Three Little Birds

Ok, just one more....

2009-03-13T11:33:00.003-04:00

Just one more and I will lay off Mr. K for awhile. Discussion between me and Aidan this morning.
Aidan: Going to school is very important.

Me: You're right, it is.

Aidan: If I don't go to school, will I have to live on the street?

Me: What?!

Aidan: Well, people that don't go to school live on the street.

Me: Who told you that? (as if I didn't already know)

Aidan: Mr. K

The next few minutes were spent trying to explain that no, I don't think he will ever have to live on the street. I understand instilling a value in education but come on...

Oh, this one is a doozy...

2009-03-10T13:38:00.003-04:00

Yes, another Mr. K story.

On the way home from school the other day, here is the conversation we had:

Aidan: Mommy, did you know that a lot of people in America don't have jobs?

Me: Yes, I do know that...

Aidan (cuts me off): And do you know why they don't have jobs?

Me (very curious to hear his answer): Why?

Aidan: Because the people in China make everything now and there is nothing for America to do.

Me: (Silence--wondering what I can possibly say.)

Aidan: And do you know they steal children to work in factories there?

Gavin (quiet up until now): Do they steal children here??

Oh. my. god. Now, I do realize this is coming from a 5 1/2 year old and the conversation Mr. K had with the kids may not have quite gone down like that. BUT, this is what a 5 1/2 year old took away from that conversation. Regardless of what was actually said, I do not think that kindergarteners need to know about the state of our economy and if their parent might lose a job because China makes everything. That's just me.

_________________________________

On a funnier note, my friend who has a child in Mr. K's class also told me that the other night her son saw a shooting star. She told him to make a wish because that wasa lucky star. He closed his eyes tight and wished:

"I wish someone would replace Mr. K."

LMBO

Proud moment

2009-03-06T11:43:00.002-05:00

I believe I have mentioned before that Gavin if by far my most challenging child. But for all the grief he may give me at home, at least I now know that he truly does behave himself when he is away from me.

I have been helping out at the school book fair this week. Today was Gavin's day to go and as we were checking out, a parent came up to me and said "So, you are Gavin's mother". Uh-oh--this could be good or bad, I couldn't tell from her voice. So the woman introduced herself as Joseph's mother (I had no idea who Joseph was). She must have noticed my puzzled expression because then she said that Joseph was in the 4th grade and he was Gavin's library buddy. Each week the kindergarteners pair up with an older student who help them pick appropriate books and they have the same buddies all year. Well, the woman went on to tell me that Joseph talks about Gavin ALL the time and tells his mother what a polite little boy he is and how nice he is, etc. She then said "And really, I am not just telling you that because you are standing here. He honestly loves your son. You should feel very proud of him". Of course, I am always proud of my kids but I can't tell you how satisfying it is to hear others say it. Motherhood is most often an overlooked job. There are no performance reviews, no feedback (unless it's bad usually), no pats on the back. To hear someone compliment my child's manners and behavior is all the validation I need that I'm doing a good job. Not that I need validation but, you know, society has certain ideas about what life as a SAHM is like. It's not all bon-bons and daytime TV. It is damn hard work. And I think I'm pretty good at it.

Sad

2009-03-05T13:40:00.004-05:00

Don't you hate when your kids are sad and there is nothing you can do about it?

I worked at the school book fair today and bought Aidan's teacher a few books off his wish list. I ran them down to his classroom and just as I was walking in the door, Mr. K was speaking to Aidan about something he was doing wrong on his paper (rather harshly I might add). I saw Aidan's face and knew he could burst into tears at any second. He was trying so hard to hold it together. He didn't see me come in the room and as I was leaving I tapped him on the shoulder and smiled at him and he just looked up at me with the saddest face. Didn't even smile at me. I wanted to give him a huge hug but I didn't.

Before I left the book fair, I went down to the lunchroom to see the boys. I found Aidan first and went over and asked how he was. I asked what he was so upset about in class and he just told me "Nothing". He just did not want to talk about it. Aidan can get overwhelmed when a task is hard for him. He would much rather just give up but that is not an option in Mr. K's class. He will make the student try and try and try until they get it. I suppose that is a great way to encourage children to take risks in their learning. But for goodness sake I think he can do it in a gentler way. He just has a harshness about him when speaking to the children.

Last night at dinner, I asked the kids to name one good thing and one bad thing that happened that day. Aidan's good thing was "I wanted to cry when we were doing math because it was too hard but I didn't". How is that for heartbreaking? Turns out they were working with coins and Mr. K had to have them figure out how much of something they could buy with the coins they had. Honestly (and I was a Kindergarten teacher), I think that is a challenging thing for kindergarteners. But Aidan got through it. And he didn't cry.

Whatta you wanna do with your life?

2009-02-24T10:05:00.002-05:00

For some reason, whenever I contemplate my future, this line always pops into my head from the Twisted Sister video fromt he 80s. Remember the guy yelling in his son's face so intensely that he drools? And then he gets right into his face and screams "Whatta you wanna DO with your life....?"? And then the kid looks at him and says "I wanna rock." Cue Twisted Sister music.

Lately, I have been wondering what exactly I want to do with my life. I am a teacher by trade yet foolishly allowed my certification to run out because once I had the boys, I sort of just forgot about everything else. I fell into motherhood so easily that I couldn't imagine a day would come when I would want to do something else. For the record, I still can't imagine it but I am trying to plan for the future. My kids are still young and need me but time goes by so quickly and soon it will seem foolish for me to just stay home all day while they are at school. Truth be told, it doesn't sound too bad to me right now but I know I will look for something to stimulate my mind. So, I am looking into grad school.

I spend a lot of time at the boys' school helping out here and there. The first time I did it earlier in the year, it just felt so right and comfortable to be in a school setting again. So familiar. It started in my mind then that I would want to do something school-related. It made sense since I already had my teaching degree but I wasn't sure I wanted to be in a classroom again. Before the boys were born I had started a grad degree in Library and Media Technology to be certified to be an elementary librarian. I love books, I minored in Children's Lit as an undergrad and I was excited to head in this direction. Then the boys were born, my degree went on permanent hold and now I am kicking myself for not keeping up with it. However, one of the colleges here offers a completely-online Library degree and now that excitement is starting to brew again. I think it will take two years so my plan is to do that and use the library at the boys' school for all my fieldwork. In two years Ciara will also be at that school (sob!) so maybe I can volunteer a lot in the library after I get my degree, learn the ropes, get some experience and, more importantly in my case, some confidence and get a job a few years down the road.

Sounds like a good plan, right? But you know what they say about the best laid plans...

Moments like these make me almost forget all the bickering

2009-02-09T14:12:00.000-05:00

Almost.

Just a conversation I want to remember

2009-02-05T20:46:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is Pajama Day at school. Everyone wears their pajamas and also gets to bring a stuffed animal to school. Well, for Gavin this is a major event because he has to bring just the right stufed animal. I kid you not, he has probably close to 100 stuffed animals mostly Beanie Babies. He has already changed his mind 5 times as to which one he is bringing. So, he makes his choice just before bed and then we are laying there talking before he falls asleep.

Gavin: Well, I am bringing Birdie tomorrow.

Me: Good choice.

Gavin: And when I have Pajama Day in 1st grade, I'll bring Elephant.

Me: OK

Gavin: And when I am in 2nd grade, I'll bring Plankton. When I'm in 3rd grade I'll bring Doggie. When I'm in 4th grade I'll bring Jellyfish and then when I am in 5th grade I'll bring Tyrone. I can't wait until I am in 5th grade!

Me: Well, don't be in a hurry to be in 5th grade.

Gavin: Why?

Me: Because then you'll be all grown. I want you to be my baby boy.

Gavin: (exasperated sigh) Mummy, I will always be your baby boy. Always.

A little more notice would be nice

2009-02-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

The weekly school notice came home on Monday and I scanned it quickly as I usually do. Normally most of the information in it doesn't pertain to kindergarten so I don't pay much attention. But something at the very end of the notice, almost like an afterthought, caught my eye. Pajama Day, February 6th! Wear your pajamas to school! So I wander over to the calendar and see that February 6th is this Friday. As in 4 days from now. This means I need to go out and buy the boys' pajamas for Pajama Day because they wear the footed pajamas at home. They love them. But I can't very well send them to school in feeties. So I have been on the hunt for long-sleeve, long-pants pajamas. But, of course, this being the first week in February all that is available is tank-top-and-shorts pajamas. Really, the retail industry annoys me to no end. Who the hell are going to buy summer pajamas in February in New England?

I really would like to know.

A milestone of sorts

2009-02-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I dropped the boys off for a playdate at their friend's house. Alone.

