The Normandin Family

Valentines Day

2012-02-14T17:35:00.006-05:00

Valentines Day is not a big holiday in our family we don't go crazy over gifts and things but I do like to do something little.

While the kids were at school I put together a little bag of candy's and a small toy for each of them.

They all came home with lots of candy and they each had a party in their class room they were really excited to see the bag when they got home.

John had to Ref a game tonight so we were on our own, for dinner I made a pizza with a heart on it.

The kids loved it and we had a good night together to bad dad couldn't be here with us.

Today was also the 100th day of school for the kids and Zach's class buddies with Aaron's class and they made these shirts made out of gummy bears pretty cool but too bad you can't eat them. What a fun day! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Zach's Travel Basketball

2012-02-13T09:53:00.003-05:00

This winter Zach has been playing on the travel basketball team.

It's an all 4th grade boy team and they all play really well together.

Zach is pretty short for his age so he has a hard time getting the ball but he does a great job when he does get it.

John is the assistant coach for Zach's team and he does a great job teaching the boys about plays and what they need to do to improve and Zach loves having him there with him.

Zach is much better at defense and he does a great job at setting a pick for the team. They are not a great team but they have improved over the season. Zach has only made 2 baskets so far but he keeps trying and that's what matters most. It's been fun to watch him play and grow over the past couple months. We have one more game in 2 weeks and then its back to soccer madness.

Winter Walk in the Woods

2012-02-10T08:45:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago we had a nice warm sunny day so we decided to go for a walk in the woods near a waterfall to see how fast the water was coming down the hill.

There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground even though it was almost 50 outside.

It was so beautiful with the snow all around.
It was nice to get outside for a walk together.

The kids had a blast and it was nice to be outside again.

Super Bowl Party

2012-02-09T10:26:00.003-05:00

Sunday we went to John's Parents to watch the big game.

Sean and Amanda found an old jersey and gave it to Zach pretty cool now he was really ready to watch the game.

The boys had a good time together watching the game.

Lots of yummy food made watching the game even better.

Even though we lost it was a good game to watch and we had a good time together as a family.

Tubing

2012-02-07T10:18:00.003-05:00

A couple weeks ago John was given some passes to go tubing at a local ski park and we couldn't wait to go.

It was a nice sunny day so when the sun went down it wasn't to cold for us on the hill and it was tons of fun.

Zach was always ahead of us. He probably doubled the time the rest of us went down the hill and he had a blast.

Katie hung back with John and I at first only going with one of us but after a few times down the hill she was ready to try and keep up with Zach.

Aaron did great I wasn't sure if he would even go down the hill since you had to go alone but he had so much fun and like the other 2 after a while he was going up and down all by himself as well. John and I noticed we were getting old and after about an hour we stopped going down to save our old tired bodies and just watched the kids.
It was a great evening spent together and all of us had a blast and that's what really matters after all.

Month Long Vacation

2012-02-06T09:24:00.006-05:00

My parents came to visit on Christmas day so they could be here when William was born and spend some time with our family.

Since Susan had William early we were able to spend a lot of time traveling around the State.

In all time times my parents have been here my dad has never been to Walden Pond so we stopped there and it was a very cold day but it was cool to see the lake covered in ice.

Our next stop was at the Boston Temple, such a beautiful building we have in our area.

From there we went to Harvard University the one place my parents really wanted to go on this trip. We walked around a little but is was really cold and windy so we couldn't hang around to long but we found a really cool bookstore and that made up for the cold.

We made a quick stop at the Charles River no boats were out but it was cool to throw rocks into the frozen river though.

Our last stop of the day was to the Boston Public Garden and we found the Ducklings. It was a fun day and it was nice to drive around Boston in a nice warm car.

Our last outing was for Susan's 21st Birthday and we went to Red Robin for lunch and then shopping and we got some really good chocolate. It was a fun last day out together. It has been a fun and busy month with my parents here but they were ready to go home and Katie was ready to have her room back again.

On the way home my parents meet Drew Bledso in the airport and were on the same plane as him pretty cool! We loved having them here and can't wait till they come back again.

Everyone Loves To Hold A Baby

2012-02-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

It's really awesome how much all 3 of my kids love to sit and hold William.
They are really good about taking turns and they all love to talk to him when he gets upset.

Aaron has really taken to William and they are good buddies. Aaron loves to sing to him and William loves to listen .

Katie was a little shy at first but has now gotten over it and is the first to hold him every time he comes over.

Its going to be really hard on all of us when they have to move to move away, but we are going to make the best of it while they are still here.

Sleding

2012-02-01T09:22:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago we finally had enough snow to for the kids to bring out their new sleds.

Katie loves the snow and she will stay outside as long as she can but, that also gets the boys to play longer and its great when all 3 of them play so nicely together.

Its so nice to have our own sledding hill in our yard it helps keep me warm and still able to see the kids.

Nana gave each of them a new sled for Christmas and they work really well. Katie and Zach made it from the top of the driveway all they way to the woods at the back of our yard.

The worst part about it is walking back up.

Luckiest Wife Ever (Says the Husband)

2012-01-26T08:39:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago we had our fist real snow of the winter and since it happened during the morning hours and John was at work I had to go out and clear the driveway.

As you may remember that crazy Halloween storm our old snow blower died so we decided to buy a new one, but it has not snowed since we got it.

John has been wishing for snow since Thanksgiving and with our crazy dry weather this winter he has been feeling a bit sad. Then a little jealous when I got to use it fist (lucky me!).

Lucky for John it snowed again last week on a weekend so he was able to go out and play with his new toy and had a blast. It didn't snow much and on a day he would be at work, I would just use the shovel to clear the driveway but couldn't just do that himself. Now he is waiting for a good strong snow storm to see how well it really works.

Dressed in White

2012-01-10T16:49:00.004-05:00

After Katie was baptized we had a plan to take some pictures of her and William all dressed up in there white clothes but it was a busy day and we didn't get any good pictures of the two of them. So we had them dress up again and we were able to get some good pictures. Here are a few of my favorites. They are so cute together!

Monkey On His Back

2012-01-04T09:33:00.002-05:00

About a month ago Aaron got a huge sock monkey from Nana and since then he is always with him.

While hanging out the other night Aaron was swinging his monkey around so Grandma tied the monkey to Aaron's back.

So he ran around the house with a monkey on his back and thought it was so funny!

We had a fun night watching Aaron and his monkey be silly together.

Katies Special Day

2011-12-31T19:50:00.006-05:00

Today was Katie's special day and she sure looked the part very beautiful all in white.

Today Katie was baptized in to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

She is very blessed to have her Father able to baptize her its so nice to see them dressed in white together.

We made sure we took a family photo.

Baby William made his first trip out today and was close to steeling the show from Katie but she was more than willing to share her day with him.

Nick has to go back to his training on Monday so William was blessed today as well. Katie and William we so sweet together on their special day all dresses in white together.

Zach asked to give one of the talks for the program so he talked about baptism and did a great job.

After Katie was Baptized while she was getting changed her cousin Jessi played her violin and did a wonderful job it was so beautiful to listen to and helped us fill the time to get Katie ready.

Grandpa Webb gave us the talk on the Holy Ghost and did a wonderful job and came out with a bag of cool gifts to help us remember to always listen to the Holy Ghost in our lives. Great Job Grandpa you did a great job.

When we got home we took a few family pictures and then got some food to eat.

Katie got a few gifts and was luck to get a CTR ring from Grandma Webb. She also got some baptism day jewelry, a special pillow case, and her own hymn book from Grandma and Grandpa Shattuck, Nana and Papa, and Sean, Amanda and Seany.

Grandma and Grandpa Webb bought her own scripture bag to keep all of her things in. It was a wonderful day and it was so nice to feel the Spirit all day long. We are so blessed to have Katie in our lives she is a wonderful girl full of life and we are so glad that she made the decision to be baptized. Katie we love you very much!!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-30T14:21:00.006-05:00

We were able to sleep in till about 7 on Christmas morning but the kids were wide awake once they came out of their rooms.

Everyone got some really cool gifts and the kids each took turns opening one gift at a time so we could all see what everyone was getting.

Even though its winter each of the kids got a new scooter. Katie got a pogo stick as well but everyone has been taking a turn on it so its been a great gift for them to share.

