Nicholas Sings his Fall Song @ 2yo

I almost want to add subtitles to this, especially in the beginning, but nevertheless, he is a cutie! Honestly, most two year olds are. It's amazing how much a year has aged and changed him. I love this guy!
Lyrics: "September, October, November, I like these months the best of all, The leaves on the trees are turned golden and that's how I know it is fall. Apples, pumpkins, turkey and stuffing to eat to eat School and football, And crunchy leaves under my feet!"

Isabella Rose

I've always been sure that I wanted three kids and now that I have them it has brought me an indescribable feeling of completeness...a joyful peace. Isabella Rose was born on our 8th wedding anniversary and though her pregnancy was nothing like the boys, where I loved being pregnant, and hers was very painful, her life outside of the womb has more than made up for it. She has claimed the spot of "best baby ever!" Mostly because she is my best sleeper by far and right from the start.

The boys have been great with her addition and adore her to pieces. They always want to hug and kiss her and it's sweet to see. Hopefully, I'll find more time on the laptop and get back into writing on this blog, but for now, off to get things done while all three sleep...tomorrow it's off to Grandpa's to learn how to make his better-than-anything-I've-eaten-in-Boston's-North-End tomato sauce. Yum!

Slacking

I love to write, and realized last week that it's been a while since I wrote on-line outside of Facebook blurbs and was surprised it's been more than a few months, and not at all since we've moved; so here I am. Not sure how long it will last, but I'm taking advantage of the quiet that only comes when the boys are asleep. I will truly miss naptime once it gets outgrown...

It has been quite the busy year as we've moved into our new house and new town. Other than the commute to work and added distance to Boston, I love everything about it! The people here are freakishly nice, even when driving (I know, weird!). The town has a lot of events that you mostly find out about when you drive through the center and read it on 1 of 2 banners that run across route 16, proudly displaying the news of the week. And even though there is no real supermarket here we live close to the border and have a Shaw's 2 minutes away.

Our 1st 2 major purchases were a dining room table (hooray for no more TV trays at mealtime!) and a nice swingset for the boys. We have a lot more room to stretch our legs inside and a 1/2 an acre backyard that is nice and level for playing sports and riding their new power wheels jeep. Parents not having to share a bedroom with Nicholas is a huge plus, too! Though there is a lot more to clean, the house feels cleaner now that most of the toys are down in the finished basement (joy!). And, speaking of cleaning, I finally have a dishwasher for the first time in my life!! Yup, it only took me three decades to experience this modern luxury, and I will never take it for granted. I still don't understand why people make a big deal about "doing" the dishes when they have a dishwasher doing it for them. All you're doing is loading and unloading it!

We've certainly had our unfair share of problems that started just 3 weeks into owning this house, but there were so many that that shall perhaps be for another day.

Off to go catch up on my reading while I can...

Where the Heart is...

After looking at over 100 houses (not even exaggerating!) we finally found one we can call home.

It wasn't a slam dunk, but there are so many great things about this house that we feel comfortable with the decision, and are excited for our move at the end of the month (though I will miss Dedham!).

One of the things I love about the house is there is so much natural light. The staircase is in the middle of the house and there are 2 ways to get to the deck out back. The day we saw it was unseasonably warm for mid-February and you couldn't script Thomas' reaction to the back yard any better. He ran around and around and had so much fun.

There is a nicely finished walk-out basement that will be a playroom with another room we could use as a guest room or exercise room. The upstairs has an almost-too-big master suite with a sitting room, master bath with his and hers sinks, jacuzzi tub and tile shower, along with a pretty awesome walk-in closet (that has its own window!).

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The yard sits on 1/2 an acre with most of it in the back. We have promised T-Man a swing set as one of the first purchases, which is only second to buying a dining room table.

I'm excited, yet a bit apprehensive to be moving to a town so small. Luckily, we are on the good side of town as far as commuting is concerned and we're not too far from a supermarket in the next town over. I sure will miss Legacy Place and being 15 minutes from Fenway Park though. The school system is top-notch and I've heard great things about the town itself from others who used to live there. So off we go to our next adventure in what we'd like to be our forever house...

Now onto one of the worst activities in the world...packing. I despise it with every fiber of my being.

Commute

Today I found out what an hour commute felt like, and it was not good! I live about 15 minutes from work. Who would have thought with the snow yesterday, that today is the day with lots of accidents, even though it was bright and sunny. Solar glare, I heard.

On a positive note: I am thankful I was not one of those many accidents and (finally) made it to work safe and sound! Also, thankful that I have a job to make it to =)

Underwear and Pizza

Despite the total lack of sleep I've had in the past few nights (Nicholas has been waking pretty consistently and then I have a hard time getting back to sleep; not that he leaves much time for that anyway. He's has a stuffy/runny nose lately so I am going to hope it will pass soon), it was a really good day.

