Goodnight Irene

The more I look at the tree lying my yard, the more grateful I am that it hit at the right angle sparing us damage to our house or harming our family. Goodnight Irene.

Come on Irene!

Come on Irene! We are ready! Chad and Katie made banana/chocolate chip bread this morning to sustain us through the storm.



We tried to get some outdoor time in before the rain starts falling. This is code for wearing out the kids and dog before we are housebound. Here is Katie riding her bike at our neighbor's Bob and Elaine's house. They have a much better driveway and said we could use it when they were over at our house on Christmas Eve. We are finally taking them up on the offer. Katie crashed to the ground right after this picture. Bike riding ends.



We went to the park down the street after that. When we were enjoying the park, the rain arrived . It was only a sprinkle. Chad is at home "hatching down the hatch" as Katie would say. She said "we are all ready for The Irene." He's at home picking up all the toys on our deck and moving some stuff into the garage.  We are not alarmists but who wants all your stuff flying into the neighbor's yard.








He's also unexpectedly tackle home improvement projects. As we come up on our 5th anniversary at 72 Cedar  we are collectively unimpressed with our progress on home-related projects. I think the upstairs bathroom renovations traumatized him so we were avoiding the downstairs bathroom and kitchen. We decided to try and tackle some of this stuff now that fall is coming. He peeled some of the wallpaper to see how difficult it would be to come off. Who would have thought that the wallpaper would come off in one sheet with a half-assed effort? Now he's painted the ceiling, painting the trim and about to tackle the primer.  Cheers to the positive things that Irene is bringing. Let's hope she doesn't flood our basement.




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UPDOWN!

Chad said that Marin keeps walking up to him with her hands in the air saying "UpDown". He would pick her up thinking that is what she wants. He realized today that she is trying to say "TOUCHDOWN!" Looks like his efforts are paying off. She's such a daddy's girl.


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Did Anyone Feed the Dog?

Someone is earning her keep around here! I read an article this week on Boston.com debating the pros and cons (mostly pros) of kids doing household chores . Nice to see this initiative from Marin.

...and my job is done here.

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More Vacationing

We took last week off and since we have traveled to almost every state in New England this summer we decided to take a more low key approach and stay home a little and go to the beach a little. Our house and household projects needs some attention. My vacation "to do" list was very aggressive. I quickly realized that not all of this is going to get accomplished so I pick off a few tasks and enjoy some down time as well.

Katie went to the Cape on Tuesday to spend some extra time with Nana and Papa. They stopped at the Bass Pro Shop to check out the activities there. Unbeknownst to Nana and Papa, they bought Katie something that was very high on her birthday wish list--- a Batman fishing pole. I've been looking for one of these and once Katie spotted a fishing pole and a Batman one to boot it was a done deal. It also came with Batman sunglasses and they bought her shark-themed goggles so I'm crossing "Batman goggles" off the wish list. Here she is on the dock fishing for minnows. She didn't catch one. She just has a gigantic lure.

We went down on Wednesday and while Katie and Nana were at the Children's Museum, Marin and I hit the playground and dock. She's totally fixated on the water. She's staring at the boats here. Soon after this pic she started yelling "HIIIIYYYYOOO" to all the boats.

And here is the heartbreaker back at the house. I love this face!

Katie had a sliver in her hand. She was so brave that she had two bowls of Strawberry ice cream that night!

Katie loved the boogie board at Sebago so much that Chad went and bought her one of her own. It even matches her favorite bathing suit! Nice job Dad! Katie has made huge progress swimming this summer. She still needs to learn how to swim but she's been practicing her kicking and she is so much more comfortable in the water. It's nice to see her enjoying the summer!

After the beach we went back to the house for snacks. Marin has no interest in her sippy cup when there is a straw within her sights. You get alot of pointing and "Dat" (that) when a juice box is around.

After snacks, we were back at the swing set. I think Chad loves these swings as much as the kids do.