Zach got his own basketball hoop for the driveway so he was the most excited and that's why we saved it to be opened last.

Once we were done opening gifts I got the call from my sister so I was getting ready to leave and the boys played tackling the bear game while John made me something to eat.

After eating John and the kids did the whole thing over again at his parents house but he was on his own. We all had a fun but crazy and different Christmas day.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T18:32:00.005-05:00

With Christmas Eve being on a Saturday this year John had the day off, I think it might be one of the only Christmas eve's he has ever had off since we had kids, so it was nice to be able to spend the day together as a family.
We decided to go to the movies to see Tin Tin in 3D and we had a great time and it was a really good movie.

From there we went to Johns parents for our family party.

Grandma Shattuck gives the kids their gifts to open and they all got a new DS game and another DS so we now have 3 of them one for each of the kids. It was a fun night with lots of family and lots of good food.

When we got home the kids opened there one gift from us, as always PJ's and they all raced to get dressed.

Katie found a book called Christmas Eve that she wanted to read to us so we all sat and listened to her.

We ended our night with John reading us the Christmas story out of the scriptures. It was a great way to end our busy day and get us ready for Christmas morning.

Best Christmas Gift Ever

2011-12-27T20:48:00.003-05:00

Christmas morning was a very eventful one this year. After the kids woke us up and we finished opening our gifts I received a call from my sister saying her water broke in the middle of the night and she was going into active labor.

Just before 4pm William Tyler Pullan was born. 6lbs 14 oz and 20 in long. Mom and baby are doing well.

Today they came home, so we took the kids over to meet their new cousin. Zach was the first one to ask to hold him and he did a great job.

My parents flew in on Christmas night and were able to spend a little time each day with them.

It has been a very busy and crazy few days but we are so happy to have baby William here.

Christmas Home Comming

2011-12-20T13:21:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning we were all excited because Nick was on his way home for Christmas!

The kids and Susan made him a sign and couldn't wait to have Nick home to see it.

Susan ran the second she saw him.

Aaron has taken over again as being Nicks buddy and had a hard time sharing him with Susan when it was time to get in the car. We are all very happy that he is home! Welcome Home Nick!

Normandin Christmas Party

2011-12-13T15:42:00.003-05:00

Saturday was the Normandin Family Christmas party and it is the fist time in many years that everyone was able to be there.

John and I are the old ones in the family when it comes to the cousins and in turn our kids are the oldest too. So we wanted to make sure that there were some things to keep the kids happy while the adults talked.

We made snowman cookies that the kids could decorate and they did a really good job.

We also played pin the bow tie on the gingerbread man and Katie ended up winning that one. The kids had a good time playing together and its nice to see that my kids were very good helpers and played very nicely with their younger cousins.

There are 11 kids in the family and with everyone being there we took advantage and took a picture of them together which is the first one we have ever been able to do. They were all good sports and the bigger kids helped us with the little ones.
It was a fun night and it is good to be in a room filled with family this time of year.

Katies 8 Today!!!

2011-12-08T11:17:00.004-05:00

Today Katie turns 8! Happy Birthday!!!

Sunday we had her Birthday party with the family and had a great time.

I made her cupcakes and she helped decorate, then we formed them into the number 8, it turned out great.

We had a good time visiting and watching her open her many gifts.

We ended the night with milkshakes and a Christmas movie. Happy Birthday Katie you are turning into a beautiful girl and a wonderful sister. We love you very much!!!

Birthday Tradition

2011-12-05T14:25:00.004-05:00

Saturday Katie and I went to see the Nutcracker and we had a great time! We left the boys home to work on the house and had a fun girls day out.

This is our 3rd year of going together along with Nana, Grandma Shattuck, Amanda and we were lucky to have Susan around now so she came as well.

We really enjoy going each year and we always try and find what is different from the year before and it seems to get better each year.

We had so much fun and its a great way to start off Katies birthday week (I can't believe she's 8)!

Lights

2011-12-04T20:05:00.004-05:00

Yesterday John and the boys put the lights up on the house.

Zach and Aaron were great helpers and they worked hard to get the job done quickly.
I love to see the lights on the house at night it really makes it feel like Christmas. Great Job boys!

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T19:11:00.003-05:00

Saturday we went to pick out our Christmas tree from the local tree farm like we do every year. We got there early in the day so we had the run of the place and got the perfect tree.

We got home brought in the tree and got it set up in the tree stand. Zach and Katie were filling up the stand with water when we noticed that all around the carpet under the tree was wet. The stand had a crack in it and now all of the water the kids put in was all over the floor.

While I cleaned up the mess John and Aaron ran back to the tree farm to get a new stand and we started over.

In the end the new stand works well and the tree looks great. It was a crazy start to our decorating but it all got done in the end. We love this time of the year, I just hope things are not always this crazy(there's always hoping).

Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-25T16:00:00.004-05:00

We had a wonderful day and we were so glad we had the day to be together. We started our day with strawberry waffles for breakfast and then watched the parade, while we got our food put together that we needed for dinner.

We ate dinner at Johns parents again this year.

Grandma and Grandpa Shattuck came as well as Aunt Debbie her son Joe and boyfriend Chris.

After dinner we had some pie (Yum)!

The kids were so happy when baby Seany showed up and they all had a blast playing together and chasing each other around the house. It was a nice day spent together eating great food. The kids spent the night so mom and dad could get up early and go shopping in the morning.
Wishing everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with lots of family.

Rough End To Our Soccer Season

2011-11-21T14:17:00.004-05:00

The first half of Zach's soccer season went really well, they won all of the first 4 games so the league moved them up to level 2 and at the same time one of the boys on the team got sick and never ended up coming back.

The last 4 games they didn't win any of them so it ended up being really hard on the boys.

They are in a 6 on 6 league and we have no extra boys so they played 5 on 6. One thing they have is heart. None of the boys ever gave up even being down on players, no breaks or timeouts in soccer is a tough thing to do at 9 but they are all much better players now and can run faster and longer than most kids their age. Even though they didn't win any more of the games they did play well as a team.

Zach has really come far with his soccer skills this year. He is a great unselfish player always passing to others when he thinks they might have a better chance of making a goal. It was fun to watch him grow and learn as the season went on. Now that soccer is over we are on to basketball and looking forward to spring soccer.

Belated Halloween

2011-11-14T11:10:00.003-05:00

Because of the snow storm our town postponed town trick or treating for a week.

We have never been trick or treating in our town because Halloween is Grandma Shattuck's birthday so we always go to her house for a party which we did this year but there was no trick or treating that night.

We had a great night, but there are no good neighborhoods in our area so most of the time Susan and I stayed in the car and the kids ran to a couple houses with John and then got back into the car to find some more houses. The kids had fun and they even saw a few of there friends and they loved that. Belated Halloween was so much fun can't wait till next year!

Snow Storm Recap

2011-11-08T17:57:00.005-05:00

Getting back on track is taking much longer than I thought it would. I have a lot to catch up on so I'm going to try and keep them in order. Saturday night we went to bed in the dark with the power already out and the snow still falling.

This is what we woke up to Sunday morning, 2 feet of snow on the ground. Its so beautiful out when the snow is fresh on the ground, but the cold was starting to set in and the hunger growing in our tummy's.

After making pancakes on the barbecue, we all got our snow gear on and went out to clear the snow.

John went down to start the snow blower and after 30 minutes of trying to get it to start the pull start cord broke and we were stuck and wet and getting cold.

We called around and found a guy who wasn't to busy to come and plow us out. After waiting almost 2 hours the guy showed up and on his first fun down our driveway he fishtailed his truck barley missing our car and got stuck on our grass .

After some digging we got the truck out and he was able to finish the driveway. We only had a little clean up to do and we had a clear driveway. We packed our bags and went to John's parents to hang out until the power came back on. It was a very crazy and busy day and we were so glad to sit down in a nice warm house again.

Back in the light again

2011-11-04T16:54:00.003-04:00

We did get our power back on Tuesday night this week!!! I will post a full update soon. Its amazing how much we need power for and how useless you feel without it. I am very grateful for our family who helped us while we were in need.

Power-Less

2011-11-01T14:04:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am not a total slacker and I would not let my sister beat me at posting Halloween pictures unless I had a very good reason.

We a huge storm come through our area on Saturday night that dropped 2 feet of snow on us and since then we have been out of power. We have been nomads moving here and there each day waiting out the cold. We are hoping to get our power back on Friday morning as of right now but who knows if that will really happen.