I was super productive at work (at home) and got a good number of responses from clients (in a world where you sometimes get used to no one calling back or returning e-mails); Thomas came home in the same pants I put him in this morning. I figured he didn't want to try underwear today at preschool, as he went through 3 pairs of pants and underwear yesterday, but he came home wearing nice dry ones! All day he asked to pee on the potty! It's funny how exciting this is!!! He's been pooping exclusively on the toilet for months now, but realizing the urge to pee was difficult and sporadic. Hopefully, we'll only have one in diapers soon enough.

Nicholas had a first today, too. I was holding him while eating some leftover pizza from last night (glamorous dinner, I know) and he kept trying to grab it. I would keep it out of his reach since it was probably greasy and he would get upset. So I let him have it and he nibbled a bit, then nibbled a lot. He really liked it, which for him was good because he hasn't been a fan of many table foods, and won't even have the 3rd food baby food with tiny bits of pasta in it. He identifies the pasta balls as something other than mush food and spits only them out one by one.

Chugging it


He liked the pizza so much that I brought him to his high chair and let him gnaw away. He took delight in my delight of him eating real food that he just kept laughing and smiling at me the whole time. It was so cute I had to run and grab the camera.

Speaking of cameras, I got a new Canon Rebel T2i, which was 2 birthdays and push presents in the making, so I'm very excited to relearn the settings again from my manual photography class at BU. Hopefully, in time for Nicholas' 1st birthday party!

Thomas was cute tonight when I put him to bed, he told me he wanted an "Arianna sister like Lisa and Ettore." So proud of both my boys today. Yay, day!

My favorite day of the year

Christmas Eve!

I love everything about Christmas Eve. I always have. There is so much anticipation and magic about it, and I'm happy to say it hasn't worn off with the years.

Having children makes it that much more special. Thomas loves to sing and play the piano (or his keyboard for now). Some of his favorite Christmas songs are Jingle Bells (I have a video of him singing this while playing his Xylophone at age 1 3/4), Silent Night, Santa Clause is Coming to Town and he just recently learned Feliz Navidad in the car with Daddy. He had his winter concert at preschool last Tuesday and he was the loudest singer in his class. The music teacher took me aside at Nicholas' concert the week before to make sure Thomas would be there because she said if he's not singing the others don't either, and she told me how loud and strong his voice is. Well she was not kidding! He did a great job and afterwards a lot of parents were commenting about him to me.

I was bummed that I didn't have my camera to capture it on video. I had given it to the Hub to take pictures of a brand new house we looked at the Sunday before in Millis while I stayed with the boys in the car to feed Nicholas, and I couldn't find it for the concert. Though I may still ask another boy's father who was recording it on his iPad and his son was standing next to Thomas so he got in the shot.

I did manage to capture a couple pictures after creating space on my Blackberry, and I did get parts of Nicholas' show.

Being the only boy in his class, Nicholas was the Nutcracker and all the girls were ballerinas. It was so cute and they all shook their bells and shakers while the music teacher, Armina, played on the piano. One of my favorite things about this daycare and preschool is that they have a strong emphasis on learning music early on, which kids just love, especially my boys.

I'll try to upload the Nutcracker video later, but for now, I should finish up some preparations for tomorrow.

Wishing the world peace, love and joy during this season of hope and wonder.

December already?

Are you sure?

Not sure how November went by so fast, but I guess that old saying holds true since we had a lot of fun. Thomas went to a very cool birthday party for his friend and fellow November 2008 baby, Clayton. It was a curious creatures 3rd birthday party and it was probably the most entertaining kids party I've ever been to. They had gone to Clay's pre-school and he couldn't stop talking about it so his mom thought why not have them come back for his party.

I held a scorpion, we petted a skunk, turtle, chinchilla, snake, mini gator, rabbit and flying squirrel. It was pretty cool.The guy who ran it was knowledgeable and entertaining, too! All and all, a very fun party (even for the adults).

We also celebrated Thomas' 3rd birthday party, and he wanted a Toy Story theme since he is all about Buzz Lightyear right now. I am probably going to have to come back and post about his party another time since the kids keep me quite busy. I had started to write this post a few days into December, saved it as a draft, and didn't get back on-line (for leisure) until now.

So adios until my next free time...

A Space Ranger Gets His Wings

Thomas has been a major Toy Story fan since he watched his first movie, Toy Story 3, at 2 1/2. Woody was always his favorite, until a couple weeks ago when we visited a nice little house in Norfolk that had a souped up Buzz Lightyear toy. Now it's Buzz everything.

Last Friday I took a 1/2 day and we went to Rez for a kids costume party. The boys were a cute pair as Buzz and (thanks to Pam) an alien from Toy Story.

Nicholas barely kept his alien head on for more than 30 seconds, but I was able to get a quick shot. When Thomas put his costume on he asked if it made sounds, but we said no and he was fine with it. He saw everyone, had a pizza party and got to go to various balloon stations to trick-or-treat for candy. As we were leaving another Buzz came in, but he had wings that said cool things. He of course wanted one too, so I asked the boy's mom where they found that and she said they had 2 and she would try to leave it behind. I didn't think she'd be able to have him part with it (Thomas would wear it in his sleep if we let him), but she did and his hero (Daddy) came home with them after work.