And that is the milestone.

I wouldn't call myself overprotective per se. More non-trusting. I just don't trust anyone else with my kids' safety and well-being besides family. Any time Sean and I go out, it is always my mother or my sister or his mother who watches the kids. We are so lucky to have so much family around.

The boys had been to this friend's house once before but I had gone with them. To scope it out for future alone-playdates. I have been chit-chatting with the mom in the schoolyard since September and she seems really nice and together but you just never know. So I went to their first playdate with them. And it was fine. They have two HUGE Rottweilers which freaked me out at first but they were like big teddy bears. So the house got the green light for future independent playdates.

I dropped them off after school and Ciara was all excited because she thought she was going too. Poor kid. She screamed for about 45 minutes with that choppy, sobbing kind of voice. "But I...(sob sob)....want to go to....(sob sob)...Jackson's house!!" And getting out of the car, Gavin told me that he wanted Ciara to come, too. That was sweet and kind of uncharacteristic of him. I think he really likes when all three of them are together.

I picked them up about an hour and a half later and all was well. They had fun, they behaved (so the mom told me) and I am glad I let them go. It was a big milestone for me too.

Moving on...

2009-02-02T09:45:00.002-05:00

I am still sad about Finn. I keep looking up to the second floor landing when I come home, expecting to see him there wagging his tail. But I am trying to think about good things so let's post a good thing...

I had Aidan's kindergarten conference last week. Regardless of what Mr. K had to tell me, I knew that I was so proud and happy of where Aidan is right now. He is so far beyond where I thought he would be. Not that I didn't have confidence in my son, but in September he was just not that into letters and numbers. He was all about playtime and I just thought he'd have a tough time getting used to the structure of school. Well, I am proud to say that he is READING!! Never in a million years did I think he would be reading in January. Of course, Mr. K said "What did you expect? He is in my class!". I swear he started off at least three sentences with "I don't want to brag but....". He opened Aidan's journal and pointed to his story. Aidan has begun writing the words himself instead of telling them to his teacher and having them written for him. Mr. K said "I bet your other son is not doing this". To which I replied "Actually, he is." Gavin always was slightly ahead of Aidan in the academic department. He was interested in letters and sounds and putting them together before Aidan was. If Gavin could have withstood Mr. K's intensity and stayed in his class, he would have excelled beyond where he is now. Gavin's teacher is great for him but I feel she doesn't push the kids and take them further. Gavin is writing/reading mostly in part because it interests him and he has taken it upon himself to do it.

So, I may have complained and grumbled about Mr. K's method of teaching. But Aidan is reading and for that I am grateful. I still don't think the ends justifies the means. He could definitely add some fun to his teaching style.

Tribute

2009-01-30T09:45:00.003-05:00

To Finn.

The reason we could not leave food unattended.

The reason we had to store food in the microwave.

The reason we needed to put the trashcan up whenever we left the house.

The reason we kept a water bottle nearby for incessant barking when he spied a squirrel.

The reason for my tears.

Goodbye.

Yup, they're my kids all right

2009-01-22T09:23:00.004-05:00

Aidan: Asks me at least three times a week if we can "order something and have it brought to our house".

Ciara: Every time I pick her up at preschool she asks me "Can we go out to lunch?"

Gavin: Well, he just loves to eat.

On this historic day...

2009-01-20T11:12:00.003-05:00

I am not a political person at all. But today, even I can feel the excitement, hope and patriotism that every American is surely feeling.

And also, the pride.

Something I rarely do

2009-01-13T10:11:00.003-05:00

I never wax poetic on how cute my kids are. It is not that I don't think they are cute, of course I do. But I am always reminded of a quote I once saw. Something like, "There is only one beautiful child in the world and every mother has it". So I hardly ever go on about my kids to other people because of course no other adult will think my kids are as cute as I do. But I had to make an exception for these pictures of Gavin. Not Aidan, mind you. These are really not flattering pictures of him. So just focus on Gavin in the red shirt.

Gavin usually does not take great pictures unless I get him in a completely candid moment. He usually does this goofy thing with his mouth where he has a forced, lopsided smile. Or he doesn't look at the camera. Or he closes his eyes on purpose. When I saw how these came out, I was taken aback by how absolutely adorable Gavin looked in them.

People always ask me how I tell them apart. Really?

This is my favorite. Look at that little face. I just want to squeeze him.

Incidentally, this is how it usually goes with picture taking at my house. Whenever one looks great, the other looks goofy. This time it was Aidan's turn.

I will now never be able to use the computer

2009-01-12T10:55:00.002-05:00

Heaven help me. Ciara began using the computer full force this weekend. She has been messing around, trying to figure things out, watching her brothers play their games. Then on Saturday, something clicked (haha, "clicked" -- get it??) and she just was clickin' and draggin' all over the place. I set her up on PBS kids and away she went.
What amazes me with Ciara is how much more advanced she seems at this age(3.5) than Aidan and Gavin were. I know that is usually how it goes with younger siblings. They absorb all the things their older siblings do and say. The boys got an alphapbet Go Fish game for Christmas and we played game after game for the duration of winter break. Ciara, not one to be left out of the fun, insisted on playing even though I didn't think she knew her letters. Well, it turns out she did know a few letters but the amazing thing is that by the end of winter break, she knew all her letters. Just from that Go Fish game. Of course we played 175 games of Go Fish but still...I think that was pretty neat.
And now. Now she can use the computer. Gone are the days where I can come home from dropping the boys off at school, put on Backyardigans for Ciara, grab a cup of coffee and sit and check my blogs and emails. Right now she is behind me saying "Are you done, Mom?"....."NOW are you done?"........"Did you check your emails?"...."NOW???"......

Waiting

2009-01-07T09:47:00.002-05:00

I like this picture. My boys and my nephew had been playing hard on Christmas Eve at my parents' house. The house was packed and warmer than usual with all the body heat so they all asked to take off their sweaters because they were "soooo sweaty!".

Then it was time for the present! opening! and while we tried to corral all the kids near the tree and open presents with some semblance of calmness and order (yeah, right), I snapped this picture of the three boys. I love the look of anticipation on their faces.

About three seconds after this picture was taken, the frenzy of bows, ribbon, and wrapping paper flying into the air began. So much for calmness and order.

The year of the cookbook

2009-01-06T10:05:00.002-05:00

I am not one for making resolutions but this year I decided to try one. I am going to try to actually cook recipes from the multitude of cookbooks sitting in my cabinet shelves.

I love to cook and I am an avid cookbook collector. It all started years ago when Sean and I lived in Ireland. The Naked Chef (aka Jamie Oliver) had a cooking show on television there at the time and he was being touted as the freshest thing to come into the kitchen in recent years. The next time Sean and I went into Dublin, I bought his book at Waterstones and I was hooked. Each recipe had a full page color photo and also a paragraph or two about the dish. How it came to be, why he chose to make it this way,etc. I love history behind recipes.

So now, I have at least 30 cookbooks (not to mention cooking magazines and recipes I have printed off the internet) that I read like novels when I get them. Then I ooh and ahh over several recipes, make a mental note to come back to them and then put them on my bedside night table. There they sit until the stack gets too unbearable to look at and in the cabinet they go. My problem is that lately life has just been too hectic to sit and plan a menu, make a grocery list and then execute the dish on the designated night. I tend to buy the same pieces of meat and staples each week and just cook. No book, no recipe, just whatever I feel like making that night.

Well, all that's about to change! Not today. And maybe not tomorrow. But hopefully this weekend I can sit and look through some books and make a plan.

...Dr. Ciara...paging Dr. Ciara...

2009-01-01T17:50:00.001-05:00

Take that, Mr. K

2008-12-22T09:00:00.004-05:00

The other night we were watching The Year Without a Santa Claus and there was a part where Santa hops on one of his reindeer and flies off to look for his elves. Aidan said to me "Mr. K says there is no such thing as flying reindeer". Well, I have just about had it with Mr. K and his bits of information he shares with the children. First it was 'if you do not eat healthy foods and take care of your body, you will die'. Now this may be true, but I don't think a five year old can quite grasp that concept and for weeks Aidan was walking around asking me if he was going to die. Then, Mr. K brought the whole race aspect into the presidential election. Now, it was a historic election because of that but again, five year olds have no frame of reference for this. I don't think it needed to be accentuated. Especially when Aidan came home talking about how "many, many people are losing their jobs because of this last, white president" (Aidan's words).

And so now, it is "no such thing" as flying reindeer. I am of the opinion that kids grow up way too fast and how many years will they believe in the magic of Christmas? At five, I am afraid there are very few left for them. So I was a little annoyed that he is putting some doubt in Aidan's head and taking away some of that magic.

