the latest wells family antics

Art Show

2012-01-27T13:23:00.000-05:00

The K1, K2 and 1st graders at the Eliot had an Art Show so they could show off all of their art projects. They learned about quite a few famous artists and different techniques. The kids and teachers were so proud that they really went all out for this event. They decorated the hallway, played music and collected an entrance fee for future field trips. It is always fun to see the kids so proud of themselves and each other.
Another great part of the day was having Babci there!

Birthday

2012-01-22T13:11:00.000-05:00

On Richie's actual birthday we went outside to play in the snow that we FINALLY got this winter. No, it wasn't a lot, but the kids don't really remember having much more than this so they had a blast. Snow angels, snow men, throwing snow balls to Regina and just being silly should all be a part of winter but it hasn't been so far. We finished this special day with a Lulu's cupcake for our last celebration.
I can't believe my baby is five. He has already grown to be such an amazingly warm, kindhearted, hysterical boy and I couldn't be more proud of him. I love you stinker pants!

Birthday hockey game

2012-01-21T13:08:00.000-05:00

Although Rich wanted another (would have been the third year!) birthday party at our ice rink, we wanted to do something different (aka a little smaller). I think we came up with the perfect compromise. We took Richie, some family and two good friends to a Northeastern Huskies hockey game. We had already been to one of their games (with Colton) so we are already all Huskies fans. We took the T over there since Jakie and Joshie LOVE trains. Then some pizza and a Batman cake before the fun game. We had a whole section to ourselves so we could hang out with our guests and cheer on the Huskies. Then to top off the night, Richie's birthday was announced over the loud speaker AND they put it up on the Jumbotron! I am so glad I got a picture of it. Pretty exciting for a hockey loving five year old!
Happy Birthday to my big man!!
Thanks Jakie, Joshie, Babci, Aunt Erin, Uncle Matt, Colton, Maddie and Nate for celebrating with us and for being such good friends/family. You made this the best fifth birthday party ever!

Birthday weekend

2012-01-21T12:53:00.000-05:00

And the birthday weekend begins! Not sure why, but my kids seem to celebrate for days on end. To be a kid again.....The first thing we did was hit the Aquarium with Jakie and Joshie. All Richie really wanted for his birthday was for those two boys to visit. It was so exciting because we also had one of the first real snow storms of the year. Perfect way to keep the crowds out and to make the walk there even more fun.

Aquarium with Dawn

2012-01-18T14:16:00.000-05:00

Although Dawn now watches Sawyer and Chase, she still makes time for my kids. Today she picked up Angela and took her with the boys to the Aquarium. What a nice surprise.

Potty training

2012-01-16T12:52:00.000-05:00

Guess who is potty trained! It was a LONG, hard weekend (and you can see how much time we spent in the potty) but she did it. She got cupcakes and lots of treats because we are so proud of her. There is nothing better than to be done with diapers. Chris took the diaper pail on a ceremonious trip to the trash!

Fresh squeezed orange juice

2012-01-14T12:49:00.000-05:00

Nothing better than some fresh squeezed orange juice! Thanks to Grandpa and Nana Sheila we get a box of oranges from Florida every winter. After picking the perfect ones to eat we squeeze the rest for juice. And this year we saved some of that amazing juice for our new ice pop makers that Santa gave us. The best juice and ice pops around.

Pics from Dawn

2012-01-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

Some pictures and videos from Dawn. She was cleaning out her phone and camera and came across these doozies! Were my kids ever really this young?

Skating with school

2012-01-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

Richie is lucky because the Skate Shop owner at our ice rink also has a kid at The Eliot. This means that every Tuesday a couple of classes get to go skating. Here is Liam, Travis and Rich horsing around on the bench. I didn't get to go, but Chris did. They need lots of hands for tying skates, etc. I guess a lot of the kids had parents there to help. The high parent participation level is one of the reasons we LOVE his school and our neighborhood. It has been nice for Chris and I to hop home for school events since we work so close.

Angela's first ice skating lesson

2012-01-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

Angela was so good at ice skating the last two times we took her that we thought she was ready for lessons. She is technically too young to start, but close enough, right? She loves ice skating, but from the second we told her about lessons she said, "NO". Utoh.....not a good start. We actually almost canned the whole idea and then this morning she said she was a big girl and wanted to skate. We know the little kid's instructor Kate because she taught Rich for his first two years so I knew she would be in good hands. AND Angela just wants to do what Richie does so she got out on the ice pretty easy. Once out there she did amazing! I remember Rich's first lesson and how shocked I was. Today was no different. You can see her all by herself with the other kids all over the ground. At the same time, she didn't really do much of what Kate told her. She mostly skated around by herself. She would come over to me and then skate over to her brother. That is my Angela! She has never been one for rules.

My girls

2012-01-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

My Wednesdays are the hardest day of the week because I work from home and I have Angela. Today I looked over from my computer to see Angela quietly playing Richie's new Leappad snuggling with Regina. She loves her puppy dog!

Wells Christmas

2012-01-02T16:44:00.000-05:00

We finally got to celebrate Christmas with Aunt Erin and Uncle Matt! The kids were so excited to go down to their apartment and to open more presents of course. I had saved Aunt Donna Jo's, Aunt Kim's, Grandpa and Nana Sheila's gifts so they had another boat load of loot. After an awesome ham dinner (complete with Matt's special ham gravy!) we got to playing with all of their new toys. Erin and Matt helped put together their new crazy tent and played at least forty games of Connect Four Launchers. We finished the night with birthday cupcakes for Aunt Erin and some torture time for poor Maggie dog.
Thank you everyone for all of the gifts. My house looks like a bomb hit it, but the kids are having fun!

Skating at Fenway park

2012-01-01T19:41:00.000-05:00

We got the opportunity to do one of the most exciting things (at least I think!)......to skate at Fenway park! Frozen Fenway had a day where Boston residents could skate for free and we had scored tickets. I guess it was just like any other ice rink, but the green monster back drop made it special. This was only Angela's second time on skates this year but we started to realize she is already pretty good. She didn't let us hold on to her and had no fear of falling. Richie skated around with such a serious look on his face in his new hockey dress....I mean new hockey jersey (#30 Tim Thomas that he got for Christmas). It is big because it is supposed to fit over his pads, but he was NOT going to wear anything else. Wally the Green Monster came out with his hat and scarf to skate for a bit as well. Angela is still talking about how, "I skated with the Red Sox".

New Year's day

2012-01-01T10:21:00.000-05:00

We started today with plans to take the kids swimming, but that fell through because the gym closed family swim for the holiday weekend. Then since the kids were so disappointed we quickly rallied and said let's go bowling instead. When the bowling alley wasn't open yet we were in a bind with two really sad kids. Since it was such a nice day we decided just to head to Castle Island and play outside. Luckily this was a great idea to the kids and they had a blast. Not often you can head to the beach without a coat in January in Boston! In the evening we went to the Common to check out the ice sculptures and the Frog Pond. Look at the pic of Angela SCREAMING because she can't on the frog. I love that picture because it is so often the scene with her trying to do everything her brother does.