Halloween has been postponed in our area until Saturday so we get to trick or treat in November how cool is that!

Once we are back in our house and I can upload our pictures I will post a full report of our goings on. Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

It's Only October

2011-10-28T13:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I picked up the kids from school it started to snow. I was not ready for it, and its way to early but the kids were so excited.

It was a busy day so one good thing to come from the early snow was no soccer practice.

Aaron was so excited and thought that snow meant Christmas and they all forgot about Halloween for a while. We are getting more snow this weekend so maybe we can make a snowman.

A Surprise Teacher's Visit

2011-10-25T18:59:00.002-04:00

After school today Aaron's teacher walked with him to the car which is very unusual so I was a bit worried that something was wrong. Mrs. Webb Aarons teacher is a great teacher and doese a great job of taking care of problems in the class so it strange that she would come out with him. She wanted to let me know that Aaron is her best helper in the class and he is her most caring student that she has ever had. Mrs. Webb wanted us to know that Aaron is a joy to have in her class and is always the first one to help others. It is so nice to hear that all the things that you teach your child has been heard. Aaron has always been my most caring and most helpful at home so I'm glad to hear that he does the same at school as well. Great Job Aaron!!

Pumpkins

2011-10-24T09:37:00.004-04:00

Last night we carved our pumpkins and we had so much fun!

All of us helped to clean the pumpkins out, but Aaron wouldn't touch it so he just watched.

Each of our kids got to choose what kind of face to carve.

John and I helped Aaron and Katie carve out their face but Zach did his all on his own.

They all turned out great and they look even better in the dark.

We are now ready for Halloween to be here, but now we have to wait, and waiting is hard to do!

Scarecrow Festival

2011-10-19T09:45:00.004-04:00

This is our 3rd time going to the Scarecrow Festival and it was a beautiful sunny warm day to be at an apple farm.

We started our day by making our scarecrow.

Zach and Aaron helped me fill the clothes with hey but, Aaron didn't last long and went off to play and jump in the hey instead.

Katie and Susan painted the head for the scarecrow.

I love the way it turned out so cute and Katie loved that we made it a girl.

Next we went on a hey ride around the farm and we loved seeing all the colors around that were changing on the trees.

Once we got off the tractor we went out to pick our apples and found some nice huge red ones. Nana came with us and the kids had a blast spending time with her. Once our bag and tummy was filled we headed back.

Around the Farm are lots of scarecrows for the contest and we found one dressed in army camo and had to take Susan's picture with it. We love Nick and miss him very much so every chance we get to honor him we do and this was a cute way to keep him fresh in our minds. Aaron really misses him the most and can't wait to see him at Christmas time when he comes home for a visit. We had a great day and can't wait to decorate our front steps with our scarecrow.

Soccer Make Up Game

2011-10-17T09:59:00.004-04:00

Last week Zach had a make up game to play and we had to travel about an hour to the field and it was a race against the sun to get the game finished before it set.

They ended up winning the game just as the light was fading. It was a cool evening but the boys played well and had a good time.

Friday we went to a park to play since the sun was out and we wanted to take advantage of the last days of summer weather.

Its so nice now that all 3 of the kids are big enough to play on there own with out to much help. They always have a great time when they are outside.

What a great was to start fun weekend.

Princess Katie

2011-10-12T12:22:00.004-04:00

Last night after dinner the boys left for soccer practice so Katie and I stayed home to clean up after dinner and watch one of her princess movies together.

After the dishes were done Katie tells me her favorite princess is Cinderella and asks to clean the floor like she does.

Who can pass up the chance to have a princess in the house and one that cleans even better so I think we will keep her around.

Ready for Halloween

2011-10-04T20:20:00.004-04:00

Sunday after dinner we got our Halloween decorations out.

We love to decorate the house for every holiday but Halloween is the fist one in a while so it seems like the most fun other than Christmas.

Katie has many crazy faces and she loves to show them off.

We mostly have wall hangings so the kids all get to pick a few and chose where they want to put them.

It was a great way to end a very fun weekend and its a good thing we didn't have anything to put outside since it was still raining.

Rainy Soccer Game

2011-10-03T18:18:00.003-04:00

It has been a wet couple weeks and it seems to rain on Thursday when we practice then again on Saturday morning when we play our games. Last week the game was canceled but this week we stuck it out and decided to play in the rain.

The field wasn't to bad and as the game started the rain slowed to a sprinkle so it wasn't so bad to watch. The boys had another great game and Zach seemed to really be improving on his footwork and made some really nice moves to keep the ball as he moved up the field.

As in the last 3 games Zach had one goal and the team won 5-1. In the last 5 minutes of the game the rain really picked up and started to pour. We were happy that they won but I was ready to get home and dry off. It ended up raining most of the day so we stayed inside and hung out together.

First Football Game

2011-09-28T12:27:00.004-04:00

Saturday we were able to go to a BC vs U Mass College football game and we had great seats.

John was given a bunch of tickets at work so after giving them to the guys at work he had a few left over so we were all able to go. We ended up sitting in the end zone in the 3rd row back. I have never sat so close at any sporting event.

We had a few extra tickets so we invited Zach's friend Mac to come along and they had a blast together.

Mac has a brother who is the same age as Aaron so he and his dad came along as well. This was Aaron's first game he has been to and he did a pretty good job of keeping close to our seats but luckily the row in front of us was empty and after half time the people in the front row didn't come back so the kids ended up standing in the front pretty awesome. BC (Boston College) won and they had some nice plays near where we were sitting and the kids really enjoyed that. It was a nice and hot humid fall day but we made the most of it and had a great time.

Busy Weekend

2011-09-26T12:30:00.004-04:00

I got a little behind so I want to go back to last weekend.

Zach had his first away game and they played really well. Zach got one of the teams 6 goals.
Grandma and Grandpa Shattuck came to watch the game as well and that made Zachs day, he really enjoys it when family members come to watch and support him.

After the game we stopped at a park to play for a while and we walked around the pond to get some of the kids energy out.

Sunday we were able to go to another Red Sox game.

It was a pretty slow game so Katie found a spot to keep herself entertained.

We took a walk to the top of the stands and had a great view of the field even though it was hard to see what was going on in the game. It was a sunny warm day and it was nice to be outside. We are very lucky to be able to go to so many games this year. We had a great day together even though the Sox lost.

Aaron the Goof Ball

2011-09-16T08:58:00.003-04:00

A couple days ago the kids were going crazy in the kitchen while I was trying to get dinner finished so I sent them outside to play until dad came home.

Zach came back in to let me know that Aaron is being a goof ball and didn't have shoes on to ride his bike but he had something crazy on his feet. I walked out to see that he had my winter gloves on his feet.

Aaron is always doing funny things and being silly so this didn't really surprise me when I saw him.

Dad came home and couldn't stop laughing at how silly Aaron is. I'm glad that we can count on Aaron to give us a good laugh every few days.

First trip to the Apple Farm

2011-09-14T12:33:00.004-04:00

After Zach's soccer game on Saturday we went to the Apple farm for their first event of the season.

They had some games for the kids both inside and out and the kids had a good time playing. Katie and Aaron got face painted as well Katie got a kitty and Aaron a basketball.

They have a country store and we bought some cider doughnuts for a snack, Aaron found a fox to hang out with and he thought it was cool to sit next to the Coca Cola cooler too.

They grow many different things at the farm and we found a huge pumpkin, Katie thought that was pretty cool.

We had a good time and it was a nice sunny day and that made it even better to be outside. We can't wait to go again.

The Start of a Great Soccer Season

2011-09-12T09:11:00.005-04:00

This summer Zach tried out to be on the travel soccer team. He has been improving over the last couple years and we were so happy to learn that he made the team.

Some how John was talked into being the coach again but this time all of the kids really love the game and they all work really hard every time they practice.
Saturday was their first game and the team played really well together.

They play 2 30 minute half's and they only have 6 boys on the team and they play 6 on 6 so they all have to play the entire time so by the end they were pretty tired. They won 13 to 0 and at 2 different times they only had 5 on the field. Zach even got one of the goals. What a great start to what should be a great season!

Aarons First Day of School!

2011-09-06T16:26:00.003-04:00

Since last week Aaron only went for a couple hours so today is his true first day of school!

