Music to my ears....

Kyle loves music, loves to listen to it, dance to it and sing it and he did something amazing today....he sang his ABC's! Start to finish, every letter along with the "enamenop" in place of LMNOP. His other favorites are "Itsy bitsy spider" and "Twinkle twinkle yittle star" He often sings these tunes when falling asleep at night which is just priceless. I really need to take more video!

Offensive??

Quite possibly, however I will post this link for those to like to have a good laugh once in a while. I remember finding this website a long time ago and laughing uncontrollably at work when reading about the "hairy firetruck" Silly humor, but funny as hell none the less. Now that I'm a parent and would probably hang crappy art work in my "cube" I might be an offender of the crappy art work page, but I'd still laugh my A@# off at it!!!
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=irule2

Oh, can't wait until he's 16!

I realize that it's still 14 years away, but o lord when he's starts driving I'll be a mess! And we'll have to remind the boys when they ask for the car that you can't drive your friends around until you have your license for a year!

Let's hope by that time they will have changed the rules to no driving with your friends unless your parents are with you both for the whole entire night making sure you are safe and sound!!

The Bicycle buit for two....

Let's hope Matt doesn't check in on my blog for a few days so that my life is spared; when he finds that I've posted this picture I have a feeling it will be cut short! Uncle Barney (Stevie) snagged the bike from Mammy Lu and Patty and took a short ride. Not as easy bike to maneuver I might add. Lots of laughs when we see Mammy and Patty pull into the driveway on this baby and lots more laughs with Matt and Barney take it for a spin! Course they didn't leave the driveway! Props to Mammy and Patty for making it around the block! Did you even think that these bikes still existed? Love it!

At the Drive-In!

The Drive-in has certainly become more than just teens necking in the backseat of their parents station wagons, that is for sure. Props to the Mendon Twin Drive-In! Family fun all around. Ironically Kyle's 1st trip to the movies was the drive-in to see Chronicles of Narnia, the irony lying with my 1st trip to the movies to see ET was also at the Drive-in some years ago. He had a blast! Saw about 1/2 hour of the movie before falling asleep in my arms. All kinds of family fun hanging outside of their vehicles playing ball, having snack waiting for the sun to go down and the "big TV" (as Ky calls it ) to come on for a movie. $20 for 2 movies, although Matt and I barely made it through the 1st movie that ended at about 11pm. I am thinking of a new business venture because it's a 45 minute drive to Mendon and we could use something like this around these parts......

Watch out big Papi....

Kyle's in town! Guess who's a slugger? Yup, you guessed it. We had a fun get together at Alyssa's the other night with yummy food, good laughs, I think there was a Celtics game on? And Kyle stopped by to show some of us how to swing a bat!

Where have I been?

Nowhere!!! ha ha Just hanging in the yard with my little bugger planting flowers and far away from the computer is all. Ky had been up until about 9pm these days playing in the nice weather and up again at 5AM with the birds a chirpin'! As soon as the sun hits his face in the morning he is ready to go outside and play. I can say that in 4 years the yard that I bust my butt in is finally starting to show signs of my hard work. The pink dogwood we planted along the tree line in the back the 1st year we moved in flowered beautifully this year and Matt added 2 gorgeous apple trees for mother's day to join it. The vegtable garden is also starting to look like I evisioned, some nice flowering plants around the edge and we'll be having fresh Cucumber, Corn, Sqaush and Green beens from it this year! Yippee! I am sure Kyle will have a blast picking the veggies; especially corn on the cob, his favorite! He made me cook corn on the cob at 10AM a couple of weeks ago. How do you argue or say no to a kid who's begging for corn?!

We had a beautiful wedding shower for Auntie Erin last week that went perfectly! Yummy food, great friends and family, fun times with toilet paper! And most of all, Erin enjoyed herself and was happy. We are so excited about Jamaica. It will be Ky's 1st trip on a plane. I'm sure he'll have everyone wrapped around his finger by the end of the flight.

Let's see, what else has been going on. Not too much! Enjoying my favorite time of year, with my favorite people!

Facing Jail Time?

We have two American flags hanging off the front porch and one of them has become tattered and torn and when the wind blows it gets caught on the house. So while I pick up some new flowers to plant yesterday I decide to grab a new flag. It looks great, nice new flag swaying the breeze. As I take down the old flag something occurs to me, I can't just through this away, right? I realize that there must be some kind of ritual to dispose of a tattered flag. I ask Matt and he say's "I think you burn it" to which I reply "yeah right, we'll go to hell or something if we burn it" So we call the master of knowledge, Papa Dan. Papa Dan knows everything. If you have a random question that you can imagine where to begin (before the Internet of course) Papa Dan is the person to call. Why didn't he make the cut for Jeopardy So while I'm on the phone with Dan, Matt is searching the Internet. Dan say's, it needs to be given to the American Legion and they'll dispose of it properly. And this is what we find on the Internet.....a step by step guide:

1. Understand the law. If you don’t properly dispose of the American flag properly, you could be breaking federal law and be liable for fines and, in rare cases, imprisonment.
   