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T16:19:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve just isn't the same with kids. Now we just do our best to stay up until midnight! This year we wanted to make it little bit of a bigger deal so we invited some friends and made some fancy drinks. You can see Richie helped mix up some special concoctions and Regina stayed up late as well (under the plate of beef skewers!). Thanks to Zido, Doug, Lisa, Shumway and Joanna (and baby Carly) for coming over to celebrate the new year with us. It wasn't a wild party, but we got to spend some time with good friends (and some fireworks from the roof).

First day on the slopes

2011-12-29T16:10:00.001-05:00

Chris and Rich got their first day out on the slopes this year during the Christmas break. I wanted no part because it was going to be so cold and crowded, but as soon as they left I felt so jealous. A bad day of skiing is still better than a good day at work, right? You can see the pics I received while I was sitting in my office. A big boy lunch at the top of the mountain and riding the gondola all the way to the top. I guess Chris had to talk Rich out of one more run because he was absolutely exhausted. We are so happy he likes skiing and he is more and more like his Dad every day!

Disney on Ice

2011-12-28T16:09:00.000-05:00

For a middle of break treat we got 13 tickets to see Disney on Ice with lots of our friends!! It is always more fun when it is a big group.We just can't say no when it is down the street and I can get super cheap tickets from NEAD. Although Peter Pan was in this one, it wasn't the kids favorite. As Danny said, "too much kissy, kissy!"
We also realized that these boys love sports so much we really need to take them to the Sports Museum in the Garden some time. Another day.....but you can see four of Tim Thomas' favorite fans.
Colton, Angela,Gracie, Richie, Brayden, Riley, Danny and Emily!

Christmas dinner

2011-12-25T16:01:00.000-05:00

After all of the presents were opened we went to Jim and Karen's for a wonderful Christmas dinner. It is always nice to go there because we get to see at least a couple of Karen's sisters and their family.
Here are some of our family Christmas pics.
Merry Christmas to all, until next year.........

Christmas morning 2011

2011-12-25T14:07:00.000-05:00

The day had finally come and it seems everyone had been good this year! Richie got new skies and the Beyblades and umbrella he wanted. He also got a signed picture of Tim Thomas holding the Stanley Cup. Angela got her Dora Scooter, a big girl clock and a new hat she kept on all day. We bought the kids a karaoke machine which was also a hit and already has had a lot of use. Also, Uncle Eddie and Kevin got another new flat screen TV. THIS time we hope they use it upstairs. And the "big" boys all got the hockey jerseys they wanted. I know Christmas isn't about the presents, but it is hard to say it isn't a big part for the kids. The look on the their faces is priceless! I do feel like they love spending so much time with family, but they also work hard to be good to get the new toys they want.

Christmas eve

2011-12-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve dinner was at my Mom's house this year so we did some cooking and then enjoyed the company. Theckla, Ron and Joanne made all of their usual feast of the fishes food which we enjoyed with Uncle Eddie and Kevin who came to celebrate with us as well. After stuffing our faces we put cookies, milk and carrots out for Santa and the reindeer and went to bed. The most exciting night of the year!

Our very own year round elf

2011-12-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

Richie decided that he wanted to "make" his very own Elfie to have all year round. He drew a picture of him and started telling me how he was going to do this. I immediately realized this was 100% NOT a project for me so we send Babci the picture with some instructions. I am not sure how I am her daughter because when we got to Monroe she had all of the supplies Rich would need to make his elf. It took them hours (maybe even more than one day), but after a lot of work (and a lot of Babci's patience) Richie now has his very own stuffed Elfie. He has slept with it every night since they made it and loves it to pieces!

New cousin baby Maggie!

2011-12-23T13:19:00.000-05:00

At Thanksgiving time I realized that cousins Colleen and Sean were probably going to be in the NJ area around the holidays. Well it worked out that we got to see them AND meet their new baby Maggie. I am SO glad because I don't think I could have waited until the summer to meet this cutie pie. I stole SO much play and snuggle time and fell in love with this munchkin. The kids got to play with cousins Natalie, Nicholas and Mara so it was a fun family day. These pictures aren't great of poor baby Maggie, but trust me she is gorgeous! And a big smile from cousin Mara at the end.

The Eliot December Assembly

2011-12-22T13:04:00.000-05:00

Because Richie's school is just busting at the seems, they went looking for a bigger place to hold their December Assembly. This is the bigger one where all of the kids "perform" and lots of parents go. After looking into some of the local colleges, etc someone had the bright idea to go to the Peter Pan Tent. Well lucky enough for us, they said YES so the kids were able to perform on the 360 degree stage that has been home to the Peter Pan performance the past few months. We had seen the show so we knew how AWESOME this was going to be. Richie was ecstatic although also nervous and asked if Peter Pan was going to be there. No worries I took LOTS of pics and videos as you can see.
The K1 kids performed the winter hockey pockey and had to sit through all of the early performances in their winter gear. They did great! I was the most proud when Richie did the bells with NEMPAC (North End Music and Performing Art Center) which hosts his before school program. He was the youngest one to get out there and ring those bells and he asked Ms. Becca himself if he could perform with them. I know there will be a lot of other moments like this one, but I was beaming! They ended the VERY long assembly with the Eliot fight song. I am still laughing about that part....."We are the Eliot, the mighty, mighty Eliot..."

Christmas list

2011-12-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

Since the kids didn't go near Santa this year Richie knew he better make a list if he was going to have any chance of getting what he wanted. If you can't read it it says Richard wants Beyblades and a #30 Bruins jersey (Tim Thomas) and Angela wants a Dora scooter. Then he remembered he also wanted a Batman umbrella with a hook for a handle (no other one would do!).

Music class

2011-12-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

Poor Angela being the second child again doesn't get to do as many activities as Richie did. He started this music class when he was just a few months old with Nana Mary. Well Angela is over 2, but I was still determined to make sure she could say she went to Family Music Makers as well. The funny thing is that she LOVES it (probably more than he ever did!) which makes me so sad we didn't do it earlier. Oh well. Here is Angela and her big smiles at music class. I already signed her up for the next session AND for music class at day care. Starting to feel a little less guilty!

Christmas with Dawn

2011-12-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

The kids are lucky that they still get to see their Dawnie so we had to do a special Christmas dinner with her and exchange presents. As you can see she never fails to get the kids everything they want. I think Angela even picked out the outfit she got. Can you say SPOILED!!! Needless to say we love our Dawnie and are so glad she is still in our lives.
....yes Richie has pants on...OK maybe shorts. I have no idea why!! Things went downhill as soon as he could get into his drawers. Because he wears a uniform to school he often comes home and "changes" into other clothes. You just never know what it is going to be.