He couldn't wait to get on the bus and start his day. This year the buses have made some changes and we have a new driver and somehow the bus never came.

Our neighbor's mom drove them to school so Aaron's first ride to school ended up being in a van not a bus but he was still very excited.

Aaron had a great first day even though he didn't get to go out to play because of the rain. He loved going to the computer lab and having his own lap top to work on.

He had a great time meeting new friends and can't wait to go back tomorrow.

First Day of School

2011-09-02T08:55:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of school!!!!

The kids were very excited for the day so they all got right up and got dressed so they could show off their new cloths.

Everyone ate a quick breakfast and then made sure everything they would need was in there backpack.

Zach and Katie had a normal full day of school but Aaron only had a 2 hour orientation where I had to stay with him to meet his teacher and walk around the school. He will start his real first full day of school on Tuesday and he can't wait.

The bus was late so they had to wait longer than usual but when it finally came they couldn't wait to get on.

Aaron was a little sad he couldn't ride with them today but he got to wave goodbye as they drove away and he knew that next time he would be on it with Zach and Katie.

Aaron and I sat outside and watched for them to come home we waited and waited and they arrived almost half and hour late, we couldn't wait to hear all about their day. One kid on the bus forgot to get off so they had to turn back around, we were glad that they made it home safe. Katie had a blast and told us that her teacher was having so much fun with the class they missed the bell to go out for morning recess! Everyone had a great day and now we have a 4 day weekend. We are looking forward to the year ahead and all that comes with it.

Last Day of Freedom

2011-09-01T08:00:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was the kids last day of summer before school starts so we wanted to do something fun.

Katie and Aaron started our day off by bringing out all of their animals and dolls and then decided to pile them on top of Zach.

They had so much fun they each took turns and in the end they all ended up covered.

Once they had cleaned up there mess we went to get lunch at McDonald's and spent some time playing on the toys.

Our next stop was to the park. Aaron's favorite place to play.

It's not a very big park, but it has enough to keep all of them busy. Katie really loves to swing she gets pretty high on them!

Zach loves to climb on things so he spent most of his time on the rocks climbing and running across them.

We all had a fun time playing together. What a great day to end our summer. The kids are excited to get back to school but maybe not as much as Mom is!

Girls Night Out

2011-08-31T10:02:00.003-04:00

Last night Katie, Nana, and I went to a Red Sox game and we had so much fun together! John and Zach had to stay home because of soccer so they kept Aaron with them so we could go out with just the girls!

We took the T in and we got there early enough that the train was pretty empty.

Our seats were out in the right Field Bleachers so not to close but we could see the whole field so it was good to watch the game.

Like always Katie danced most of the night and keep everyone around us entertained.

It was Katie's lucky night and she was given some pretty cool gifts. When we walked into the Ball Park one of the ticket scanner guys gave her a base ball card. Later in the game a very nice man came up with this balloon baseball cap and didn't want to keep it so he gave it to Katie, she was the center of attention when we were walking back to the T stop. She was also given a small Red Sox cap used as a bowl by a man sitting in front of us, Katie wants to use it for a doll hat. It was a great night out with just us girls. Thanks Dad for letting us go!

Weathering The Storm

2011-08-29T15:07:00.004-04:00

With Hurricane Irene's path set to come right over our area we spent some time getting prepared for the worst but praying for the best.

We spent Saturday getting the house ready for the strong winds. We took all of the toys and bikes and stored them in our shed behind our house and mowed the lawn to be sure that there no large sticks in the yard. As we were finishing up it started to pour down rain.

Sunday my sister Susan can over to spend the day with us and wait for the storm to pass. With the rain and wind outside our TV didn't work well most of the day so we played games with the kids and had a blast.

We were blessed with not having our power go out and we only had a couple trees that are in the woods behind us break off from the top. We had quite a few sticks and branches and leaves around the yard but for the most part we came out untouched from the storm, it also helped that the storm turned into a Tropical Storm so the wind was not as strong once it got to us.

Aaron couldn't wait for it to stop raining to clean up, so he put on his jacket and went out with his rake and wheelbarrow.

By late afternoon the storm had pasted and all of the boys went out to clean up and help out the neighbor who had a large tree branch across his driveway.

After dinner the sun came out and it turned into a beautiful summer evening. We are thankful to come out on the good side of such a terrible storm and pray for all of those who are having to deal with the aftermath of it.

Six Flags

2011-08-29T11:10:00.003-04:00

We spent one of our vacation days at Six Flags but so did everyone else in the area being that is was the first sunny day of the week so there were tons of people there.

The kids are now big enough to get on some of the adult rides so John went on the new one with Zach and Katie while I stayed with Aaron.

All 3 of the kids still love to go on the kids rides as well and this is one of their favorites!

Katie loves to put her head into the sharks mouth so she couldn't pass up the chance when she saw this one.

We ended our day by watching a show and John ended up being picked to dance with Daffy Duck and he had to dress up as Beyonce. He did a great job and everyone really enjoyed watching dad up on stage. We had a great day together and can't wait to go again next year!

Beach Day

2011-08-25T08:50:00.003-04:00

Last week John had a vacation week off from work so we stayed home and did some local things. We spent one day at the beach and had a blast.

The kids love to go to the ocean and John got this great shot of Katie jumping over the waves.

Aaron mostly stays on land and plays in the sand.

Zach found a hole in the sand so they all got inside and buried themselves. We had a great day and can't wait to come back again before the end of the summer.

New Hang Out

2011-08-23T15:42:00.004-04:00

Johns parents moved to a new home this summer and is down the street from a nice residents only beach and the kids love it.

The lake is so warm you don't ever want to get out once you are in.

The neighbors have a couple kayaks they let us use and it was fun hanging out on the lake we even got Aaron to go out for a while.

The kids have a fun time swimming out to the dock.

This is from our first family meal together it was a great day.

OH MY BEE'S

2011-08-21T19:37:00.003-04:00

A couple weeks ago we were on our back deck and noticed there were a lot of bee's around so John went to check it out. In the mean time Aaron who was standing outside with him came back into the house and started to scream. We noticed that he had a bee sting on his arm while I was checking him out he started to scream again but pointed to his side this time. I pulled his shirt off and a bee flew out. So in about 15 seconds he got 2 bee sting.

Later that night we were making dinner on the grill when Aaron stepped out the back door and within about 20 seconds he was stung again! Poor guy 3 in one day how could that happen. John went to look again and found 5 small bee's nests under our stairs.

A week later we were out in the back again when John and Aaron were attacked by a swarm of bees again both of them getting stung 3 time. John found another nest under our ramp to the shed. We are so glad that Aaron didn't have a reaction with all of those bee stings. We are hoping that we are now done with the bee's for this year and we will have to be better at watching for them next summer.

Free Zoo Day

2011-08-11T09:00:00.006-04:00

During the summer the State has a free Friday program where many places are free to get into and we decided to go even though it was a hot humid day.

We had a good time walking around trying to find all of the animals who were hiding in the shade so it was a challenge most of the time.

We were able to see the lion sleeping under a rock but he never even picked up his head.

The kids got tired pretty fast so we didn't get to see all of the animals .

We had a fun day together and that's what matters most.

Final Stop Tennessee !!

2011-08-05T08:52:00.005-04:00

Our final stop and the reason we came on this family trip is to Powell TN where my oldest sister Cathy lives. My oldest niece Emily was graduating from High School so we wanted to make sure we were there to celebrate with her.

We were able to take a few days of rest once we got there, so we mostly just hung out together and the kids played in there toy room. We did go out to a park one day and the kids had a blast.

Our last day in TN we went to the graduation and it was so exciting to hear Emily's name called!!

We had so much fun and it was a nice visit with our family but we had a long 16 hour car ride back home. We had a wonderful vacation, we saw and did so many new things. We can't wait to do it again!!

Day 4 Museum Afternoon

2011-08-03T08:56:00.006-04:00

After our much needed lunch break we went to 2 more museums. We started at the American History Museum.

Katie and I were very excited when we found the red slippers from the Wizard of Oz .

We also saw a huge doll house that was all hand made, it was amazing how many rooms were in this one house even the rooms were wired with lights.

After walking around for a while and leaning a bunch about our history we walked down the street to the Natural History Museum.

