Thankful...

Last weekend I had the opportunity to hang out with some of my new Massachusetts friends at our house. Todd had offered ages ago to cook dinner and suggested that I invite some of my friends over for a Girls Night. The idea originally started out as a craft night, but instead of crafting, we just ate, drank a bit of champagne (yum) and chatted the night away. As usually, Todd outdid himself... four courses, plus dessert, Bananas Foster (one of the first things that he ever cooked for me when we started dating). The kids were great. They hung out upstairs, watched a movie and Brenna popped in every once in awhile to chat with the "Moms". Despite being with the Queen of Scrapping (aka Michelle), no one remembered a camera. I half expected Brenna to pop in with hers at one point and record the memory. As it turns out, she documented the night in even a better way....



As you can see, we were all having a good time together!

As I reflect on that night, I am reminded about how fortunate I am. I am fortunate to have found some really nice friends in my new home state. I am fortunate to feel as though I am getting adjusted to life "up north". And I am fortunate to have a husband who cares so much about me having time to really get to know my new friends, that he put on a super fabulous dinner party for us all. Thanks Todd for a great night!

FaceBook In Reality

OK, I admit it. I have been bitten by the Facebook bug. It has been a neat way to reconnect with a bunch of people who I probably would have never even heard from again. It has also allowed me to find some friends that were near and dear to me that just happened to get lost in the shuffle during moves, job changes, etc. And then there are the games.... OK, let's not go there.

I found this on someone else's wall and thought it was hysterical. What if the way we communicated on Facebook was the way that we did so in real life? What a hoot. Check this out.

She's growing up

For the first time ever, Brenna asked me to take her shopping today for clothes. Up until now, she has been quite content for me to pick out all of her clothes. On occasion, she would have an opinion on what to wear, but for the most part she was happy with me even picking out what outfits she should wear. I am sure this lack of interest was due in part to the fact that she wears a uniform to school, and for that I am thankful.

Lately she has started to notice what some other kids are wearing. She was lucky enough to receive some clothes from her school reading buddy (a 6th Grader) and realized that a number of them came from a store up here called "Justice". When she read the label on them she told me that it was her new favorite store. Ironic considering the fact that she had never set foot in there. But she needed some new clothes for Spring (she has grown over 3 inches since last summer so I am pretty certain that none of her spring/ summer clothes will fit again this year!) So, we headed out today for some shopping time.

As soon as we walked in the store, her eyes just about popped out of her head! She was in heaven. It was a lot of fun to walk around and see what she picked out on her own. Lots of color, and some sparkle of course! Unfortunately, most of the clothes out now are real summer clothes (sun-dresses, tank tops, shorts) and it is just bordering on Spring here in Massachusetts. But we dug around and found some cute tops, a pair of pedal pusher pants and these....



As soon as she saw this hat, she HAD to have it. And then she saw the scarf. I was impressed with her choice of colors. It really bring out the blue in her eyes. It was so cute to see how excited she was with these. She put them on as soon as we left the store. She was thrilled when she realized that she can wear them to and from school!

It was such a fun outing and I am sure that it will be the first of many. It did make me realize, however, that she is growing up. Where has the time gone?

Spring? Winter? Which is it?

The weather up here has been crazy.  We had a great weekend with temps in the 60 degrees. The kids were so excited to play outside and ride their bikes.  

It was amazing to see the difference in their skills on their bikes since last Fall.  Brenna had taken off her training wheels  (after being inspired by Liz) in the late Fall.  Andrew was only starting to get the hang of his new bike then too.   

And this weekend, Brenna was flying down the street

and Andrew was finally able to pick up some speed on his bike.   He was so much more into it this time.

And then it snowed, sleeted, rained on Monday.  Ugh.  The good news is that almost all of the white stuff is gone in the yard (except for a  pile of dirty snow mixed with mulch that the snow plow guy dumped at the end of our driveway!)   I am crossing my fingers that we are done with the snow for the winter!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE CHUCK!

Today we celebrate the birth of Charles West, aka Uncle Chuck, Chaz and Chuckles (I honestly do not know who calls him that but I have heard it used at some point).    I know that there may be a few other nicknames for him, but I am trying to keep this "G-rated" in case my kids read it someday!

Chuck is known for many things; his "unique" sense of humor, being an extraordinary conversationalist, being a great e-mail buddy (who else can send so many e-mails in one day?), and being one of my most loyal blog readers (ok, maybe my only loyal blog reader).  

But most of all, Chuck is loved by us for being a great Uncle; one who would be there at a drop of a hat to help if needed, someone who always listens to you (and cares about what you have to say) and someone who can always make you laugh.  

Happy Birthday Uncle Chuck!  We love you, even though you are a Steelers fan!  

Love, Brenna, Andrew, Todd and Shannon

Snow Day...

We were blessed with a snow day today. They were calling for up to 15 inches in the Boston area, but the forecast was a little less clear (are they ever clear) for the South Shore. We woke up yesterday to snow. And had about an inch on the ground before it stopped. It did not start again last night until the kids were in bed. Despite the forecast, school had not been cancelled yet so we had to plan as if they were going (after all this is Massachusetts!).

We woke up to sleet/ freezing rain this AM. We had gotten a few more inches of snow in the night but I was not sure that it was enough to keep them home today. We were pleased to see the announcement on the school web page this morning. As it turns out, the icy roads were the real issue down here (as opposed to the snow).

So, the kids are still in their PJs. Todd ended up working from home. He had a 7 AM flight out of Logan that was cancelled last night.  Thankfully enough people made it into the office that he could stay home.

Last night, as the kids were getting ready for bed, I walked into Andrew's room and found this...


I LOVE the fact the Brenna is so into reading now. And I LOVE the fact that she likes to read to Andrew (and that he lets her!).
It really is sweet!