Happy Holidays

This hasn't been an easy year. There's trouble with the economy-globally, and sometimes personally, we have lost loved ones and have had broken bones. But some lovely things have happened too. We adopted Daisy dog, we had great birthday parties at home for our kids, and new family members have joined us. We have learned that no matter how hard we try to be organized, some days we forget to give Avery milk money and forget to bring extra shoes to school for Jack for when he takes his boots off. And they are still surviving....:)

This time of year is about friends and family. So from our house to yours...happy holidays. Lots of love.

I have been rotten about blogging here...

Let's see if I can catch up. I will have to come back in and add some pictures after, but here's some news. Most likely NOT in any sort of date order...

1. Jack got his cast off. I realized that I never posted a picture of him with his cast...I will do that. He actually broke part of his first cast off, so he had to get a second cast, and now its off for good (well, until he breaks something else). The doctors say that he is healing very quickly-his arm looks a little crooked, and apparently it will for a bit.

2. Jack was Alvin the chipmunk for Halloween. Avery was Theodore the chipmunk. As I suspected, we drove to where we trick or treat, we got out of the van, and Jack promptly said "I don't think I want to trick or treat". So he and I watched Peter Pan in the van while Avery and Dan went trick or treating.

3. Avery turned 7 on November 25. 7. I don't know how this is possible. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. She is turning into quite the big girl.

4. Avery also got her ears pierced. And witnessed her first shoplifting bust. We actually had to wait to get her ears pierced so the manager of Claire's could bust the shoplifter. Imagine the fun I had explaining why the cops were showing up.

5. Santa called the kids the other day. He told Avery to keep up the good work, and he told Jack he was at the top of the good list. :) So cute. Their eyes were as wide as saucers.

Those are the high points. I will post some pictures when I get home.

Its another first!

our first set of broken bones. Can't believe it actually took this long. Jack broke his wrist in 2 spots yesterday at school by leaping off of something (shocking, I know). Poor baby was in the ER until 1 am with Dan and tried very hard to talk the doctors out of putting a cast on, but he lost that battle. I'll post a picture once he calms down enough to realize he looks cool. :)

The new faces of the Springfield Jewish Community Center

Oy.

The new bad guy in Batman...

We talk about A LOT of different things at our house, and our kids can recognize lots of famous people from Dustin Pedroia and Josh Beckett to Ben Stiller to President Bush. And they have really interesting thoughts about people. Like the day Avery asked me if the reason I liked Barack Obama was because "his family was exactly like ours". Interesting observation.

Anyway, the other day, Dan was riding in the car with the kids and he told them that he had heard that they were going to make another Batman movie with the Joker in it-he said "Guess who they might get to play the bad guy?" Without missing a beat, Avery said "Is it John McCain?" Dan almost drove off the road he was laughing so hard.

Out of the mouths of babes...

I am attempting to raise $1000

for the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk that is held by the American Cancer Society. Most of you know that I usually participate in the Susan G Komen 3 Day walk, but this year I was unable to, so I have joined a team of walkers from my company and I have set my personal goal at $1000. Can you help me? I am walking October 5th. Thanks. XOXO

For cancer information, 24/7, 365 days a year:
1.800.(ACS)227.2345
www.cancer.org/NEsupport

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY09NewEngland?px=7701472&pg=personal&fr_id=11704&et=j-RjQA27Ad46-Cbvp2yljw..&s_tafId=194269

So I tried to take them to work with me on Friday...

It didn't really go so well. The best thing about the attempt was this picture. I work on the 15th floor.

First day of school pictures

Ave has started first grade and Jack is in his final year of preschool. Not exactly sure where the time has gone.

This post is a little late

But we were having some technical difficulties...like this underlining...can you see it? Anyway, last week when we were on vacation, Avery, Jack and I went to the Forest Park Zoo and we were lucky enough to witness the sighting of 2 mortal enemies actually sitting next to each other and getting along. I got a picture. Thought I would share it with you.

So long, Manny

Don't let the door hit you...

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view/2008_08_01_No_Dodging_it:_Manny_Ramirez_just_a_bad__bad_man/srvc=home&position=0

The garden!