As we walked in there was a huge elephant pretty cool!
The animals were so real looking it was so cool to see them up close.
In the sea world part we found the skeleton of a huge sea turtle.

Katie got pretty close to a shark and thought she was so funny!

Aaron had fun looking into the kangaroo's pouch. So much to see in one place so amazing. To finish up we went to another 3D movie this time we found out about Dinosaurs it was pretty cool.

Just down the street was the Capital Building so we made a quick stop to take a picture.

This is the end of our time here in DC but we had so much fun while we were here. There is so much to do and see it's amazing. From here we drive to our Final stop in Powell TN, we can't wait to see our family and take a much needed rest from traveling.

Day 4 Monument Morning

2011-07-28T10:46:00.005-04:00

I know it has been a while since we went on vacation but I still have a few thing I want to post so we have them on our blog. Day 4 was a very full and busy day. We started with visiting some of the monuments in the area.

Our first stop was the Iwo Jima Memorial. It is so amazing to see in person. It is so huge and so moving to see these men who served our country.

Stop 2 was the White House. The kids really wanted to see the White House and they were very excited when we got there. It is a very beautiful building even through the fence.

Just down the street was the Washington Monument. From there we took a nice long walk on what I like to call "Monument Road" so many things all in a row, on one street so amazing!

We walked to the World War Two Memorial next and that is very special to us because my Grandfather served in that war and was in Japan when they bombed it "pretty scary". There is water and fountains everywhere it is amazing.

We then walked to the Vietnam Wall Memorial. All those names is quite a site to see.

My Dads generation lived through this so it was really touching for him to be able to see it in person.

This is what Zach couldn't wait to see the Lincoln Memorial. We could see in in the distance but as we got closer it was amazing to see how big it really is.

We climbed up the huge step to see it close up. Abraham Lincoln is so big we all looked so small standing next to him.

The one thing that was disappointing is that the reflection pond was empty and under construction so no water means no reflection. The one thing that both John and I thought of when we walked by it was to just say "Forest" pretty funny that we both thought of the same thing.

The last monument at the end of our walk is the Korean War Memorial. They had a wall with pictures taken from news papers during the war of all different people who served our country, pretty cool!

There were also these ghostly statues of men walking through some grass just like they had to do in the war, walk around in silence always looking over there shoulder.
It was a wonderful morning see these many special memorials that mean so much to our country. We took a much needed lunch break and let John and Zach walk back to get the car for us.

Zach's First Golf Game

2011-07-21T13:57:00.002-04:00

A Couple of weeks ago John and Zach went out to try out Zach's new gold clubs.

They went with John's dad and brother and they had a great time.

For his first time out Zach did really well and ended up playing all 18 holes. He had a goal of below a 10 on each hole and came pretty close to that.

Zach had a blast and he can't wait to go again.

What a Game!!!

2011-07-18T11:35:00.003-04:00

Last week John was given some extra Red Sox tickets and we had to rush around a little to get ready but we made it on time and we had a great night.

Zach and John are huge Red Sox fans and they really love going to the game.

Katie and I enjoy going but are not as baseball crazy as the boys are. Katie has a lot of fun dancing around when they play music its pretty funny to watch but it keeps her entertained.

It was an awesome game with 6 home runs, 3 of them being hit in a row the Sox won and that made it even better. Thanks Coca Cola for the tickets we had a blast!!!

Finishing up our 4th

2011-07-14T10:06:00.003-04:00

On Sunday we went to the beach near Marblehead MA.

It turned out to be a cooler day with lots of clouds in the sky, but we didn't want to miss out on our day and the kids didn't seem to mind.

All of them got right in the water and had a blast boogie boarding. We could only stay for a couple hours because the sky got dark and we had to rush into the car to beat the rain.

Monday we spent the day at Johns Aunt's house and played in the pool all day.

We love to hang out by the pool and the kids love to swim so it was a great day.

Aaron is becoming a good swimmer and is now able to keep up with Zach and Katie and he really loves that!

As always Katie the fish is the first one in and the last one out. We had a great weekend, it was a nice change to have 3 days to spend together and we loved every minute of it.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-07T08:43:00.004-04:00

We started our weekend at a city fair in Acton. They had bounce houses and games and of course water to play in.

They had a water slide that the kids loved and spent most of their time on.

They also had a slip and slide that was pretty hard to slide on, but they love to get wet so it didn't matter how it was done.

They played some games as well. They had a huge basketball hoop that was really hard to even get the ball close to the hoop, but Zach was able to make about 5 baskets once he got the hang of it.

Aaron loved the baseball one where he was able to hit the ball.

After we were done playing games and jumping in the bounce houses we went to listen to a concert put on buy the local Air Force Band and they did a wonderful job.

Once it got dark we got out some glow stick and the kids had a blast making things out of them. When the band was done playing they ended the night with the most wonderful fireworks. We had a great day together and Susan came along so that made it even better. What a great start to our weekend.

Soccer Camp

2011-07-01T15:42:00.006-04:00

This week both Zach and Katie went to soccer camp. Zach went last year and had a blast so we thought Katie might enjoy it as well.

Katie had a blast and has learned a lot of new tricks, she really enjoyed shooting the ball and is much better at passing the ball.

They both got new balls to practice all summer to be ready for fall soccer.

The kids are all put on different teams and they play each other all week long. Zach was on Team Mexico and they ended up winning the World Cup way to go Zach!!

Katies New Look

2011-06-28T08:45:00.002-04:00

We have been talking about getting Katie's ears pierced for a while now but she has never been ready to get them done. On Saturday we were at the mall and we walked by the place that dose ear piercing and we talked about it again. As we walked by a second time Katie said she wanted to get it done.

She was a little nervous but she never even shed a single tear.

She picked out white daisy's that have a pink center, perfect for Katie.

She is being very responsible about taking care of her ears and making sure that she cleans them every day. Its amazing how much she has grown up this year new hair cut and now pierced ears. She is very much a girly girl so I can't wait to see what might come next for her. Great Job Katie you look Beautiful!

My Boy is Growing Up

2011-06-20T15:03:00.003-04:00

You know that your kids are getting older when your son can handle grown up work.

Zach helped out this weekend with the yard work and for the first time he mowed the lawn.

Our yard is not easy to mow with all of our hills but he did a great job. Its hard to believe that I have a 9 year old, where did the years go!

Poor Cooper

2011-06-20T14:38:00.004-04:00

Last week I noticed that our dog Cooper was not acting like himself and as the day went on he seemed to get worse. He did not eat or drink all day and I couldn't really get him to even get up and walk around. So when John got home we took him to the Vet. and found out that he has Lyme disease .

It came from a tick that bit him up to 6 months ago. He has 28 days of pills to take and it has been a very slow recovery since last week when we took him in.

Cooper is a wonderful dog and a great pet for our active kids. He is now able to get up by himself so we are hoping each day he will improve till he is back to himself again.

We love our dog and we are praying for a fast and full recovery.
Get Well Soon Cooper!

Next Stop D.C. Day 3

2011-06-16T09:55:00.007-04:00

Our next stop was to Washington DC. We had a 4 hour car ride so we only had half a day to spend in the city.

Our fist stop was to the Air and Space Museum.

They have many cool and amazing aircraft's hanging from the ceiling it was so cool to see them in person. We found an air plane to go into and the kids got to fly it, pretty cool.

Aaron loves planes and boats so when we found an area where they had things about aircraft carriers he was in heaven. They had an area where you could steer the boat and a video of planes taking off so it looked like you were on the ocean, we had a blast.

We all agreed an I max movie was a must and with the cool 3D glasses we were in style!

We had a great first day in DC but with the long drive we were ready for a nights rest.

Night of day 2 New York City

2011-06-09T09:40:00.006-04:00

After some much needed rest and a bit of swimming we all headed out to see Time Square with all the lights.

We were staying in a hotel in NJ so we took the train into the city and then got onto the subway. Our first stop was to ground zero.

We walked around one side of where the twin towers use to be and saw all the progress they are making on the new buildings that are going up, and it's pretty amazing to see in person.

We walked to one end of the construction where they have a large window. Inside they have these huge palm trees growing it's pretty cool.

From the viewing window you can see all across the block and watch all the progress that has been done in the last 10 years.

Our next stop was to Time Square and that was amazing!

There are huge signs all lit up all over everywhere its so cool. There are so many people out it was hard to even walk down the street.