2. Follow custom. Burning a tattered American flag is the preferred method of disposal according to The Flag Code approved by Public Law 829 on December 22, 1942 by the 77th Congress, 2nd Session.
   
3. Contact a local veterans or scouting organization to see if they accept flags for proper disposal. Many groups hold annual flag burning ceremonies on June 14, Flag Day.
   
4. Create your own flag burning disposal ceremony as long as you obey the law. The ceremony must be a respectful, private occasion, not a public display.
   
5. Contact the National Flag Foundation, local scout or veterans groups for recommended flag retirement and burning ceremonies if you wish to conduct your own.
   
6. Mail your tattered flag to an organization, such as Flag Keepers, for proper disposal.

WOW, who'd have known it would be such a project. I mean, I figured it would be a sin to just toss it in the trash, but a CRIME?! Yikes. Good news is, Flag Day ( My birthday) has a new meaning to me! So, this year when I turn (ahem 30) we will be at the Tom Petty concert and somewhere my flag will be burning at the American Legion and I'll be dodging going to the clink for properly disposing of the American Flag! Happy Flag Day to me!

A Wonderful Day being Kyle's Mom

Happy Mother's Day

Today was a wonderful day and it just happens to be Mother's Day too. Two new apple trees were delivered and planted in our yard to my surprise. They are meant to represent 1 from Ky and 1 from Matt, they are beautiful and they will be a reminder every time I look at them that I am blessed with them both in my life. We had planned on brunch at our house and decided to let someone else cook, give the mother's a day off and took the party to the Fireside Restaurant instead. Matt, Ky, Mammy Lu, Papa Dan and Auntie Erin joined me for a delicious meal. Auntie has a way of making me tear up with her thoughtful gifts and cards, so it took all I had not to burst into tears of joy at the table. The weather was perfect so we then took advantage and went to the playground where we all laughed and played like kids. It's amazing what wonderful things Kyle brings out in each of us. We all swung on the swings, slid down slides and danced in circles smiling from ear to ear every moment. These are the moments that truly warm my heart and soul to the core. It is true that we are only as old or as young as we feel and act. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing in Mammy & Papa's yard enjoying each other and ice cream sundae's. Kyle fell asleep in my arms on the couch after the fun-filled day spent truly enjoying each other's company. I love you all. Thank you for an amazing day and for being so good to me and truly loving me. There is nothing I could be more happy about or proud of than being Kyle's Mom. I realize Mother's Day is intended to thank the Mom's, but I am the one who is thankful.

A thanks to Chris....

....for opening up the world of Blogging! The following reasons make me happy I've joined the club:

1. Venting
2. Laughing
3. Pictures
4. Feeling closer to Chris than I have in YEARS through the updates
5. laughing
6. laughing
7. documenting my life. crazy, funny and all
8. Getting to know your kids
9. an outlet for a SAHM
10. comrades with other Moms
11. Julie's blogs who I don't even know but wish I did cause she's funny as hell
12. feeling a part of something
13. cooking tips!
14. Parenting tips
15. laughing

This is fun!!!

Spring Molting!

What the hell was I thinking when I thought, "sure 1 more cat can't harm anything", "Oh, honey you want a dog, let's have at it!" I know, I wasn't thinking. They are part of the family now, so unless they meet their demise at hell's corner on my street, they are ours! And so is all the hair they leave behind! As if cleaning up after a hubby and a toddler isn't enough, I feel like I am CONSTANTLY cleaning up animal hair. Spring time is worse than ever. They are molting all over the house. My vaccum and I are not happy about it. And I think I've caught the molting cause my hair is falling out too. Chunks in the shower. Please tell me it's normal?! I don't know why I drive to the zoo, I live in one!

A Chain Letter?

Did I just open my mail and a chain letter fell out? I am pretty sure I'm not dreaming. Don't go fallin' off your chair as you read this and get in trouble for reading my blog when you are supposed to be working. I have been fighting the spring allergies with Kyle and my head's a bit groggy from lack of sleep, but a freakin' chain letter. I will allow the person who mailed this to me to remain nameless because, well let's face it, seriously? Not to mention they have never owned a computer and couldn't possibly fathom the idea of a blog. I can't even remember the last time I communicated through the actual mail for anything of seriousness. Most of our mail (like everyone else's) is pure junk. I pay all my bills online, I keep in touch with friends online (bloggin' case and point) and the same goes for the business stuff. So I occasionally glance and the junk mags to see what kind of junk is really out there, but to open a letter was shocking enough, never mind a chain letter. I will not even tell you how close this person lives to me either, Ok I will...NEXT DOOR! Yes, they wrote out, with pen a chain letter, put a stamp on it, drove farther to the post office to mail it than it would have been to hand it to me. I guess I am thankful for that though, because then I'd have to acknowledge it and actually send them out. Ohhh maybe I should scratch the ticket to see if I've won! If I do win, I take back all I've said. I'll be back..............

Happy Birthday Evan!!!

We love you, Evan! Happy 2nd Birthday!

That Gorilla did what?

