Halloween 2011 in photos

Kevin's pumpkins -- get it?

Lucas decorating the Mr. Pumpkin Head (it's harder than you'd think)

SpiderZach and VikingLucas (minus helmet) pre-trick or treating

SpiderZach and VikingLucas about to head out!

First stop: our friends across the street (Matty the Cow). 

Trick or treating is fun!

Post - trick or treating, Lucas was really "into it"! He sampled the candy at our own house (by sampling, I mean he took handfuls for his bag).

Quick Update: about Lucas

Lucas at 18 months

I just looked back at my last few blog postings and see that it has been about 3 months since I've written anything. So much has happened and there is no way that I'll find time to write it all down, but I'll send out a recap at some point. It's been a great summer and we are into the thick of the fall now. Zachary is 4 years old and Lucas is 18 months! I still sometimes feel like I am in the Mommy Fog, but the mist is starting to dissipate and I feel like I'm beginning to get my act together.

I thought I had a few minutes to write during Lucas' nap, but now I hear him talking in his crib. So this might be quick. :) Lucas at 18 months is so cute! He is very good natured, a great sleeper (he used to be a light sleeper and this has gotten much better), and a daredevil. He regularly (several times a day) will pull over a bin of Legos to the coffee table, dump out the Legos, tip the bin over to create a step stool, step up onto the bin, climb up onto the coffee table, walk on the table and leap off. We try to head him off at the pass when we can, but he is pretty quick. I'm so afraid he's going to break something (himself), but he just laughs and laughs. I'm going to predict that he will break a bone before Zach does. He is very daring!

Lucas still has not had his first hair cut although I might try to take him this weekend to do it. He really does need one but I had been holding out until Halloween because I thought his longer hair would look appropriate with his Halloween costume (he was a Viking). Unfortunately he would not wear the Viking helmet on Halloween although I did get one quick pic of him in it. This summer on warm days Lucas' hair would curl up in the back so that was another reason I didn't want to cut it. But now he has a full on mullet and it's time for a trim.

I hear baby snoring so I think he has gone back to sleep. :)

Lucas is still not really talking and is a pretty quiet kid (vocally), but he understands every word you say and is getting pretty good about following directions. I also almost always know exactly what he wants. He has a way of pointing at something, pulling your sleeve, and yelling that indicates what it is he wants. We are working on trying to get him to practice talking more and I've even had conversations with him where I tell  him that "Mommy doesn't understand what you  want because you aren't using your words. You need to use your words." And he looks at me and listens to me. So I know he gets it. He's getting there. He says "thank you" although it sounds like "bank ooo" and you really need to know that is what he is saying (like if you say it first). And his new favorite word is "no" and he also loves "uh oh". If he doesn't want something he will violently shake his head no at you. And he is so good natured but when he is tired and cranky, he gets irritable and is starting to pitch fits. It's kind of cute but I have to not smile at him so he's not encouraged to continue the behavior.

Lucas is also no longer a great eater. He used to eat everything and is now a lot pickier. He does probably eat more volume than Zach, but it's less and he's slimming down. Still has some baby pudge, but the buddha belly is smaller and the thighs only have 1 roll now. He loves meatballs and hot dogs, all fruits, and broccoli. The broccoli thing is so funny to me because out of all vegetables, this is the one he will consistently always eat and it's not even remotely sweet. But that makes me happy because it's so good for you.

Okay, the nap is officially over. I now hear singing on the baby monitor so it's time to go get my sleeping beauty.

Month 'o Fun

August is going to be a CRAZY month for the Mullens! It kicks off with a visit this weekend (arriving tonight) from my sister and her family. I'm taking a few days off early next week so my sister and her fiance can go to Martha's Vineyard -- Aunt Jody is watching her youngest kiddos. Those of you who might remember them (the flower girl and ringbearer in our wedding) will be surprised to hear that they are nearly grown up now! Well, not really. But they are both in double digits. Abby is 10 and quite the stunner (not shockingly since she has always been gorgeous) and Alex is 12 and tall and handsome. Zach is jumping out of his skin with excitement to see them. It will be fun to spend time with them although I wonder if I'm crazy to have 4 kids in the house!

Then in the middle of the month is Emily's birthday. Can you believe she's going to be 20!!!! I guess I need to change my age now since no one is going to believe I was 9 when I had her. Guess I'll stop being 29 now. How does 32 sound? :) Anyway, Em is doing well and enjoying living on her own although struggling with her bills and trying to pay everything. She's working full-time but looking for a second job. Boston is expensive! We inevitably end up having to help with things like groceries and T money, but she is doing pretty well with her monthly expenses otherwise.