He has been very careful not to break them so we can give them back to the nice little boy, and he had a great time trick-or-treating tonight. It was fairly mild considering we just got our first snowfall yesterday.

Everyone loved his costume and he often played the commands for interested people at the door.

His outfit is finally complete and now he can better defend the galaxy against the Evil Emperor Zurg!

To Infinity and Beyond! (Or as T-Man says, To InFin and Beyond!)

Web Cam 101 for Seniors

I saw this yesterday and just had to watch it again. This couple is so cute and funny. I love old people!*



I love the soft, sweet comment he tells her at the end in reassurance.

*Disclaimer: Except when driving behind them,

Breaking Dawn Trailer

As much as I wanted to avoid these books altogether, I eventually gave in...and now I am kind of excited about this movie. This was my favorite book. I think her writing, plots and character development got better as they went along.

If she could have only picked a different name.

Bless Your Heart

And those that stopped beating that day...
And those who grew heavy that day...
And those that paused in disbelief...
And those who raced whether towards or away.

May Your Love Grow
In fondness of the memories you had...
In honor of the wishes they had...
In likeness of the eyes of their children...
In gratefulness to the uniform clad.

May Your Light Shine On
Because we can never forget...
Still can't comprehend...
Still can't help but cry...
And always stand together.

Peace be with you.

Endless Summer

Summer officially ends on September 23rd and I intend to honor that date because the season is short enough as it is without people proclaiming its end just because school has started or Labor Day is here. I want to enjoy every ounce of summer sun, especially after the multiple blizzardy winter we had.

-Thomas Too-Cool-for-the-Beach Attitude, Cape Cod 2011

So with that being said, and two boys down for naps, I will be out relishing in the (I wish) endless summer sun.

Help is Needed: Horn of Africa Famine

Every little bit helps. This breaks my heart...the tragic conditions these families and citizens are enduring. Have been enduring for so long, and now made worse by a harsh drought.

I can't do enough. I can't thank my lucky stars enough to be born into the circumstances that we live in. I wish I could do more, but for now this (a donation) will have to do. I believe every person can make a difference.

-"Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

Summer Vacations, Birthdays, Babies and Houses

Today I heard a back-to-school ad on the radio, and thought, "Already, really?!?!" If I was a teacher or student I dare say I would be insulted. Cutting summer like that while only a month in! Absurd.

The daycare closes for one week in August and that is when our real summer vacation will be. We're excited to be making our 2nd annual trip to Story Land with The W Clan, and then a good 5 days at the Cape. We're also planning a mini vacation either to Old Orchard to visit my cousin, her son and one of our uncles, or a separate Cape Cod trip with my mom and one of my sisters.

Should be fun!

Nicholas is in the midst of a 2nd big growth spurt, which means eating a ton! And as a result waking up a lot more often during the night to chow down. The last 2 weeks we have not gotten as much sleep as normal ("we" as in mostly me). His half birthday is in 2 days! His 6 month doctor appointment is this Friday and I can't wait to see how much he's grown. He is a super sweetheart and such a happy baby! A true delight.

He's funny though because he can be patient and chill right after a nap, but when he's ready to eat he can go from 0-60 in 2 seconds! The other week one of the daycare ladies told me when he's hungry the whole center can hear him. He will certainly let you know.

Last weekend we all were invited to Emma's 3rd birthday party and had a great time. There is a clan of 4 at daycare that seem to love to be together, and

whenever I ask Thomas who he played with today he'll say, Emma, Talia and Maba (Mirabelle). He really really likes Emma and talks about her a lot; it's so cute. Her mom tells me she talks about him non-stop at home, too!

She had an Ariel birthday and pool party, and the weather was certainly great for it as it's been hot and humid lately. This past Friday it got up to over 100 degrees with a very high dew point. It's weather like that where I wonder if I'll ever be able to revert back to a life without central air...

Speaking of which, we've been doing so much house hunting lately, that I really hope we find one with CA. Last Sunday we found the first really promising house in Holliston. We spent nearly an hour there! If it was in the Queens neighborhood that we love and had 4 beds instead of 3 we would have put an offer on it right away. For now we're sleeping on it, but it has a lot going for it and is at a low price for something that barely needs any work.

The yard was "acceptable" for my NH man, and there were 2 additions on the 1st floor, one being the master bedroom with a big closet, and the other being a cathedral ceiling sunroom/breakfast bar that led out to the back deck, and small front deck. It's on a dead-end street, which would be good for the kids to ride their bikes on someday, but it's missing the community vibe of a big neighborhood. We have a lot to think about, but it's exciting to find something we could even consider calling home for a change. Part of me realizes I'll miss our current town and being so close to Boston. It's a big decision finding your forever house.

We shall see...