What a Wonderful Christmas!

It is hard to believe that Christmas was only a week ago... We have been so busy enjoying our family time. I am truly thankful for the time that we had together. Even though it was just the four of us this year, we were joined by our friends from Plymouth and we were with our families in spirit. Here is a brief recap of the highlights of our Christmas celebration.

We started the tradition of Christmas pajamas for the kids a few years ago. I knew of a few families who did it, and I liked the idea of adding a new tradition to our holidays. So, after our guests left Christmas Eve, we broke our the new PJs for Brenna and Andrew.

Then, of course, we had to set out our plate for Santa and the reindeer. As usual, there were cookies, milk, and carrots (for the reindeer), but this year Brenna wanted to make sure to leave a bowl of water for the reindeer too. After all, they must get thirsty flying all over the world in one night.

Right before bed, the kids went outside and spread some reindeer food onto the front lawn just in case they needed some extra incentive to visit the house! And then, they were off to bed.

Surprisingly, the kids actually slept in a bit. We had told them that they both had to be up so we could open presents and that they could not wake the other up in the morning. Brenna (who is not a morning person) got up first and came down to our room. Since the tree was outside our bedroom, she could not help but see a few of the unwrapped gifts under the tree. She was forced to wait in our room for Andrew to wake up. Finally, around 7:45, she went up to her room and heard Andrew waking up. (Or at least that is what she says happened!) Shortly thereafter, they were both downstairs, ready to see what Santa had brought.

Andrew was very excited to receive Lego Rock Band and a set of drums to play on the Wii.

Brenna was thrilled (can you tell?) to receive her Bella ( Twilight) doll. That was tops on her list, along with Edward of course!

The kids were super excited about the gifts that they got each other this year. Andrew actually insisted that Brenna open his gift almost right away. He had picked out a kids sewing machine for her and could not wait for her to open it. Brenna got him a remote control R2D2 which he thought was super cool. I was very impressed by how thoughtful they both were when picking out the other's gifts. It truly was one of those very nice family moments.

This year, we were fortunate to receive many handmade gifts from the kids. In addition to some new adorable ornaments for the tree (which we will treasure forever), Todd received this hat from Andrew. It had hearts on it and says ,"I Love DAD". What could be better?

Brenna wrote me a super sweet note which made me cry (the "good" cry as I often tell the kids), a beautiful card and snowflake. They will be tucked away in a very special place.

One of Brenna's other favorite gifts were her American Girl uniforms. She got one from Sacred Heart, where she goes now, and one from Gerstell, her school back in Maryland. She had wanted the Sacred Heart one for a few years now and was very pleased to finally get it.

After a nice Christmas breakfast we started assembling toys and games. Andrew (seen here in his new Indiana Jones costume) could not wait to try out Lego Rock band. He has enjoyed Guitar Hero for some time now, and was very interested in having a drum set to play too. He dove right in after we set it up and has been learning all sorts of new songs. Even when he is not playing it, I often find him singing some of them. Some of his new favorites include "Ghostbusters", "Let's Dance" and "We Will Rock You". It really is a riot to watch!

We are all truly thankful for the wonderful Christmas that we had. While we missed many of our friends and family, you were all in our thoughts and prayers during this special time!

Merry Christmas!!!

What a great 2 days we have had! It truly has been a wonderful Christmas. As I am typing this at 9:20 PM, I am still in my PJs. I love PJ days and we all enjoyed one today.

We continued with our annual Colvin Christmas Eve get together last night. Ever since I met Todd, his family has hosted a party on Christmas Eve. I remember being so impressed the first time that I attended. It was the Christmas of 1993 and Todd and I had been dating for only 6 months. As always, Kathy had invited all of her family, friends and neighbors to their house to be a part of their Christmas Eve. The party always included Christmas carols. Much to my surprise (and that of my parents and sister), we learned that first year that everyone was assigned a specific part in the Twelve Days of Christmas. It was quite a way to be indoctrinated into one of the many Colvin family traditions!

I don't have any pictures of that party in 1993, but I do have a few from the next few years; 1994 in Kathy & Ralph's temporary apartment

and 1995, the first Christmas in Hampstead.

