Week 2

While last week had it's ups and downs, I would still call it a complete win.

We got so much work done and I felt like the boys were learning so much. We even hit the dairy farm! In the middle of all that, the Doodle Bop was back and forth to Boston twice

filming another commercial ... to which I will just say Tom Brady ... Uggs ... Awesomeness! And that baby still got his schoolwork done, as did his brothers at work with Daddy for the day.

Today was the start of week two and I was ready to go. Little did I know that just about everything we tried to do today would end up being a disaster - complete with downloading a virus onto my laptop while trying to print out work for the kids, and Captain America charging out the front door at the speed of light when the boys tried to come in the house. How we still have a dog is nothing short of a miracle the way he crisscrossed across traffic as the boys melted down. I am beyond grateful for our neighbor who noticed him on his sprint for Freedom and brought him back to us in her car.

It was that kind of afternoon where I threw in the towel, ate entirely too many peanut butter cookies (that I made for the boys) and thought about opening a bottle of wine.

The twins were unimpressed with dinner and instead of eating, both accidentally dumped their bowls onto the floor rather than continue eating. Seconds apart. Tears and early bedtimes all around.  Just when I thought I couldn't take any more today, I looked at the Big Guy and told him to throw on swishies or shorts.

I told him he was going to be my workout buddy and that I was going to start running again but I needed someone to push me. We stretched out and went to the track. I started over on C25K after quitting without finishing many months ago.

That kid turned my whole day around. I watched his red shirt fly past me and I kept my eyes on him as I tried to catch up. My eight year old can outrun me. Outrun me AND shout at me to speed it up. He thought he was hilarious out on that track. And it was just what I needed.

I did manage to beat him in a planking contest at the end though, so there's that.

Here's to a smoother day tomorrow.

4-5-7

This last week was CRAZY!

We started the week with just one audition in Boston scheduled, but ended it with 4 trips for 5 auditions in under 7 days.

Plus school (half days on audition days) and sports. How we still managed to fit in swim, gymnastics, wrestling and ninja challenge ... I have no idea. I can not say enough about how amazing these kids are.

Are you tired? I'm still tired.

Coming up later today I have a healthy snack post (kids approved) and tomorrow will be that giveaway I wanted to run last week ... followed by a little bit about the giant leap we are taking. That's right, double posts the next few days so I can get back on track over here.

AND starting later this week? You can also find me blogging over at Launch Trampoline Park!

Wordless Wednesday: Audition edition

Half day school, ride up to Boston, audition, ride home from Boston, team practice at the gym, fit in homework - two days in a row. Superstars. I am so proud of these boys.

Hello Spring!

Taking time to blog got lost in a sea of sickness again the last few days. Holy school and sports germs. Thank goodness for Spring because I need better weather and healthy kids. The Bunny Bee was out sick again Thursday and then all the boys on Friday though they all started to perk back up during the day so we didn't have to cancel dinner.

Coming home from my birthday dinner Friday night? I was sick. For the entire weekend. We even had to cancel our big kidless night out to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday. That one was tough. I had been looking forward to it so much, and staying home sick was not at all in the plans. Do over to come eventually.

The boys celebrated Opening Day after school yesterday by watching the Red Sox game.

Today, it's back to business around here. I dropped the boys at school this morning and flew home to finish getting everything ready for the Consignment Sale drop off ... while also trying to pack 3 kids for an afternoon in Boston followed by a change of clothes for wrestling practice tonight. Still working on that one. Picking the boys up just before lunch and heading to Boston for an audition.

Is it bedtime yet? What?

I don't mind the back and forth for the auditions, it's actually fun. It's the running around before and after that is exhausting. Rescheduled swim lessons for tonight and hopefully we make it to wrestling practice on time.

It's pretty busy around here today, but there is a giveaway and more coming up this week so stick around!

In pieces

Hitting that rut again. I stop by here every day, look around, open up a new post to start writing ... but nothing comes. It drives me crazy. I know I have so much to say ... but still nothing comes.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving it started hitting me. My Grandfather is gone and holidays will never again be the same. Much like the transition we made when I was a teenager and my Great Grandmother passed. And the transition we made again when Al's Grandmother passed. Families start to go their own way for so many reasons.

This change though? Really happened an entire year ago. After his heart attack in the fall, everything changed then. But it didn't seem permanent at the time. We weren't celebrating holidays together, he was spending months in the hospital, but it was not forever. It was just until he got better.

