Art Show 2010

April 8, 2010 was Connor's big art show debut. The classes at his school worked hard at putting projects together the entire year and now it was time to display them for all to see. Our first stop was his autumn project - it was all sorts of nature items (acorns, sticks, stones, leaves) placed in glue which they dyed orange. It was really beautiful.
Then, Connor showed us his project which was called create with color. They picked out their colors of felt and then used different colored glitter to create their masterpieces.

Connor knows this is my favorite because I was amazed at the drawing and the story he remembered. The topic of the project was "I got hurt when..." Connor's story went something like this "I got hurt when I was running along the beach on my way to dinner and I fell down." Instantly, I knew this happened when we were in Aruba this year but the most amazing part was the picture. He drew sand, blood and even placed the band-aid perfectly on the picture. It is just priceless.

Then, we moved onto their green project. This project they learned all about different shades of colors, how to cut with scissors and how to create a picture within a border. Then, they were all laminated. My favorite part of the event was Connor finding his own work of art and then explaining it. Just a few months in preschool and he is all grown up.

The final piece of work was his pet rock. One week of classes was spent on the letter P where they learned about Pets. During their discussions, they all made a pet rock and even gave it a nice comfy home. So cute!

Thank you Grandma for taking all the pictures on our art show tour. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have all these great projects documented.

After the art show exhibit, we packed ourselves into the car because we were making a big trip to LV that night. The boys were definitely excited. Not only was Papa, Aunt Daph and Uncle Eric waiting for our arrival but so was Aunt Laura, Uncle Scott and Isobel.

Happy Easter!

When we got home from our bike ride, it was late and we were all exhausted. However, I needed to boil the eggs so that we could dye them the next day. Once the boys saw the eggs, they wanted nothing to do with going to bed so I had to promise that they could dye the eggs first thing in the morning. Obviously, per their attire, they woke up and we were immediately in the kitchen ready to go.

They took great care while dying the eggs and really worked well as a team. They were fascinated by the colors and were so disappointed when all the eggs were finished.

Easter morning couldn't come fast enough. The boys raced downstairs and were ecstatic to find Easter baskets awaiting.
They were not sure how to open the baskets so they were both crouched down in front of theirs trying to figure out what was inside.

Once they were opened, it didn't take them long to dive head first to find all their goodies.

The Easter Bunny finally brought Connor Hungry Hungry Hippo and Garrett was thrilled to get lollipops and a chocolate bunny.

Then, the hunt was on. The Easter Eggs didn't stand a chance with my boys seeking them out. The only thing Mommy and Daddy had to do was line their buckets with tissue paper because they would get so excited once they found an egg it would get thrown into the bucket in a hurry.

Ok...it is time to count the eggs.

Daddy and I were amazed at how quickly they managed to collect all the eggs. After enjoying a nice breakfast, we decided it was time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful day - it was at least 75 degrees. While Mommy set up an Easter Egg hunt outdoors, Daddy was busy inside filling up water balloons. Little did I know that I was going to be the intended target of those balloon. I must have taken quite a while outside because when I returned this entire bucket was full of water balloons.

Once we were all dressed, we headed outside for our egg hunt. The week before Easter, Connor and I struck up a deal - He could stay up a little later each night and help me put the treasures in the eggs. So the eggs they were chasing contained money, coins, balloons and bouncy balls. There were 36 in all and they did a great job in their search.

Connor covered the high ground and Garrett covered the low ground. Connor's egg was in the flowers and Garrett found one that was in the wall drain.

Those are some full buckets!

As soon as they were satisfied that they found all of the eggs, they decided it was water balloon time. I proceeded to be chased for the next hour with two boys armed with cold water balloons. I did my best to get away but unfortunately at the ages of 4 and 2 they are already faster than me.

The weather was so beautiful that we decided to walk into town. The boys love getting into the Bob stroller and taking in the sights. It was such a gorgeous family walk which we all truly loved. Happy Easter everybody!!

Bike Trails and More

We all know how hard Grandma works to keep the entire family happy but sometimes we forget how tough she has to be to keep up with the boys. So one April evening, we are all playing around and I turn around to find them both laughing hysterically - every parent knows that when you hear this particular laugh that your kids are up to no good. Of course, they were wrestling with Grandma and felt victorious. Thank goodness Grandma was laughing too!!!