Singing the Twelve Days of Christmas!

Kathy always knew how to put on a great party! And she taught Todd well.

Todd and I took over hosting the annual celebration shortly after we moved into our first house in Owings Mills. While we eventually dropped the Christmas carols (and some day should bring it back for the kids), we tried to keep almost everything else. We were joined by the Colvin/ Wests and whichever O'Hara family members were in town for the holidays, along with our friends.

Well moving to Massachusetts certainly had an impact on our Christmas Eve festivities. For our 1st Christmas, we were fortunate to have both my parents and Laura and Chuck here. We were also joined that year by our 1st set of Plymouth friends, the Parmas, for our celebration. In 2008, we were lucky enough to have my parents come again for a week in December.

This year, we had to share them with the O'Haras in Colorado, so it was our first Christmas with no guests. Even so we continued with our tradition, and had the Parmas over again and we invited our neighbors, the Watkins as well. They have 2 boys, 1st and 2nd graders, and are a really great family. Brenna always gets a new dress for Christmas Eve. These days, she really does not want to put on a dress very often so I was glad that she wanted to continue with this tradition. Andrew even asked to wear a tie! They were quite cute together!

After an enjoyable party with great food (Thanks Todd), lots of sweets, and some gifts for the kids, everyone headed off on their way so Santa could make his visit. When I last checked before bedtime, he was on his way to North America, and this was enough to make the kids go to bed quite easily.

In all, it was a wonderful Christmas Eve with our friends. Even though we miss everyone terribly back home, it is nice to be able to find the kind of people here that enjoy sharing in some of our family traditions.

Tis the Season...

Well I was here over a week ago and promised to return with some vacation pictures shortly. I did not want to get all caught up in Christmas and forget to share those memories. Well, it is a week later, I am still trying to finish my Christmas cards and get ready for our annual Christmas Eve party and I still have not posted anything. So, rather than dig through the vacation pictures now (I will do it later, honest), I thought that I would just share a few snapshots of our holiday preparations.

The Bat Kids decorated our tree this year! It was quite cute. Andrew gave Brenna this costume last year for Christmas and I love it when they get dressed up together and play.

This picture was taken before the 9 1/2 foot tree (that I begged Todd to get) fell over. We were almost finished decorating it when Todd went to check on some football scores. The kids were playing with their nativity scenes. (I love it when they do that.) And I was adding some last minute ornaments. I looked up and saw it starting to fall. I jumped up, grabbed it (taking out only one sizeable branch) and yelled for Todd. We spent the better part of the next house getting the tree secured in the tree stand, straightening it, and then securing it to the wall. It is hard to believe but the only casualty was the one branch. We did not break any ornaments!

In keeping with the Colvin family traditions, we made our gingerbread houses. Ok, in truth I baked a ton of gingerbread, but for the first time ever, did not make a house myself. I started one, but the dogs got a hold of the pieces before I finished. I was going to bake another one, but we just do not have enough time. I was very disappointed when I realized that I would not get one done, but as Todd pointed out, the kids made theirs, and that is what is really important.

Since we have moved to MA (and do not have Liz right next door anymore), Brenna has been allowed to invite a friend over to make the little houses. This year she invited her friend Julia. The girls seemed to really enjoy making the houses (and eating their mistakes)!

Andrew made his house at the same time. His house made me smile. He put anything and everything on it. Each time he would put something different on the house, Brenna would ask him what it was. For example, she asked, "Why do you have a tree on top of the house?" To which he responded, "Because a tree fell on top of the house. That can happen, you know."

Not only did I get a kick out of watching him build it, but it reminded me of many years ago when Kevin (who I think was in 7th grade) made a house with reindeer and various gingerbread people falling off of the roof. And there was Emily with her color coordinated and symmetrical house. I think that it must be a boy thing!

We heard a rumor last week that Santa was going to be in Braintree (where Todd works) one evening. So, I headed up with the kids on day after school and met Todd. I was pleasantly surprised that no one else was there to see the Big Guy when we got there. The kids kids sat and chatted with him for a bit, and patiently posed as we took some pictures.