Right after Em's birthday I fly to New York (state, not city) to see my high school friends and attend my high school reunion. I'm really excited! I'm going without Kevin and the kids so it's really like a girls weekend for me. Feels so decadent. I'm staying with 2 of my high school girlfriends at our friend Joe's lake house, which happens to be on the lake where we all grew up (same town!) This will be so weird to be back as an adult, with the same group of people. I am so curious to see who has changed, if people still have the same preconceived notions about each other, and if we will all get along. I went to such a small high school and have known a lot of these people since we were really small and have kept in touch with a handful. This should be interesting!

After I get back from New York, Kevin and Zach fly to North Carolina for the weekend. They're going to meet Baby Thomas (I am beyond jealous), help Kylie celebrate her 3rd birthday at her party (I am beyond jealous), and see friends (I am beyond jealous), especially Kevin's best friend Tik who has been going through some pretty rough times with his health. Lucas and I will be holding down the fort at home that weekend and it should actually be nice for us to be alone together since I will have been gone for a few days/nights the week before (incidentally, that trip to NY will mark my first time away from Lucas).

Along with the fun, social side of things is the fact that I am working on a huge project at work that has a final deadline of August 31st. I am so stressed out about that because it has to be done perfectly and has to be done on time, and I have these other things going on at the same time. Ughhhh... We're getting there, but I'm definitely losing sleep over it all.

I'm trying to keep it all in perspective and enjoy my summer. Thankfully it's been a beautiful summer although I haven't been to the beach nearly enough (not sure when I can remedy that either), so I'm relaxing when I can.

A Sporty Good Time

This year Zach had a shared birthday party with his best friend. It's something we had been talking about for a few months -- would both boys be able to handle sharing a birthday party? It really made the most sense to do. We live in the same neighborhood (just down the street!), the boys go to the same preschool (same classroom!), and their birthdays are 1 week apart. It was kind of a no-brainer on the parents' sides (one party, same group of kids invited), but we needed to be sure that Zach and Dylan would be okay with it. Dylan right away signed off that he was okay, but we wer a little nervous about Zach. He does like his parties and he does like being the guest of honor. But we talked about it with him for a while and he said he would like to do that. So we chose a date (the weekend after Zach's birthday) and started planning!

All the kids in their preschool class have their birthdays in June, July, or August (they're grouped by age, obviously), and Zach has been invited to a ton of parties recently. So we knew we'd invite their entire classroom of kids, all the neighborhood kids (we've become close family friends), and a few other of our own family friends. We made the guest list and....realized there were over 30 kids on the list! Big party, so now just where do we have it? The new grass in our backyard was not quite ready for 30 pairs of feet. And Dylan's family kind of felt the same way. Plus with 30 kids who are turning 4, that means that at least 1 parent will be with each of them, so that's going to up the total numbers. End result, we decided to have the party at "a place".

A party at "a place" turns out to be actually nearly zero work on the parents end. I don't have a lot of experience with this -- I'm usually the crazed parent the week before the party frantically trying to get themed party decorations, stuff goody bags, make food, make a (themed) cake, and clean my house. For this party, all I had to do was find a place for the party, then write the invitations. Boom, we're done.

We kind of thought that since it was July, maybe a lot of people would be on vacation. Uh, that didn't really work out that way. We still had about 25 kids show up, all with at least 1 parent (yes, they RSVP'd, so we weren't surprised, other than the fact that they all came!) The party was at a sports complex that does kids parties. Zach had gone to a party there in the spring so it was on my radar, and the timing and the price worked out perfectly (even more perfectly since we split it!) The kids played tag, parachute games, some ball games, then went into the party room where they had an arcade and a bounce house. We had pizza and cake, the boys got a TON of gifts, and we went home with a really tired 1 year old, and a really happy 4 year old.

Zachary Turns 4

Zachary at 4 years old
July 18, 2011

Today is Zach's birthday and we've been celebrating for days! He had a surprise visit this weekend from Grammy, went to his first movie in the theater (Winnie the Pooh), got a new bike, made a birthday crown at school, and went to dinner at Chuck E Cheese-Its (that's what he calls it) for his birthday dinner tonight. It's been an exhausting few days but I think he has loved the attention and is eager for everyone to see what a big grown up 4 year old he is now.

When I think back on the past year, I'm amazed at all of the changes Zach has gone through. He's become a big brother and is such a good one. There have been some rough patches there and we have to sometimes remind him to be gentle with Lucas, but for the most part he is, and if he accidentally knocks Lucas down, he immediately goes to help him up and apologizes. Zach is still a little emotional, but he's growing out of it and becoming just a wonderful little person. He was opening a birthday package the other day and I told him that he had also received a check in the card and asked him if he wanted to put the money in the bank to save it or go to the toy store to get himself a toy. He didn't even pause to think -- he said "I want to take the money to go buy you flowers, Mommy." I am not making this up! He really is just the sweetest little boy. He melts my heart. :)

Down the Cape

Cape Cod
July 15, 2011

We had a wicked good time yesterday afternoon on the Cape. It was a summer offsite for my department -- not a bad way to spend a summer afternoon! One of the ladies I work with hosted about 30 of us at their summer cottage and we went to the beach, played work trivia, jumped in the bouncy house, and had a big cookout. Oh, and did I mention that my team won? Yep, I know random facts about my co-workers.