It was Good Friday and we were lucky enough to have the day off. The weather was in the 70s and we decided it was time to go do something in the outdoors. We decided to venture to the Minuteman trail which spans 15 miles through Lexington, Concord and Cambridge. We rented some bikes and a trailer and we were off.

The boys were quite happy to have Daddy doing all the work and loved enjoying the ride while eating their snacks. Daddy did complain that it was unfair that he was pulling both children but I quickly reminded him that I was carrying a child myself so I thought it was perfectly fair. (In Daddy's defense, he only complained when he started getting tired around the 7 mile mark.)

Their favorite thing was to hit the pretend "turbo" button which meant Daddy had to turn it into high gear so that they would take off down the trail in front of Mommy. So this is the sight that I got to see most of the way.

We all felt quite accomplished when we managed to bike about 15 miles. Then, the boys got out and rode their bikes all around the area we had parked. I think Brian and I could have passed out but by this point the boys were psyched to take their turn at riding. It was a big success and soon the boys will be able to take their bikes on the trail as well.

Parade Time

Late March we were happy to have Nana come for a visit and is there anything better than a parade on a decent winter day. It seemed like a warm day but that is until you are sitting still waiting for the parade. So, we tried our best to keep each other as warm as possible.

As we were waiting for the parade to begin lots of families were gathered around. A very nice woman handed us a small brown lunch bag and told us we would need it once the parade began. We were not sure what we would need it for but she seemed like an old pro. Once the parade began, we found out that almost every group that passed buy threw out candy or lollipops or something fun. By the time we left, the entire bag was full.
The parade was a blast - we enjoyed watching all the bands, fire trucks and so much more.
I do have to thank Daddy for the use of his coat. Somehow Brian managed to watch the whole thing while I wore his coat. Thank you!

Plus One

Well, I should have written about this sooner than now but I thought this picture was priceless. The boys are excited to announce that in July they will be pushing a real baby stroller with their new baby sister.

One Saturday in March right before Easter, the boys decided to go to Build-A-Bear and they made a rabbit. In the store was a little stroller which they decided they had to have. So, they nicknamed the new bunny "Sissy" and they pushed her all around the mall together. Their new little sister is going to be one lucky lady who has two of the most caring big brothers in town.

2009-2010 Basketball Season

Now I am going to bombard you with a two month catch up which will take quite a few posts so bare with me. My boys have been busy so let's start with basketball. As I have previously blogged, Connor played basketball for the winter season. To watch the boys on the last day of their season, you have to reflect back on the remarkable improvement they have accomplished. Their ball handling skills - they went from chasing the ball down the gym to being able to try to dribble the ball and even bounce passing down the court to each other.Here they are running down to play some offense. Connor had just passed the ball to his team mate and was sprinting to the basket. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the team playing defense which was my favorite part of the season. After they would score, they would all run as fast as they could to their basket. They would position themselves and raise both hands in the air - then they would proceed to jump up and down.

Here is Garrett rooting on his big brother. Of course, he was on the sidelines trying to do everything that the big boys were doing - quite successfully too.

After their last game, all the boys were treated to a few munchkins and a trophy ceremony.

Here is a video or our basketball star getting his trophy. Congrats on a very successful basketball season!!!!

Aruba (Part 3 of 3)

As you can see the kids were back in action by the afternoon of day 4. Oh..and Connor and Garrett were both feeling pretty good. One of the best parts of going on a trip to a tropical place is that the kids never want to go inside for a nap but opt to take a nap with you in a shady cool place (our cabana). I love every single minute of the naps and when they cuddle into you there is no better feeling. Aah to be back in the cabana napping...that would be perfect.How cute are they!!!

We just got back from dinner and wanted to check on the news to see what is going on in the world. Just kidding, we wanted to pop into pbskids.org to see if anything new was on the site.

During dinner, we explained to the boys that the first time mommy and daddy went to Aruba one of the huts caught on fire. We explained how people were running in to get the water equipment out and then how the hut was extinguished. They were fascinated by the story so in the morning we set out to find the hut. Well, we found it and then they went in to explore.

On our last full day in Aruba, we were finally in the right place at the right time to catch the bird show. We were able to get up close and personal and the boys were ecstatic. Garrett especially since he was obsessed with the birds. The birds from left to right - Julia, Pepe, Rolito, Aruba and Guapo. Okay so maybe I got the three on the right in the wrong order but I am just proud I remembered all the names. I am making sure I include the names because my boys will definitely ask me to remember at some point.