Puppet show at the library

2011-12-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

My library group was lucky enough to raise money to have Wayne Martin Puppets come and perform. We had seen him at Christopher Columbus park so we knew this was an event not to miss. Our friends Haley and Elin came as well. Angela is obsessed with Haley so she was in heaven. AND she didn't have to share Haley with her brother. As you can see below, even baby Elin really got into the show.

The Christmas Spectacular

2011-12-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

Richie saw a commercial for the Christmas Spectacular and fell in love with the Rockettes! Lucky for us our friends Maddie and Parker wanted to go as well so we made a special Mommy/kid night of it in our Christmas best. The show was even better than I remembered and perfect for kids. Lucky kids going to the Wang Theater at 4 years old! I hope we do this again and I cannot wait to take Angela. A new holiday tradition??

Work holiday party

2011-12-13T12:31:00.000-05:00

Before my work holiday party got underway the kids (Gayle's daughter Jennifer as well) did some coloring. The kids got along so well and even continued to color while we went out to the atrium for the party. I will have to get the rest of the pics. Chocolate fountain, gingerbread cookie decorating and a magician! It was a fun party.

First day of preschool

2011-12-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it, but my baby is in preschool! Yep, she already moved up a class at her day care. She has been telling us she didn't want to go, but when the morning came, she was all smiles by the time I left. So happy to finally not have tears so I can take her school pic. They made play-doh and went on the big kid playground. Sounds like fun to me......although I had a sad day thinking how my baby was gone. So glad she was safe and happy, but I want my baby back!

Angela at open skate

2011-12-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

Since our friends Emily and Grace gave Angela their old ice skates Richie has been dying to go to open skate to test them out with her. She did great considering it was only her second or third time even on skates. She has a lot less fear than Rich did at that age. She likes to do everything her brother does! What a fun family activity. I think we will be back again next week. Just have to decide if Angela is ready for lessons yet or not I know she can do it, but she will NOT like going on the ice without us.

Northeastern/UMass hockey game

2011-12-10T14:22:00.000-05:00

Since we are not doing a huge birthday party for Richard this year, we thought we would take him and some family/friends to a hockey game. The Bruins are ridiculously priced for a Saturday so we are going to the Northeastern/UMass hockey game. Sounds fun, right! Well funny enough, just days after we decided this I got free tickets to that exact game. Luckily our buddy Colton could come since these boys both adore hockey. A fun impromptu Saturday night out!

Elfie

2011-12-09T14:12:00.000-05:00

Elfie is our Elf on the Shelf who hides somewhere in our house every day so he can keep an eye on the kids to report back to Santa. I have never liked the Elf, but we did it the last year so there is no going back. It feels like bribery and threats.....which I am not exactly against, but I also lose sleep over it when I remember at 4 am that I forgot to move the damn thing! ANYWAY, I don't think Richie actually believes in him because he told me before he"came out" that he wasn't real. THEN he said to Chris one day, "Daddy remember when you hid Elfie....I mean when Elfie hid in the tree". Jokes on us! Angela on the other hand truly believes (and will often eat an extra bite of vegetables if she thinks Elfie is watching) so we continue on for her. Maybe because he knows he doesn't believe.....maybe because he does actually believe.....either way, Richie made this note for Elfie and I thought it was super cute! Elfie, I don't love you but I guess Richie does!

Inclusion Awareness Week

2011-12-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

The Eliot is an Inclusion School which means it mixes students of all abilities so everyone can be streamlined and learn together. It has been wonderful to see all of the different children and how they get along. Since it was Inclusion Awareness Week the students did a presentation on how we are all different. These gorgeous pictures were all over the walls of the entry way to the school. As you can see Richie picked his eyes. He said his eyes are his favorite part because he can see the world with them. Gosh they are so ridiculously smart at this age!! I could not be more proud of him and his classmates!

Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-12-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

Look how pretty it is!!! And huge....The holiday season has begun! Christmas has arrived at 84 Endicott Street.

Cut down our Christmas tree

2011-12-04T21:17:00.000-05:00

On our way home from Maine we decided to stop and cut down our own Christmas tree this year. I thought it was a fun and memorable experience, but they kids were a little too tired (it was nap time) to truly love it. They enjoyed cutting it and watching Daddy drag it out of the "forest" though! Wait until you see how pretty (and HUGE) it looks in our house!

Freeport, Maine

2011-12-04T21:16:00.000-05:00

Spending the weekend in Freeport meant hitting the LL Bean store of course. One of the coolest places ever! On this weekend they had made snow for snow shoeing and snow tubing. No joke the kids went down the snow tube hill for at least 2 hours!! There are all of the great outlets and the tree that talks.....yeah, kind of strange but it flat out sees you and talks to you. Obviously cool for kids.

The Polar Express

2011-12-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

In typical Wells fashion we decided just days ago to join Kelley and her family in Portland, Maine to go on the Polar Express train (from the movie). They have been talking about it for years and we have been thinking about it for months, but we like to do things by the seat of our pants!
Well they were right, what a fun weekend! The Polar Express train was ridiculously fun and pretty darn close to the movie if you asked me. All of the money went to the train museum in Portland and all of the actors were volunteers and all of the treats were donated. We even left with a special reindeer bell and collectible mug. The kids got into their jammies (just like the movie), sang songs, drank hot chocolate, ate cookies and even got to talk to (or just high five) Santa. Back at the hotel, we put the kids to bed for some adult time with friends!
Riley, Angela, Colton, Rich and Brayden

Lemonade Stand

2011-12-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

The K1 classes at the Eliot decided to have a Lemonade stand to raise money for their field trips. Amelia Wolfson's Dad had made the awesome stand for them and the kids did the rest of the work. They made the lemonade and all of the signs! Pretty good for 4/5 year olds. Every morning for a week a few kids would take turns manning the stand and let me tell you the line was always long.

So I don't forget in the years to come - top picture Amelia Goggin in blue and in the bottom picture Richie's good friend Lukie and Ms. Simonini.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T20:36:00.000-05:00

In typical Aunt Donna Jo fashion, we had more than a feast for Thanksgiving! We got to their house just in time to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade (that they had taped so we didn't miss a minute!). After that started the food that didn't end all day! There was so much I am just not even sure I have a favorite. Table presents, advent calendars, lots of pies and all with family equals a great holiday.
Lots to be thankful for again this year. Especially the love from all of our family and friends. Thank you! Yes you!

Friday was a gorgeous day so we headed down to the new Brooklyn Bridge Park...you guessed it...at the foot of the Brooklyn bridge. Perfect spot for scenic views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Next time Richie said we have to go see Lady Liberty. We finished off the day with a trip to NJ where Aunt Chris and Uncle Jack had another family dinner. Dessert was a delicious chocolate cake to celebrate Sean's 50th birthday! Happy Birthday Sean!

Cousin time!