A beautiful sunny day in Boston at The Franklin Park Zoo. Auntie Kelley came with us and Auntie Laura and the kids met us there. I've never been and I love to venture out to check out new and exciting zoo features. Granted, it's a bit early in the season and some of the exhibits were under a bit of construction, but it was an adventure to say the least. 1st stop, Zebras. They actually have a good size piece of land to live on here. I tend to love and hate the zoo at the same time. These beautiful living animals are plucked from their homes and plopped in the middle of Boston for crying out loud. The piece of the wilderness they once roamed freely is replaced with rushing cars and fire sirens. And at the same time, I love to see them up close. So that is a cause I'm not ready to go head on with. I convince myself that these specific animals would not have lasted in the wild for whatever individual reason and that they may be better off here. Then we met Little Joe the Gorilla and I felt differently....more to come on that piece.

A group photo of the family! Laura's kids are so awesome. They are growing up so darn fast it's incredible. And they are growing up to be really cool people. Kyle loves spending time with them. It is really too bad we don't get to see each other as often as we like. Each family is trying to convince the other to move closer....we haven't come to an agreement yet :) But, when we do get together its as if we've lived next door to each other every day of our entire lives which is a nice feeling. Jake is something else...11 yrs old and can hold a conversation far above my head already. He knows facts that some of the highest educators would have to stop and think about I'm sure, and at the same time so lovable! He melts you and makes you laugh at the same time. His 1 liners put Seinfeld to shame. Can you say King of the Jungle? This is it (although really he's king of the cement jungle now). What an incredible creature. His size and beauty are stunning. Yet, he also seems like just a much larger version of a house cat. He's chillin', lapping his mane, rolling on his back, letting out a big yawn. And then he does the amazing, he stands up for what seems to be a stretch and a stroll around and he lets out a roar that stopped us all in our tracks. I have never heard a lion roar up close and personal and this thing was either say "what's up" or saying "I am giant, I am not happy about this situation and I'd step away if I was you" When he strolled around and ended up looking straight into my camera I got the feeling his message was the latter. His roar was like nothing I could mimic or explain. Later in the day on the other side of the zoo we could hear him roaring again and it was very clear that his voice in meant to be heard from far distance. Another great family shot. I don't waste a moment trying to get a nice group photo. This is actually 1 of about 10 quick shots where everyone was looking at me. Good thing this camera can shoot continuous!

Now on to the most important story of the day, one that none of us will forget and one that will frighten Kyle for years to come. The Gorilla! When checking out the rainforrest, we come to a glass window to view the cute little gorilla's. "Oh how cute, the baby is playing with his blankie" "Oh look, there is the Mommy gorilla.." "Here comes the King of the Apes to say Hi to us, how nice" I wonder what he'll do? Do you think he notices us standing on the other side of this 6 inch piece of glass staring at him? Do you think he likes us? Well, he strolls over closer and now we are really excited to see how do Gorilla's live, what do they do. 1st they enjoy a nice meal of their own poop. Yup, you read correctly, the thing squatted in front of us and dropped a deuce into its hands only to then make it a snack. Well, it didn't take kindly to us mocking its lifestyle..... As soon as this picture was taken, Laura says "I wonder if it would come over and respond to my hand at the window?" And it responded for sure. Little Joe leapt from a sitting and eating poop position to slamming all 4's onto the window like a, well like an Ape might do!! It was a total Castanza moment for all of us. I was crouched taken the pics and by the time I moved everyone was leaping over Kyle and running for the door! I scooped Ky on my way up and he immediately started crying and saying "Bye bye Gorilla's" It was incredible. Let me remind you, this is the same animal who escaped from this exact zoo a couple of years ago and ran through the streets of Boston terrorizing people! We couldn't leave well enough alone, after calming down a bit an realizing we weren't harmed, we taunted this thing and hoped for another "episode" at every window. Kell and Maddy stayed a bit behind and it did it again, this time throwing a bucket at the window at them! This makes me feel a little bit afraid and lot sad for these animals. I mean, who can blame this poor thing for acting like a Gorilla!? Needless to say, this was the most exciting trip to the zoo zoo zoo we've ever had.

Joe is growing up so fast and yet still our Jojo who loves to laugh, be wise, be funny and goof around. I love spending time with this kid and listen to his stories of becoming a teenager. He is also full of knowledge that would blow you away and I find myself asking him "what is that?" I think he's moved to the adult table officially now!

And the fun didn't end there. We went on to see peacocks with its feathers in full effect, played at the playground, saw vulture's, anaconda snakes and many more amazing animals.

And the last cameo and certainly not least is Maddy P.! Maddy is the baby of the family and she is a sweetheart. She is girl through and through and we love her for everything she is. She loves Kyle and treats him like gold, they have a special bond. She too is growing into an amazing person, but I think we'll keep her the baby as long as we can get away with it. She is beautiful that is no question. We had a great visit all in all. Did a couple of fun things and did a lot of lounging around enjoying each others company which is often what is missed the most. They left this Am and we miss them already. Funny how the house seems very quiet all of the sudden when it never felt like a quiet house. Love you guys. Let's free the Gorilla's!