Then a friend gave me a link to the Portable North Pole . You can set up a personalized video for your child from Santa. You can even provide a picture so Santa can show the child he/she is on his Good List. You can also choose from a few specific questions that Santa can answer for your child. One option was How Do Your Reindeer Fly? and launches into a little informational video about how elves go into the field and pick a special lichen off the trees that the reindeer like to eat. Then they take it back to the workshop and mix it with some magical potion and voila! flying reindeer. I was so happy he got a little of that magic back even though he didn't really say anything after watching the video. I know he was still amazed.

Wouldn't you know it?

2008-12-17T20:03:00.003-05:00

So, my computer has been on the fritz lately. The monitor is completely gone on the laptop so I had been waiting for Sean to bring one home from work. In the meantime, I was trying to get the Christmas card set and started getting nervous as days went by with no monitor. I couldn't upload all the photos I had been taking (see previous post) and so I had to resort to using photos from this summer in Maine. I just hate doing that because I like using Christmasy pictures plus I like to send the most up-to-date photo possible because this is the only time our out of state/country relatives see the kids. But, whatever. The card came out alright, I don't love it but what are you going to do?

Then when I finally got the computer squared away and uploaded my photos, I saw this one. I thought it was so cute except for the bright spot in the corner. I don't know what was going on with my camera that day.

I love how Ciara has her arms aroung the boys and Aidan is kind of leaning in. And, this is a good picture of Gavin for once. He usually does the squinty eyes-cheesy grin when you try to take his picture.

Outtakes

2008-12-16T13:21:00.003-05:00

One day. Three locations. Not one picture suitable for the annual Christmas card.

There's always next year.

And so it begins...

2008-12-01T13:16:00.001-05:00

Today I am taking the kids to a local garden center that is always beautifully decorated for Christmas. I am hoping to get some ever-elusive pictures of the three of them together for the Christmas card. Stay tuned...

Where did the month go?!

2008-11-26T09:19:00.005-05:00

Every day I sit at the computer and try to do a blog post. Inevitably I get interrupted and by the time I get back to the computer I completely forget what I wanted to write about. There has been so much going on with the kids since they started Kindergarten that I have wanted to write about so that it is written somewhere and I can look back in June and see what a hard, amazing journey it has been for the boys. September did not go at all like I planned for them. I had visions of them coming home all excited with tales of all the fun stuff they are doing. As it turns out, I have to pull teeth to get the info. On top of that, Aidan is petrified of his teacher (as was Gavin which is why he is now in a nother classroom). The more time I spend in Aidan's class, the more I see why Gavin could never have survived there. Being a former K teacher myself, I know what it is supposed to be like. Fun, exciting, interesting, and at times, loud. Controlled chaos. Aidan's teacher likes silence. When they enter the classroom, they walk in silently. As they go to their seats for their work centers, they do so silently. When they get their snack, silence. You get the picture. It is a little spooky actually. Like Stepford children. I want to yell something out just to shake things up a bit. One time I said something silly and the kids laughed and Mr. K came around the corner "WHO is talking???" Ooops.

I really think it is a cultural issue. Mr. K is from the Carribean. Things are different there, I am sure. I think Americans, as a whole, tend to coddle their children while other countries strive to make them independent from an early age and treat them as small adults rather than children. Mr. K has certain expectations of the children and he expects those expectations to be met. Period. End of story. And if they are not met, watch out. There is one little boy who always seems to be sitting away from the group when I go in to the classroom. I asked Aidan who he was one time and why he always is sitting by himself. "He makes poor choices." says Aidan.

Don't we all sometimes?

Yearbook Yourself!

2008-11-08T21:00:00.008-05:00

Oh, what little things amuse me. Go ahead.....yearbook yourself !

The scariest ballerina-princess-pirate-fairy you'll ever meet

2008-11-05T20:10:00.001-05:00

I said, Give me some #$@%* candy!

Caving into peer pressure

2008-10-23T11:07:00.002-04:00

I think I may have mentioned before that Ciara is actually a 5 year old boy trapped in a 3 year old girl's body. She longs to be like her brothers and usually refers to herself as a "big boy" as in "I can watch this tv show, Mummy, because I a big boy". Gavin does not help matters in having Ciara realize she is, in fact, a girl. Also, our attempts to girlify Ciara seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Ciara is now in preschool with a class of 5 girls and 1 boy. I was secretly excited there was only one boy because I thought it would be great for Ciara to develop some female friendships. Little did I know the extent to which some little-girl-behavior would rub off on Ciara.

With Halloween coming, Ciara has stated that she was going to be a pirate since the very beginning of September. Never wavered from this. Always a pirate. Which was fine with me because we have all the pirate paraphenalia laying around the house and it meant I didn't have to buy a costume. Yippee! So, one day I pick Ciara up from school and we talk about what she did that day and she tells me that at circle time her teacher asked each child what they would be for Halloween. I said "And did you say you were going to be a pirate?" "No", she says. "I not going to be a pirate. I going to be a ballerina princess!" Say what?! The only thing I can come up with for the mind change is that her teacher went around the circle and each little girl probably said "princess" or "ballerina" or some other girly concoction and when it came time for Ciara to announce her costume choice she fell into the pattern and chose "ballerina princess". I find this hysterical because she received a ballerina tu-tu with sparkles and irridescent fabric for her birthday and it lays in her closet gathering dust. Now, of course, it is part of her costume. I got her to modify it somewhat and now she will be a "fairy princess" so all I had to buy was a pair of sparkly wings and a wand.

Oh, the powers of peer pressure.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming

2008-09-30T11:21:00.003-04:00

Holy crap, what an absolute exhausting month September was.

It is too emotionally taxing to recount it all but basically Gavin had a major anxiety attack about starting Kindergarten. He was unable to go for about 5 days while we figured out what to do. It seemed like every day I was either on the phone with the school counselor, my Early Childhood consultant SIL, or the 25 other people who called for an hour by hour report. On top of that I was back and forth to the school for meetings, bringing Gavin to an outside counselor, picking Ciara up from preschool (of which, I missed her very first day due to Gavin's issues) and then back to the school to pick up Aidan. Crazy.

In the end, we switched teachers and the boys are now separated. This is something I never ever thought I would do in Kindergarten but it is turning out to be the best thing. Gavin definitely needed a more maternal, warm, seasoned teacher. He is doing so much better now. Aidan was fine with Mr. K's teaching style and energy and in the end, I think this will be the best thing for him. I am thinking he will grow more confident and independent without his brother there. Plus, it gives them a break from each other. They shared a womb, they share their toys and everything else so it'll be good for them to have their own K experiences.

Looking forward to October and less drama!

She misses her brothers

2008-09-10T12:29:00.002-04:00

I knew she would. They have been her constant playmates for the past 3 years.

On Monday, she would ask periodically "Is it time to pick up my brothers yet?". Today at the park she said "I wish Gavin was here to play pirates with me".

Tomorrow she goes to preschool! Her class is mostly girls so I hope she finds some playmates soon.

And just like that.....they're Kindergarteners

2008-09-09T11:41:00.003-04:00

The first day has come and gone, fairly uneventful. It was a bit anti-climactic after all the festivities last week. The open house to tour the school at our leisure, the one-on-one assessment with their new teacher, and the one hour "mini-day" while the parents had coffee in the cafetorium.

So, off they went. Nary a tear from any of us (the night before was a different story on my part, though). Aidan was a chatterbox the entire walk home while I didn't hear a peep out of Gavin. I think it will take him a few weeks to get used to it and feel comfortable.

And then it hit me

2008-09-03T20:46:00.005-04:00

Next week holds a big, life-changing day for our little family.

The first day of Kindergarten.

I have been having such mixed emotions this whole summer about this. Some days I am so ready to pack them up and drop them off at the school door and burn rubber away from there. Then there are days where I think I will miss them beyond words and can't get the thoughts out of my head how the dynamics of our relationship will change forever. Not necessarily in a bad way but I just hate any kind of change.

For the past 5 years, my mom has not worked on Thursdays. It started out so she could help me with the boys when they were newborns and then just evolved into "Grandma day" where she would come over and we would go out and do something fun with the boys and later, Ciara. Tomorrow is our last "Grandma day", all of us together. This time next week they will be in school. All day. For six hours.

Today the boys had their kindergarten assessments (kindergarten starts a week later than elementary kids) and as we were leaving the building, the students were being dismissed. It was chaotic to say the least and it just finally hit me that my boys are going to soon be in with this swarm of children. They will run off with their friends to get in a few extra moments on the play structure. I will probably get the universal "I don't know" when I ask what they did at school that day. On the flip side, they will be making new friends, learning new things and experiencing so much. I am excited for that.

