the latest wells family antics

We had another AMAZING weekend at the beach! I am really starting to think that we are good luck for beach weather. It is still May and we had 3 days of the best weather you could ask for in Maine. Our friends the Shumways invited us to their house on the ocean and boy did we take full advantage of the time off and enjoyed ourselves. My kids adore Kevin and Joanna, which makes the weekend even more special. I truly think the ocean is Richie's most favorite place on earth. He finds the energy to spend the entire day (and he seems to get up early those days!!) outside in the sand. We were also lucky enough to have our friend Maggie join us for a night. She was a little daredevil as well! Angela LOVED the water even though it was still pretty cold. Check out this bathing beauty! This a picture of Richie in his mini pond. The term he coined for the pools that form during low tide. Chris would help him fancy them up each and every time the tide went in and out. Richie LOVES Jo...

Chris took most of the day off today so we spent the beginning of our long weekend with our friends John and Lorraine from NY. Chris and John went to high school together, but they are now our neighbors. They dock their HUGE sailboat in the Charlestown marina right down the street from our house! We didn't go for a sail today, but we spent the day enjoying the marina's pool. Not a bad spot, overlooking the harbor and all of the boats. A special thanks to their daughter Shawnie who was the best buddy (babysitter) for the kids! Richie is already talking about how she can come babysit him so we can go out one night.

More pictures of Angela from Dawn:

It is hard to believe this is the same girl who the Pediatrician and I were worried about her weight! This picture completely captures how this girl acts....if there is food around, Angela's mouth is open for some. I have been going to work hungry and finally came to realize it is because she has been eating my breakfast. Angela used to play while we ate and Dawn would feed her when she got there. Now, once the bowls hit the table, she crawls at top speed to get into my lap and chase my spoon with her mouth.

The kids went to the Children's Museum this "Dawn Day". Dawn took lots of pictures and here is her description: "These are pics from the children's museum. They had an hour long music hour for toddlers. Both kids LOVED it and participated in every song and activity. They handed out drums for the kids to drum along for a few songs.. then they handed out maracas to use for another few songs.. then they had a couple of bubble songs w/ an awesome bubble maker.. and they handed out scarves for the kids to pretend they were butterflies and to use as capes for other songs. Since every song had a cool accessory to go with it, Rich loved it. Angela was all smiles too. So much fun!"

I ran my third race now. It was the 2010 Blues Run and Music Festival. This race is run along the Charles River from the American Legion Post. It is a great course AND it is 4.2 miles....my longest yet! This event takes place every third Thursday of the month with a different theme. I ran this time with Lisa and Zido and we had a blast. Makes the run all worth it when you can finish with a beer, a band and some bbq! I can't wait to do it again with them in August and September. May race down....check now I have to sign up for June.

Chili is one of the favorite dinners in our house. It is loved by all four of us. Just had to share a picture of how much Angela loves chili. Beans may be her favorite food at the moment!

Richie has always loved reading books and I have been noticing Angela does as well.  She pulls all of the books she can reach off of the shelves and then goes through them pretending to read.  Every day she does more and more big girl things. I already yearn for my baby back!

Daddy is stuck in Maine for the night again so I wanted to take pictures of the kids for him.  You know what happens when you try to get the kids to smile.....especially when they know it is for no reason.  The kids were exhausted today because they spent the entire day at the zoo.  Dawn has so much energy to do these things alone with the two kids. 

Not sure where Dawn gets all of the energy. Today she took the two kids on the train to the bus to the zoo.....for 4 hours!! When we go we drive there, stay for an hour and head home. They had a picnic and all. Needless to say, the kids had a blast. Richie came home with the zoo brochure/map and showed me all of the animals and exhibits they saw. They didn't miss an inch of that place! We are so glad Dawn is going to spend the summer with them. I can't even imagine what other adventures they will have. And Dawn also gave us other good news. One is she is staying with us until at least January. For anyone who has had to make child care decisions, you know what good news that is. AND Dawn is engaged! Her and Joe are planning a wedding for this winter.

Dawn took Angela to the library for a Zoo New England workshop. There were live animals from the Franklin Park Zoo and the Stone Zoo. I guess she loved it and touched all the animals. She touched a snake.......pretty sure she is the only one in the family willing to do that!

And here are Dawn's pictures of Angela. She really got some good photos of their adventures! Longfellow house/Harvard Square Christopher Columbus park Fountain at Cambridgeside. Picnic in the park. Playing with the tissues.

Here are some great pictures of Richie that Dawn (our Nanny) just sent me from April and May! Roller skating on the Greenway. Silly pajama day - getting to wear his pajamas outside (to go get bagels). The first carousel ride of the season! Playing IN the toy box. Puddle jumping!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Aside from spending time with my munchkins, we spent the morning with our other favorite mothers: Babci and Grandma (Great Grandma for my kids!). We had 4 generations of girls. Chris made sure it was a special day. He started it off with some crunchy french toast and ended it with some seared scallops...yum!!! Happy Mother's Day to all of our family and friends. We love you and appreciate all that you do EVERY day!

It was a nice long weekend with lots of playing!! Jakie and Joshie are living at Babci's house while their new house is being built. 9 people is a lot for the house 4 of us used to live in, but we had a blast. One big slumber party. Here are just a few of the many pictures I took. Our favorite parts were riding the race cars, Joshua our new hockey player, and our visit with the newly engaged Andy (Martino) and Sarah. We also celebrated Chris and Aunt Karen's birthdays.