2011-11-23T19:37:00.000-05:00

Can it really be Thanksgiving time already??? This unseasonably warm weather is really fooling my sense of time. I not ready for the holidays,but I AM ready for some time off from work with family!
Always a great time playing with Jakie and Joshie. We had a delish BBQ dinner, hit the playground, took a hike on the Appalachian Trail and acted silly with Uncle Kevin!

Trellis lighting

2011-11-21T20:54:00.001-05:00

I guess it is the start of the holiday season because tonight was the Trellis Lighting at Christopher Columbus park. A fun night with all of our friends, holiday music and lots of sweet treats. We have always loved our neighborhood events, but they are all more fun now that we have so many neighborhood friends. The blue trellis lights are gorgeous along the water, but the kids would not let me take their picture under them. Maybe next time!

One last nice warm day...

2011-11-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

Who could pass up a hike on such a gorgeous day!! I have been loving all of this warm weather but I know it is going to end. In the meantime, we head out and enjoy. Regina loves hiking the most (especially when there is a swim involved). Richie loves being in the woods, but would prefer to climb on the rocks and trees and doesn't care to cover much ground. He also loves to have a treasure hunt to see how many "treasures" (rocks, sticks, leaves, etc) we can find. Angela can't decide what she prefers; to be carried by Daddy or follow her brother. She did a little bit of both today. In the last picture you can see the way Richie chose to cross the stream....there was a perfectly good bridge a few feet up, but he liked seeing me squirm!

Riley's 8th birthday

2011-11-13T11:43:00.000-05:00

How could our buddy Riley be 8?? And how come I got a pic of Colton and not the birthday boy? Needless to say, we had a great time at his party because it had a hockey theme! And we hit Pure Hockey (and got a glimpse of Brad Marchand filming a commercial!) so now Rich has all of the remaining hockey gear. Oh boy there is a lot...ugh!

On to hockey...

2011-11-12T11:31:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it, but hockey falls a half hour after basketball. Bye, bye Saturdays (through March!!) hello happy 4 year old! We literally had to pack a sandwich to eat as we walked from one to the other. Richie couldn't even eat his sandwich this week he was so excited for hockey (and we barely got him to leave basketball because the kids were still throwing the ball around).
Richie said at bed that this was the best day ever!

Small Fry Basketball

2011-11-12T11:23:00.000-05:00

Since the soccer season was just way too short for Rich's liking, he has been asking when Basketball starts every day. Well it was finally here! I wasn't sure he was going to be able to sleep Friday night he was so excited. And of course he was not disappointed. Other than being the smallest fry in the Small Fry league he had a blast. A couple of Moms and one of the coaches came up to me and said how cute he was and how much heart he has about the sport. I am not sure anyone threw him the ball during the games at the end of practice, but it didn't seem to matter. We may have our next Rudy!

Aquarium with friends

2011-11-11T11:16:00.000-05:00

Nothing better than a day to skip school and head to the Aquarium. We will say yes to that offer EVERY time! Angela immediately asked where Haley was once I said we were meeting Maddie. She is obsessed with that girl. We saw all of the fish, hit the playground and then finished with lunch. Boy are we sad Kara is going back to work soon.

Lisa the marathon runner!

2011-11-07T11:29:00.027-05:00

Had an amazing weekend in NYC with some of my best girlfriends to see Lisa run the NYC marathon. Not only am I RIDICULOUSLY proud of her, she made the most of her experience and was contagiously ecstatic. From the inspiring Fred's Team runners (who raised over 4.2 million dollars for Sloan Kettering Cancer Hospital!) to the quaint coffee shops in Greenpoint Brooklyn that welcomed us. From the free PBR's at the Irish Pub overlooking the race course to watching the faces of the 47,000 people who finished the race.
An amazing experience from beginning to end.
While I was gone the kids went to this new playground on the esplanade that we have been waiting to open. It was fully funded by private donations (mostly parents of the private school kids from the area) so you can imagine how cool it is. We will have to go back soon because Richie was not able to conquer all of the play things. He hasn't stopped talking about the zip line and has been trying to build one in the house (the latest was with the dogs leash) for the past couple of days.

Pirates

2011-11-04T10:54:00.001-04:00

For some reason my kids have been continuing to make me bring out what little creativity I have. They are obsessed right now with Pirates after going to see Peter Pan and watching the Disney show Jake and The Neverland Pirates. So I somehow came up with a way to make a ship (called Bucky - from the show I think) out of a beer box. Complete with a sail and anchor. Brilliant! And the kids love it...even better! Since they don't share anything, Chris had to make one for Angela. Hers is named Buckaroo (they made that name up!). Although he loves his ship, Richie is never happy for long. Next he wanted his ship to have a "cannon shooter". So far Chris has kept him happy with the marble run down the fireplace.....that works most of the time. Luckily for me he called Babci to make him a treasure chest!!

Zoo with friends

2011-11-04T10:41:00.009-04:00

Just another fun day at the zoo and what makes it more fun is that we got to do it with good friends! Saw the baby gorilla (Kimbiri) for a long time and heard all about how she is celebrating her first birthday with a princess party. Nothing better than being outside with friends for the day. The kids get along so well with Maddie and Haley, and their little siblings (Nate and Elin) were perfect angels taking it all in. Boy do we wish Kara could stay home from work for another year!

Dinner with the Hamweys

2011-11-02T10:30:00.001-04:00

Another fun night with the Hamwey girls! We had them over for dinner and things got a little crazy (for the kids AND the adults!). In our life crazy means fun so we can't wait to have them back again.
(Brigid, Vivian and Caroline (Charley) Hamwey)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:38:00.027-04:00

Although we didn't head to Newton (which the kids wanted and which we had been doing the past couple of years) we still had a great Halloween! Both kids got to wear their costumes to school and then Angela had a party afterward. Since poor Angela (as second child) doesn't get many things for just her we all made sure to make it to her party. Is there anything cuter than seeing a bunch of little kids smothered in costumes that are huge on them? Adorable! She showed off her classroom and the buggies they use for walks.
After that we met up with our friend Baby Carly for some trick or treating. You can see the two cutest monkeys on the block. We finished the night at the Prado for a pizza party with our friends. The kids had so much fun playing games and running around with their buddies (see Angela with Alana below), they didn't even care about their candy. Phew! Chris and I had first dibs that night although my kids have bad taste in candy. Too many lollipops and not enough chocolate. We are going to have to have a lesson in candy picking next year.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Vivian's Birthday

2011-10-30T16:36:00.021-04:00

We were excited to get to celebrate our friend Vivian's 5th birthday with her. It was absolutely hysterical because Mary Beth planned the party at this super old bowling alley in Eastie. It was hysterical with a lot of "character". The kids just tore up the place. She even brought in a face painter that both of my kids finally like. You can see Richie the pirate (his new favorite thing) and Angela's first bee.
It didn't hurt that we started our trip to East Boston with Santarpio's. YUM!!
Happy Birthday Vivi!

