it was a far cry from the innocuous setting of the Marriot Center.  A score board really takes a bit of the pomp (and slight creepiness) out of it.  This was pomp (and creepy) filled.  But the building was beautiful.  And so was Matt.

Receiving his diploma

And then the heavens opened and a light shone upon the Master(s).  He's sweet.

A truly beautiful building.

The next day we slapped some brand new maroon bow ties on the boys (thanks mom and dad) and took some pictures of the graduate and his family by the business school and Rockefeller chapel.  Again, thank you so much dad and there are a lot of pictures.  

Bartenders!

Little graduates!

Rockefeller chapel

I love the look on Ben's face.  

Jumping for joy (trying to cheer up Jacob...unsuccessful).

Cheesy face of mine, unbelievably beautiful face of Benjo's

We did it!  Go team Hutch!  (That's how I'll make myself feel better about the whole Matt beating me thing...hooray for coattails!)

To Benjamin on his Birthday

 I just couldn't love you more.