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...

le juin

June has been a fun and busy month, and I keep meaning to post, but have barely had free time, especially on-line. When I do have free time on the computer it is usually looking at houses since we're looking to upgrade.

June 1st was a big day for Nicholas and me. It was his very first day at daycare, and it was my first day back to work full-time and in the office. It was an adjustment, and a shaky first few days for him, but I knew it would be a little different for him and mw (OK a lot different). I'm not sure why, but it was harder this time putting Nicholas in daycare, maybe because I knew how quickly this precious baby stage goes by after watching Thomas grow, and didn't want to give it up. I certainly trust the care givers there, and it's nice that Thomas sees him on the playground and can go into his room across the hall and visit his little brother. It's nice that it's such a small center, and flexible and accommodating. He proudly tells the teachers, "That's MY Nicholas!"

The 1st day of June was also a strange weather day, and a few deadly tornadoes touched down across the state, one badly damaging my hometown of Springfield. It was amazing more people weren't killed after seeing the powerful destruction it left in its wake. We're not in Kansas, and certainly not used to weather like that.

Sunday, June 12th we had Nicholas baptized at Mary, Mother of Hope Church in Springfield. Sadly, my church, St. George in Chicopee, closed down in late 2009. It was the church I was christened in, received first communion, confirmation, the blessed sacrament of marriage, and then baptized our firstborn in. It's where we said farewell to Pepere and Father Lussier, and where my father attended as a child. It's a beautiful church and is very missed.

For the baptism, we had a lovely day surrounded by our awesome family and friends. The weather was nice enough to let the kids run around outside. Nicholas ate during mass and then fell asleep during the baptism; even when the priest poured the cool water on his head, he stated a little, but was so tired he kept sleeping.

Other than that we had a great Father's Day, have been house hunting a lot and getting to know which towns we like better than others.

Thomas had his first classmate birthday party last weekend for his friend, Talia, and it was a lot of fun.

Now onto July and to enjoy a nice 4-day weekend since we have tomorrow off for The Hub's birthday. Here's wishing everyone a happy and safe 4th of July holiday!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Thomas loves to help cheer Nicholas up when he cries; whether it's giving him his pacifier (though N-Dawg much rather prefers his hands), rocking him in his car seat when we're trying to get out the door, or singing to him, he sure does try his best to be a great big brother.

I was taking some pictures of them on Mother's Day last Sunday and toward the end Nicholas had had enough and started to cry. I was about to stop, but then Thomas started singing his favorite song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, to him and it was too easy to switch from picture to video and catch the sweet moment. It actually worked for a little bit...



I love the exasperated expression Thomas gives at the end, as if to say, "Well, I tried!"

It was a nice low-key Mother's Day. I got to sleep late (yay!) and The Hub made me a nice meal of Rasta Pasta with garlic bread, and got me flowers. The best present of all was Thomas' clay handprint they made at daycare that said, "I love Mommy" with the date. They grow up so fast that it's a nice keepsake to have. I love my guys, and love being a Mom!

1st Quarter Report

Nicholas is 3 months old today, and no matter how much I relish in the smallest, quietest moments with him, they still don't slow down. At his 2 month doctor appointment he was 8lbs, 15 oz and had fallen from the 5th percentile to the 3rd, so the doctor has me bringing him in tomorrow for a weight check, and asked that I supplement with formula after feedings some more. I told him I would, but a lot of the time he falls asleep after he nurses. That, however, has changed in the last 10 days or so. He has been on a fierce growth spurt and will take a bottle of 6 ounces like it's a piece of cake!

Monday of last week was Patriot's Day/Marathon Monday and my mom and sister, Jen, came to visit, which was nice since Thomas' daycare was closed, and I wasn't feeling too well. Just from that Monday to Easter Saturday I knew they would see the difference, as I could certainly feel the heft coming on. My validations are confirmed in his clothes fitting snugger now too, and the small protrusion of a double chin.

So I'm very curious what he will weigh tomorrow...my guess: 10 lbs 8 oz

3 months also marks the end of my maternity leave. However, since he was due February 13th we weren't really gearing up the start to daycare until mid-May or so, never expecting a January baby. Thankfully, I will work part-time from home in May and then we'll both be full-time starting June 1st. Thomas is pretty excited to have his little brother right across the hall where he can visit him whenever he wants. I love how much he loves him. And when you ask him what we are, he'll reply, "We're a family, and we love each other."

Indeed.

Franklin Park Zoo

March 18th Thomas' daycare was closed for a professional day so I decided to meet up with Pam and her boys and with the unseasonably warm weather (almost 70 degrees) we went to the zoo.

It was nice to get out and enjoy the warmer weather for a change as this winter has been relentlessly snowy. The 2 highlights of the trip were seeing the lion roar loudly and seeing Kiki's baby gorilla, Kambiri, who was oh-so-adorable!