Clarkson/Bentley hockey game

2011-10-28T17:59:00.023-04:00

Since Rich (and Angela these days) love hockey so much we have been taking them to some Clarkson games. This game was hysterical because Bentley is not a D1 team and they don't even have their own arena! Instead the game was at a DCR rink in Watertown! Seemed more like a high school game than anything, but the kids had fun. And a Friday night out with Buff's wings for dinner....perfect. Rich has decided he wants a Clarkson t-shirt for Christmas so he must like it. Angela just yells Go Bruins, but she had trouble going from cheering for the Red Sox to the Bruins as well. Glad our buddies Lisa and Doug could join us.

Dawn days

2011-10-28T14:58:00.006-04:00

We are truly missing Dawn, but luckily she misses us too! Because of this we still see her at least once a week. She watched Angela so that I could chaperone Rich's field trip. While I was gone they made tofu stir fry for all of us for lunch. Yum and thanks!

Harvest Walk

2011-10-28T14:41:00.032-04:00

Richie had a school field trip called the Harvest Walk where the kids had to dress up as their favorite book character. What a great idea except that the creativity skills between Chris and I are next to zero! Rich's favorite book is actually Dino Hockey so we thought we could pull that one off (a dino tail and a hockey jersey, pretty easy right?). Well when it came time to make this costume Rich said his favorite book was If You Give A Cat A Cupcake and he wanted to be a cat. HUH???? Well we pick our battles wisely around here and this was not one I wanted to fight. I figured it was best to have Rich on board and make the costume he wanted, rather than fight with him about it. OK, so now how do you make a cat? You can see the mask, belly and tail we came up with below. One ear fell off before the end of the morning, but otherwise he was very happy.
The kids paraded down Hanover Street to the Coast Guard Station in their costumes. They men and women there were AMAZING to the kids. They had decorated most of their offices and dressed up themselves. The kids had a blast (got tons of candy) and I was psyched to finally get beyond that Coast Guard gate! You can see Rich in his glory especially with his school girlfriends Hale and the 2 Amelia's.
A huge thanks to the Coast Guard for making the day of some North End kids!

Our Jack O Lantern

2011-10-25T14:25:00.012-04:00

You have to make a Jack O Lantern every year around Halloween, right? Well I actually don't like this task, but love watching Chris and the kids do it! You can ask Chris if he likes it or if I just make him do it (because he is SO good at it!). Regardless the kids love it of course so we do it. This year Richie wanted it to be scary, but Angela said no funny. I think Chris did a good job compromising. Jack only lasted about 3 days, but we loved him while he was around. I remember the days when Rich would scream during this process....sad the pumpkin was cut......grossed out by the gooey insides. Now they dig in and pull out the seeds to roast. Another yummy part of Fall.
Happy Fall! Happy Halloween!

Peter Pan

2011-10-23T10:01:00.014-04:00

We went to see Peter Pan with a whole bunch of our buddies (Riley, Colton, Sammy and Brayden). The boys had a blast and screamed (and I mean literally screamed) lines from the show (that has Pirates so you can imagine how loud) throughout City Hall Plaza. What could be better than seeing a show that has sword fights with your best buds?......beers with the Mommy friends afterward! A win-win situation.
This show was extra amazing because it was the new 360 degree theater. So life like with an amazing set and all of the characters flying through the air right on top of you. This is a must see. Well a must see for kids who aren't afraid (Angela wanted no part) AND Tinker Bell uses a few choice words that little kids are NOT allowed to use. It went over Rich's head, but it didn't get past the bigger boys. Naughty Tink!
Richie watched the movie and read the book numerous times before the show. He even wore the Tinker Bell necklace that came with the book Babci gave him proudly!

Boo at the Zoo

2011-10-23T09:58:00.006-04:00

Our annual trip to the zoo for Halloween. I always think it is silly to spend so much time picking out a costume and then only wear it one time. SO, we like to extend our celebrating! We trick or treated with the animals and our friends Maggie and Logan Tilden. We also danced with Radio Disney.
Notice Angela is a mouse. She BETTER be a monkey for Halloween (her real costume) or I will be the one who has the meltdown. Angela wanted to be a monkey and has been SUPER happy with her choice for weeks......until the second we are walking out the door and she says, NO mouse. I may have to hide that costume because as you can see, it is too small. KIDS!
See our Batman, mouse, Raggedy Ann and bee!

Touched the Stanley Cup

2011-10-21T09:01:00.012-04:00

Another amazing North End event.....TOUCHING the Stanley Cup! Yes, as a thank you to the North End residents, we had a viewing of the cup. The kids were SO excited and I think now Richie can sleep at ease. He has been sort of upset since the day we saw the Stanley Cup in the parade because I got to touch it and he didn't. Well now he has too. My kids are ridiculously lucky!!! The line was so short that we actually went and touched it 3 times. Rich said it felt like cold glass. We also have a family picture with it that I am waiting to be uploaded to the Bruins site. Maybe our Christmas card for this year???

Amazing seats at the Bruins game

2011-10-20T21:48:00.000-04:00

Well another reason my kids are SUPER spoiled.....6th row tickets to the Bruins game! There were no other kids their age in these amazing seats. The pictures came out bad (I HAVE to take my real camera next time), but you can certainly see how close we were. Angela was cheering and yelling along with everyone. She had a blast and got a pink hockey stick as a prize. It is cute, but we now own 30 hockey sticks! Rich wouldn't leave his seat between periods because that is when the little kids play (called 3 minutes of fame) and the zamboni.

Suffolk Stampede

2011-10-16T11:34:00.012-04:00

Suffolk University has teamed up with the Eliot School (Richie's new school) to help raise the funds necessary for the students to have the best learning experience. One of their fundraisers was the Suffolk Stampede. It was a 1.4 mile walk or 2.4 mile run along the Esplanade. We could not have asked for a better day and Richie has been dying to do another race so this was our perfect weekend activity. Chris and Angela walked/strollered most of the way, but Richie and I RAN! OK, so we had a few breaks, but not that many for a four year old. I love that he loves to run. As I have always said, he loves ALL sports. You can see Rich with his teacher Ms. Simonini below along with Team Wells.

Apple picking

2011-10-15T11:30:00.019-04:00

Needed apples and a carving pumpkin so we headed to Russell Orchards in Ipswich straight from soccer. We went to Russell last year and knew it was really laid back and not super crowded. PLUS they have animals, cider and cider donuts. The real reason apple picking is one of my favorite activities. And as soon as we got home we made an apple pie. Another yum!

More soccer pics

2011-10-15T09:33:00.004-04:00

As you can see Richie has really improved at soccer! He was a bit timid before, but he now gets right up in there. A couple of these kids are really good so the kids have a lot of fun really playing and not just picking weeds.