Like I said, I just have a hard time with change. But, change is good. Change is life.

Maine

2008-08-28T08:49:00.009-04:00

We really lucked out with our vacation week this year. New England has had a horrible summer so far. Thunder showers almost every afternoon or cool rainy days. Not a lot of stretches of sun and warmth in a row. But, our week was spectacular! Every day but one morning was a beach day. And the water didn't make your legs numb when you ventured in. That's saying something for Maine.

So this year, Aidan got the hang of boogie boarding and riding the waves. He was a fish all week. Loved it!

Gavin had a small rafting accident within his first 15 minutes in the water with Sean. An unexpected wave knocked him off and he went under for .2 seconds. That was it for him. He just plunked down on the beach and waited for the water to come in and take him for little rides.

And Ciara danced.

A little confused

2008-08-12T13:35:00.003-04:00

It goes without saying that Ciara loves to be just like her brothers. This picture is from a few months ago when Gavin insisted he get Ciara dressed in the morning. She happily complied with all the clothes he picked out for her.

Yesterday I was getting Aidan dressed in his room and Ciara insisted she also get dressed in the boys' room. I went and got her clothes and brought them in and she says "No, I want clothes from there" and points to the boys' dresser. I explain that those clothes are too big for her and anyway, they are boy clothes. Ciara kept insisting and I kept telling her she was a girl and needed to wear her own clothes. "No", said Ciara "I a boy-girl. A boy-girl!"

I guess my plan of getting her a doll isn't working. LMBO

Could they be.....The next American Idol?

2008-08-06T10:14:00.003-04:00

My brother brought over American Idol for the Wii the other day. Aidan made a beeline for the microphone when he saw it and even though he knew not a single word of any song, he put on a pretty good show.

My baby is 3!

2008-08-02T21:05:00.004-04:00

Where has the time gone? Is my baby really 3? She is now officially a preschooler. A toddler no more.

Why so glum, chum?

An attempt at "girlifying" Ciara. She will play with dolls, dammit. Just kidding. I don't care what she plays with but I thought a doll would be a nice change of pace from swords, shields, her brothers' action figures, and wrestling.

And now for the obligatory trip down memory lane...

Newborn...

One year...

Two years...(it amazes me how much they change from 1 to 2)Three!...

Happy Birthday baby girl!

Yellow belt!!

2008-07-29T20:14:00.006-04:00

Aidan had his belt test on Saturday and is now, I am proud to say, a yellow belt.

He is just so excited and proud of himself that it makes my heart happy. He loves karate. Initially I was scared I would plunk down the rather large tuition fee and he would decide after a month he didn't want to do it anymore. But, it has kept his interest and he truly loves anything to do with martial arts. Plus, he loves his instructor, Renshi. I really like him too. He is so good with the kids--very firm when he needs to be but also very funny and kind to the kids.

So here is Aidan getting his belt!

Bowing to his teacher.Meditating before he begins.

During his test, doing Pinyan 1.

Getting a high 5 from Renshi.Yellow Belt!

R.I.P.

2008-07-18T08:43:00.004-04:00

My favorite coffee mug. Gone. I never break anything yet when I do it is something really special.

This isn't just any coffee mug. I got this when my husband and I lived in Ireland for a short time back in 2000. He had thought there might be an opportunity for him to go because his company was keen to take advantage of Ireland suddenly booming economy--the Celtic Tiger as it was called.

My husband comes from an Irish heritage--his grandmother was born there--so he got his dual citizenship to make things easier. We had already been to Ireland and the UK a few times so I knew I would love it. It was such an exciting time in our lives. No kids and his company was picking up the tab for renting a place and utilities so I wouldn't have to work. I could just explore and enjoy. We went on an apartment hunting trip in November of '99 and settled on Malahide. We lived right on the Marina and it was beautiful! Malahide also had it's own castle which is where this mug came from. I loved this mug. Every time I sipped my morning coffee I couldn't help but remember our apartment overlooking the marina with the huge floor to ceiling window so I could gaze out the window at the boats. Sigh....

So, R.I.P. my poor little mug. I hope to replace you someday soon when we can get back to Malahide.

Watchin' the ships roll in...

2008-07-11T09:21:00.001-04:00

Meltdown at Target

2008-07-10T09:17:00.004-04:00

I believe I have sworn, oh about 4 or 5 times now, that I would never again step foot in Target with all three kids in tow. I have learned through many a meltdown that no good can come of it.

So why, you ask, did I take all three kids into Target yesterday? Well, for one, my mother was with me and I figured she could help with crowd control. Second, we were bored. IT was 95 degrees and humid out and we were stuck in the house. We had to get out. So when my mom stopped by to drop something off and mentioned she was on her way to Target, I begged her to let us go with her. Lucky her.

I tell the kids in the car they can pick something out of the dollar bin (love those). I confirm this with Gavin as he is my button pusher and boundary overstepper. So they pick out their things and connive to get a 2nd dollar item. Fine, I say. Then my mom buys them each a bouncy ball. We are on our way to the checkout when Gavin says he wants something else. He tells me what he wants and I say "Well, if you put back your three things you can get them." He proceeds to open up the waterworks. This can not end good.

What does he want to get? Underwear. Yes, you heard me. Underwear. What kid has a meltdown because he wants underwear??

I will spare the gory details of the tears and negotiations that followed. The end result was that he put back two of the three items he had and got one package of Kung Fu Panda underwear which he immediately put on as soon as we walked in the door.

I have always said that Gavin is my odd duck. But I mean that in the most endearing way.

I wonder what he's thinking about?

2008-07-07T20:42:00.000-04:00

The first beach day of the season

2008-07-05T09:47:00.004-04:00

These pictures are from a couple of weeks back. We went to a different beach than usual. It had huge boulders and rocks which formed cool tide pools when the tide went out. The kids loved it! Although it was about 10 degrees cooler at the water than about 30 feet further up at the softer sand. Aidan was complaining the whole time about it being chilly. For him to have the optimal beach experience the temperature has to be juuuust right. Not so chilly that he has to wear his sweatshirt but not too hot that he sweats too much either. I think he took after me.

We all just love the beach and can't wait for our weeklong vacation in August!

A scholar and an athlete

2008-06-25T21:55:00.004-04:00

As much as I hate labelling children in a family, I have to joke about the fact that between Aidan and Gavin, we will end up with a Scholar and an Athlete.

Aidan is fearless, active, physical and has no time to think about letters and sounds and putting them together to make words. Gavin is much more careful with his body and rarely will put himself in a situation where he might actually--gasp--get hurt. He is very interested in what makes things work, sounding out small words and asking countless "Why?" questions. I guess this explains why Aidan has a multitude of bruises and scrapes and Gavin does not.

The boys just finished up their soccer season. They both were excited to play though I suspect it had a little more to do with the fact that their dad was also going to be their coach. So I was taking pictures at the last game and I got some pictures that I think captures their personalities quite well.

Here is Aidan's kick. You can just see by the way his body is positioned all the power his little body put into that kick.

And Gavin's kick. It is almost as if the ball was in his way and he's just kicking it aside.

Who knows? Once they hit Kindergarten in the fall they might surprise me. But for now I am sticking to my labels.

5 years ago today...

2008-06-04T16:51:00.009-04:00

Happy Birthday to my baby boys!!

Wiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-03T14:41:00.002-04:00

The sadness of moving on

2008-05-30T13:38:00.004-04:00

Today was the boys' last day at their preschool. Wednesday they had a graduation ceremony with songs and diplomas and merriment after. Today they were celebrating all the summer birthdays and just ahving a fun last day with their friends.

I picked them up with Ciara in tow and their teacher said to the boys that in September it would be Ciara's school since they would be in kindergarten. Then we said our goodbyes and the boys hugged her and we wished her to have a nice summer. We walked to the car and they all got in while I climbed in back to buckle them. I think that all of a sudden it hit Gavin that he would not be at this school again. He wouldn't see his teacher and all his friends. He asked me "Am I never coming back here?" I told him that no, he'd be going to a new school in the fall. The same one his cousins attended. I thought I saw a quiver in his lips but then he climbed in the car so I didn't push it further. He got in his car seat and turned around and said "I think my teeth hurt." I asked why he thinks that and he said "I think my teeth hurt and that is why I feel this way". His lip quivered again and I gave him a big hug and he just broke down. He cried and cried and cried that he wants his friends to be in his new school too. I racked my brain and could only think of one boy for certain that would be at his school and of course, this is a boy he was not particularly close to so that did nothing. I started to well up myself at the intense emotions Gavin was feeling at the moment. He is not always one to put his feeling out there and tries to put on a brave face when he is feeling uncertain. I guess this wave of emotion was just too much for him.