We had a great time in New York, there is so much to do we can't wait till we can come back again one day but for now it was time to move on to our next stop D. C.

Morning of Day 2 New York City

2011-06-03T12:07:00.008-04:00

On our second day in NYC we went to see the Statue of Liberty. We started on the NJ side and got onto a Ferry Boat.

Our First stop was to Ellis Island to learn about the thousands of people who came to this country through this building.

This is the main room where all of the people would stand in line to see if they could finish their long journey and enter the US. It was fun to see all of the stories first hand and learn more about why people left there homes to come to our wonderful country.

Once we were done inside the museum we went outside to see the Statue on the near by Island.

We had to get back in line and wait for another ferry to take us to the Statue.

It's so amazing to see the Statue of Liberty getting bigger and bigger the closer we got.

When you first come off the boat you get your first chance to see how big the Statue really is, it's amazing to see in person. You first come to the back side of the statue and then we made our way around the Island.

It was a cool and overcast day but we were still able to see the city across the water, how beautiful to see the city from afar.

We had so much fun waling around the base of the Statue and we were able to snap a quick picture before it stated raining. What a morning we had it is wonderful that we are able to go and see this beautiful Statue.

Zachs Birthday Party

2011-06-02T08:59:00.001-04:00

Sunday we had Zach's family birthday party at our house and we had a really fun day together.

We had a full house and Zach got some really cool gifts from everyone.

John and I got him his own set of golf clubs and that is the one thing he wanted most.

Zach couldn't wait to try out his new clubs so cake time was rushed through so he could head out side.

Zach had a fun time using his clubs and can't wait to get out on the course and see how he dose at this game, and John is not complaining either. Happy Birthday Zach what a great party!!!

Zachs Birthday Events

2011-05-26T10:44:00.003-04:00

Since it was Zach's Birthday he gets to choose many of the things that happen that day so he started it out with a poptart for breakfast.

The kids had a half day at school so we all went out to lunch at McDonald's and it was a nice sunny day so the kids were able to play on the toys outside.

Once we got home the kids did a good job of getting right to their homework and since Zach got his done first he had some time to play on his DS.

After all the papers were put away the kids went out to enjoy the nice sunny day and had a blast playing together on their bikes.

While the kids played outside I got to work making Zach's dinner of choice, strawberry waffles and sausage. Once dinner was over it was present time. Zach has been into sports cards so we got him some baseball cards and a binder to put them all in. He also got a long wanted bop it game. His party is on Sunday and he will get his bigger gifts then.

We ended the night with ice cream cones and a little music party with Grandpa.

It was a great day spent together, thanks Zach for turning 9.

Happy Birthday Zach

2011-05-25T20:13:00.001-04:00

Today Zachary is 9 years old!!!

Zach is a wonderful boy and we are so happy that he is a part of our family. Have a great Birthday we love you very much!!!!

First Stop Day 1 NYC

2011-05-24T12:59:00.011-04:00

For our family vacation this year we decided to do a road trip and our first stop was New York City. We only had 2 days in NYC so we did as much as we could while we were there.

We drove right down town and had fun driving around the crazy traffic, great driving John!

Once we parked the car we walked to Central Park and played baseball in one of the fields, its crazy to see so many trees and green grass but when you look up its surrounded by tall buildings.

There are huge rocks all over the Park so we found one we could all climb up.

We stopped at the playground and had a fun time playing on the toys, even Grandma joined in on the fun!

Our next stop was at the Carousel to ride a horse.

Then we had a snack and walked around the path for a bit .

The kids had a great time chasing after the birds around.

We found our way to the lake and watched people paddle around then we sat down by the fountain and watched the ducks swim around.

Our next stop was the Empire State Building, this is a beautiful engraved picture on the wall in the lobby as we went up to get in line to go to the top.

We took the ride to the top to see the view and it was beautiful! We had fun walking all around the building to see view all around the city.

On our way out we saw this cool picture of the city on the side of the wall and I got a quick picture before they ushered us out to the elevator.

We had to walk back to the subway to get to our car, and since we all got up at 4 a.m. to drive down Aaron was very tired by the end of the day and got a much deserved ride on dad.

As we came up to the street after getting off the subway we walked past the Trump Hotel, what a beautiful and very tall building it is. We had a very busy, but fun first day of vacation and we were in need of some nice long rest to be ready for the next day.

Walk to the Water Falls

2011-05-11T10:15:00.003-04:00

Saturday we went for a walk to see the waterfalls that are near our house.

With all the rain and the spring run off it was cool to see the water moving so fast.
We had fun walking by the river but we had to deal with the bugs flying around us.

Zach found a tree that had fallen across the river and the kids did a good job walking across it.

It was a good day spent together as a family and that is what matters most to us.

Aaron's Birthday

2011-05-07T19:27:00.004-04:00

This is Aaron's last Birthday before he goes to school so we had a fun day home together.

Aaron's favorite breakfast is a pop tart so when he got up I made sure he had one ready to eat.

After playing with his toys for a while and playing a game on the computer it was time for lunch.

For lunch we went to get a happy meal at what Aaron calls Nick Knock Donalds. Susan came along and we had fun watching Aaron play on the toys.

For dinner Aaron wanted chocolate chip pancakes. Zach had baseball practice and once that was over it was time for ice cream. A great way to end a fun day together!

Happy Birthday Aaron

2011-05-06T14:58:00.004-04:00

Today Aaron turns 5!!!!!

I can't believe that my baby is now 5 and will be going into Kindergarten next year.

Sunday we had our family party for Aaron and we had a great time.

Aaron got many gifts but one of his favorites was a huge bucket of cheese balls!!!

Nana and Papa got him a new big wheel with a bell on it and he loves it.

We had a great day together and he loved all of his gifts. I can't believe how fast he has grown up. Aaron is such a wonderful little boy, he loves to play outside and is great at playing by himself. He is very kind to his brother and sister and loves his new baby cousin. Next year he will start a new adventure when he goes to school and we are all very excited about that!
Happy Birthday Aaron we love you very much, hope you have a great year being 5!!!!

Opening Day

2011-05-02T12:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was opening day for Zach's baseball team and John is the coach again so we couldn't wait to see the game.

Zach was starting pitcher for his team and he did a great job!

He has been working really hard on his pitching and it all payed off .

He pitched 2 innings, only throwing 32 pitches. He walked one player and had 5 strikeouts.

They only had time to play 3 innings and his team scored 3 runs. Zach tried out being catcher as well in the last inning and he did pretty good at that. It was a great game and it was a lot of fun to watch. They ended up winning 3 to 1, all runs being scored in the 3rd inning. Great job Zach it should be a great year for Baseball.

Hopscotch

2011-04-28T09:45:00.002-04:00

Our kids love sidewalk chalk, we can never have enough in our house.

Yesterday it finally stopped raining and Aaron couldn't wait to go out and try his new box of chalk.

Hopscotch is Aaron's favorite thing to do with his chalk, he loves to hop back and forth for quite a while and he loves to be outside. Thank goodness for chalk!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T19:51:00.004-04:00

We had a very busy weekend and it all started with John getting all 4 of his wisdom teeth pulled on Friday. He is starting to feel better today and his chipmunk cheeks are now gone, but he was in some pain for a few days but like a guy wouldn't sit down for very long.

We dyed eggs on Saturday and the kids had a fun time choosing what color each of their eggs would be.

We told the kids they could not come out of their rooms until 7a.m. and on the dot they were running into our room pulling us out of bed to see what was in their baskets.

After a quick breakfast everyone got dressed for Church and the kids let me take one good picture before we walked out the door.

After Church we went to John's Uncles house for a quick visit and the boys all went out to play catch in the rain before we left.

We ended our day John's parents for an egg hunt in the woods and a wonderful Easter dinner. We had a great weekend doing many fun things together, poor John being a good sport kept a smile on his face even though it hurt to do so. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter like we did.

Sad Little Hugger Boy

2011-04-21T15:49:00.004-04:00

Aaron is a hugger.

He loves to hug everyone. He doesn't care if he knows them that well he just wants to hug everyone.

Today we had a new washer delivered, and as the guys were leaving Aaron wanted to give them a hug and of course I told him no and to just wave as they left so he got very upset and started to throw a huge fit lasting for quite a while.

This happens quite often and it is a hard lesson that he has to learn but you just can't go around hugging everyone.

