Lazy Sunday

I had high hopes for this weekend.  First we thought we would head up to Montreal for the jazz festival.  But then we decided we didnt feel like it.  Then we thought we would go to Old Forge for the weekend and hit the waterpark. But then we decided we didn't feel like it.  THEN we thought we would drive out to my parents for the day and use the pool.  But when we got up this morning, we didn't feel like it.  So here we sit, all of us on our electronics; Andy on the mac in the den, me on my tablet, Nick on his Kindle, and Alec on Nick's leappad (ok, he is mostly just putting the stylus in his mouth and between his toes but I am still counting it).
*Note: Right after that last sentence Alec tried to stick the stylus in an electrical outlet.  Sooooo....no more leappad for Alec! Currently he is in the pack and play and I am praying he takes a nap!

I feel bad.  It is a beautiful summer day and we are sitting in the house.  BUT...it's so hot and humid out and the central air feels so nice! And we were pretty busy yesterday.  Birthday party at Treepad, various errands that took hours to complete and grocery shopping.  We left the house at 10:30 and didn't get home until 5.  That's a long time to be out with a fussy toddler!  So I guess today is just going to be one of those lazy Sundays.  Well, as lazy as it gets with a 1 and 4 year old in your home!

I did have a lovely Friday (I took the day off).  I dropped the kids off at daycare and spent the morning drinking coffee, catching up on my favorite blogs, finding some new recipes and perusing etsy.  Andy got out of work early and we had a nice lunch at Cheesecake Factory and checked out Trader Joes and the new Whole Foods.  Got some delicious salsa and guacamole at Whole Foods!
I am off tomorrow too...supposed to head up to Lake George with a friend but thinking maybe we'll just do lunch instead.  It's going to be even hotter tomorrow and Lake George will probably be packed considering it's 4th of July week.

Well, there is a non-napping laughing 18 month old looking at me from the pack and play.  Guess the nap isn't happening.  Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

18 Months?!

He loves to run and play!

Just chillin on the deck

Looking cute



18 months old!!

How in the world did my little baby turn 18 months old???  Goodbye baby, hello toddler!  Monday he starts his new room at daycare.   I am happy to see him learn and grow, but so sad he isn't a "baby" anymore.  And I'm also sad to see him leave the infant room because I sooo love his teacher.  She has done such an excellent job with him and we are so sad he won't be spending his days with her anymore.

It is so bittersweet to see your children grow.  With every milestone and accomplishment comes such joy and pride, but also the realization that your baby needs you just a little less.  Alec is going to be our last child so it's extra bittersweet knowing all these "firsts" are the last time we are going to experience them as parents.

Then in some ways, I can't wait for Alec to get older!  It seems like every time we are in the car he has a meltdown.  It's not so bad if we are just taking a quick trip around town, but when you're in the car for 2 plus hours with a screaming baby, it gets old quick!!  I can't wait for the day he sits there quietly watching a movie or playing a game like his brother does! 

Alec, I can't believe you are 18 months old!  You can be challenging, but you can also be such a sweetheart.  You give the BEST hugs and have the most adorable smile I have ever seen.  I don't know where you got your little blond curls and blue eyes, but you are so handsome!  And you are so strong!  You stomp around the house and roar like a dinosaur.  You love your brother and you love our dog Georgie.  You are into EVERYTHING!  You are so curious and inquisitive.  I love you Alley Cat!  Happy 18 months my boy!

One of my favorite places

Tonight I thought I would blog about one of my favorite places...Ogunquit, Maine.  I had never even heard of Ogunquit until my husband suggested we go there for our first wedding anniversary.  My husband's parents took him and his brother there for family vacations when they were kids. Well, I'm so glad he suggested it because I just love it there!  We have gone almost every year since 2003.  I love the ocean, the sea air, the rocky coastline and the lighthouses. I'm excited to make this OUR traditional family vacation spot and hope to make lots of wonderful memories for our kids!

Ogunquit is a small coastal town in Southern Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. It has both a beautiful beach and a georgous rocky coast line.  It has a charming main street with plenty of cute shops, restaurants and coffe shops.  It truly is a charming seaside town!