To wrap up the weekend Chad took Katie to see Cars 2 at The Strand. It was Katie's second time at the movies since I traumatized her by taking her to Toy Story 3 last year. This one was a huge success. She loved it and had a huge smile on her face when she came home. She even had popcorn and pink lemonade!

Flat Penny

We went to a relatively-new, local restaurant called the Flat Penny Bar and Grill in Berlin last night. Formally known as the Train Stop for you locals. It was our first time and maybe our last. The food and service were great but once Marin licked her plate I'm not sure if they'll let us go back. :) Plus, she might have eaten them out of french fries.

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Katie Lightyear

No, Buzz Lightyear didn't come to live at 72 Cedar. That's Katie in the hat she spotted at Walmart and Chad didn't have the heart to say no. She loves it...and with the Cars t-shirt I'm sure Pixar's marketing department loves it too.


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Rainy Monday

We're not a huge fan of rainy Mondays on vacation but could these two look any cuter in their yellow rain jackets?



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40 in Vacationland

My cousin Steve invited us to Maine to enjoy his annual vacation rental. He's a great host and we were excited to head to Sebego Lake to join him. His spot on the lake is perfect for the kids which gives the adult a chance to enjoy themselves too. Marin is crawling in the lake! She loved her freedom. Katie spent all weekend on that boogie board.

Marin also liked to just sit there.

Sean and Steve had to wrap up some work-related tasks before the real fun and relaxation could begin. Hurry up! Many lonely beers are begging for attention.

The girls were excited to see their cousin Kevin.

Steve's friend Ben arrived from their house nearby and everyone enjoyed a late afternoon swim. I think most of those kids in the water belong to him.  Before they arrived, Steve, Jill, Katie and I sailed on the S.S. Kerrigan. It was Katie's first sail and she seemed to like it. She asked a ton of questions.



Kevin trying to drink Uncle Stephen's Gin & Tonic. A true Kerrigan.



Here are some more highlights of our first day. At the end of the day we were joined by more cousins...the Reardons



The next day Marin prepped the beach early in the morning for the party. We were celebrating Ben and Steve turning the big 40!

Here are the brithday boys. Guys, you don't look a day over 38!

We gathered around the fire after the party and I have to give a shout out to my cousin-in-law Jill who might be the best s'more maker I ever met. Y.U.M.

Good night Sebego. Thanks for a fun weekend!



Miami Beach (CT not FL)

We headed to Old Lyme, CT to visit with Randy and Jess at the Noddin Family Compound. Typically, we bring the rain but this year we had two beautiful days. Off we went to Miami Beach! But not before the girls played on Captain Mike Noddin's boat! Not a great picture of Katie but I love Marin's face while at the helm! "How do you drive this thing?"

The Zeigler clan joined us too. Here are the girls lounging and snacking on the Connecticut Shore.

After a great day, we had a fabulous meal of lobsters, steamers and s'mores, of course. It looks like we had a few happy marshmellow toasters.

The girls begged Andy to tell them a scary story and he led them along for awhile but the Tickle Monster appeared at the end! Smart move.

After a quiet night, the girls awoke hungry and waited for Randy the-best-pancake-maker-ever Smith to wake up and make them some chow. Even with 8 hungry eyes on him, he patiently made them pancakes which was a huge success! I thought they were yummy too!

We had a great weekend and it was nice to hang out with our friends! I had to add this last photo of Marin sporting her Red Sox onesie walking back and forth on Captain-Mike-the die-hard-Yankees-fan's brand new deck. I don't think he minded (much).

5th Anniversary

Chad and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on July 22nd. We went to dinner at the new Legal's Harborside in Boston's now hip-and-trendy Seaport district--- a nod to our wedding reception-- which occurred when it was not as trendy and a little more industrial. Looks like we were ahead of the curve. ;)

For dessert, we requested the apparently low-brow Boston Creme Pie that they only sell downstairs and not on the fancy-shmancy 2nd floor. Before I could get all Bridezilla, they worked their magic. Still good five years later- both the marriage and the pie!





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