I was not standing close enough to hear their conversation so when they were done, I asked them what they had asked for. Andrew pointed out that he only asked him for one thing, Lego Rock Band. When I commented that it was nice that he only asked for one thing, he explained that Santa had already gotten his letter (in which he asked for a few more toys) so there really was no need to talk about it. Brenna asked for something called a Hex Bug (which was not in her letter to Santa and I, of course, had never heard of it before). As it turns out, it is a robotic (if that is the right word) bug which responds to sound. I later found out that one of her friends had brought one to school recently and that was where she had gotten the idea from.

Well, I am off to work some more on my cards.... I will be back..... Don't know when yet... But if I do not post again before Christmas, I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas with your families. We love and miss all of our family and friends and will think of you often during this week.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Love,

Todd, Shannon, Brenna & Andrew

Vacation pictures... finally....

Can you believe that it has taken me soo long to get these vacation pictures organized? I figured that I had better get it done now or I would never get it done. Soon I will be back logged with Christmas pictures too!

We started our trip off at the Kennedy Space Center on Titusville, Florida. I had been as a kid and I was really excited to bring the kids there. It was a great day (weather wise) and there was hardly anyone there. We did not have to wait to see anything.

When we first got there, we explored the Rocket Garden where a number of space crafts are there for hands on exploration. The kids got a big kick out of seeing how larger than life they were. And, they loved checking the ones out that you could explore.

Both Brenna and Andrew insisted on having their picture taken with Astronaut Snoopy.

As I mentioned before, the highlight of the day was having Lunch with an Astronaut. We had lunch with Space Shuttle Astronaut Susan Kilrain. It was a great experience. The kids even got to ask her questions about her experiences in space.

After lunch, we took a tour of the facility and were able to see the Shuttle Launch pads and the building where the shuttle is assembled. We even got to see the actual mission control center that was used for the Apollo flight program.

As the day wound down, we were able to explore the inside of a Space Shuttle and Brenna and Todd rode the Space Shuttle Simulator. Andrew was a little too short so he and I watched them on a TV. During the whole time, he kept saying that he did not know why he was not allowed on the ride.... "they aren't really doing anything. They are just sitting there." He was a bit frustrated.

I am so glad that we were able to squeeze this into our vacation. It was such a great experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone in the area.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL!!!

Well it is hard to believe that it is December 1st.... the start of the Christmas season.... and the birthday of one of my favorite people.... Carl Hordesky! I would be remiss if I did not squeeze in a quick post to wish him a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I had to dig through my computer for quite a bit to find a nice picture of him to post today. After spending a decent amount of time doing so I realized something... Carl as sucessfully avoided my camera for some time now. I will have to fix that next time I see him! :)

Eventually I found a good shot of him and Todd from last Easter. Carl put on quite a spread that day! And of course, no holiday celebration would be complete without a Pomegranate Martini (see below).



HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARL! We hope you have a great day!

We're Back....

We returned from vacation last night. We had a wonderful time. I will get pictures uploaded in the next day or so. I have a ton to go through. But in the meantime...

Andrew had his first hockey game today. The kids at this level play cross ice games. He was excited, but actually a bit nervous too this morning. It was kind of cute. He was happy that his first game was against one of his best friends (Rocco) teams. After we got him all geared up, he went onto the ice and was doing a few drills. All of a sudden the game started and we could not find him. I could not figure out where he could have gone. How could he have even gotten off the ice? Well as it turns out, the Coach asked if anyone wanted to play goalie, and he volunteered. He was off the ice being suited up in goalie gear! He had been talking about wanting to play goalie, but as one of the newest (and definitely the smallest) players on his team, I did not think that would happen. He played half of the game as goalie. I was very proud of him for volunteering and trying something new.

He was so excited to be playing goalie. He really liked it and said that he wanted to do it again sometime.

Here is a clip of him in goal. I have to apologize for the quality of the camera work. It was hard to get a good angle from where we were. Here he is.... in his goalie debut...