I had promised them McDonald's for lunch but decided to drop Aidan and Ciara at my parents so Gavin and I could go alone to get the food and bring it back. On the way we talked about feeling sad about leaving one place but the excitement about starting in a new one. I explained how each year you get older and need to learn new things and that is why we have to move on. Once you learn all you can in preschool, your brain needs more challenges and so you go to a whole new grade to get those challenges. I think he understood and right now seems to be digesting everything.

This had to have been the hardest moment for me as a parent so far. I have been trying not to dwell on the fact that my baby boys are going to be 5 and will be off to the "big school" in a few short months. I have been trying to act like it is no big deal and remind myself that I am not the only parent that has to go through it. I suppose I have also been trying to act brave for the boys because I don't want to project my emotions on them and ruin the excitement they feel about starting kindergarten.

I guess I learned today that it's ok to show them that I feel sad, too. But I hope that I can also show them that I am excited for them to begin this new adventure and I'll be with them every step of the way.

My little paradox

2008-03-24T21:43:00.003-04:00

Here she is. My daughter. Girly tiara on her head while making a considerably un-girly face. And in her sweats to boot.

The winter blahs

2008-03-13T21:39:00.002-04:00

I am so ready for Spring and the nice weather! I have been so down the past few weeks and have so much less patience with the kids than usual. With daylight savings time last weekend, this week seemed a little better. Even though it is still as cold as last week, there is a "spring is in the air" feeling. It is horrible being cooped up in the house. There is really nothing to do and nowhere to go that doesn't cost money. We can only make so many trips to the library. Each day I feel guilty that the kids are watching too much tv, using the computer too much, or playing the video games but I know as soon as the air gets even a little warmer we will be hitting the park. They need the fresh air!

Every day Gavin asks me if it is Spring yet. Soon, I tell him. And when it's spring, he asks, does that mean we can swim in a pool? Not quite. But the boys are taking swimming lessons, which they love. So maybe that will quell the swimming bug for a while.

My apologies

2008-03-10T11:01:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe I have neglected my blog this long. Here is what happens:

I never seem to have a chunk of uniterrupted time to post a blog entry.
I lie in bed at night before falling asleep and mentally compose the blog entries I would write if I did have a chunk of uniterrupted time.
When I do get a chunk of uninterrupted time, I cannot remember what it was I wanted to post about.

Sound familiar?

Now, I must go get the boys from preschool and before that I need to change Ciara as I am hoping she is done with her 45 minute pooping session.

It gets worse before it gets better

2008-02-14T21:13:00.002-05:00

That's how the saying goes, right? Let's put it to the test.
Aidan on Friday after his fall (Day 1):

Day 2:

Yup, definitely worse. Although it doesn't seem to be bothering him from the looks of the photo.

Day 3:

Worse or better? Maybe about the same.

Day 6:

Here he is opening Valentine's with his brother. The dark purple bruising seems to be turning to yellow.

I suppose we have proved the theory. It is getting better each day but it still looks awful.

The cry

2008-02-09T14:04:00.000-05:00

My poor boy.

Yesterday we were visiting my mother-in-law for lunch. She just had knee surgery so she is not up and around yet. So I took it upon myself to go into the kitchen and start lunch for the kids. I hadn't been in there more than two minutes when I hear an awful thud, a moment of silence, and then the cry. The cry where you just know something is wrong. Not the cry that you here 25 times a day and shout into the other room "You'll be okay." without even going in to check on the crier. The cry that makes you drop whatever it is your doing and fly into the room as fast as you can.

So from what I can gather, Aidan was spinning around, tripped on the area rug and smashed his face right onto the coffee table. Thank goodness it missed his actual eye and thank goodness my in-laws have a coffee table with rounded edges. It swelled immediately and turned bluish. I put in a call to our doctor's office and they seemed to feel that as long as he was not disoriented and not complaining of a headache or nausea to just leave him be.

Today he is his old self but his eye looks so much worse. Sean has dubbed him "Rocky" since he looks just like him after he won the fight agaisnt the Russian guy (Drago?).

So it seems that Aidan is always the one getting hurt in this family. Here he is the day before he turned three when he was again twirling, lost his balance and smashed his nose into our fireplace. Thankfully nothing was broken.

Gavin (knocking wood here) has never been seriously injured. I think it is partly because he is way too careful to allow himself to sustain injury. He is not a twirler, spinner,or jumper. Aidan has such an exhuberant spirit that he just bubbles over all the time. Gavin is much more reserved.

I suppose it is good in a way. Two bubbly spirits are sure to add up to some trips to the Emergency Room.

Kara-TAY

2008-02-07T08:42:00.000-05:00

Aidan started Karate on Tuesday and is loving it. Back in October we went for a trial week but then decided not to join until after the holidays. Every week or so, Aidan would ask when he could go back to karate so I knew he really liked it--it wasn't just something he tried and forgot about.

He was so excited when he got his gi on the first day and the instructor--excuse me Renshi--put his belt on him. Then he went off into the dojo with the other kids. He paired up with an older boy who was a brown belt and that boy showed him what to do and how to do it when Renshi gave instructions. I was amazed how quickly he picked up on things just by watching what the other kids were doing.

Yesterday, I was so proud of him when Renshi did a block and asked what the name of that particular one was. Aidan raised his hand and said "Circle block!" which was really a circular block but close enough. This was day two of karate. I am amazed how much he remembered!

There is a lot of excercise and stretching in the beginning of class and I was afraid that Aidan would get bored with it. And with the karate instruction--yesterday they spent 20 minutes working on the circular block and I was thinking he was going to be bored but he wasn't. It is good for him to realize that karate is not all rock 'em sock 'em like on tv with Spongebob and Sandy.

I also think this is going to be good for him because it is something that is just his. All his life it has been "Aidan and Gavin" when doing activities, etc. So far, Gavin has absolutely no interest in doing karate. Which is kind of OK by me since I honestly don't know if we could afford to have both boys do it! (Sad but true.) Sean is signing both boys up for soccer this spring so maybe Gavin will find an interest there. I know Sean is hoping that at least one of the boys will follow in his footsteps.

So, I hope that Aidan will stick with Karate. I think it will be great for building his focusing skills and self-confidence.

Could someone please inform my mother that we are living in the 21st century?

2008-01-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

And while you're at it, clue her in on the miraculous advances in medicine in the last 65 years?

I took Gavin to the doctor today for a weird fever/rash type virus. It turns out that he has Scarlet Fever.
Well, you woulda thought we were living in the 1600s and I just told my mother he had the Bubonic Plague. Here is a snippet of the conversation:

Me: Gavin has Scarlet Fever.
Mother: Scarlet Fever! Oh my...well, when you get home you better strip ALL the beds in the house and put new sheets on. And throw out all those sippy cups. They are always drinking from each others cups. And spray the whole house with Lysol...
Me: Well the doctor put him on an antibiotic and said...
Mother: (cuts me off)Well, what about Aidan and Ciara?? Shouldn't they get antibiotics too?
Me: ??? What? Why?
Mother: They are going to get it. I bet my life they get it.
Me: You're right, they probably will.
Mother: (getting disgusted with me now) And you didn't ask the doctor what to do to prevent it??

And so it went for several more minutes.
In her defense, I suppose I should reveal the fact that my father had Scarlet Fever when he was a toddler and nearly died from it. He was quarantined to his room and no one saw him or my grandmother for close to a month. They left food at the bedroom door for them and that was that.

But that was in 1939.

Now, you get an antibiotic for 5 days and you're good to go.

Oh, the wonders of modern medicine.

So true, so true

2008-01-29T20:14:00.000-05:00

Who ever would've thought a sandwich could say so much?

You Are a Turkey Sandwich

Conservative and a bit shy, you tend to stick with what you know and trust.You are very introverted, and you prefer to blend in whenever possible.Though you may be hard to know well, anyone who does know you considers you a true friend.
Your best friend: The Ham Sandwich
Your mortal enemy: The Tuna Fish Sandwich

What kind of sandwich are you?

Oh, my scapula!

2008-01-27T10:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Jimmy Neutron for introducing the word scapula into my 4 year olds' vocabulary.

I walked into the living room this morning and Gavin is sitting on the chair watching Jimmy with his brother.
"Mummy...(giggle, giggle)...you know what Shane just said?" (giggle, giggle)
"What did Shane just say?"
(giggle, giggle) "He said (giggle) 'ow! My scapula!'" (hysterical laughter ensues)

So, now they are running through the house chasing their little sister screaming "Oh, my scapula!" while breaking into more fits of hysterical laughter. What the heck is so funny about a scapula? And then it hits me that these are 4 year olds. They don't even know what a scapula is. But they have an idea. I just overheard them playing in Ciara's room, again exclaiming about their scapula. And then I hear Gavin say:
"Aidan....do you know what a scapula is? A penis!"