If this is ends up being one of the harder things I have to teach him then I'm alright with that.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-21T09:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we went to the town egg hunt and the kids had a fun time.

It was a bit cold out so we didn't last to long but each of the kids found a few eggs and got some candy from them.

Can't wait till it really warms up and we can spend some real time outside again.

Black Eye

2011-04-19T09:23:00.003-04:00

After John's party Zach was running up the stairs with his arms full and tripped. He hit the corner of the step with the corner of his eye,giving him a pretty big swollen eye. We love to end a party with a bang!!!

Happy Birthday John

2011-04-18T16:52:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was John's Birthday and we had a great day together.

We had a nice family dinner then the kids helped open presents.

John bought a new BBQ since ours died last week so he and Nick put it together to be ready for dinner on Sunday.

We are so grateful to have such a wonderful man in our lives! Happy Birthday John we love you very much!!!!

Decorating for Easter

2011-04-11T16:18:00.003-04:00

We love to get our house ready for holidays!

We have some really cute wall and window decorations. The kids love to hang them up and they really love that we let them put them anywhere they want!

April is a very busy month for us so its nice to start out doing things on time. I hope the rest of the month we can do the same!

Just The Men

2011-04-05T08:52:00.003-04:00

This year John was able to take Zach to his first Priesthood session of Conference. I sent him with a bingo card and some goldfish to use as markers as well a pictures of the General Authorities so he could write down what each of them talked about.

They had a great time and Zach loves to have time just him and dad. I'm so glad that John is such a good example to our boys so they can learn early how important the Priesthood is and how important it is to an example to others. Aaron can't wait till he is old enough to go as well. Thank goodness for Conference weekend!!

10 Years

2011-03-31T09:49:00.003-04:00

This month John and I have been married 10 years!! It seems just like yesterday that John and I got married and now here we are 3 wonderful kids and 10 years together.

I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. He is so caring and supportive, I couldn't ask for anything more in a husband. We have moved back and forth across the country to make sure we are in the right place for our family and I always know that he is right there beside me in making the right decisions for our family.

He is a wonder father to our 3 beautiful children. He is kind and always listens to there every need. Thank you John for the best 10 years of my life and I'm looking forward to the next 10 years and all that comes with it. I Love You Very Much!

Spring Fever

2011-03-29T11:46:00.003-04:00

Even though it has been spring for a while it doesn't feel that way here.

They kids love to be outside so once all of the snow was melted Zach went down behind the house and pulled out his pitch back.

Baseball is right around the corner and Zach is working really hard to be ready when that time is here. He is always out there tossing the ball and when John is home he does everything he can to get him to play catch. Can't wait till we can go out without a winter coat again!

Our household just got larger

2011-03-23T12:27:00.002-04:00

My wonderful younger sister and her husband were looking for a change and a new start so they have decided to move out here to New England and stay with us.

They have been here for a couple weeks now and we are loving having them here with us, its nice to have some of my family close again. With the move being so long my dad came along to help them drive, so we were able to spend some time with him as well and that was great!

The kids had a great time with Grandpa around and we were able to go and do some fun things together.

So far life has been good with the 2 extra people in the house and its great that my kids can get to know Susan and Nick again. It was sad to say goodbye to grandpa but its nice that he was able to stay and visit for a while. Both Susan and Nick have gotten a job in the first week here so that shows they were meant to move out here and we love that!

Soccer Saturdays

2011-03-22T09:50:00.004-04:00

This year we have both Katie and Zach playing indoor soccer, so we have spent many hours at the Y each Saturday this winter.

Katie was a little timid at first but she has really come to be a good player.

Zach having been playing for many years has done a great job as well. He has now moved up in the age bracket and is playing with 5th graders who are 2 years older then he is and that is helping him learn more and he has to work harder with the bigger kids so it has improved his game as well.

Both our kids have been playing goalie and have become pretty good at it, Katie gets a little nervous when she is put in and she tends to hold onto the side pole as the ball comes her way but she has done really well at learning the game and she has fun doing it and that's all the matters.

Aaron has even been able to get involved and helps John run the score board and that helps him pass the time so we can watch the kids play.

Soccer seems to be a big part of our lives right now so it's good that all our kids enjoy doing it, I think we have a long road ahead of sitting on the sidelines ahead of us.

Crazy Hair Day!!!

2011-03-17T13:33:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was crazy hair day at school so Katie wanted to go all out this year!

So we pulled it all up in the middle like a mo hawk and I think it turned out really cute.

Katie is a very silly girl and her hair fit that yesterday for sure!

Winter Vacation Recap

2011-03-08T12:49:00.005-05:00

We have been very busy getting ready for my sister to move here so I have not had a chance to post some of the pictures from the kids vacation.

We went skating on Monday with Nana and Papa and we had a blast.

The kids have never been skating before, so this was all new to them but they did a great job their first time out.

Zach was the only one who tried roller blades and did awesome, then he went and did laser tag with Papa and had fun doing that as well.

Later that week we went to a bounce house place with some friends.

It was a nice change to let them run around and jump on things to get some of their winter energy out!

Katie was a wonderful big sister and helped out all the younger kids so they could go on the big slide and not be scared. We had a fun day and it is great to be out of the house for a while!

We ended our week with Uncle Sean's birthday party and we got all of the cousins together to get a picture with baby Sean. WE had a great week doing lots of fun things together and now that winter is on it's way out we can't wait to be able to go outside and play again!

Snow Day

2011-03-01T10:36:00.002-05:00

We woke up Sunday Morning to a new layer of now on the ground and with the ice that was under it there way no way to get out of the driveway until the sun came out. So we spent a nice morning together before going out to clean up.

We finally got some wetter snow and made our first snowman of the winter.

Everyone helped with getting the snow rolled up and stacked together.

Once the driveway was cleared and we had a snowball fight.

The kids had a great time throwing snow at dad not something you are allowed to do on any other day.

In the end the kids won and Dad gave in, we had a fun time together and ended the afternoon with a cup of hot chocolate.

Melting

2011-02-19T18:20:00.002-05:00

This week we had 2 days of really nice weather so the kids played outside.

Katie and Aaron found their bikes and had a great time riding around the driveway now that we can see the hole thing again.

All day it looked like a river coming down our driveway from all melted snow.

We had a great couple days outside and we can't wait for spring to be here. Now we are back to winter weather with snow on the way in the next couple days can't wait till winter will be over.

Snow Castles

2011-02-15T13:49:00.002-05:00

We had a small break in the winter weather and the sun finally came out!

Aaron took the afternoon to be outside and had a great time. He is ready for summer so he found his shovel and pale and headed outside to make snow castles.

He walked around the house and found his scooter. The snow piles are quite large with over 2 feet of snow on the ground. You can barely see his head above the piles.

It's been a while since Aaron has played outside and he didn't want to come in.

Yesterday the sun was out all day and it reached 50, such a change from the past month when we have been in the 20's most of the time.

It was such a great sight to see part of our roof again only a small sign that winter is coming to a close, spring is in sight and we all can't wait!!

Katie's Swim Crazy!

2011-02-11T11:36:00.004-05:00

Katie has had a few swim meets so far this year and she is having a great time being on the team!

She is a very good teammate always cheering them on during most of the meet.

She has improved so much since she started this year. Her favorite is still the back stroke and she is awesome at it.

Katie's coach has been working on her free style stroke and teaching her how to breath the right way and that has made her time cut to about half from where she was last year.

Katie loves to be in the water and is a good sport win or loose always making sure she shakes the other swimmers hand at the end of the race.

I love to watch her, she trys her best every time she gets into the water and that's all I can ask of her. Swim meets are long and its very warm in the pool area but it's all worth it to watch her having such a good time. Keep up the good work Katie your doing Great!!!

A hard ending to Basketball

2011-02-09T15:37:00.004-05:00

Zach's basketball season is now over, but he had a great time playing this year.

Zach's team went into the playoffs 7 and 1 and in first place.

They played a great game but ended up loosing by one basket in the first playoff game.

Zach played really well and learned a lot this year. He was fouled near the end of the game and made 1 of the 2 foul shots, pretty good for his first time at the line. It was hard loosing but he had a great game. Great job Zach!!! Now we are onto indoor soccer, both Zach and Katie are playing this time, we love spending our Saturdays at the Y!

We Moved back to New England Why?