After half of the game, he got out of the goalie gear and was back on the ice.

Here is a bit of footage of him playing. He's #8.

So, for the next 9 weeks, he has practice on Tuesdays and games every Saturday morning. He can't wait for his next one. I will keep everyone posted on his progress! I have to admit, I am loving hockey!!!

On our way home...

Sadly, our vacation has ended. I am writing this from the airport in Philly as we wait for our connecting flight back to Providence.

So, let me start where I last left off (or at least where I think I left off since I can not read my last post on here). We spent the day on Sunday at Universal's Island od Adventure. We had never been to Universal before so this was all new to us. This park (as opposed to Universal Studios) has a whole SuperHero area which the kids were very excited to see. We were very surprised to find that the crowds were not that bad. I think that the longest wait that we had in line was about 35 minutes. That was great!

One of our favorite attractions was the Spiderman ride. It was a really cool mixture of a ride and 3D effects. Unfortunately, my nephew Jack was not very happy on the ride. It did not set a good tone for him for the day :( Brenna and Andrew, on the other hand, LOVED it!

Ok, our plane is here so I will have to finish this from home tomorrow! TTFN!

Trying to Blog from the road..

Well, I had been hoping to blog daily on this trip. I figured that it would be a great way to record all of the little details. But, when we moved to our hotel in Orlando we no longer had free wireless (and I was unwilling to pay for it!). As it turns out, there is no application for the Blackberry and Blogger so I was at a bit of a loss. I think I have finally found a way. This is my second try. The first one was obviously unsucessful so we will see if this one makes it or gets lost in cyber space too!

We left Titusville on Saturday morning. On the way we stopped off for an airboat ride. We were searching for alligators. We saw a bunch, big and small ones. We also saw a ton of birds, including a bald eagle. It was the perfect day for the ride and the kids loved it! When we returned to the dock, we even got to hold a live alligator. It was really cool. I will post some pictures when I get home.

When we arrived at the hotel in Orlando, we were greeted by Mom and Dad, Tracy, Jack and Delaney. (Sean and Conor stayed back for 2 days so Conor could play in his Super Bowl- which he WON!). The kids hung out all day in pool and had a blast. They all loved the lazy river!

The Colvins Have Landed!!

Yep, that's right. After a long day if travel we arrived in Florida last night. We then drove to Titusville, home of the Kennedy Space Center. After a quick dip in the pool ( the kids, not me) we all sacked out. Clearly we were all very tired.... Everyone slept in until 8:30 this AM, which is virtually unheard of in our house!

We spent the day at the Kennedy Space Center today. Since i am blogging from the road, I do not have any pictures to share yet. I will upload a ton when we get home.

The highlight (at least for me) was having lunch with an astronaut. After we ate, the guest speaker, Susan Still, spoke about her experiences on her two Space Shuttle missions. After her speech, she took questions from the audience. Both Brenna and Andrew got to ask her questions. (Brenna actually got to ask 2.). Brenna asked her (1) what the temperature was like in space, and (2) if she had ever been on a space walk. Andrew asked her how many stars were in space. It was really neat.

Then we went on a tour of the facility. We saw the two launch pads used for the Space Shuttles and the ones used for various rockets. We also got to see the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) where the Shuttles are paired with the rocket boosters and fuel tank. At the end of the tour we saw the actual Apollo control center and the Saturn 5.

After briefly touring the Shuttle Explorer, Todd and Brenna rode the Space Shuttle Simulator. (Andrew was not tall enough to ride it so we watched them from the Observation Deck.). It really was an amazing day. I am so glad that we worked this into our schedule!

Mobile Blogging from here.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

I am finally back.... and then I am gone...

Almost 10 days ago I proudly boasted that my MAC was on its way back to my house with its brand new hard drive. Well. it arrived as promised and all of my files had been saved. I was ecstatic! Todd picked up an external hard drive for me and I vowed to spend the next few days backing up all of those files that I was worried about losing when the hard drive began to crash! But all was not as planned....