Angela and the potty

2011-10-14T11:24:00.001-04:00

The day started off awesome with Angela wanting to sit on the potty! This was a huge improvement because she hasn't actually done anything in it yet. Well today was different and she pooped. Yep, I said it on the blog. You can see her painting in the Dora book she got as a prize. Will she continue.....can I stop buying diapers? Not going to hold my breath just yet. I am sure this is a fluke knowing Angela.
Later in the day we went to the library for an Italian Heritage Month craft. Thanks Miss Jennifer for the flags we made and hung on our new cork board in our newly renovated pantry (thanks Chris!).

Circus!

2011-10-12T11:12:00.006-04:00

Who can beat the circus coming to town twice a year....and we haven't missed one yet! This time we went with friends Haley and Maddie. Dinner at Beer Works too of course. Always a fun night when Kara ends it wearing the cotton candy top hat! Angela talked about Haley for days afterward.

Tufts 10K

2011-10-10T11:05:00.011-04:00

Since we all had the day off, I took the kids to the Boston Common to spend the day outside and watch the Tufts 10k. It was a gorgeous day and Lisa was running (since she is training to run the NYC marathon in a few weeks!!) so we were able to cheer her on. The Boston Common has the biggest playground and what is better than a picnic? You can see what happens when I tell Richie it is going to be warm out and he can wear what he wants. Thanks Jakie for those awesome socks that just topped off this outfit.

Columbus Day

2011-10-09T10:44:00.014-04:00

As much as we love Christopher Columbus park EVERY day, it is always the best place to be on Columbus Day weekend! They had so many family friendly events so the kids and I spent hours there. We made sure not to miss a single show or fun activity. After the events was the city of Boston's Columbus Day parade that we were asked to walk in for soccer (NEAA - North End Athletic Association). The parade was HUGE and really fun. We felt like celebrities although Richie got a blister before the end so we stopped when we hit out house. It turned out to be a good idea because we got to actually see the end of the parade and then ride our bikes out front while the road was still closed.

Playing with Grandpa

2011-10-07T10:42:00.004-04:00

Grandpa came to town for a golf tournament, but stayed 2 nights so he could also see and play with the kids. They had so much fun and asked when he was coming back after he left!

Stanley cup ring!

2011-10-05T10:27:00.005-04:00

I had a library event and then I went out for a bit with Dawn. I learned she knows everyone and it is fun to pretend you are young again! While we were out we bumped into a member of the Bruins (no unfortunately not a player, but I will keep the secret of EXACTLY who it was) and was able to try on their Stanley Cup ring. YES, that is my hand! And a pic of the kids that Dawn had on her phone that I had her send to me because it was just TOO cute! Random, I know!

Babci's birthday

2011-10-01T10:20:00.007-04:00

Since we were already in NY, we decided to stay and spend some time with Babci for her birthday. The kids always have so much fun at Jakie and Joshie's house!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABCI!!

Grandma's funeral

2011-09-30T17:14:00.024-04:00

Unfortunately Grandma's body had started to fail her the past few weeks (boy she had spent a lot of time in the hospital) and she died on September 26th. She was one of the most amazing, strong, FUNNY women I have ever known and she will always have such a special place in my heart. We always had such a great relationship and although her move up north wasn't her favorite idea, I am convinced it was for the best. She was able to spend SO much more time with family and my kids really did get to know and love her. I will never forget all of the fun times we had and I will cherish all of the stories of her life she had started to tell me over the past couple of years (during the time of cleaning out her Florida house).
Although funerals are AWFUL, they give you time to reflect and to see family you don't see very often. Below you can see the kids looking at the board of pictures we had found of Grandma. Then there is my kids in the silly hats Aunt Theckla gave them. Thanks so much to her for babysitting so Chris and I could go to the funeral and the kids wouldn't have to experience this sad piece of real life too soon. And then the last picture is Angela with cousin Riley. That dress my Grandma gave me when I was 2. I will have to find a picture of me in it so we can compare.

Joanna and Blake's wedding

2011-09-24T11:49:00.013-04:00

Some pictures from Joanna and Blake's awesome wedding weekend. There are SO MANY good pics I may have to put the rest up in a separate post. The kids (Richie and Natalie) did awesome! You have never seen two cuter kids. A southern bbq rehearsal dinner.....beach wedding and yummy brunch to top it off. They nailed every detail for the perfect wedding. And the best part....seeing all of the family. Cousins from the west coast.....lots of fun memories. Wait until you see the video of Richie cutting a rug on the dance floor. Just don't know where he gets those moves from, but he had us all laughing.
Congrats to Joanna and our new cousin Blake!

First day of soccer

2011-09-17T11:26:00.011-04:00

The day had finally come that Richie had been talking about all summer.....SOCCER!! This kid loves sports so there is nothing better than when a new season starts. He is on team Italy and his friend Christina from St. John's last year is on his team. He is already pretty good, but I am looking forward to watching him improve. More pics as the season progresses.

First day of pre-school

2011-09-12T13:40:00.032-04:00

Not sure why I thought this was a good idea, but both of my kids started "school" on the same day. Made for an absolutely crazy morning/afternoon, but the kids were thrilled. We all went together to drop Angela off at her KinderCare. She was so excited...until about the time we got to the door. Then she realized exactly what was happening and the tears started. Her teacher had to pry her off of me which of course just broke my heart and made me cry. When I went to pick her up she started crying again when she saw me. BUT, through her tears she said, "Mommy I had a good day". More tears by me. Maybe tomorrow she will smile or eat her lunch (or even a snack). Notice no additional first day of school pics of Angela. I hated to take them of her crying. I will try to catch her with her new school buddies in a few weeks.

Richie on the other hand was a trooper. He skipped the whole way to school. We were also lucky enough to meet up with his buddy Luke and walk part of the way with him. You can see the two boys together below. And I know he had a great day because he actually told me all about it (instead of, "I don't know) when he got home! Morning meeting, centers, Italian class, snack time (which is also math because they count/add their food!) and of course the playground. He was so tired Miss Simonini said she had to wake him up at rest time. It is going to be a good year.....if I can continue to get two kids out of the house with book bags, lunches.....in time!

Daddy weekend

2011-09-10T13:56:00.006-04:00

This weekend was my annual Girls Weekend in Portsmouth, NH. Ah, the relaxation and shopping with good friends....priceless! I am a VERY lucky girl. While I was gone Chris took the kids to the zoo. Never a bad day when you get to spend it with animals. They also had a bbq with their friend Maddie. I think it is tradition for the boys to get together when the girls are gone. I am OK with parenting in numbers.

