Happy Birthday Mommy!

Today has been a wonderful day for me... I celebrated twice- lunch and dinner. Lunch at the 99 with my mom (aka Nana Lorraine) and our two younger children, Samantha and Zachary. Dinner at a local Thai (my favorite!) restaurant with the whole gang. Jonathan was so organized that he had called ahead to make sure it was ok to bring along pb&j sandwiches for the kids (since they don't eat Thai food). He also gave me one dozen long-stemmed red roses and the kids all made me homemade cards (too cute! especially the "Welcome to the 40 Club" ones!) My sister Robyn babysat for a few hours so I could go out in the afternoon- that was a nice treat too! Thanks, everyone!

480 months

OR, 40 YEARS OLD...OY VEY...How can it be? That I am 40 years old today... I remember my Sweet Sixteen party as if it were yesterday...A DJ and pizza at my Nana's Clubhouse...All my teeny-bopper friends...The promise of what was to come... I never could have imagined it, in my wildest dreams, that I would be living the life I am today. I am blessed with a wonderful husband and four darling children who make me so happy. Even though it seems just like yesterday, sixteen was a long time ago and much has taken place in the intervening years between then and now. Let's see... I graduated from Randolph High School in 1986 and from Boston University with a degree in Psychology in 1990. I kissed alot of frogs before I found my prince in June of 1993. I found him in a way that can only be described as "meant to be"...on the JCC Coed softball league, when I got my nose broken. He was my hero (and still is!) and brought me to the Newton-Wellesley Hospital ER. Now, that was 15 years ago and I remember THAT like it was yesterday...How lucky I am that he was sent to me to be my husband?! Moral of the story: There is a silver lining to every cloud... And, turning 40 isn't so bad after all. Heck, it's getting closer to being eligible for those Senior discounts at restaurants!

The Tooth Tales continued...

Joshua lost his second tooth in Missouri on vacation. I believe it was on July 17th or so that his bottom right tooth fell out. The tooth fairy found him this time, albeit in a different state! Somehow though, the tooth came home with Aiya and the tooth fairy was scheduled to come again, but she got too busy with other stuff and forgot. Don't you think that Joshua noticed her absence?! Ah, well...such is life with 4 kids...And, the update on #4, Zachary. He got in his 5th tooth, the one next to his right front tooth (the eye tooth, maybe?) He is such a trooper through all the pain. Catch you later when more tooth tales will be told...

He's a Crawlin'

Zachary got his knees up under him Saturday and crawed about 4 feet (a long way for such a short guy).

Here is the Picture

Guess I have a bit to learn. Here is Johua from MO.

Johua's in MO

Johua went with Aiya to visit his Uncle Eric, Aunt Lori, and Cousins Ryan, Alex, and Katie. He's such as a trooper, apparently he got Aiya out of bed to go to the airport. Here's a shot from Eric's camera phone on the way from the Springfield airport. That's Alex peeking from the far back.

It's Harry Potter

So much for the Hardy Boys. Elyse gave Benjamin my copy of Harry Potter book 1 for his weekend away with the grandparents. It only took him two days to go through it. I asked him about the story and got an earful. I had to stop him when he started listing all the teachers at Hogwarts - I'd be lucky to remember 4 after reading the series. I let him move on to book 2. But I think book 3 will wait until next summer.

That's My Boy

Walking through the hall, almost into a wall, nose in the book, and mind in another world. That's my boy. Benjamin's devouring books this summer like candy. Time to hit my bookshelf and see what I used to read that he might like - perhaps it is time for the Hardy Boys?

- Jonathan

The Tooth Tales...

So many teeth, so little time... What biting humor we have, eh?!
Joshua's first tooth fell out in NH at Storyland on June 28, 2008. It was his bottom right front tooth. We warned him that the tooth fairy might not find us in the trailer in NH. Disappointed, but still hopeful, he told us when he woke up on Sunday that she didn't come. We reassured him that she would find him more easily at his own house on Sunday night/Monday morning. He was so excited to wake up to a silver dollar coin under his pillow. Ain't childhood grand?!
Joshua's first cavity discovered at the Dentist on July 1, 2008, to be filled on July 24, 2008.
Zachary's 3rd tooth came in on vacation in NH. It is the top right front tooth. His 1st and 2nd teeth came in about 6 weeks ago, but we forgot to make a note of it. Guess that's what happens by the 4th child!
See the photo of Joshua's new smile (with one tooth missing)...

Our White Mountains, NH Family Vacation

WHAT A FABULOUS WEEK WE JUST HAD! We packed up the six of us and headed up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire...How very beauty(full) and wonder(full) it is in what we would call "God's country." There were many things for us to see and do and choosing which to partake of was a task in itself. Ahead of time, we knew for sure that one of the adventures would be Storyland in Glen, NH. Elyse and her mom (aka Nana) went there last year with the three kids and the one on the inside (Zachary was 6 and a half months in utero at the time) while Jonathan was off in NYC being trained for what was then his new job at Palladium Group Consulting. Elyse promised the boys that the whole family would return in 2008 so that daddy could ride the Polar Coaster (that Mommy was no way attempting at that late stage of pregnancy...it was bad enough that she went on the Bamboo Chute ride!) The scenery at every turn was spectacular, but especially on the Mount Washington Auto Road! Neither Elyse nor Jonathan had ever been up Mt. Washington, even though our both families vacationed often in the area. So, this was the first time for all six of us! Unfortunately, it was all foggy at the summit so we could not see the awe-inspiring view we were told about. As we understand it, it is that way more than it is clear. Ah, well... Maybe next time. Now we can boast about driving up it with our "This car climbed Mount Washington" bumper sticker, which so many others also can do! Samantha was totally taken by the mountains and in her very sweet voice, as we drove around the bend and through the notches in the mountains, we heard, "Where are you, Mountain?" which is indicative of her speech therapy progress. Anyhow, we could go on and on about the trip, but instead, we'll simply show you in photos. Thanks for visiting, and until next time, may you enjoy every moment of your life.