April Activities

Lots of fun random April activities...Enjoy the collection!



Yes, we gave our kids pop rocks before bed...Parents of the year!


Dancing while crafting

Nice to meet you, Jonah!

Today we had the pleasure of meeting sweet Annalia's little brother, Jonah.  He is only three and a half weeks old and so tiny!  Well especially when compared to my 9 lb 8 oz and 10 lb 2 oz mooses!  Emily and I had a great day, catching up on so much while Evan, Lia and Logan played together.  Jonah might not be sleeping too much during the night for Em and Jason but he sure was sweet and snuggly today.  Looking forward to more play dates when there will be four little ones running around with Annalia keeping the three boys in line!

Welcome home, Papa & Gramma!

This is always one of our favorite days of the year...the day Gramma and Papa come home from Florida!!  They arrived home last night around 5 pm and today we showed up around noon.  What??  We gave them 12+ hours before invading!  In all honesty, we would have been there sooner except that Evan had a dentist appointment.  We love that they go to Florida to escape the cold, snowy winter (and that we get to go too!) but we love even more when they are just a quick drive away!  We had a nice afternoon with them and stayed for dinner at Chelo's with Uncle Dan, Auntie Karin, Danny and Sean.  Great to have everyone back together again!

Reuniting with an old friend

With Evan being on vacation from school this week, he had a chance to join Logan and I at Gymboree today.  We attended music class with Miss Suzanne and then stayed for play class too.  We have been to open play a few times but Evan had said that he wanted to be able to go to the classes again too.  Music class was small, only four boys, and the theme was marching music.  The boys had fun at both classes and Evan was happy to see Miss Suzanne and join us for music class again.
After class, we had a special school vacation lunch out at Friendly's.  At the end of lunch, after ice cream, the boys wanted balloons.  All the ones near the door were gone so we asked the manager if there were any more.  She returned with two balloons and we headed on our way.  While trying to get out the door, on this super windy day, with two little boys and a to-go box, the wind whipped the balloons right off the sticks.  I was left with two empty sticks and two heart broken boys.  I felt terrible but there was nothing I could do.  Lesson learned...balloons and windy days don't mix!  (This is actually the second time Evan's balloon from Friendly's was lost because of the wind.)



As I am posting this about 3 weeks after this actually took place, I have to tell another cute story about the balloons.  Logan falls asleep in the car quite often for about 10 minutes, especially when we pick Evan up from school.  Almost every time that he has woken up in the last few weeks, he looks at me and says "B'loon.  Blow 'way. Windy."  Poor little guy...I guess this was a bit more upsetting to him than I realized.

Kicking Off April Vacation

We kicked off April vacation with a play date with the Wheeler's.  With everyone's crazy, busy schedules, we don't get to see them as often as we'd like.  Evan was really excited to see Derek, Madelyn, and especially Dylan today!  He told me that he was "really excited to see Dylan because he's one of the guys in their family that I really like."  Too cute!  It's so nice to see the kids playing together and having fun.  It was a beautiful day so we met at Woolie World for a while then came back to our house for lunch and more playing outside.  By the end of the afternoon, everyone was exhausted and no doubt had good naps on the way home.  Thanks for a fun day, Wheeler's!

Were you the one who carried that box?

A retelling of a conversation between Evan and Uncle Glenn from Easter

Evan: Were you the one who carried that box?

Uncle Glenn: Which box?

Evan: That box of candy

Uncle Glenn: Oh you mean the robin's eggs...yes

Evan: No, no, not the robin's eggs.  The other box, of candy, the big box, on the table out there

Uncle Glenn: Oh, yeah, I put them on the table

Evan: Oh, ok

(Long pause)

Uncle Glenn: Did you want something?

Evan: No, I was just wondering if you were the one who carried that box

Uncle Glenn (to me): This is the way my wife asks questions too

Uncle Glenn (to Evan): Did you want to see what is in the box?

Evan: Oh, ok, yeah, sure!

Evan then proceeded out to the living room with Uncle Glenn and helped him open and eat some of the Whitman's Sampler that Evan saw Uncle Glenn place on the coffee table shortly after arriving at their house for Easter dinner.  He waited patiently all day for this conversation and it was adorable!

Happy Easter!