It was a beautiful day to be on the Cape and I just wish we had gone there earlier so we could have spent longer on the beach. I was not overly excited to show off my post-partum bod to my co-workers so I didn't even put on my bathing suit, but the boys did go in and splash in the water which was really warm. The beach we went to is protected so the waves aren't very big and there is public parking -- so now that we know about it, we may just go to this beach again! It was not crowded on a hot July weekday afternoon, but I bet weekends are a different story -- an incentive to go early in the day.

LJ at 15 months

My baby is now 15 months. The time has flown and I just wanted to share what life is like with Lucas now that he is a full-blown toddler and rapidly trying to run (not walk) out of babyhood.

Lucas loves his big brother. A lot. He thinks Zach is the funniest thing in the world and it's so cute to see him copy what he sees Zach doing. Sometimes before his bath when I'm running the water in the tub he'll walk over to the toilet and I think he's thinking about trying to use it. It could also be that he just wants to splash in the toilet (gross, but he does do that too when I'm not quick enough to stop him). Once he peed while standing by the toilet so I probably need to bring the potty chair out of hiding and see if I can harness this opportunity to my advantage!

Toys are not nearly as fun as non-toys to Lucas. The toy room is literally filled with his baby toys, but what does he want to play with? Tupperware. And Zach's little tiny toys that are chokable for babies. Lucas does still put a lot of things into his mouth -- not nearly as much now as he did a few months ago, and less than Zach did at this age -- so we still have to watch him vigilantly. He also loves my keys (but not his toy baby keys) and my Blackberry (and again, not his toy phone). Sigh. Typical teenager. I mean toddler.

Lucas has still not had his hair cut and he does need it. I've been resisting it because it's not terrible if it's humid and the curls on the back of his head curl up and it looks shorter, but his hair is pretty long. I love his little curls though and am afraid that if we cut them off, then they're gone for good. We'll do it sometime this summer, but it might be more traumatic for me than it is for him.



Watching Daddy on the grill



Yesterday was Lucas' 15 month check up at the doctor. This is his new doctor and it's very conveniently located across the street from his daycare. I literally walked across the street with him! Such a nice change from his previous doctor's office which was halfway between home and my office. Getting the kids in for a visit on a work day pretty much required one of us to take a day off. So this feels kind of luxurious. :) Anyway, his appointment was during his nap time and Leda kept him up. As a result he was a little cranky and I made a mental note to make his next appointment for first thing in the morning. Lucas is growing well and nearly 27 pounds! This is a 2 pound, 10 ounce gain from 3 months ago. His height didn't change from 31 inches in April, but I think there might have been a discrepancy between the two different offices or the squirminess of babies. To me, he looks taller, more stretched out (aka: less chubby), so I think someone measured wrong. Lucas is playing catch up on his immunizations so they treated him like a 12 month old at this appointment. This is a result of the last doctor's office being overly cautious with immunizations, stretching out the number of immunizations they give out at a visit. He will be fully caught up at 18 months when they give him his 15 month immunizations since he normally wouldn't get shots at 18 months otherwise. The doctor asked if I had any concerns and I told her two things. One, his speech seems a little delayed to us. We talked about this and she asked a bunch of questions. End result is she's not concerned since Lucas hears and understands what we say (as evidenced by him handing me something I ask for or starting to follow directions), that when he babbles he uses intonations and does have a couple of words, and because he has an older brother who talks for him. The second thing I mentioned was that when Lucas walks, his right foot is not straight ahead, but kind of flared out. We had Lucas show off his walking skills (which he readily did with a smile), and she said he's fine. It's just slight and he doesn't seem to have any issues with walking. So all in all, he had a good check up and got a clean bill of health!

I'm just loving this particular stage in Lucas. He is still snuggly and I'm his go-to comfort person, but he's clearly curious and I just see him soak everything in. He is trying to put together puzzles, push cars around on the floor, and turn the pages on books (when he's not flinging them). He's getting good with a spoon (again, when he's not trying out the gravity test), drinks out of a sippy cup and is fantastic about going to sleep for the night. His room is small and gets toasty so I have a fan in it which is wonderful for white noise so masks the going-to-bed sounds that Zach makes upstairs. I find myself in that uncomfortable position of wanting him to learn and grow and try new things, with desperately wanting him to stay as a cuddly little baby. It's a selfish feeling on my part and something I struggle with with all 3 of the kids (although there are a couple of whiney periods in those years that I could do without).