Ah, of course. What else would a 4 year old boy think it is?

The face of opposition

2008-01-22T14:28:00.001-05:00

Don't let the adorable little innocent face fool you. Oh no. What you are looking at right now is the most contrary, stubborn little boy on the planet.

It does not matter what I ask Gavin to do or how I ask it. His usual response is "No" or "I don't want to do that" or "No thanks" (at least he is sometimes polite about it). Something as trivial as saying "Hey Gavin, let me put this placemat under your cereal bowl so the milk doesn't get all over the table" is met with "But I don't neeeed a placemat".

Here are other samples from my day:
"OK everyone, let's get our coats on because we are going outside." Ciara and Aidan scamper off to get their coats. Gavin says "Actually, I don't need a coat today".

Aidan: What are we doing today?
Me: Going to get haircuts.
Aidan: Yay!
Gavin: Not me. I don't need a haircut.

"Gavin, please don't stand on the chair like that, you might fall".
"NO, no I won't fall".
Falls seconds later and I must bite my tongue to keep from shouting "Told you so!"

There are a gazillion more examples but you get the general idea. No matter what I say, he must say the opposite. And heaven forbid he actually agree with me on something. You know, maybe it is just a normal thing that every preschooler goes through. I am sure that has something to do with it but I guess it doesn't help that he has a twin brother and little sister who are so compliant. I know you are not supposed to compare children but it is so gosh darn hard!

I ran across a quote once:
Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face a direction from the way the arranger desires.

That's Gavin. My little flower.

Baby girl

2008-01-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

Three hours of our life are gone

2007-12-31T14:50:00.000-05:00

And they were spent putting together these #@$% Playmobil sets. How was I not aware of the bazillion tiiiiiny little pieces that came with these? And to top it off, when the boys came downstairs this morning and found that we had put this together (did I mention it took three hours?) they were so excited. After the enthusiastic thank-yous however, the boys turned to each other and said "Want to go upstairs and play Spyro on Playstation?" and promptly ran off.

I basically had to forbid any sort of technological object to be turned on in the house and they finally played with it. And enjoyed it to boot. Who knew you could have so much fun with a toy? And you don't even have to plug it in.

A funny story

2007-12-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

This morning we are all eating some nice fresh Scali bread which I picked up at our local Italian bakery. Every time I eat Scali bread I think of my nephew and niece.

As you know, we live in Boston. I am sure you may also be aware of the famous Boston accent although mostly when people try to "do" a Boston accent, they do a Kennedy-Boston-accent which is a totally different thing altogether. For a true Boston accent, just watch Matt Damon and Marky Mark Wahlberg in The Departed or The Depahted. (And yes, Mark Wahlberg is still always referred to as Marky Mark around these parts no matter how many Oscar movies he is in). But I digress...

My nephew and my niece are in 1st and 4th grades respectively and their teachers this year are not from the Boston area. My nephew and niece have noticed they pronounce their "r"s and say certainly words differently than their parents do. They have also taken to poking fun at their mother especially when she pronounces certain words. "Get in the cah" gets met with "Mom, it's carrrrr".

So, one day my sister-in-law asked the kids what kind of bread they wanted for their toast--American bread or Scali bread. To which they replied "It's Scarrrli bread, Mom". She was trying to explain to them that no, it really was Scali bread but they weren't having it.

So now whenever they see the bread in the house, they always ask for Scarli bread because they are sure their mother is putting her Boston accent spin on it.

The 5th annual Christmas card debacle

2007-11-29T16:44:00.000-05:00

As all of you who are parents know, when Christmastime rolls around there is a rush to get that elusive "perfect" picture of your child(ren) to send out to friends and family who you rarely see. You want a picture of your child(ren) in all their shining glory so that said friends and family can ooh and ah over the photo for all of three seconds, place the card on their mantle (or wherever they display all their cards) and then promptly dispose of it the day after Christmas. Little do they know the pain and suffering all have endured to get that perfect picture. The threats hissed through gritted teeth, the begging and pleading for just. one. more. picture, the bribery. Oh, the bribery. (Which very rarely works by the way).

And so, for those of you who may not experience this each year, allow me to share mine with you.

It starts out nice enough.
But quickly goes downhill.
I called it quits for that day and took a few individual shots figuring I can at least make a card at one of the online photo sites using those.

I give it another try at a local gardening center. This place is always beautifully decorated and at midday during the week, there is hardly anyone there.

Unfortunately, things don't go much better there than at home.

My personal favorite reject:
And then you do get a good one. Not necessarily perfect but a pretty darn good one. And it just so happens to be the very first picture you snapped on this outing.

New camera!

2007-11-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

I finally got my new camera yesterday. It is an early Christmas gift and I have been wanting one for at least a year. It made me a little sick to actually hit "complete purchase" when I ordered it from Amazon because I have never spent that much money on a camera. But, now that it is here, I am loving it.

The clarity! The depth! The ketchup on my son's face! It's all here.

No pictures, please

2007-11-20T22:17:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

Are you sure you've got the right one?

2007-11-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

With the holiday season fast approaching (or is it already here? Thanksgiving is next week!), my thoughts have turned to what to get the kids for Christmas. I can easily think of many things for Ciara and Aidan.

Ciara is 2 and big into Dora and Diego. However annoying they might be, there will most likely be one toy featuring these characters under the tree on Christmas morning. She also loves to sort things so there will be something along those lines as well.

Aidan has such an imagination, he could find entertainment with a rock and a piece of paper. Give him an action figure or two and some building blocks and he will create an amazing scenario and be entertained for at least an hour or two. And anything to do with art. He loooves his art supplies.

Now, Gavin...he's the one that is giving me trouble. When he's at home his main interests are his video game, his Leapster and the computer. I am trying to steer away from all things electronic and am racking my brain thinking of things to get him. When asked directly he'll say he wants a new video game, a new Leapster game and a scooter. Okay, the scooter is a good one but what else? Out of desperation I asked his preschool teacher what exactly he plays with at school.

Teacher: Well, he is always asking me to take down the pirate ship to play with.
Me: Really?? We have one at home he barely touches.
Teacher: Oh, and that helicopter. He loves that!
Me: Gavin? The helicopter? (neither of the boys have ever been the things-that-go type of kid)
Teacher: And the art supplies. He likes to sit at the desk and draw and cut with scissors.
Me: Really? Gavin? Are you sure you're not thinking of Aidan.
Teacher: (Starting to think I am a tad bit crazy now) Yes, those are the top three things he likes to do.

Now, the thing that gets me is we have ALL these things at home. The helicopter sits gathering dust on the shelf. Aidan plays with the pirate ship and whenever I try to encourage Gavin to he says no. And any time I have tried to do an art activity at home, he participate for all of 5 minutes and then announces "I'm all done with this".

I suppose playing with things at home and at school are different. At school, you have 8 other kids to play with. Maybe that somehow makes it more exciting than playing at home with your brother who has been your constant companion for the last 4+ years.

The voice of reason. From a 4 year old.

2007-11-09T14:19:00.000-05:00

Gavin has only asked for about 3 things for Christmas. One of these being a scooter. My husband was trying to convince Gavin that maybe it might be better to wait until his summer birthday for the scooter. Getting a scooter in the winter and not being able to ride it until the spring might be a little bit of a downer.

But then I had a great idea. I said "Well, if Santa brings you a scooter maybe you could use it in the (long, uncarpeted) upstairs hallway*." I may as well have suggested he ride it on the highway during rush hour.

He turned to me with an incredulous look on his face and said "No. No I could not do that. I might fall down the stairs."

"That's right, Gavin" said my husband nodding proudly at his son for rejecting his mother's dangerous suggestion.

Thank goodness one of us has some common sense.

*Of course I would be supervising to make sure no one fell down the treacherous stairs. I'm not that stupid.

I hope they are always this close

2007-11-07T12:02:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

A very pitiful Shrek

2007-11-01T09:05:00.001-04:00

Perhaps ogres don't like lollipops?

Boo!

2007-10-30T19:32:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

The boy can dance...

2007-10-29T11:01:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we went to a Halloween parade. I didn't know such a thing existed but Sean's friend invited us to his mom's house where the town has been having this parade for 53 years. This was the first parade for the kids and they *loved* it! They sat and watched the whole thing for about 90 minutes. Of course it didn't hurt that they threw candy into the crowd and the kids all scrambled to get it. They had a blast. Aidan in particular loved the marching bands as evidenced by my short little clip here. That boy has got some rhythm!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

It's the Great Pumpkin!