Last day with Dawn

2011-09-08T13:31:00.012-04:00

Today was a sad day because it was the kids last official day with Dawn. It means it is the last day of summer.....and of the help she gave us. We are ALL pretty devastated. I can't begin to tell you how much easier she made my life for the past 2+ years she was with us and the kids are head over heals for her! Luckily she lives in our neighborhood so we plan to still see her all the time still. The worst part is that it means my babies are GONE!
On their last day Dawn took the kids to the Museum of Science. You can see below that they touched every exhibit. Actually that is a literal statement. You can see the one picture of Richie getting a lesson on the lung from a museum curator. The one thing he said was not to touch it. Angela proceeded......to lean in and touch the lung. That's my girl!

Preview day at day care

2011-09-07T19:45:00.001-04:00

Today my baby girl spent some time at her day care center all by herself. She did pretty well although I on the other hand did not. It was one of the hardest thing I have had to do. How is she old enough to go to "school"? I had to go to Starbucks to pull myself together. She was only alone for an hour, but it seemed like a life time. When I went to pick her up and she saw me she started crying again. I ran up to her and said, "What is wrong?" Through her tears she said, "I had fun Mommy". It was so cute. I think she loved it, but it was just emotional for her as well. Her first full day is Monday. That is going to be a BAD day for me.

Made by Me

2011-09-06T15:56:00.019-04:00

Dawn took the kids on the train to this cute place called Made By Me. It is a place that has all kinds of pottery that you paint and then they put into the kiln so it becomes dishwasher and microwave safe. The kids made a bowl and a plate and I can't wait to see how they look because the kids are obsessed with what they eat out of. It is a daily fight. I guess we will get it back in a few days. One their way home from Porter Square they stopped in at my office. I was so excited to see them and of course so was everyone in the office. Perfect rainy day activity.

I touched the Stanley Cup!!

2011-09-05T15:24:00.025-04:00

So as everyone knows, the winning NHL hockey players each get to spend a day (any way they want) with the Stanley Cup. To make a long story short, Andrew Ference decided that the North End was now his home so he brought the cup "home" to us! With a hysterical impromptu parade (including our own Roma band) through the streets, they ended with a flash mob! I might have to find the links with the video of all of this. We personally knew about all of this so we set out to find the cup. It was a hungry, cranky time for my kids (we had just had a play date with the kids going to Richie's new school at the playground) so we just wanted to get our glimpse and go home.
When we saw the cup coming we tucked ourselves in between two cars and waited. Luckily they wanted Andrew to take a picture with the cup in front of Modern Pastry so they stopped the parade, put the cup down, he grabbed it and brushed RIGHT BY US!! As you can see in one picture below (for those of you who recognize my arm!), it was so close I reached out and touched it!! We were all star-struck! And you can see, Angela put her hockey shirt on and yelled, "The Stanley Cupcake!" when she saw it!

End of summer BBQ

2011-09-04T15:07:00.031-04:00

Chris and I were inspired late in the week to spend as much time as possible outside since Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. We also realized we had not had as many friends as we normally would have up to the roof. Boys those kids really get in the way!
It was exciting that so many friends were around and came over for what turned out to be DANCE PARTY USA. These pictures do not even begin to tell the real story of how hysterical it was and how much fun we had! Our kids love Top 40 hits and boy can they get down and dance.
The St. Anthony's feast was rescheduled for this day so everyone loved getting to see the parade. Also, a few people stayed later than others.....you can see who I mean below. Our sons fell asleep ON each other so we could party into the night.

Deutsche Bank golf tournament

2011-09-03T14:57:00.013-04:00

Chris and Mike took Rich and Maddie for the second year in a row to Norton, Mass to the Deutsche Bank PGA golf tournament. The kids remembered last year and were so excited to go back again. What 4 year olds have already been to two professional golf tournaments??
I think this is the post Chris should really write because I was not there and I don't really know all that much about the day. Stay tuned for Chris's details.......

Start of Labor Day weekend

2011-09-02T14:45:00.019-04:00

We had such a fun Labor Day weekend planned and it started with our Mommy/Richie/Angela Friday. We headed out in the morning to just enjoy the day in the city. Carousel....aquarium seals.....boats...we did it all on the way to lunch with our friends Lucie and Eva at the Barking Crab. It was such a gorgeous day and the kids and I were just having so much fun running around with each other.
After our lunch date we ran home for a play date with our old day care friend Jackson. These two boys play so well together and just tore the house apart. That was just fine with me because Angela was sleeping and I got to spend time with Jackson's mom and her new 3 week old. Oh who doesn't just love a new baby! Welcome to the world Sohie Love! So sad I didn't get pics of this part of the day.

Red Sox game with our pal Colton

2011-08-31T14:31:00.028-04:00

Another fun baseball game and this one we invited Richie's best bud Colton. We used to invite our friends and now we invite the kids friends. Luckily Colton's parents are our friends as well so a good time was had by all. Since the Red Sox were playing the Yankees, Rich wore the special shirt Babci made for him (half Red Sox half Yankees). He always gets a lot of attention from it.
And this time Angela really got into the game more than usual. She was so excited from the second we told her we were going to the game. She insisted on wearing her Red Sox hat and shirt. She cracked up everyone on the train because of her outfit and how she just kept yelling about the Red Sox. Big Papi is her favorite player and she yelled his name the whole game. Check out the video!

Welcome to Kindergarten at the Children's Museum

2011-08-30T14:20:00.025-04:00

We had another Welcome to Kindergarten celebration and this one was at the Children's Museum. First of all this is a great place and then they had all kinds of additional fun things to do. The favorite I think was the school bus. Chris and I are SO excited our kids won't have to take a long bus ride to school like we did. Well our kids feel VERY differently. They think taking a bus to school would be the COOLEST THING! I guess you always want what you don't have. Luckily they were able to play on this school bus for a while.

And just when we were ready to leave the biggest surprise came. Each of the kids got a free book bag that had the Stanley Cup on it. Hello, perfect! It was also filled with lots of school supplies.

Painting

2011-08-29T21:12:00.003-04:00

Came home to the kids painting pics Out front, no shirts, full of paint.....and having a blast!

Welcome to Kindergarten

2011-08-29T21:10:00.007-04:00

Although Richie isn't starting actual Kindergarten yet, his pre-school is at the school he will be attending next year. We are so excited he will be attending the Elliot School and feel he truly won the lottery to get in. Because of this we have been enjoying all of the free events that the BPS has to offer this summer. This event was Welcome To Kindergarten at the library. The kids met their teachers again, met more of their future classmates and did lots of crafts. Angela said the best part was the snacks and juice boxes. The kids were supposed to parade from the library to the school, but Angela (and her wonderful tantrums) put a damper on that part.
We already met Richie's teacher Ms. Simonini because she came to our house last week. Yes, a teacher who does home visits in the summer.....we are already in LOVE!

Hershey Museum

2011-08-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

While at Hershey we went to the Museum where you get to see a really cool interactive 3-D movie and go on ride describing how the chocolate is made. BUT after all of that you get suited up and actually make your own chocolate bar. You can design what is in the candy AND the wrapper. After you pick what you want you watch the candy bar go through each of the machines. Pretty fun! Check out my little candy makers below.