Lazy Summer Weekend

What a beautiful weekend we had! It was so nice to not have any plans and to just do a few things around the house. I cut some flowers from my gardens to put in vases inside and they really just make me so happy! My hydrangeas have really taken off this year and I'm wondering if my aggressive pruning had anything to do with it. I'm loving all of the flowers and so happy to have beautiful perennials that come back each year and love me no matter how badly I neglect them.

Next year should be a much better year for me to go out and do some more gardening. Last year I had newborn Lucas plus Zach. This year, Lucas is just into everything and super quick -- I can't turn my back for one second! So gardening is not high on my to-do's this year. But that's okay. We still had so much done this year that has made our yard look 10 times better than it did last year. I weed when I can and put down some mulch this year (none at all last year so I figure I'm ahead of the game). I have a lot of ideas and even Kevin is energized to want to plant and beautify the yards so next year we should be in excellent shape.

Summertime

It's finally that time of year when I don't have to think about what shoes I'm going to wear and where my coat is. It's summertime! It's hot outside consistently enough that I don't need to check the weather report in the morning before getting dressed. I love this time of year! No one appreciates good weather more than New Englanders. :) I think it's because we've been beat over the head for so long by winter.

I have so much to comment on and not enough time to do so. Hmm, maybe if I posted everyday? Ha! I can barely shower everyday. There are just not enough hours. Man, I don't know how I ever complained about no time to myself before I had kids. Not that I would change it for a SECOND, but the free time that I used to have...someday I'll have it again. In the meantime I'm living with and loving chubby hands hugging me, sticky popsicle lips kissing me, and falling into bed exhausted each night from the time I have with these little busy men of mine. They are sweet and beautiful and lovely and mine.

A quick rundown on what has transpired in the last few weeks (this is not in chronological order):
1) we spent a week in NJ visiting friends and family
2) my goddaughter Michelle graduated high school and we went to her graduation party
3) my nephew Thomas was born!!!
4) my nephew Alex turned 12
5) Emily moved into an apartment
6) Zach and Kevin got matching buzz cuts

The buzz cut thing was planned, but I think we were all surprised at exactly how SHORT Zach's hair ended up! He looks super cute though and you can see his cowlicks really well now. I think we'll let it grow out a bit before cutting it again. It's a little too short and I'm afraid of his scalp getting sunburned. Lucas officially has longer hair than Zach now and I think it's going to stay that way for awhile. Lucas really does need a haircut, but he has the cutest curls in the back of his head and I can't bring myself to take him for a haircut. He may just be a hippy baby for a little longer.

Matthew, Zachary, William, Lucas

We had a fantastic trip to New Jersey! Kevin gets a ton of vacation time and needed to use some up before July 1st, so we planned a trip to see friends and family. We hadn't been there since Thanksgiving which is the longest we've gone in years! I was also able to see two of my best friends -- Debbie, who is my goddaughter Michelle's mom, and Kim, who is one of my best friends from high school. Debbie lives about an hour away in Pennsylvania, and Kim lives about 10 minutes away from Sandy and Bob. My pictures from the first half of the week are still on Kevin's laptop so I can't share any from my trip to PA, but I have a picture of my two boys and Kim's two boys that I think is adorable! Matt and Zach are both 3, Will is 6, and Lucas is 1. It makes me SO happy that my children are friends with my friend's children!

Emily getting some brotherly love

While we were in NJ Emily texted me to let me know she was moving in with her girlfriends. She has been home since Christmas (figuring out her life....) and it just hasn't been working out that great. She doesn't have any independence at home -- she works but doesn't have a car (or a license) so is dependent on me to take her anywhere (including to and from work, which is really hard on all of us). She was spending all of her free time in Brookline with her friends, and they invited her to move in, so she did. She transferred her job from Natick to Boston and it's working out pretty nicely since she can take the T to work. I'm anxious about her money situation, but she is making efforts at getting her life on track and in order so I'm trying my best to stay out of it. I think this is the best thing for her and she's super excited so hopefully it works out!

Also while we were in NJ our new nephew Thomas was born! It was so nice to be around family when he was born -- even though Scott and Rachel were in NC and we were in NJ, we got a lot of updates and all hugged and laughed and got teary-eyed when he was born. We also toasted later with champagne! I can't wait to meet him and give them all big hugs in person. He is such a sweet baby and has tons of blonde hair. I think he looks like Rachel, so I'm sure he will be beautiful just like she is.