Yes, the computer worked and I was relieved. But, I could not get on the Internet. So, after hours of tinkering around with the system, resetting the router, and bugging some very nice FB friends all the way on the West Coast (Thank you Rhonda and Kevin), I dragged the whole thing back to the Apple store last Thursday night, with both kids in tow. Todd was out of town and it was a huge hassle but I just had to get things back up and running. The Genius at Apple (Yes, their title really is "Genius") tinkered my computer for a bit, took it apart to check the connections and was convinced that he had fixed the problem. So, I lugged the whole thing home only to find out that the Internet was not working. I was ready to flip out.

Lucky for me Todd came home and decided to try and help out. Apple seemed to think it was a problem with the router so we spent a few more hours (yes, hours) on the phone with their tech support only to find out that the router was working perfectly fine. (They did show me how to add security settings to our network so that was a bonus!) Todd schelped the unit back to the Apple store last Sunday. They ran diagnostics again and found out that there was a problem now with the antenna. Luckily, considering the recent repair history, they conceded that it must have been damaged during the repair on the hard drive, and they agreed to fix it gratis. But, of course, they did not have the parts in stock so we had to wait 3 days for it to be serviced.

Todd flew home today (after enjoying a thrilling Ravens victory over the Browns in Ohio) and picked it up on the way home. Now that it is back, and completely up and running, I want to play on it. But, unfortunately, I can't. We are headed out on vacation tomorrow and I still have to pack. Ugh! Why am I such a procrastinator? So, I decided to squeeze in a few minutes of blog time to say "hi" and "bye". I will try and post from the road, but even if I am able, I am sure that the posts will be short and sweet. I promise to get back in the swing of things when we get back.

I hope that everyone out there in blog land has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! To our friends and family that we will not see this holiday, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. We are so thankful that you are all a part of our lives!

PS: Oh, and I forgot to mention that not only did Todd bring me back my MAC but he also picked up an early Christmas gift for me. He got me a new camera for the trip. I have been having issues with mine for awhile now, but could not really justify replacing it. I was totally thrilled and now I have a new toy to play with on the trip!

My MAC is on it's way home :)

Todd just got the call from the Apple store. My new hard drive has been installed. And they are pretty sure that all of my files were saved! I won't get too excited until I see it myself but I am optimistic. He is picking it up for me on his way home from work so I will know pretty soon....

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Just a Quickie...

I am still without my computer. I am hoping to have it back by Tuesday. I still do not know if all of my files were saved.... I am crossing my fingers....

I have broken out the old laptop to write this brief post. Ralph (aka Grandad) arrived on Thursday evening and we have had a really nice visit. I am not yet able to upload any pics, but Todd took this one today with his phone and e-mailed it to me so I could post it.

We spent the afternoon at Battleship Cove in Fall River. It was only a short drive from Plymouth (about 40 mins) and the weather was beautiful. Battleship Cove is a huge Maritime Museum that consists of a number of decommisioned boats. We were able to board and explore a battleship (USS Massachusetts), a submarine (USS Lionfish) and some PT boats. The kids loved climbing the ladders, checking out the weapons, and seeing the various parts of the ships. It was a great day!

My MAC is crashing!!!

I had the best of intentions at the beginning of the week. I was going to blog at least every other day. I have so much to catch up on and was excited to do so. But as it turns out my MAC had a different idea and decided to start crashing on me. I was panicing. I had not bought the external hard drive yet that I had been talking about for months. I knew I needed to back it up, but yet I had not done so.

One of my FB friends (thanks Rhonda) was kind enough to jump in (along with her husband) and try and help me out last night. After a number of e-mails back and forth, we could still not figure it out so I made an appointment at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store today.

After tinkering with it for a few hours, the verdict was in..... my hard drive was crashing... They are putting in a new one tomorrow and they are hopeful that the files can be saved. For now, all I can do is wait, and hope.

And guess who will be getting an external hard drive this weekend??

I hope to be back in action soon....

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Missing in Action???