2007-10-23T22:08:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

Sabotage

2007-10-23T14:08:00.001-04:00

Gavin is not into picture taking lately. If I try to get a photo of the three of them, he makes a face or won't look at me or sticks his tongue out. In general, he does anything he can not to be cooperative.

In this first picture, Gavin is holding a spider in front of his face. I have about five pictures like this. When he finally removes it, he replaces it with a puss face.

This one's going to be trouble when he hits adolescence. I can feel it.

A Pet Peeve

2007-10-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

We were at the park this morning and there appeared to be some sort of mom's group there as well. The mothers were all sitting at one of the picnic tables, coffee in hand, muffins laid out on the table having a good chat. The kids--I'd say ranging in age from about 18 months to 3 or so--were doing what kids do and running amok on the play structures. Now, I am all for moms getting together and talking about kid and non-kid things. You need that adult interaction and that "thank goodness I am not alone" feeling.

But please, for the love of Pete, pay attention to your kids. Do not ignore them and pretend that someone else is watching out for them.

I swear, at least three children almost got smashed while running in front of the swing I was pushing Ciara in. If I hadn't grabbed Ciara mid-swing, the kid (s) would have been really hurt. And none of the moms even looked up. Then there were city workers there building a new sandbox and shelter and the kids, of course, were watching all the action and going in and under the 'Caution' tape they had put around the area. The guys were being good sports about it but again, none of the moms came over to tell their child to be careful or to leave the men alone, etc.

The last thing that really got on my nerves is that there was a girl about 3 or maybe 4 who was sitting on a swing and wanted a push to get going. Now, the swings are across the playground from where the picnic tables are. I was standing near the tables pushing Ciara in the toddler swing and I could hear this girl shouting "Mommy, could you push me please?.....Mommy!....MOMMY!!!!" for at least 10 minutes. Now, if I could hear the girl then the mother could also. Not one mother even stopped talking or acknowledged the girl in any way. I was so tempted to butt in and say "Does that little girl belong to any of you? Because she wants some help." I don't know how anyone can just tune out their kids like that. Even if I am in a conversation with someone, I always am aware of where my kids are. If I hear any kids yelling for their mom, I always look to make sure it is not mine .

Ooooh, it just gets on my nerves when people don't pay attention to their children!

Adore

2007-10-17T08:22:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

Catch!

2007-10-09T21:24:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

Silly Faces

2007-10-05T13:54:00.001-04:00

...and a Princess Pirate.

This is supposed to be fun, darn it!

2007-10-03T19:05:00.000-04:00

I love to cook. I have been looking forward to the boys being a bit older so we can start to cook together and make warm fuzzy memories of baking cookies on a lazy afternoon. I have images of measuring and mixing and sharing laughter-filled stories. Sounds nice, doesn't it? So today I thought I'd bake fall lollipop cookies with the boys while Ciara napped. I found a recipe on another blog I read accompanied by a picture of cutely decorated cookies on a stick. It looked easy enough.

So here is how the story went in real life:

Ciara woke up while we were mixing the batter.
I went up to get her and came back downstairs to find more flour on the floor than went into the dough in the first place. And the kitchen is empty.
Called the boys back after I swept up flour so we can get on with making the cookies.
I now have three of them bickering about whose turn it was to roll the cookies in the colored sugar.
(Ashamed to say) I lose my patience and tell them if they can't all take turns I am making the cookies. By myself.
I almost burn myself and toss the cookies (ha ha) while stepping over one of the bickering children who has thrown himself on the floor.
I answer the question "Can I have a cookie now?" 25 million times before the cookies are actually cool enough to eat.
Cookies are finally cooled, each child takes one and runs away to watch Spongebob.
Guess who cleans up?
And the cookies looked much better than they actually tasted.
The End

My Hero

2007-10-02T21:15:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

Favorite Halloween Reads

2007-10-02T14:32:00.000-04:00

I love Halloween! It is my favorite time of the year. We have already been reading Halloween stories at bedtime for a couple of weeks. Here are a few of the most requested around here.

This is a book I discovered while teaching. It is a counting book, counting up to ten and then back down again. It has black and white pictures that are kind of spooky but before it gets too spooky, there is a touch of comic relief from 10 mischievous mice.

Another counting book. This one counts backwards from 10. Cute pictures and rhyming text.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate... This popular rhyme is now a board book. This book is great for toddlers. It has very simple illustrations and one line of text on each page.

This is a new one for us this year. I saw it on Amazon and it got good reviews. It is about a skeleton who can't seem to get rid of his pesky hiccups (hic, hic, hic) until his friend ghost (hic, hic, hic) helps him out. I like that this book is about a skeleton and a ghost but is not scary in the least. My boys love this one!

This is another book I discovered during my teaching days. It has a catchy rhyming rhythm that can't help but be chanted when read aloud. The kids always love this one and by the second reading are always chiming in with the chorus. "Shake, shake, shake dem bones now. Shake, shake, shake dem bones now...."

Happy Halloween reading!!

What in tarnation?!

2007-09-28T14:52:00.001-04:00

This will be one of those posts that people without children might be bored by. Or even people with children that are not mine. LOL

Anyhow, the boys are at that age (4) where their expressive language and vocabulary is taking off. It is really cute to hear one of them say when asked if they painted at school that day, "I sure did!" Or in response to asking if they want a Spongebob waffle for breakfast, one of them shoots back "Well of course I do!". When this happens I always think to myself where they get this stuff. Of course, it is from listening to all the conversations around them and how adults are speaking with them now that they aren't "babies" anymore. I know that I use more sarcasm with them now that they understand the difference of me being serious vs. joking with them.

Another thing which is funny to experience is there burdgeoning understanding of how the world works. For instance, I picked them up from school the other day and their teacher happened to be getting into her car as I buckled my crew into ours. "I wonder where she is going?" asked Gavin. I mentioned that maybe she was going home. He sort of huffed and said "Teachers don't go home". If he was a little older he probably would have added a two syllable "Duh" to the end of that sentence.

And just this morning, while Aidan was looking for a toy in the toybox and pulled out a pair of underwear he exclaimed "What in tarnation?!".

That one we can credit to good ol' Spongebob.

Random thoughts for the day

2007-09-27T11:59:00.000-04:00

Why is it that the kids on the Moon Sand commercial are able to keep all that moon sand in the little blowup sandbox? Yet my kids seem to think that little sandbox is simply for storing the moon sand not actually play with it in there.

And washable markers...they are really only washable to a certain extent. Then your child is stuck with a light blue arm for a few days. Coincidentally one of those days will be the day they have a doctor's appointment. And you will have to work into the conversation with the doctor how those markers really aren't all that washable even after several baths just so he will not think you haven't bathed your child in a while.

That's all for today...

The sea and me

2007-09-26T12:01:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

The cutest little girl in a hospital gown

2007-09-25T15:05:00.000-04:00

Ciara had surgery for a blocked tear duct last Thursday. The eye is still a little runny but the doctor said to give it a week. We shall see.

Now, I am not usually one to extol the cuteness of my children but isn't she so adorable in her little hospital gown?

And here is another photo with a mark over her eye lest the surgeon forget why she was there.

Fall?

2007-09-24T14:50:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we took the kids to one of our favorite fall activities: apple picking. Well, we actually don't pick the apples per se. I think the kids are a little young still but hopefully next year.
Anyway, every year we visit an apple orchard to get some cider and apples, have a hayride, pet some goats and consume large amounts of cider donuts and apple crisp. Autumn is my very favorite season and I look forward to it all year.

Except when it is 82 degrees outside at the end of September. Global warming anyone?

So despite feeling most unFallish (yes, I am aware that probably isn't a word), the kids had a blast jumping on a maze of hay bales, eating cider donuts and picking out a few pumpkins .

And a gourd for Gavin.

Jump!

2007-09-18T22:02:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

All roads lead to Stride Rite

2007-09-17T11:44:00.000-04:00

All three of my kiddos have wide feet. I have no idea where they got them from as neither my husband nor I have them. This makes for expensive shoe shopping and basically we are limited to one place. Stride Rite. The cadillac of shoes for children. The average pair of shoes or sneakers there run around $54. I don't like paying that much for my shoes never mind shoes that will most likely be trudged through the nearest mud puddle 20 minutes after wearing them for the first time. Not to mention the fact that said shoes will most likely need to be replaced within a few months due to the rapid foot growth of small children.

My mother always makes the same remark after she finds out how much the kids' new shoes cost. "Well, you wouldn't see your (notoriously frugal) sister-in-law spending that amount on her kids' shoes". Well, her kids don't have wide gargantuan feet either.