Fishing for prizes

You can't have a visit to NJ in the summer and not hit the beach, so we headed for the Jersey Shore for a day, a challenge considering the whole nap schedule thing. We decided to say the hell with the nap schedule and took off mid-morning for the shore. Lucas slept for about 10 minutes in the car and then was wide awake while we were on the beach. He ate a little sand and had a great time! Zach is the biggest beach babe and always has a blast. He and Kevin dug holes on the beach and Z and I played with the waves, running from them before they could "catch" us. Sandy came with us and it was great to have an extra set of hands. I have to take pictures every year of her and Lucas on the beach at this particular beach and with that particular beach umbrella (sorry Sandy, but rusted or not, you can't get rid of it!) After we had all had too much sun (I burned and peeled and am currently really itchy), we left to get some lunch on the boardwalk at Seaside Heights. Those of you who watch Jersey Shore on MTV know that this is the boardwalk where they film that tv show. I'd been before with Em when she was younger and we wanted to bring Zach because we knew he would love it. He did! He rode rides (his first), played games (first time ever), and had a blast. The boys had a great time and Zach crashed hard in the car. We even carried him asleep upstairs and he finished off a nice long nap in the bed for another 45 minutes or so before dinnertime.

Like our grass? This is the back yard!

Now it's July 4th weekend and we are busy at home trying to do yard work, house work, and play with the kids. Again, not enough hours in the day! It's not that hard to do with Zach, but Lucas is into every thing so one person always needs to watch him closely. Our big purchase of the weekend (of the summer probably) was a new lawnmower. Ours died a few weeks ago and we had been borrowing our neighbors. We got lucky for 2 years because the lawnmower came with the house so we didn't have to buy one when we bought the house. But it wasn't easily or cheaply fixable and we couldn't keep borrowing the neighbors (and their lawnmower is 47 years old! they told me that today). Kevin bought a nice one that mulch mows, which will save us lots of lawn/garden bags and having to store the filled/heavy bags in the garage.

Tomorrow we're having some friends/neighbors over for a cookout. Kevin used the new mower today, and we also borrowed our neighbors huge ladder to clean out the gutters (trees were growing in them). We're going to fire up the grill and put out the kiddy pool and sprinklers (two!) and pray that it doesn't rain. Our inside is semi-updated, but we still don't have a lot of furniture/places to sit, so I'd rather have an outside party than an inside one. :)

Next up is Zach's birthday party -- the weekend after his birthday. It's going to be a joint party with his best friend. I think we're getting him a new bike (shh, don't tell him!)

Who is that masked man?

1972

 1972: The year this house was built.

The year this man was born.



The last time this team won the Stanley Cup.

Well, except they just won it again! Congratulations, Boston Bruins! I might be a Pink Hat, but I'm happy that you won and proud to be a new fan of Boston hockey. Can't wait to tell Zach in the morning. :)

Summer Came Early

NOT THAT I'M COMPLAINING....but we went right from winter to maybe a week's worth of spring right into the heat of deep summer! It is HOT! We are all loving the great weather and the opportunity to be outside although we had to make it a priority to get the a/c units into the windows this weekend. The kids got to play in the sprinkler at home as well as at a neighbor's house and that was fun. We all got a kick out of Zach's Buzz Lightyear sprinkler toy that Kevin could make "hover" while balancing on the water. Lucas would laugh, laugh, laugh and try to catch the rocket ship. It was really cute!

The boys LOVED this!



Tulip lover?



Because our spring was so wet and cruddy a nice side benefit was that my spring flowers have lasted a looong time. I still have tulips blooming and it's been well over a month since they started! The weird thing though was that I was finding the heads of some of them chopped right off, as if they were snipped. I thought it might be an animal and we considered that maybe it was the friendly ground hog who lives under our neighbor's deck. Another neighbor suggested it was deer (although only a few tulips were beheaded, not all of them which I thought would be weird to pick and choose). And yet another neighbor suggested it was bunnies. That same day I snapped a bold little critter right by my front door. So maybe she was right? Then again I found another little cute guy who happens to love tulips -- pulling off their petals, that is (see next photo).  



Tulip lover...or hater?





Grass is growing!

On Memorial Day weekend we spent a good chunk of the time outside, playing and doing some much needed yard clean up. I moved a few tulip and daffodil plants that had been planted stupidly (if I plant it, maybe it won't grow, and if it does grow, the beauty of the flower will outshine how stupidly it was planted). Uh, no. It just looked stupid. So I dug them up and moved them to where I thought they would look better. It might not be the right season to do this, but I had to do it while I could still see the leaves and know where to dig! And it fortunately wasn't all the bulbs, just the ones by my front door (and the ones in the side yard). I did get a wound/badge of honor. A nicely painful blister in the middle of my right palm from where I pushed down on the trowel, over and over again. I also moved some lillies in the back garden that were in danger of choking out one of my peony plants! They've been transplanted to the other side garden and I'm excited for some color/beauty on that side of the house now. I'm really excited that with sunlight in the back yard now, that we'll have a lot more flower options and stronger blooms.