Some recommendations:
**Visit in September.  The hotel prices go down considerably after Labor day and the crowds have thinned out.  The weather is still nice so you can still hit the beach and most of the restuarants are still open (at least in early September).  We have stayed at many places and my favorites are The Beachmere Inn (right on the ocean with beautiful views and its own entrance to the Marginal Way) and The Scotch Hill Inn (lovely B&B with modern decor,  a beautiful front porch to people-watch and a delicious breakfast).  With young kids it's much easier to rent a house if you are staying more than a couple days (which is what we are doing this year).
**Take a cruise on the Finest Kind.  They have an evening cocktail cruise and an adorable lobstering cruise where you go and check the lobster traps.  It's a must for the kids and enjoyable for the adults too.  If nothing else, you get to see the beautiful Maine coastline and some amazing homes.
**Stop for lunch at Bob's Clam Shack in Kittery.  This place is an institution! And while you're in Kittery,  make sure you do some outlet shopping and check out the Kittery Trading Post.
**Head up to Freeport and visit LL Bean.  Even if you're not an LL Bean shopper, it's a super cool place to see.
**Have another lunch at Barnacle Billys....just a cool place with lots of pictures of the Bush family.  You can also head up to Kennebunkport and get a glimpse of the Bush family compound.
**Have breakfast at Amore Breakfast. But be forewarned, there will be a HUGE wait! Bring a book! It's worth the wait though.
**Take a walk (or jog) on the Marginal Way.  Enjoy the ocean and the beautiful flowers along the path. Lots of photo ops.
**Check out the Nubble lighthouse
**Relax and have an amazing time!

Goodbye weekend

As most good weekends do, this one went way too fast! My parents had the kids for the weekend and the hubby and I had a wonderful time just relaxing.  We got some errands done, did some shopping, had a lovely dinner out and spent some time on our deck listening to music and having a drink. Then this morning we slept in until 930.  Oh how I miss the pre-parent days of sleeping in!

As expected, when the kids came home today they were off the wall!  Both of them were right on top of me all afternoon and evening.  I couldn't wait for bedtime! LOL  But it does feel good to have my babies home and tucked safely in their beds!

Looks like it's going to be another busy week at work. Ugh.  But on the bright side, I have a 4 day weekend coming up! Now to find something interesting to do on my time off!

What's been happening recently

The past week has been busy and I am sooo ready for a relaxing weekend!
A quick recap:
Last Saturday: Tball closing ceremonies in the morning then headed an hour and a half southwest to see my parents for Father's day.
Last Sunday: Father's day. We didn't really do much on Father's day. My husband was busy trying to catch up on work for his college class so I did my best to keep the kids at bay so he could concentrate.  His Father's day present is a couples massage (his request) which we will be enjoying tomorrow.
Monday - Friday: Work, work and more work! I was so busy at work this week and ended up having to do some work at home in the evenings too. I am exhausted but at least I feel like I am almost caught up.
I did find a couple great new recipes this week....I made some awesome blueberry muffins. This is definitely going to be my go-to muffin recipe.  Also made some delicious chicken and veggies on the grill. I have been thinking about going through some of my old cookbooks too....I have a couple truly old ones...one put together by a church group, one by the grange my great grandmother belonged to.  Hoping there are some old classics in there I can try out.
I was reading one of my favorite blogs today and the girl posted about a day in her life.  I loved the idea so thought I would do something similiar here.  So here goes....Here is a typical day in my life (a typical weekday)
6:00-6:30am  Wake up
6:30-8:00  Shower, do hair (blow dry and flat iron), get dressed, wake boys up, give boys a breakfast "snack," change Alec, get boys dressed, pile boys and their gear (and mine), into the car
8:00-8:25  Drive kids to daycare/pre-school, get kids situated, say goodbye
8:25-8:55  Fight traffic to get to work
9:00-5:00ish  Work!
5:30-6:00pm  Arrive home after fighting traffic again
6:00-8:00  Dinner and cleanup, baths for the boys (usually every other night), pjs and brush teeth. Get the boys breakfasts and clothes ready for the morning, get my clothes ready.  Sometimes we squeeze in a family walk/bike ride or spend some time at the playground down the road.
8:00pm  Alec to bed (usually hubby takes this one)
8:30-9:00  Nick to bed after much complaining and procrastinating.  Read books,  back rub, hugs and kiss goodnight
9:00-9:30 to 10:30ish  Finally time to relax!  Watch TV, play on the internet, etc
10:30-11:00 Bed!