So Brian planned a wave runner excursion to go on with his Dad...I, of course, love wave runners and told him I wanted to go as well. Unfortunately, the boys weren't too thrilled we would both be going so Brian stayed back and let me go. It was a blast to be flying on the wave runners with Grandpa...I even raced a few boats out there and Grandpa just shook his head. Thank you Daddy for letting me go.

Off to dinner...

We actually took a family photo - I love this one.

We were all sad to wake up the next day and know that we were going home. The first thing I did was take a picture of the boys before they woke up. I think their cute little tushies in the toddler beds is just adorable.

Well we returned home to the cold but as you can see we have lots of fun memories.

Aruba (Part 2 of 3)

Unfortunately, one bad thing did follow us on this trip but it is something you just can't avoid....a stomach bug. Poor Connor was sick all night on day two but when the sun came up - he was ready to go. He didn't want to relax but rather wanted to get right into the pool. The boys had no fear - Garrett jumped right into his Daddy's arms. Connor and Grandpa had a great time swimming...somehow he looks like he is diving in the pool in this picture but I can assure you that we need to learn to swim first. Good catch Grandpa.

Connor was making a real effort at swimming. He totally understands what he needs to do and with a little practice will be a little fish in the water. Of course, we have to emphasize keeping his tongue in and mouth closed. :)

As you can see, Garrett was having a blast swimming as well - that smile says everything.

After a long day of swimming, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. Garrett, fresh from the bath tub, grabbed Brian's Apple Itouch and started playing the game memory in the middle of our bed. He looks so grown up in this picture...it is amazing how kids know how to work these things so quickly.

We are ready for dinner and now it is time to get Nana and Grandpa.

Cheese!!!

Garrett was fascinated by the birds in Aruba. All over the resort there were birds that you could see in cages. Garrett took a particular liking to Lola and every time we walked nearby we had to stop by and say hello.

A nice employee even took our picture for us.

Once again, Connor was feeling very under the weather once we got home day three. My poor little man was such a trooper. The next day we tried to do a lot of playtime in the shade so that Connor could try to recuperate. I was particularly in favor of when they started painting Daddy.

To Be Continued...

Aruba (Part 1 of 3)

We had such a great time in Aruba last year, we decided why not do it again. As soon as we arrived, we jumped into our bathing suits and were off to explore. You are probably thinking - why you didn't mention the plane ride down to Aruba. Well, I can honestly say the boys were fantastic and the trip was completely uneventful. This time the boys new exactly what to expect and were exceptional throughout all the traveling. (Even during the long airport lines, we had to wait in at 6am in the morning.) First stop, the beach...I never thought they were going to let us leave. They had so much fun running in and out of the waves. My favorite part is that they would both laugh every time a wave would come and they would jump over it. I can still hear the laughter.

The nice thing about doing something twice is that you know exactly where to find the good restaurants and we immediately headed off to a good pizza place. We were starving. As always, the boys sat up and ate like champions. Thank you boys for always being so good at restaurants. I think this is one thing we always take for granted but when you look back on it and see other children out, you realize how lucky we really are.

They found these poles from last year immediately. The impressive part is how long they could hang on them. I lost count several times and Daddy would just tickle them to get them down from the pole.

Daddy was trying to count but as you can see Garrett could even hold on with the tips of his fingers.

Day Two: The boys were up and ready to go bright and early. We grabbed a quick bite to eat at Gilligan's and we were off to the beach. The boys didn't want to hear about anything else - beach, waves and sand castles were the topic of the morning. Here they are walking along the path to the beach...Nana and Grandpa had reserved some huts for us so they were trying to find the right numbers.

The whole family got working on the sand castles right away. Before we knew it, Connor had been the architect to an entire condominium.

Construction is hard work and he was very good at giving us instructions on what to do.

Finally completed, the boys were quite satisfied with their work of art.

Since we had so much time in the sun, we decided to adjourn to poolside and our cabana. However, try keeping two boys in the shade to rest for a few minutes...they had no time for that. Nana and Grandpa had brought some paint brushes so the boys were very busy painting the rocks which lined the pool. This was a great idea given to us by a couple last year. A paint brush, dry rocks and a pool full of water = hours of entertainment.

As you can see, I am still only on day two so I have broken this particular trip into three posts. Hope you don't mind...continue reading above.