Post-parade, a little Mullen parade of our own

We had a neighborhood cookout on Saturday that 6 familes on my street went to. It was so nice to just hang out with friends/neighbors who have kids who are the same age and are friends with my kids. THIS is why I moved to Surburbia! I know it's hokey, but I just love it. :) The kids played on the swing set, in the sand box, in the toy room, ran in the yard, and went home exhausted and happy. We went to a super short parade in Sudbury on Memorial Day itself. It sprinkled a tad bit on us but didn't really rain and the rest of the day was again hot and muggy. Zach loved that they threw candy into the street and he could run out and gather it up.



Big Boy Bike Rider!

Mr. Cutie

This was kinda the entire parade.



Home Sweet Home

I haven't given much of an update on where things stand with our house because it has been such a long drawn out process! But things are coming along and looking pretty good now. While we are still not completely finished with the repairs from the snow/water damage, we're about 90% there and I think I can provide an update.

Grass!! And no trees!

Oh, and along with the house is also the yard! As you may recall, we clear cut our entire back yard this spring. This involved cutting down and grinding the stumps of about 20 very large (80 feet? tall) pine trees plus trimming the branches up to about 20 feet of another 20 in the front and side yards. The back yard is dramatically different now. After the trees came down, we had another landscaping company come in and grade, loam, and seed the back yard. It took a few weeks, but the grass started to grow and now it looks like a sunny and grassy back yard! It looks so good! I can not wait for the summer and to be able to run and play out there with the kids. It's not perfect (yet) because we still have several patchy areas, but we have sunlight which was the most important thing. It has made a big difference inside as well as we've even been able to turn the heat down/off (yes, we are still using the heat up here in New England) and we have sunlight streaming into the windows.

Because of the sun I am already seeing a difference also in other planted areas. My lilacs are coming in with more flowers and many of my flowers are blooming longer as well. That might also be a result of the tremendous amount of rains we've had this spring, but that's okay -- I think that has also contributed to my grass coming in faster.

I have several ideas in mind for the back yard like adding a fence, putting in a big swingset, planting a vegetable garden and maybe some pretty flowering trees, adding some additional planting areas, etc, but for this year I'll be happy to just have the grass. Since there is no budget for these other things, we are grass-only for at least the next year anyway.

So back to the house. In retrospect it's been a blessing in disguise that we had water damage from the ice dams on the roof, because a side benefit of having to repair it is that we've been able to upgrade some things in the house that we probably wouldn't have gotten to for at least a few years. As I mentioned a few months ago (yes, this has been ongoing since February), we had several walls and parts of ceilings ripped out to dry out from the water. We also had some damage to our floors that necessitated having the hardwood floors refinished. This was a giant pain in the butt and yet now that it has been completed, we are thrilled and so happy with how they came out. The best part is that our home insurance covered everything although I think we might end up putting out some additional money since we also asked them to refinish the dining room floors -- the only room with hardwoods that wouldn't have been redone otherwise. The foyer got new floors too since part of the (very ugly) floor tile was damaged when they took out the dry wall. We replaced it with ceramic tile and it is beautiful! And the walls have had wallpaper taken down and have been freshly painted. It looks almost like a new house!

Kevin and I have had to make some design decisions on the house that were a little hard to do considering every time we went to the home repair store we had the little guys with us and those little guys didn't want to look at paint chips or floor tile samples. So we took a day off from work to go to the paint shop and finally settled on colors that we could agree on. Choosing paint is HARD! You are never quite sure what the end result will be, especially in different lighting. Lucas' room was easy since we just went with the same color we had painted it a year ago. The upstairs bathroom wasn't too hard either since we knew we wanted white (although there are about 2000 different varieties of "white"). But the foyer/upstairs hallway, toy room, and family room all were a little more challenging to decide on. I knew that in the foyer/hallway that I wanted kind of a warm yellow. Maybe something that leaned towards orange or brown. Kevin was thinking of a little yellow, maybe more of a sorbet or light lemon. We came to something in the middle and it has definitely turned out to be yellow, but it's pretty and certainly nothing like the yellow that we painted Zach's nursery in 2007 (yikes, that was bright!) The toy room we went lighter and more neutral. I think it's in the beige family. It's a large room with 4 windows, but it gets a little dark in there, probably because of the trees on that side, but also because of the way the house is situated, and compounded by the fact that we don't have enough lighting in that room. But the color we went with is nice. It's warmer than the painter's white it was painted when we moved in. For the familly room we went back and forth on colors. We wanted a beige-y color and I was leaning towards brown/beige and Kevin was leaning towards green/beige. In the end I think it looks more yellow/beige which will complement the colors coming off the hallway, but depending on the light during the daytime, is a little more yellow than I think we wanted. Still, I do like it and again, it's not white which is what the room was prior to us painting it.