He passed away in January.

Instead of doing things together as a big family, we all do our own thing in pieces. And it isn't the same. Part of me would just like to take the kids away somewhere, make a new holiday tradition and not even be here. That isn't happening this year though.

My Grandmother in Florida had a heart attack just after Thanksgiving. The boys have been drawing her pictures to put in the mail and I wish we were closer so we could visit.

I wish I were more excited for Christmas, but right now I'm just not feeling it anymore. We didn't put the lights up outside the house this year ... I didn't even think we'd still be in this house for this Christmas ... and because of the giant dog in the house only the top half of the tree can be decorated. It's almost funny in a way.

We told the boys that next year the dog will be old enough where we should be able to decorate the entire tree ... and not have to leave all the decorations they love to play with on the top few shelves of the book case that are too high for them. Each time I move them to a lower shelf I find them right back in the dog's mouth. When he gets determined enough, he can reach higher than the kids.

Right now I just do not have the time - or the energy - to fight him for each piece. When the boys were toddlers we put the Superyard (gate) around the tree. Can't do that to keep the dog away.

I have to put my game face back on for the boys. The Yay it's Christmas! one. They are excited about so many things. When I dropped the boys at school this morning, the Bunny Bee told everyone in line that there were just 14 days left till Christmas! I hadn't even realized it.

And before those 14 days are up, we have a few more wrestling tournaments, a photo shoot, parties, the Big Guy's 8th birthday (someone hold me because this is not happening) and the movie comes out. It's also hitting me today that none of this movie business even happened until after my Grandfather passed. How is that possible? The auditions, the back and forth to Boston, filming ... and now the final product. He's been gone for all of it. Realizing that sort of takes my breath away.

So this is where I am today. Knowing that there is always so much to be thankful for ... but still having a hard time anyway. Damn writing is cathartic. A piece of me has known all of this the entire time, but until I sat here to put it all down I don't think I fully realized part of what has been bothering me.

Maybe I'll be back with a Wordless Wednesday photo later today, or a Throwback Thursday tomorrow. It might be slow going the next few days around here (but certainly not for a lack of things to do). I will get back to blogging like I always do.

Finding our way

Over the past few weeks, Al and I have taken the boys to meet with a few different agencies about representation. Really, they have all been a pretty good fit. And we still have one more to go before making a decision. I realized after the first one, that it isn't just about who says yes we will take the boys on, but its about who is the best fit with our family. Who can help us best navigate the start of all this.

I have to tell the truth here in this space. Sometimes it terrifies me. Am I doing the right thing by my boys. At 6 and 7, they are telling me they want this. They aren't small babies who don't know any different, but at the same time, they aren't teenagers.

Those initial auditions before the boys ever got the role? Only the Doodle Bop really wanted it. The Bunny Bee made it clear that he would do it 'for now' and for the Doodle Bop, but he didn't want to always do it. The Big Guy? Wanted no part. Skipping ahead a few months later, it was something not only all three of the boys wanted, but the only thing the Bunny Bee could seem to talk about. How much he wanted to act. At age five. And now six.

As a mom I have done (and am still doing) more soul searching than you can possibly imagine. Out of nowhere the twins were involved in something really big. Bigger than they can understand at their age. Our whole family got to be involved in one way or another and it was amazing. But I have told them all time and time again ... no matter what ever happens ... we do this for fun. Only for fun. Not for money. Money for college is awesome (and that is where it all goes to wait), but they will not do this solely for money.

If they get another role, that's great. If they don't, that is OK too ... because no matter what I want to keep these kids kids. Sports, friends, school and more.

It's the small changes that I can already see that are tough to sometimes take. That kid who was not ever nice to your child? Suddenly wants to be close friends. Other kids? Continually tell them they 'must be rich'. Where do kids this little even get that from?

I will not be that mom that pushes the boys into any of this while they sit on the side telling me they don't want to do it. I tell them we can stop any time. And that sometimes we may end up going to lots of auditions before we get called back for something. It is not always going to seem as easy as what they went through nearly a year ago now.

Sitting outside one of the agencies we interviewed with, was a mom and her totally adorable small boys. From second one I could tell they didn't want to be there. I was feeling sort of bad. They were out of control, loud, crying ... and all my guys could do was stare at them silently as I tried to get them not to. I thought about all the times the boys were so small and flipped out like that. My first instinct was always to pack them up and go.