It was a warm day, but the wind knocked the feel of the temp down. We were watching the lion when the wind got particularly fierce. After some hard gusts the lion stood up and looked directly into the wind and just roared at it, as if to say that's enough already! It was pretty cool. Thomas and Shaun got a little scared at first, but were assured they were safe and not going to get eaten (Shaun was so cute!)

Fully asserting that he holds the title, King of the Jungle, we could hear him throughout the park whenever he roared again. Thomas cannot stop talking about it (and the waterfall) and recounts the tale by giving his own hearty impression of a ROAR.

Toward the end I ran into a bit of trouble when Thomas, tuckered out from walking around and playing with David and Shaun on the playground, combined with skipping his nap, refused to walk and wanted me to hold him. By that time my legs were pretty tuckered out, too. Pam and I tried to convince him to ride in her double stroller (an essential purchase for having two so young), but he refused. I did my best to carry him and push Nicholas in the stroller one-handed, but when I couldn't hold him any longer I ended up sitting him on top of the stroller (not ideal, but the only other solution left) as we made our exit.

We all had a fun time and look forward to going back; next time equipped with the mighty double stroller and a daddy!

2 against 1*

At 10:45pm I finally got a chance to sit down tonight!

The Hub was out enjoying company box seats at the Celtics game so it was just me and the boys. Two is much easier to handle when you have two adults. It was a pretty good night, but when it comes to bedtime Thomas has been so resistant lately. Once 8pm came along I was about to get him upstairs, but then Nicholas woke up and needed to be fed. And fed...and fed. I figured Thomas would have a late bedtime tonight, but after diaper changes for both of them and a phone call to Uncle Ettore, (hanging up on him and laughing) and then a phone call to Auntie Lisa, 3 or 4 books and a drink we all went up at 10pm--his latest bedtime ever!

Thomas' diaper change took even longer because he's been doing a wonderful job with the potty; so much so that if he goes poop in his diaper he wants to put it into his potty or the toilet. I convinced him tonight to either let me just change his diaper or put it in the toilet as I don't want to clean out the potty if I don't have to. Into the toilet it plopped!

I was going to stay upstairs and go to sleep too, but needed to come down and pump and tidy up a little. Since pumping is a bit on the boring side I kill the time by watching TV or going online. Now that I'm done, I better be peace I'm out. Just wanted to post a cute picture of Thomas holding his baby brother that we took yesterday. He was so proud, and so were we.

Nicholas Daniel

Hoping to make good on my vow to post at least once a month, here I am!

The biggest news is the early arrival of Nicholas Daniel who surprised us the morning of a blizzard 2 1/2 weeks early. I definitely did not expect a January baby, but am so glad he's here and healthy.

Thomas is being such an outstanding big brother that I really couldn't be happier with the transition. He says he loves him very much and was patient enough to understand that he needed to keep his distance while he had a cold and conjunctivitis (which we all ended up getting eventually, and Nicholas still has). When his little brother cries he holds his hand and pets his head and talks to him. It's adorable!

Stats:
Nicholas Daniel
Born: January 27th, 2011 at 7:30pm
Weight: 6 lbs, 6 oz
Length: 19 inches

At his one month check-up he is now up to 7 lbs, 5 oz and 21 inches after going as low as 5 lbs 14 oz. I was pretty pleased with this number as noone really thought he was over 7 lbs, but the pediatrician would like it to be higher and wants me to supplement with formula after I feed him. Not sure how much I agree with that, but of course if he's still hungry I will.

We needed to buy preemie clothes since he didn't fit in anything, but he's slowly coming into his hand-me-downs.

I'll try to post more as this birth story was quite eventful thanks to the excessively snowy winter we've been having, but for now off to get some much needed sleep...zzzz.

Still here =)

I don't get a chance to post much anymore, but I'd like to make more of an effort this year. My goal is at least once a month! I do miss writing, but creating a legit post is so much more time-consuming than a quick status update on Facebook. And now that sommmmebody got me addicted to Bejeweled Blitz, it may be even harder to not waste time there.

The biggest news right now is that I'm due in a month with baby #2! We're all excited to expand the family as Thomas has been such a joy and a lot of fun. He's sweet and kisses my belly, and says "Good morning, Baby Brother" with a little belly pat. We haven't picked out a name yet, but have it narrowed down to the top 5.

Since we've already had 2 big blizzards this winter (one on my birthday and one yesterday where we got 18 inches), I'm starting to get a little nervous that I'll go into labor during another nor'easter. Fingers crossed!

Thomas is doing really well at daycare and a few weeks before his 2nd birthday they moved him up from the toddler room to the pre-school room since he was well ahead of his classmates in the language department and has been really benefiting from being around older kids. The teachers all really love him, which is nice and we have a long list of babysitting offers from different ones.

Well off to go make dinner, but I did have one short video to share from my birthday.