I can not believe that I have not posted in over 2 weeks. It is really quite frustrating. I know, I know, we have been busy. We have had soccer games, CCD, hockey practice and the end of Brenna's 1st season of Cheerleading. Throw in Brenna's 8th Birthday and Halloween, mix it with some volunteer time at school, and you should have all of my excuses for being MIA. Despite my valid reasons, it is frustrating. It is frustrating because I started this blog 10 months ago with the intention of not dropping the ball. I wanted to be able to stay in touch with our friends and family, and find a realistic way of recording the memories of our day to day life.

I am hoping to light a fire under my proverbial $#$@ and get this blog back on the road, or should I sat back on the "net". I am hoping that I am able to do this with some inspiration from one of my favorite scrappers, Shimelle Lane. Scrapper, you say. How can a scrapper help? When it all comes down to it a blog, for many of us, is just an online scrapbook. When we do not have the time, or the inclination, to break out all of the paper, adhesive and photos, blogging is another great way to write down your thoughts, feelings and memories.

So, our first assignment is to document our starting point and our intentions. So, here is a shot of where I blog. Can you believe that the desk is actually clean? (OK, I threw all of the paperwork into the drawers before I took this picture. :) )

And, in an attempt to set some realistic goals for myself, I will say that what I really want to be able to do is to be more consistent. I want to make sure to record the little details in our lives. These are the things that I think we will all appreciate later on in life.

In writing that statement, I am reminded about something that Brenna said to me the other day. She got her first real diary for her birthday. After she had written in it the other day she told me that she thought that it would be really fun to read her entries when she was older to see what here life was really like when she was 8. She certainly hit the nail right on the head, don't you think?

I promise to be back soon with updates on all of the things that we have been up to lately. There certainly is a lot to talk about! Have a great day!!

It has been too long.....

Sorry I have been MIA lately. Things have been busy, perhaps a little busier than normal, and the blogging has fallen by the wayside. I will try and be better!

My delay in posting is especially bad because I owed so many of you a heartfelt "THANK YOU" and an update on the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Boston on October 4, 2009. Thank you so much for your support for this wonderful cause!! I truly appreciate your generosity!

October 4th was the 17th Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Boston. I was thrilled to be a part of a team called the "Pink Knockers" (cute name, eh?) .

Even though the weather was not great (but at least it was not pouring like it was the day before), it was FABULOUS day! It really is an amazing experience to see so many people come out to support such a great cause. The local news reported that between 38,000 and 40,000 walkers converged upon downtown Boston on Sunday morning to walk the 6 mile walk down by the Charles River! It is estimated that $3.1 Million dollars has been raised so far from this event! Isn't that amazing?

Before we headed out, we had an opportunity to add names to the large Ribbons of Hope in honor or in support of a loved one. There were ribbons everywhere. It was truly inspiring. So many people walking in honor of a loved one who has lost the battle with breast cancer, and so many others walking to support those fighting the disease now. And, of course, there is a ribbon in there in honor of my Mother In Law, Kathy Colvin.

This is me with my friends Michelle and Linda. Linda was one of my first friends in Massachusetts and she hooked me up last year with Kelly Byron, our the team leader. Michelle is my Super Duper Crafty friend up here, and as it turns out, she and Linda have known each other from High School. Blue Cross was one of the corporate sponsors for this event and Michelle and Kelly both work there. It was so much fun walking with some old friends, and making some new ones too!

This was the sign we saw as we crossed the finish line! At the end of the walk, there were a number of motivational speakers, most of which were survivors, and performers who came out to entertain the crowd. It was truly an upbeat experience and I am so glad to have been a part of it. Thank you all for your support! As they say, events like this help us get one step closer to a cure!

Love, Shannon

Viking Cheerleading

Viking Cheerleading is in full swing, and Brenna is still loving it. The squad recently had their pictures taken. I snuck in and took a few of my own. Here is Brenna's individual picture and the whole E Blue Squad. 31 girls in all, 3 coaches and 3 junior coaches.

The girls were surprised two games ago when the coaches broke out the pom poms for their half time dance.

This past weekend was the big Cheer Exhibition. The Vikings hosted it in Plymouth this year at the middle school up the street. Teams from 11 towns came to Plymouth to showcase their performances. Plymouth had the most girls by far as it is a very popular sport here. The E Blue Squad did a great job. Here is the video of their half time dance. (Sorry for the quality of the video, I was up in the bleachers.) Brenna is in the 2nd row, 2nd from the right.