The foyer before they finished with the grout and trim

There were a few weeks in between walls and floors which was A) to account for Lucas' birthday party, B) to give us a break from construction, and C) to choose when the floor people could come based on our work schedules. We also knew we wouldn't be able to live in the house while they were doing the work. Our insurance company put us up in a hotel for 8 days which was great! We stayed at a place with a 2 BR suite and it worked out so well. I don't know how I'll ever go back to trying to stay in a regular hotel room again! Anyway, while we were there, the contractors sanded and refinished our hardwood floors which was the entire upstairs (minus the bathrooms), the big toy room, hallway, and dining room downstairs. Only the kitchen and family room didn't get new floors (but the family room is next!) The foyer was the last to be done. Since it was tile they did that in the couple of days before we moved back in. In fact, they weren't done by the time we got back. We were back on Tuesday and they had the tiles down but grouted them on Wednesday and did touch up finish work on Thursday. It looks AMAZING and totaly changes the look of the house, I think! It's my favorite thing that we've done to the house. Well, maybe it's a 2nd runner up to converting the Tiki Room.

The last few things that still need to happen in the house are to put new gutters up on the back of the house. They've been down for all this spring which is not good considering the amount of rain we've had. I believe they are going to be replaced next week (cross fingers). There is also one piece of trim in the foyer that needs to be made still. And then the very last thing will be to replace the family room rug. I'm hoping to go to the carpet store this weekend with Kevin to figure out what we want in that room and then to find a date for it to be done.

We still have several ongoing projects and a huge wishlist of things we want to do. More immediately I think we will replace the hanging light in the foyer (it's really dated and ugly and half the bulbs need to be replaced -- I told Kevin I refuse to buy new bulbs so we're just going to have to replace it) and depending on how expensive doorbells cost, we may replace that fixture as well. Can you just get a new interior bell thing? Because it actually works, but the thing that hangs on the wall is from 1972 and SUPER ugly. Our other projects will be to continue taking down wallpaper (hallway, dining room -- ugh, a giant project, and my upstairs bathroom) and as we find money (ha!) we'll get to them. For now I just want to start enjoying the work we've done this spring and to get outside and work on some updates there. We are just about ready for visitors and to show things off!

Mommy's Boy

Lately Lucas has been all about Mommy. He looks for me and gives me big smiles when I come in the room and lunges for me. When I leave the room, he cries. When he's sick, he wants me. Actually, when he's not sick, he wants me then too. :) I don't mind at all because I know this is my last baby and I love that he wants to spend time with me.

It's funny that of my 3 babies, Lucas is the one who actually looks the most like me. I know some people will say that Em looks like me and maybe she did when she was really little, but honestly, if you know her dad's side of the family at all, you will see the striking resemblance. She looks like her dad if he were a girl -- a pretty girl. Some work friends also tell me how much Zach looks like me. I don't know, maybe Kevin and I look alike then because Zach is a little Kevin clone. It's not as much now that he's getting older (he also resembles his Uncle Scott at this age), but Zach really looks more like Kev than me. But Lucas -- he's all me. I see it; Em sees it. If you look at baby pictures of me, you see it. We have the same round head I guess. And of course he (as well as his big sis and bro) has my cowlick as well.

Lucas is a full-on walker now and rarely crawls -- unless he happens to already be down on his hands and knees and it's a short distance. For the most part he wants to be vertical and to walk to what he wants. He is going to have thighs of steel too because he is such a good squatter. I don't know how little kids can hold the squat pose for so long! He is extremely busy and chatty. He isn't really saying words yet but does babble. And he's very physical and coordinated. He can accurately pick up his spoon and put food into his mouth. He also can pick up tiny pieces of things to put into his mouth. This is scary when he finds things on the floor so we try to be vigilant around him. One of the best things about Lucas is how good natured he is. He might fall and hurt himself but will not whine and cry -- he might let out a cry initially but then shakes it off. I'm hoping his big brother might learn from him. Lucas seems to really be drawn to cars or anything with wheels. He will push little toy cars or trains around and he loves to push buttons (like all kids) to see the lights flash or music go off. He also really likes to make big noises and will bang things together or on the table top.

Because of the different seasons (3 months apart) but also because he is measuring 3 months larger than Zach at this age, we are having a hard time with clothes for Lucas. There are some things he can wear that were Zach's, but with them really measuring about 6 months apart and with Z being true to size (at 12 months old he wore 12 month clothes), we're having a hard time utilizing the hand me downs. Zach at 1 year wore summer clothes that were sized 12 months. Lucas at 1 year is wearing 18 month clothes but the 18 month clothes we have are all winter clothes. I think I need to go through the 24 month clothes (from when Z was 2) to see what Lucas can wear in that bin. He is such a big boy -- big hands, big (handsome) head, big everything! But not fat -- just normal baby chub and he is just solid.

Lucas is just whizzing rapidly through his babyhood and while I love seeing him reach these milestones and learning about the world (not to mention that it gets easier as he gets older), I do miss the old baby ways and want to hold him tight and cherish these moments before they're too quickly gone. For now I will enjoy his snuggles and breathe in his delicious baby smells while he still wants (and lets) me.