Hershey Park

2011-08-25T20:45:00.021-04:00

For our last vacation of the summer, we took the kids to Hershey Park with Mom, Jim, Karen and the kids. Always a good vacation when the kids have their cousins, and then to hit an amusement park makes it perfect! They had smiles on their faces for three days straight. The big boys went on lots of scary rides and roller coasters. And Angela even convinced Aunt Karen to take her on what we had deemed the scariest ride there was. By the end we felt we hit just about every ride the kids could go on which is good because Rich STUDIES the park map and would know if he missed something. Angela's favorite ride was of course the carousel. All week before we left she said, "I go on carousel with my friend Joshie". And she did!
When we weren't at the park we were at the hotel pool which was also perfect for kids.

Concerts on the Prado

2011-08-18T21:06:00.023-04:00

The kids had two fun concerts today on the Prado. In the afternoon they went and saw an African drumming concert that they were able to participate in. In the evening Dawn stayed so the adults could have a night out. We always appreciate those nights! The kids went back to the Prado for an opera concert. I guess they LOVED it. They were also able to make Phantom of the Opera masks that Angela did not take off for the rest of the night. Even when they got french fries at the Fisherman's Feast.
Before we went out to dinner we all went over to Fulton Street (where the Shumway's and a bunch of our neighborhood friends live). Their street gets shut down for the Fisherman's Feast, but no actual vendors are out there. This leaves a whole street without cars. The kids had their bikes and scooters and just ran around like crazy. It was such a fun block party.

Tonsil surgery

2011-08-10T21:27:00.032-04:00

The day had finally arrived for Richie's tonsil and adenoid surgery. We had been thinking and talking about his sleep apnea for so long so I was glad for it to finally come...... and go. We woke up early and were situated in our room with smiles still on everyone's face. The tiger scrubs and TV were an immediate hit. You can see the before and after pictures below. I was luckily able to bring Rich all the way to the operating room so he wouldn't think I ever left his side. Once he got his watermelon flavored gas I left and cried my eyes out! The surgery was quick, but recovery from the anesthesia was pretty awful. A bit more morphine, he took another nap and was back to his old self. PHEW!! After that we slowly had him drinking and eating ice pops. He did great because he was eating soup (with the noodles) that night. It was a long day/night in the hospital trying to keep a 4 year old still because he still had a finger monitor and an IV. A visit from Angela and Babci (and all of the loot she brought) helped. It looked like Christmas morning when we got home the next morning!

Thank you everyone for all of the cards, wishes and gifts. We could not have done it without you. It is a strange, but nice change to "listen" to my quiet little sleeper! I am sure the doctor is going to be pleased. The nurse told Richie that he won the award for the kid who had the biggest tonsils that day. So glad we did it....and that it is over!

Trout Club 2011 - family pics

2011-08-05T21:21:00.005-04:00

Another tradition is family picture night. Here are a few of the ones I got.

Bye bye Trout Club. We will miss you until next year!

Trout Club 2011 - hiking

2011-08-04T21:05:00.022-04:00

We had two big family hikes this year and both of the kids did pretty well. Richie walked both of them the whole way and Angela walked a lot more than I thought she would. Mother's Trail loops around the lake and the Bear's Den is a family tradition because of the water slide at the end. This year Aunt Erin was a TROOPER and took all of the kids in. The water is beyond freezing! I think we may have promised to one day take her kids in.....
I was also able to take two "adult" hikes for some exercise. We did Tryout which we do most years and a new one called Howell's trail. Both had gorgeous views from the top but I didn't bring my camera.

Trout Club 2011 - fishing

2011-08-03T20:53:00.000-04:00

Fishing was Richie's FAVORITE activity this year. Every time he had a free second, he wanted to hit the boat. Unfortunately when Chris took him out, they had a slow start and didn't catch any keepers. Because of this Richie wanted to go fishing with his old fishing buddies: Grandpa and Aunt Donna Jo. He remembered the fun(ny) times they had last year (when they trout pooped on them!!) so he asked for a reunion trip. They wound up catching the fish that you see in front of Rich at the breakfast table. Eating your fish at breakfast is a Trout Club tradition that Rich did NOT want to miss. Unfortunately it was a little more than he could handle (he threw it up), but he promised to have a stronger stomach next time.

This year was Angela's first time fishing. As you can see below she LOVED it. She also enjoyed just taking boat rides a lot more than last year. Her life vest finally fit her which seems to have made a big difference.

Trout Club 2011 - cousins

2011-08-02T20:44:00.016-04:00

Truly the best part of the Trout Club is getting to spend so much time with family. My kids can really appreciate this and fully enjoyed the time with their cousins. We talked about Natalie, Nicholas, Mara, Blair, Connor and Brendan for days after we got home.

Trout Club 2011 - swimming

2011-08-01T20:35:00.019-04:00

We had another world class trip to the Trout Club this year. The best is that I captured so many great pictures! There are too many to put in one blog post so I think I will mix them up and put them in categories. The first one is going to be swimming. The kids did awesome swimming in the lake and ONLY used noodles the whole week. They were able to hold their own and even make it out to the raft and log on their own. Spending some relaxing time on the dock has always been my personal favorite part of the Trout Club. The kids also enjoyed hanging over the edge and searching for fish, crabs and other creepy crawly things. Do not miss the video at the end of the adults doing the hokey pokey!

Melrose Place

2011-07-30T20:10:00.008-04:00

In the afternoon, we went to Cleveland Circle to hit Lisa's pool. She calls it Melrose Place (for those of you who remember that show) and I think I have to agree. Lots of twenty somethings with solo cups......we were a bit jealous. Regardless, it was the perfect place for a swim and some lunch. Thanks Lis!

Mommy, Richie Angela weekend

2011-07-30T08:12:00.001-04:00

Since Chris was away in Saratoga with his friends, the kids and I decided to have a little fun. The first order of business had to be mini golf. Richie had been asking to play for days so we hit the orange dinosaur on Rt. 1. We had a blast and Angela got a hole in one on her first shot!

Lucky children

2011-07-28T15:18:00.000-04:00

My kids are pretty darn lucky for all of the fun things they get to do each and every day. Boy are we going to miss Dawn! Today they took a walk along the water on the Harborwalk (and obviously picked out their own clothes), took in a free opera concert (that they loved!) on the Prado and went to a printing press demonstration where Richie got to help make his own newspaper!
They did tell me this morning that Dawn is sometimes mean. She only gives them small bowls for cereal in the morning, she makes them clean up their toys and she wouldn't let them play basketball in the court next to the playground when the big kids were playing. I guess it can be a tough life!

Games on the Greenway

2011-07-27T19:43:00.000-04:00

Some pics from playing outside today in our "backyard" the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Today they had lots of games to play. Check out the last picture of cool Mr. Ray Bans drying off in the sun. Is he 4 or 14??