Just to appease my mother, I have done countless searches on the internet to find out who else might possibly carry wide widths in children's shoes. I have typed in every possible combination of "toddler", "shoes", "wide widths", and "discount". I do get dozens of hits for online shoe stores who claim to carry wide widths for children. At a discount no less. I excitedly click on the link and discover.....they are Stride Rite shoes.

Offered at a 20% discount.

But factor in shipping and I might as well just go to the damn store and buy them myself. Seriously, there has got to be another brand of not-so-expensive wide width children's shoes. I will make this my highest priority.

Until I find them I guess I will have to just shell out the cash and stick my fingers in my ears to drown out my mother's comments.

Sunlight on water

2007-09-14T21:31:00.001-04:00

I took these two photos in the late afternoon sun at the beach. My very favorite time of day.

More interesting light photos at Crazy Hip Blog Mamas

School is now in session

2007-09-13T21:09:00.001-04:00

My Wordless Wednesday post was actually a photo from last year--their first day of school ever. Here is a picture from this year's first day.And then of course Ciara, who must do every single thing her brothers do, jumped in.
So, this year was so much more relaxed and anticlimactic than last year. Last year there was a big unknown of what 'preschool' was and all that it entailed. This year they knew what to expect and were chomping at the bit to get back. Sean and I hung around for a bit just in case but the boys really paid us no mind once they were at the table and playing Mr. Potatohead with their friends.
After their drop-off it was time to take Ciara to her Creative Movement class which I was so looking forward to. It is fun to do an activity like this with only one child to focus on. I never had that with the boys and it is such a different experience. No double stroller to lug out of the car, unbuckle and then buckle two kids in, make my way to the door and hope that the stroller fits through. Nope. Just unbuckled Ciara, grabbed my bag and was int he door in 30 seconds.
The class was not as good as I expected. First off the teacher didn't even introduce herself and secondly she didn't ask the kids any of their names. As a former teacher, I think that is such an important part of any type of class. But, all Ciara really cared about was running around the room with the 'twirling ribbons' so I guess it's all good.

That time of year...

2007-09-11T21:12:00.001-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

I bought my son a Barbie

2007-09-11T14:26:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it is not a Barbie. I was just going for shock value there. What it is is a Corbin Bleu doll. You know, Corbin Bleu? From High School Musical fame? You don't? Just where have you been living?
Anyway, we were at the store and we passed by the huge display of High School Musical merchandise and my 4 year old son just had to have the Corbin Bleu doll. Oh excuse me, action figure. The Corbin Bleu action figure as he calls it.Now, the movie is most definitely not geared for 4 year olds but Disney does put snippets of the music from the movie on during prime preschool viewing hours. Very smart. Aidan loves to dance and whenever the songs came on he just bops away. I must admit the tunes are quite catchy.

So there you go. Aidan's first "Barbie". LOL

How can you tell it is Autumn in New England?

2007-09-06T19:57:00.000-04:00

Well, besides the telltale color change of the leaves, the chill in the air in the morning when you awake, and the sun setting earlier and earlier each evening.

For me the arrival of Fall is marked by:

Apple Cider Donuts!!

Yes, nothing says "Fall" to me more than a warm apple cider donut fresh from the fryer and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Mmmm mmmm good. Ciara and I had our first donuts of the season at Wilson Farm on Monday (Labor Day). The boys chose to stay home and play their new video game. Their loss. More donuts for us.

As if it would be anything else...

2007-09-06T10:12:00.000-04:00

Your Inner European is Irish!

Sprited and boisterous!
You drink everyone under the table.

Who's Your Inner European?

However, I definitely do not see myself as "boisterous" and I most certainly could not drink anyone under the table. And yet, based on the food I like to eat and the activities I like to do, I am Irish. (My mother would roll her eyes if she saw this...I look just like her --Italian--yet I am fascinated with my father's Irish/English roots. Drives her nuts.)

Joy

2007-09-04T21:17:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

The workings of a 4 year old mind

2007-09-03T13:12:00.000-04:00

I was flipping through a Parents magazine recently and Gavin was next to me. We came to a page that had an ad for a Fisher Price bouncy seat and Gavin wanted to get it for Ciara.

Me: Ciara is too big for that seat now.
Gavin: Well, we can save it for when she gets little again.
Me: No, that’s not how it works. Babies grow bigger, not littler.
Gavin: Well, we can just not feed her and then she will get little.

There you go. Problem solved.

A glimpse into the future?

2007-08-31T14:10:00.000-04:00

For some reason, this picture of the boys brought to mind a pair of curmudgeon-y old men sitting on the beach on a glorious day and complaining about how cold it was. Much like my father who is sitting off camera in this picture with long pants, a windbreaker and a baseball hat pulled tightly down to his eyes.

I guess it runs in the family.

I'm back

2007-08-30T08:43:00.000-04:00

I am back from vacation with a renewed interest in blogging. Hopefully I will be able to post more regularly. Just not now. I have two angry preschoolers hounding me to "log into Playhouse Disney dot com". I cannot believe what words are in a 4 year old's vocabulary nowadays. (Did I just type "nowadays"? I am getting old.)

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-29T13:52:00.001-04:00

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

One Day Late

2007-08-03T15:23:00.000-04:00

Happy 2nd Birthday, baby girl!!
2 year old favorites:
Little Einsteins
Teletubbies
Hi5
lemons
yelling "Bop!" and putting your hand up when someone does something you don't like
Bane-banes (blankets--I have no idea where the word came from)
your bottle
em-a-ems (M&Ms)
farm animals
your brothers (Aidan and 'avin)

Summertime fun

2007-08-01T21:37:00.001-04:00

Heeelllooooo out there......

Sorry for the long absence. This summer has been very busy thus far. We have had an overseas guest the past couple of weeks and then a few unwelcome guests that have needed dealing with. I may or may not elaborate later. lol

So here are a few pictures of everyone's favorite summer pastime: eating an ice cream cone on a warm summer night.

This is Meez!

2007-07-16T14:28:00.000-04:00

Check it out

Four years ago today...

2007-06-04T19:59:00.000-04:00

...our wish came true. Two baby boys to share our lives. We went through a lot to get you here but we wouldn't change one single thing about our journey.

Happy Birthday Aidan and Gavin!!

Life Imitates Art...

2007-04-24T14:30:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist snapping this picture of our dog, Finn, napping on our bed. Above him is the Andrew Wyeth print Master Bedroom.

Finally!!

2007-04-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

After weeks of bleak, cold, rainy April weather we finally had a beautiful Spring weekend!

In true New England fashion, we went right from jeans and fleece sweatshirts one day into shorts and tee shirts the next. Of course, who knows how long it will last...

116 Beanie Babies and he knows exactly which one is missing

2007-04-19T21:13:00.000-04:00

Ty Beanie Babies. Remember those? The craze that spread throughout the US (the World even?) about 12 years ago. Everyone scampering to get the newest, "rarest" Beanie because, you know, someday they are going to be worth a pretty penny. Well, here is what happened to all my Beanie Babies:
Ever since Gavin was an infant he liked the tags of blankets, stuffed animals and the like. But, not just any tag. It had to be the kind that was silky, the kind that when rubbed for long periods of time would get even silkier. Gavin never had one special "lovey" but rather a whole bunch of them as long as they had the right tag. This made it easier on us because at least if we left one behind somewhere, we didn't have to search high and low for an exact replica.

Back to the Beanie Babies. When Gavin was about 18 months old, he discovered my collection of precious Beanie Babies in a box in the closet of the boys' playroom. He took a couple out, rubbed their tags to test them out and that was that. His addiction was born. Every so often, he would go to the box to get a couple more Beanies when the tags wore out on the old ones. Then he started taking a few out even though the old tags weren't worn out. He liked to have variety and every few days would switch to a new favorite. Eventually, every single Beanie Baby wound up on his bed and no one was allowed to clean them up. They had to remain there and if one attempted to tidy them up, he would know exactly which ones were missing and demand them back.

So now we are to the point where he wants to choose his own Beanie Babies to buy. However, the "new" Beanies have tags made of a different material than the "old" Beanies. They do not get soft and silky with age. They remain stiff and not pleasant to rub. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it), a local craft store chain carries the "old" Beanies. Every other week--at least--we go to this store to buy yet another Beanie. I cringe as we approach the bin because inevitably we are going to see Beanies in there that I paid top dollar for back in the day which are now $2.88. Yes, $2.88. The Princess Diana Beanie Baby that I had to have and bought for $25 is now in the bin for $2.88.Not only is my beloved Princess Bear in a bin for just $2.88. She now has a new home on Gavin's bed.