Easter traditions have always been a bit varied from year to year in my memories.  The Easter bunny always came but some years we were on vacation, some years we would go to my Great Aunt Bet and Uncle Joe's for a big family egg hunt and dinner, and some years our day was a bit more low key.
We, unintentionally, have started a similar non-traditional tradition.  The Easter bunny comes and brings small gifts and a bit of candy.  Nothing crazy.  This year the Easter bunny "hid" some candy filled eggs for the boys to find in addition to the gifts and candy that he left in their Easter buckets.  It was a fun way to start the day!
After our egg hunt and breakfast, we went to RI to spend the afternoon with the Dowdings.  It was great to see Uncle Glenn and Aunt Chris's new house.  It's an adorable house in a really cute neighborhood, great for running!  We had a delicious meal and then enjoyed watching the 6 little ones play together.

Ending the night with a little Karate

Ah-Side

From the moment Logan wakes up in the morning until the moment he goes to bed at night, he would be "ah-side" if we let him.  We have been spending quite a bit of time "ah-side" since returning from Florida, both working and playing.  If you mention going somewhere or get a coat or shoes, Logan immediately says "shoe on, shoe on, coat on?".  And heaven forbid you run outside for one quick minute without him...he gets so upset.
The other day after waking up from his nap, still groggy, he saw Daddy and Evan outside.  Daddy was using the rake that I had given to Logan earlier in the day when the boys were helping me with some yard work.  Logan looked outside, looked back and me and said, very seriously, "Daddy.  Shobel. Mine!"  I guess Daddy isn't allowed to use Logan's shobel (aka rake).

Getting Ready for Easter

We've been doing a few Easter themed activities in anticipation of the Easter Bunny visiting...things we haven't done in the past.  Participating in the Easter Egg hunt at the Millbury Youth Camp, dying eggs, and Easter crafts.  The egg hunt was short and fun for the boys and the weather was just perfect!  We enjoyed most of the day outside afterwards...spring is coming!  From the smiles on the boys, I think it's safe to say that they have enjoyed it all!




Gliding down the racetrack

Annual Auction Babysitting

It's that time of year again...a Saturday in mid to late April means annual Boys and Girls Club Auction babysitting.  It was a beautiful day so we spent as much time as possible outside riding bikes and swinging.  After dinner, the boys played in the playroom and then all sat down to wind down and watch TV.  Some year I think it would be fun to attend the auction but then we'd have to give this up...I'm not quite ready for that yet!  I know I've said it before but these boys have a very special bond and it's wonderful to see them all together!  Love them all!

Play Date with Connor

Today we had a really fun play date with Amelia and Connor (and Abby too for a little while when she came home from school).  I can't tell you the last time we had a play date with them but I know it was too long ago.  The boys didn't seem to miss a beat though and played together quite well after taking a few minutes to wake up from the car ride.  They played outside (big wheels and swings); they played inside (super heroes and tea party); they even played alone so that Amelia and I could chat a bit...what a treat!  So nice to have great friends!

Out and About in Fort Myers

This trip to Fort Myers was like most others.  As much time in the sun and by the pool as we could get with some other outings and events mixed in for fun with the boys, meals out and our annual visit with Jon and Allie.  (Next year we have to do a better job of getting photos of the boys with both Jon and Allie!)  This year we also went to the beach with Papa & Gramma and took the boys to Zoomers.  Logan was a bit young for most things but Evan loved it!  (As I am posting this in July...better late than never...Evan has already mentioned going to Zoomers again next year a few times.)  I took the boys to Lakes Park, Bruce took Evan to pirate mini golf and Bruce and I caught the last home Red Sox spring training game of the year.  Lots of activity packed into one vacation...Good thing Papa & Gramma don't mind that we were there for more than a week!!



Video of a sea slug moving in the water, no purple dye though...unfortunately


Evan enjoying some time in the water with Daddy


Logan making some music and dancing at Lakes Park


Dancing at the Big Game.  These two stole the show!

Hanging Around the Lake House

Another trip to see Papa and Gramma in Fort Myers and another wonderful vacation making precious memories.  The weather wasn't as good this time as it often is at this time of the year but it was still better than it was at home in MA.  We had lots of fun just hanging around the lake house, exploring the yard and the lake and swimming in the pool.  It's nice that these boys don't need to have super exciting adventures everyday in order to have fun.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves.



Papa tickles Logan - This silly little boy just kept coming back for more


A special performance by Evan and George - What a goofball!


Wee O - One day after getting out of the pool, Logan just started saying "Wee O, Wee O" over and over.  I missed the really cute part but here is a taste of it.