Except for that one time the Big Guy was only so many months old and I was at the mall waiting in the Dunkin Donuts line for a coffee while he screamed and cried. And the cashier chastised me for not picking him up. As my eyes filled with tears I wanted to tell her that my child pretty much cried 24/7 at the time, that the doctors didn't know why yet, that even if I picked him up he would still be crying and I just wanted a coffee damn it and we would be leaving. But I kept silent. And sobbed when I got back to the car.

So there was that one time.

Aside from that? My kids were out of hand and I was leaving.

I listened to this mom try to bribe her kids and beg them over and over to behave. And I felt both sorry for her, and a little ... I don't know what ... unsettled. As she ushered them in anyway, I realized that she was not doing this because it was what her kids wanted to try. She was doing it for her. Things got so bad, they actually had to be asked to leave. It was shocking to me.

And again, there I sat questioning myself. Why am I here ... am I doing the right thing. What if I make the wrong decision for my kids.

I'm so thankful to have a husband on the same page as I am. And boys who are telling me this is what they want. Yesterday I tweeted that there should be some support group on Facebook for parents new to the business with their kids. I feel like I could use some help navigating at times. Kris Kardashian I am not.

At an audition? I'll be the parent who doesn't talk to the other parents. Not because I don't want to make a few friends - seeing some familiar faces each trip might be nice. Sitting there listening to parents tick off all their kids credits to each other? Doesn't sound like it's all for fun. And I am still trying to keep this 'fun' for the boys.

The release date is coming closer and closer. Months ago it felt like it would never get here. Now its around the corner and we have all these decisions to make. I know that there might be some mistakes along the way, but we are going to take things slow and see where it leads.

October ups and downs

This last week has been so ... emotional. I have hated this week of October for more years than I care to count now. While the boys and I always look forward to the feast on the hill and the Columbus Day Parade, it still gets mixed up in the loss I can't help but associate that weekend with.

I felt a mess all week, but it took me a few days to figure out why. I felt - and still feel - so much guilt for not going to the cemetery this year. Why did I not go.

There were just so many ups and downs this week. The house showing that (again) didn't pan out was a definite down, as were some issues with school. I didn't work out at all - no runs, no fit squad. It seemed like each time I made a plan to do something, something else came up and I had no control.

But mixed in everywhere with all the things that made me sad or went wrong, were so many good things as well. Like getting to spend a few days watching my sweet little friend Belle.

The trailer coming out. Jumping up and down outside of gymnastics practice as Al and I watched on the iPad. The Bunny Bee. That line. Oh my gosh, that line. The boys getting to see it.

Watching Twitter explode.

Watching the boys at wrestling practice on Friday. Look closely at that pic. In the window and the doorway? All of the parents crowded around cheering and loving every second, as we realized how far all the boys have come in just a few short months.

Discussing the upcoming tournaments.

Celebrating my niece's 1st birthday!

Right now I am trying to remember to be thankful for each and every day, no matter how overwhelming things sometimes seem. While I will never forget the angel babies our family lost no matter how many years go by - we got to celebrate this sweetheart right here.

And in another month and a half?

We will welcome her little brother.

Boston, CT, RI - oh my!

How can the rest of last week be summed up?

Cleaning, swim, wrestling, gymnastics, and more wrestling - and I can't forget full mornings at Vacation Bible School for the entire week as well. The twins got their first 'injuries' at wrestling last week, resulting in two very teary kids (who I hope snap back for this week). Oh, and our house will be on the market come September 1st. HOLLA!

Did we stop and slow down for the weekend?

Heck no! Y'all know me better than that! It's summer damn it and after missing an entire week at the beach we were kicking into high gear. Friday night the boys had the VBS closing. Saturday morning we were on the road early headed straight to Fenway for our first time as a family - Futures at Fenway.

So much fun! They got to see a minor league game, check out the sights AND attend their very first concert. Kidz Bop. Hello 11th row seating. We were so close and yet the boys had more fun watching them on the big screens. Go figure.

Out to dinner at Johnny Rockets after we got home.

This morning? We were up bright and early to hit Buttonwoods Farm in CT - Sunflowers for Wishes. Our third year. Hayride, feeding the cows, walking through the sunflowers and finishing the morning off with ice cream.

Spent the afternoon back in RI hanging with cousins from Texas and goofing off...