That's a typical weekday.   When I look at this list, I wonder how we ever fit in Tball twice a week too!  And on a side note, I am so jealous of all those moms with kids that go to bed at 7:30!  How do you do it?!

Alaska...one day we shall meet

I love Alaska. I love learning about Alaska, I love pictures of Alaska,  I love live web cams in Alaska, I love reading blogs about life in Alaska.  I especially love reading about people who live off the grid, or live in the most remote of places.  Something about it is just sooo fascinating to me.  And exciting!   I just can't get enough!  I truly believe I may have lived there in a past life...something about it just seems like HOME.  

Have I ever been to Alaska?  Well...no. But that doesn't mean I can't still have a love affair with Alaska! One day I WILL get there!  I am trying to plan the perfect trip. I have so many places I want to visit and so many things I want to do there.  My Alaska vacation folder gets larger by the day and when I start seriously planning my trip I know there won't be time for everything.  Some day soon I will post what I have so far and hopefully I can get some feedback and suggestions.

I made something healthy!

Can you believe it??  Hahaha I have been trying to find recipes to "up the healthy quotient" in some of my old favorites.  I found a recipe for strawberry banana muffins that looked pretty healthy (but not toooo healthy) so I gave it a try.  The main change is that you use whole wheat flour in place of white flour. Well, I wasn't brave enough to use all whole wheat flour so I used half whole wheat, half white flour.  The results?? Not that great! LOL They weren't horrible and my 18 month year old seemed to enjoy them (now there's a ringing endorsement!) but they just weren't what I had hoped for. I tried a somewhat similar muffin recipe last year that used whole wheat flour and applesauce. I ate one and threw the rest out.  I wish I could find the balance between healthy and tasty. All the healthy recipes I have tried (specifically for baking) just don't taste good.  But I shall soldier on and perhaps one day I will find the perfect muffin recipe! Or maybe I'll just give up and bake something totally  fattening and sinfully delicious!
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What I want to remember about today:
::Alec saying bye bye and waving
::Nick's understanding of things that are well beyond his years
::Nick running from 2nd base to home (totally skipping 3rd) at T ball
::How full of love my heart is for these 2 boys!

What I Want to Remember About Today

Today I have been trying to take notice of the small things. Things I usually take for granted that one day I will wish I had paid more attention to.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the rush of it all and what's to come, I forget to slow down and savor the moment. To BE in the moment.  To enjoy the moment.
So today I tried to be mindful of the moment.
At Nick's baseball game, I took the time to feel the sun on my face and breathe in the sweet early summer air.  To feel the blades of grass beneath my feet. To really see my son...his long lean body, his pale skin, his sparkling eyes and smile.  I took a moment to savor the fact that I am the mother of this wonderous little boy. Today I felt present in my life and not just rushing through it to get to the next moment.
As part of my quest to be more mindful of the moment, I want to start ending my posts with things from the day that I want to remember.  Not the big events; those things are easy to remember. But rather the little, seemingly inconsequential things that in the end, are the things that really matter.
What I want to remember about today:
:::Alec's giggles when I tickled him and how happy he looked sitting next to his daddy at dinner (and his flirty smiles with the couple next to us)
:::Nick really running the bases and picking me flowers during his game.  And his face covered in vanilla ice cream later.
:::How beautiful my Iris looked this morning
:::Watching the planes take off from the airport and Nick's excitement
:::Nick laying with me on the couch watching tv....the warmth of his body, his soft hair, and his little feet gently touching mine
:::Alec's baby feet and bear hugs