The Good Influence

As I picked up Zach from preschool yesterday, he was having fun with his friend Jack. We were all leaving the building at the same time and Jack started to climb on the railings on the stairs, so Zach did too. I told Zach to get down right now or he'd go to time out. I think I even used his full name. Jack's dad overheard me and laughed and said that he'd heard that Zach Mullen was "the good influence". That's funny and nice to hear because as much as my 3 year old can be trying at times, he really is a good boy and for the most part is pretty well behaved.



Mother's Day in the park

 It's a fine line to walk between making sure your kid is disciplined, respectful, and well behaved while indulging in their need to be independent and have their own opinion. Zach can be downright sassy and bossy, but he balances that with some really insightful comments and sweet behaviors. He really is a genuinely nice kid! But how do you foster his 3 year old creativity and independence with trying to keep him safe and to learn from his mistakes (or preferably, to learn from what I tell him as opposed to him having to make the mistake in the first place?)

So far we're muddling through. Parenting is a tough job. It's rewarding and wonderful but you question if you're doing the right thing all the time. Fortunately I have this adorable little boy who tells me I'm his best friend, and when I'm lucky, tells me I can come to his birthday party.

Mother's Day

Happy Mamma's Day to me! And to all my mama friends. :)

This was my 19th mother's day. Isn't that a crazy thing? I've been a mother since Emily was born in what will be 20 years this August. I've been so blessed by these children of mine. I am the lucky one. They are beautiful and wonderful and have made my life complete.

Sitting on Mrs. Mallard (Mama Duck) in the
Boston Public Garden

This year Emily had to work on Mother's Day and Kevin and I took the boys into Boston for the morning/early afternoon. Each year on Mother's Day there is a Make Way for Ducklings parade through Beacon Hill and into the Boston Public Garden. We did this a couple of years ago and it was so nice that we thought we might actually do it every year if we could. The parade recreates the walk that Mrs. Mallard did with her baby ducklings through Boston when she moved her family from the Charles River into the pond in the Boston Public Garden in the Make Way for Ducklings book. Families walk through Beacon Hill with their children and many of the kids are dressed as ducklings. The roads are blocked off, there's a band, and it's really sweet. We brought Zach's bike and pushed Lucas in the stroller but didn't dress either up as ducklings. I wish we had -- we need to prepare better. Next year we'll make and bring outfits. :)



My gift from my sweet Zachary!

 Zach gave me the sweetest gift that he planted/made at preschool. It's marigolds planted in a yogurt container that has his original artwork on the outside. There is a laminated photo of him on a popsicle stick stuck into it, with a sweet poem on the back.  It was super sweet and I love it!

Emily gave me a Miraculous bra from Victoria's Secret. It makes me look amazing -- miraculous, you might say. I think it's the first gift she's ever purchased for me with her own money. I love it as well and I honestly think she was so happy and proud of herself to give me a gift that she bought herself.

Lucas gave me huggies and wet kisses and lots of baby snuggles. xo

I also got some beautiful purple irises from the boys that Kevin said Zach picked out at the store, and a beautiful card that they signed.

I have the best family! I love my babies and my wonderful hubby who helped make this a sweet mother's day for me.

Poppy and his boys

Poppy arrives and plays in the sandbox with the boys

Kevin's dad came for a visit last weekend. It was a quick visit -- just lunch and then he spent the afternoon with us. Kevin was in Chicago for work but really we know that Poppy was just here to see the boys anyway. :)

Brian and I took the kids to a kite festival that was in town on Sunday. It was a free event and was sponsored by the autism alliance. Did you know that April is autism awareness month? I have a friend whose son has autism and while he is thriving and doing great, I know it's still a hard thing for them and I am thankful and grateful everyday that all 3 of my babies are healthy and happy.

The kite festival had promise -- free event, everyone got a balloon and a free kite, there was music, special characters (Sponge Bob, Elmo, etc), but it was a short event. It was supposed to be 12-4 pm. We got there at 2:00 and things were starting to shut down at 3:00 (no face painting for us). But I can't complain -- it was nice weather and fun to do something different.



Z got to sit in the front seat of the police car!



Zach got a blue zebra print stripe that we flew and he loved it! We need to put a proper tail on it though as it kept crashing (as did all the free kites) into people and taking out other kites. Zach also got a snow cone from the ice cream truck and both he and Lucas had fun jumping on the little trampolines and mats that were set up for the kids.



Zach and his poppy have such a nice relationship. Zach immediately runs to him and connects like they are old buddies. It's so cute, like maybe Brian gives off a Kevin vibe or something. Maybe they smell alike? Z has been like this with him since he first laid eyes on him. Such a Poppy's Boy.

  

Poppy let Zach choose an ice cream from the ice cream man

Chillaxin' with Poppy at the end of a busy day