When the girls were done, they were given medals and certificates. And since Plymouth was the host town some members of the Vikings Football teams presented each girl with a carnation too. It was super cute!

Busy, Busy, Busy....

The kids had their first soccer games this weekend. Brenna has been practicing for 2 weeks, but last week's games got rained out. Andrew just started soccer this weekend. He has been waiting so long to play. He was thrilled when he learned that he was on a team (the Gorillas) with 3 of his friends and that Todd is going to be the Assistant Coach.

Unfortunately, Todd was away this Saturday and both kids had games at the same time. Luckily, Brenna's friend Julianne is on the same team, and her parents were kind enough to take her to her game. I was sad to miss it though.

Brenna moved up this year to the Under 8 league, and they practice during the week and have one game on the weekend. They are playing in bigger fields this year and play actual positions (which she has not done in the past). She has been very excited about these changes and we have seen her really developing her skills over the past year. I think this will be a fun season for her. Even though her team (the Tides) lost, she did very well. She scored 2 of the team's 5 goals. And, in keeping with last season's tradition of "Donuts for Goals", she earned donuts for Sunday morning! Since I was not there, I do not have any pictures of her in action, but I promise to post some after her next game!

It was still a bit chilly in the AM when we headed out to the fields. Andrew lucked out since his team color is brown so he was able to wear his sweatshirt on the field. He is playing in the Under 6 league and they practice for 1/2 hour and then play a 3 on 3 game for a 1/2 hour. There is no official goalie and the kids play on a smaller field. Andrew had never really played soccer before. He love kicking the ball around in the yard, and practices with Brenna and Todd, but this was a entirely new experience for him. He hustled on the field, but really liked running back to defend the goal (as you can see in the picture below). He actually blocked 3 goals! And even though the kids are not supposed to be keeping score, was quite pleased to announce that his team won 7-1!

He LOVED playing and can't wait till next Saturday when he gets to go back (and Todd will be there too!) The kids were so stinking cute out there on the field! When we left the field, he told me that it was his new favorite sport.

Happy Birthday Bennett!!!

Well it is hard to believe but 13 years ago today, this little guy was born....

That was Bennett at 7 weeks old, the first night that we brought our 4 legged "baby" home. He was such a cute puppy. I really wish I had taken more pictures of him when he was so little. And here he is, 13 years later....

He really is a great family dog. And, as you can see, he tolerates the kids (and their antics) very well. He has slowed down a bit, but still loves to run and play. And he still manages to sneak the occasional sandwich or stick of butter off of the kitchen counter! You would never guess he is as old as he is!

Happy Birthday Bennett!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk- Boston 2009

Well it is that time of year again. I just signed up for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Boston and I am sure excited. It is a 6 mile walk through downtown Boston to raise funds for breast cancer research. This cause is near and dear to my heart. As many of you know, Todd's Mother, Kathy Colvin passed away in June 2007 after a long battle with breast cancer. It only seems fitting that I participate in this walk in her honor. We miss her so.

Bubbie, Andrew & Miss Daisy

Bubbie, Brenna & Chloey

Todd, Brenna, Andrew & Bubbie



Last year was my first year participating. My friend Linda invited me to go along with a bunch of her friends. It was an amazing experience. Thousands upon thousands (approx 38,000) of people converged upon downtown Boston to raise funds. There were people from all walks of life, with so many different experiences that made this cause personal to them. There were cancer patients, survivors, and so many others who had been touched by breast cancer in one way or another. The mood was uplifting, even empowering, as so many different people from all walks of life, came together for a common cause. And last year the Boston Walk raised $3.4 Million. Amazing, what the so many people can do together on one day, isn't it?

So, if you have a dollar or two that you care to donate in support of this walk, please click on the link on the right side of this page, and you will be directed to the official website. And, if you are not in a position to donate, please just say a prayer for all of the people fighting this horrible disease. Thank you.