The Parrillo Family

Last year, we sent Ellie off to her first real day of Pre-School  ( post with pictures here including a *very* young sister Sadie ).  It was an emotional experience for everyone. This year?  Just look at her face.  She was excited to go!  Her sister Sadie was on hand to send her off as Nat walked her to school.  So was her Noonie.  What a great way to start the new year. She's now three and in two days of Pre-School that meets for half-a-day.  She's moved from a school across town to one in our neighorhood. And, the best part?  Ellie is now in class with her bestie - her cousin from down the street.  They'll get to walk to school everyday together.

We went picking peaches last weekend, but we didn't go to Michigan.  I was as surprised as you (likely) are that there is peach picking available in Illinois.  Right in Homer Glen. We took Ellie peach picking back in 2011.   Post with little Eloise eating peaches here .  This time, she had a partner in crime in her little sister Sadie.  And boy...can Sadie eat peaches!  She loved them. The farm we went to for the peaches also had chickens, which we were able to feed. Have a look at some of the photos of Ellie and Sadie (and Nat and me!) around the farm. If you are reading this in your email and can't see the slideshow below, click here to watch the pictures back on our site .

Our little Sadie has finally taken her first real steps!  And we were there with our phones to capture the big event. Here's the video of Eloise taking her first walk (along with a 2011-era-appropriate joke!). For those of you reading this in your email and can't see the video above, click here to watch the video .

We snuck away for a quick family vacation up in Michigan this week and were able to get plenty of time on the boat, the beach and at the annual Coloma Glad Peach Festival. The girls had a lot of fun and even were able to spend some time with their Noonie and Papa on the beach and in St. Joes. Guess who loves going on the boat?  Both of them.  Ellie says "Gun it, Dad!" when she wants to go fast.... If you are reading this in your email and can't see the slideshow below, click here to view the photos on the site.

We made our annual trip to Coloma Michigan for the 4th of July holiday.   Last year was our first as a family of four and our little Sadie was just a tiny thing at three weeks old! Here's the photos from 2012.  Sadie was so new! Here's the photos from 2011 .  Look at how much Ellie has grown! This year we were able to spend the holiday weekend with Nat's family up in Coloma.  Her folks as well as two of her siblings (and significant others!) came along and we crammed it into Noonie and Papa's place. Our two girls had a great time spending hours outside with their Aunt Sisi, Uncle Bill, Uncle Peter, as well as Ryan and Molly. This was Sadie's first time out in the sand and after figuring out that it isn't best to eat the stuff, had a great time making (and busting down) castles. We spent time on the boat, out on the pier fishing (with Ellie and her 'net' below!) and had a few nights of panoramic views of fireworks out on the lake.  ...