Ok, so I am not a good weeder. But apparently I can grow things! LOOK!

On a more serious note

I am sad about the death of Tim Russert. I wasn't an avid viewer of Meet the Press, but I had seen him involved with many different things, and I always found him to be, well, normal. Sometimes I think that newscasters can be a little uppity, and I never got that impression about him. Plus he seemed to smile a lot-how can that be bad?

PS. I just went to my brother's blog-I usually remember to read it when I post to mine, and he said practically the same thing about Tim Russert. I think that's funny. Just more proof that he and I are twins separated by a few years....his blog can be reached by going to: http://www.imaginarythreedimensionalblackboard.com/

Last day of kindergarten

Avery's last day of kindergarten was today. I can't believe that the whole school year has gone by. I took a picture of her on her first day for this blog, and I've taken a picture on her last day...

Jack as Spiderman

Holy cow, Jack is 4!!

Here are a few pics from his party...good time had by all.

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Summertime...and the living is easy

These pictures I took with my phone, through a screened window. So they are a little distorted, but I think they look cool. Its Ave and Jack on the swingset yesterday...

The garden.

Right now it doesn't look like much. And maybe it won't ever look like much. But Avery and I are certainly giving it a whirl. Note the regulation Elmo sprinkler.

Future Major League Baseball Player

Game face.

Future Farmers of America

Avery and I have been planning all winter to plant a garden. Our yard isn't quite ready yet, but she got some practice planting in Ami Jackie's garden.

The words were still hanging in a bubble over my head...

I was talking with my cousin Karen last Friday and we were comparing Jack and her son Nick, who are practically the same. Except Nick has been to the emergency room a lot and Jack (despite his best efforts) has never been.

On Sunday we all got up like normal and I was rushing Avery around so we could go run errands and Jack started to complain that his neck hurt. He kept holding it and holding his ear. He had fallen off the couch, but lightly, and he has fallen off the couch a million times (oh wait. should I admit that out loud? bad parent alert)...we finally decided he wasn't faking it (he is learning a lot from his sister the drama queen) and called his pediatrician, who suggested we bring him in right away. The doctor didn't think that he had done anything but maybe pull a muscle in his neck, but sent Dan and Jack to Baystate for xrays just to be sure. Thankfully nothing was wrong, but it wasn't so fun for them. So now we have the first hospital trip out of the way.

Peep Show

Got this from my friend Amy. Hilarious.

Avery took this picture of Daisy

I think its cool.

Snow day!

It was already vacation week, but its snowing today, so we are home in our PJs.

Mexican Standoff

We have REALLY big news!

No. I am not pregnant. Jeez. Why do you always jump to that conclusion when its "big news"?

There will, however, be a new member of our family in about 2 hours. Here she is...Her name is Daisy. She is a sharpei/black lab mix. Hopefully she won't eat the cats.

Here they are!

Yeah, I know. They have underwear on their heads.

Uncle Griz made this for Jack...

Aliens in East Longmeadow...in our front yard. Really.

See? There's the ship. And one little alien.

I haven't posted anything in almost a month..

for all 3 of you that read my blog, sorry about that...I will take some pictures of the kids and post them with some funny things they have been saying.

What a bunch of sore loser babies...

http://www.petitiononline.com/XLIItrut/petition.html

I say its my birthday...

37 years ago today I graced the world with my presence. :) Nancy would say I ruined her life. In that vein, I was trying to explain to Avery that someday she and Jack would be very very good friends and I tried to use Nancy and I as an example...not sure if it stuck or not. Anyway, lots of people made my day very special, so thanks.

holy cow

I know I have mentioned this on the blog before. Or I think I have. My nephew Matt and his delightful soon to be wife Paulette take the most amazing pictures. Go to www.saypickles.com , go to the blog, scroll down past the cute dog and 11 cute children and you will see some pictures of Avery that made me cry. Because they are so beautiful.

out of the mouths of babes...

There is a show on the Disney channel that centers around the fictional White House chef and his son...anyway we were watching it tonight and the son was up to his usual antics and Jack said "Boy Mom. They are SO wierd in the White House"

If he even knew.