2011-01-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

This winter has been a killer with snow and cold weather storm after storm they are never ending it seems. Now I know we moved here for a reason but its getting harder to remember why when you wake up and it is -17 out side like it is today!

We have had 3 or 4 heavy storms in the last few weeks and that means clearing it out just for us to get out of our driveway. When John and I work together we can get it done in and hour and a half, but when he is at work and I need to clear it alone so I can get to work now that is a different story. The driveway seems to get longer while I am out there and the time seems to fly by when I have only done half of what I think I should have finished.

Katie is our snow bunny she loves to go out and play and Cooper is happy to join her.

I think that it is funny that Katie goes from the pool to the snow so easy and never seems to get tired or cold very easy. She is the first to go out and the last to come in both in the pool and the snow, what a girl.

With the weather being so cold we have had alot of time to play games together and its been a lot of fun. We got a new game from my brother Frank this Christmas called Blockus and we love it. Everyone can play and when we are done playing the kids have added an new part to the game that they play together after that keeps them happy long after we are done playing its been great. I can't wait to see the end of winter but we are in New England so we still have a long road ahead of us. Can't Wait!!! (not really)

What A Storm

2011-01-13T18:12:00.004-05:00

Wednesday started off with some light snow in the early a.m. hours and while were were all sleeping the snow came down like crazy!

By early afternoon we had about a foot on the ground and there was still now end to the storm.

Katie the brave one wanted to go out and play so she got dressed up into her winter gear and headed outside.

John went to clear a path for her and after about an hour you could hardly tell he was even out there.

Around 4 there was about 14 inches on the ground and the snow had slowed down so we all went to clean up.

As you can see even our snow blower couldn't handle all the snow and we had to go over it twice to clear the driveway.

Both Zach and Katie were very big helpers in getting the cars cleaned off and helped me shovel. We had a snow fight and we all jumped into the big piles of the snow once we were done working. We love to play in the snow it's just a mess to clean up. After about 3 hours we got the driveway cleaned and we went in to warm up, but the snow was still coming down so we know we would have to go back out. We had a fun day off, no school and no work it was nice to have an extra day to hang out as a family.

Basketball

2011-01-07T12:45:00.003-05:00

This is Zach's 2nd year playing basketball but last year they didn't really play any games so he was very excited to start playing this year.

There are only 4 teams, playing once a week so they get a chance to play each other a few times.

I have never noticed that Zach is not very tall until he got out on the court this year and was one of the shortest boy out there, but he does not let that stop him from playing hard and he keeps up this the bigger boys.

Zach has learned a lot this year and has improved each week he plays. He is best at defence and he has become better at dribbling the ball down the court. His team is 5 and 1 only losing by 1 point this weekend. He really enjoys playing and that is what matters the most. Great Job Zach!

Katie's Swim Meet

2011-01-02T19:34:00.006-05:00

Here is a Video of one of Katie's event's from her Swim Meet from this weekend. She is the Master of the Backstroke . . . Great Job Katie!!

Day after Christmas Storm

2010-12-31T11:59:00.005-05:00

We woke up the day after Christmas still not feeling well so it turned out to be a good day to have a huge snow storm come through, and it was a huge storm.

Cooper loves the snow, so we let him out and he ran all the way to a neighbors and wouldn't come home so John and Katie went to find him right as the snow was getting heavy.

Katie and Aaron couldn't wait to go sledding so John took them out and they had a blast, but the storm was still going and the wind was pretty strong so they didn't last to long.

After a few trips up the hill and you get pretty tired. Katie loves to be out in the snow so she lasted the longest.

It is so nice to have a sledding hill in your front yard, mom gets to watch from the window inside the nice warm house.

Just before coming inside Katie and Aaron had to make snow angles, nice job guys!

The storm started Sunday evening and snowed all night and into the afternoon on Monday so early evening, when it stopped snowing we had about a foot on the ground but the wind was up to 40 mph at times so some of the drifts were even deeper.

The snow was so bad and the wind was still blowing so hard that John's work was closed Monday so it was nice to have an extra day to be home together. It took John about 2 hours to get out driveway cleared, what a job! We love the snow but it stinks to have to clean it up after. Welcome winter to New England!

Christmas Day

2010-12-30T13:59:00.004-05:00

This year we wanted to stay home and not have to go anywhere and it was so nice. We have always gone to parents houses either mine or Johns every Christmas so this year we did it at our house.

The kids loved it they didn't have to stop playing all day and they had a blast sharing their new toys with each other it was nice to watch. Aaron got an aircraft carrier with lots of planes and guys to go with it and that was the hit of the afternoon they all had a fun time playing together.

Katie got out a few of her dress up things and showed them off to us, so cute pink hair!!!

Johns parents came over with more gifts for the kids and John got a gift from everyone in the family that he has needed for a while now and he was shocked at seeing his very own tool box!! John got me a new camera this year and it is awesome it is a Nikon 12.1 Megapixels 15x zoom and can record video's as well. It is awesome. I love taking pictures and have a camera I can do video's on as well makes it that much more awesome.

Katie got a remote control dog and she loves it she walked it all around the house.

This was my first turkey dinner that I did all alone and it seemed to turn out good. We all had plenty to eat that's for sure

This is what Zach did most of the day he played Lego Batman and Lego Star wars the most but he was a good kid and turned it off when he was asked so it worked out well.

The kids got Toy Story 3 and How to train your Dragon so we ended the night watching the Dragon movie and hanging out together, what a wonderful day it was.

Christmas Morning

2010-12-29T09:18:00.003-05:00

We were blessed with tired children so we were able to sleep in until 7:30 Christmas morning.

The kids had a blast opening their gifts and everyone got what they wanted. Katie got a huge stuffed dog.

Aaron got a remote control car.

Zach got his long wanted DS game system and 4 games to go along with it.

The kids each gave each other gifts and Katie loved the ring that Zach gave her!

I wanted to give Katie a dress up box full of clothes and accessories but needed to have a place for all the things so I called on my father in law and he gave my old toy box a make over and it looks awesome. Katie has put all of her dolls in it along with just about everything else she got for Christmas so I think it will work out better than I was hoping. We had a wonderful Christmas spending time together playing with every one's new toys.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T08:37:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve always turns out to be a very busy day for our family. John and I both have to work that day so we are lucky that John's parents help us out and watch our kids until we can come and meet them for the party.

Pam has a party at her house on Christmas Eve and we get to spend some time with her side of the family that night. The Kids get to open gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Shuttuck. This year was the best one yet. They have been asking for pillow pets for a couple years now so that is what they got for our kids, and they were so excited. Thank you grandma and grandpa they love their pillows.

Once we left the party we went home and the kids open one gift from us and they all got new Pj's. This year has been a crazy one with us working so much and to add to it everyone except Zach is sick, really sick, so we made our night short and sent the kids and ourselves to bed.

Some friends of ours made reindeer dust and Katie remembered at the last minute about it so she went out and sprinkled it on the ground outside our house. We had a fun night even though we all felt pretty poorly. Can't wait for Christmas morning!!

Ready for Christmas

2010-12-23T10:54:00.004-05:00

We have had our house decorated for a while now but I have not put up any pictures.

We have a village that goes up each year but we have now run out of space and I will not be able to get any more houses until I have a larger space to put them on.

This is the family's favorite thing to put up and we let the kids decide where the houses will go so it really is a family project to get us ready for Christmas

I really love our tree this year it ended up being the perfect size for our living room and we all had a blast decorating it together.

John and I bought this nativity the first Christmas we spent together and I love to remember that first year we spent together each time we put it up.

Our stockings are special to me because my Aunt Barbara has made each one specially for each of us. Mine was made when I was a child and as I have added to my family she has made one for them as well. As you can see they all have a similar look except mine which has not always been that way. As we were packing to move back to MA we found some mice in our garage and they had only gotten into one box, and that was a Christmas one and the only thing that was ruined was my stocking, they had pulled it apart and chewed right through it. I have gone 2 Christmas's without a stoking which is fine I don't really need one but I feel sad looking at all of our family's name hanging on the wall with mine missing, so John the wonderful husband he is bought me a new one this year. It does look different but it just shows me how much my husband cares about me and I love it. We are so blessed to have a happy and healthy family I am so grateful for that every day. Merry Christmas I can't wait to hear about every ones Christmas day.!!