So is it really any wonder that by the time the boys came home the Doodle Bop was in tears and hot to the touch. 103 temperature. Because who can keep a pace like that!

Tomorrow just happens to be the twins six year checkup at the pedi so I guess this came at the exact right time. My beach 'office' will have to wait this week... hopefully not for too long. The waves and the boogie boards are calling the boys. But first? We have to get this guy better.

Catching up and moving ahead

So I'm missing the old blogging machine that I was. Before Boston, before life and the end of the school year for the boys ... and so many other small dramas got in the way. Blogging is my outlet and I hate that I have let it go lately. It's been months since I was regularly posting on Buy-Her and lets be real, I only get a post or two a week up here. (And one of them happens to be Wordless Wednesday so that isn't really writing writing.)

Changes I am making. I am telling myself that by the end of the summer, I will find a way to combine Buy-Her with Cira's Lyrics here and maybe add some other things as well. That's right, I want an entire blog overhaul. A little bit of everything - all of the pieces of me - all in one spot.

The last few weeks have flown by. The week before boys last week of school? Al was on vacation and we took the boys out for a day and played hooky. Their first trip to the Boston Museum of Science. So much fun! Even before we went into the museum, the Doodle Bop was dragging us to the giant dinosaur outside for a photo.

The Bunny Bee wanted to look like he was floating in space. Do you see it?

School ended a week ago. My babies graduated Kindergarten and will advance to first grade. My oldest is now going on to second grade in the fall. That alone deserves an entire blog post or two, but right now I just can't even do it. Having a hard time even thinking about all three boys in full day school after the summer.

We took another trip to the Boston area (can you tell how much we love it?!) and visited Uncle Pete. He took head shots for the boys and it went great. Not only are the photos amazing (and I promise you will get to see them soon), but the boys had a blast.

It took us till the end of June, but we finally made it to the beach for the first time with Laura and the kids. We had to squeeze it in before her surgery - and hopefully in a few weeks there will be many more trips to come.

Last week was also Give and Glam. Me and Li Li below. Love her!

My adorable niece G ... who happens to be getting entirely too big. Look at that tiny ponytail! I can't handle the cuteness.

This one below? Came out smaller than I wanted. A few weeks back I bought the boys a $5 sprinkler at the Christmas Tree Shops. On super sale as I like to call it. An octopus that should have shot water everywhere. But it didn't. Which is what you get when you only spend $5 and I should have known that. We set it up for the kids this weekend and when it didn't work correctly they spent an hour or two chasing poor Captain America with it.

This morning he exacted his revenge. Chewed half of the tentacles off of it and ate them. Take that!

And the Big Guy's first Big summer injury. Had to happen sooner or later, right?

 

He was trying to take the dog for a walk - with help on the way - but the moment he opened the front door Cap went flying out and my poor guy got dragged down the driveway before we could even blink. And he never.let.go.of.the.leash.

 

Two scraped up elbows, a bloody finger, two bloody knees (one that required two giant bandaids). From tears to smiles. Just like that. And now we will look for one of those harness leashes that go around the body for Captain America. The boys can help us hold the leash, but at 2 days shy of only 5 months, this puppy has gotten too big for my littles to try and handle themselves.

 

Call me crazy but I think Cap actually felt bad.

 

And that's what you've missed the last few weeks!

 

Making it my mission to get a post up a day again from here on out. The boys have made their summer list, we have praying mantis (or 'pretty mantis' as the boys still say) egg cases hatching in a few weeks, and so many more fun things going on. I will be posting it all!

16 days

16 days without blogging. Might be some kind of record for me... although I suspect I may have gone that long with all the Boston stuff I could not blog about. I hate having so much to say and not being able to say it in this space. Especially when I want to shout parts of it from the rooftops.

The Doodle Bop is shouting it from the rooftops if you see him. I will just tell you that the twins got recognized for the first time this morning and while I wasn't sure how I felt about it, they were ecstatic and grinning from ear to ear. After that? Every stop we made ended with the Doodle Bop telling a random cashier his news. And every single one ignored him. My poor guy.

Part of me gets it. When a five year old is telling you something sort of unbelievable of course you don't believe it. But it would be nice if you gave the littlest smile, nod, or even an oh really?

The last few weeks have been crazy as usual, and crazy different at the same time. The Doodle Bop and I got rear ended by a car full of teenage boys on our way to the market a week and a half ago. We were just one block away, stopped at a stop light for a good minute ... and bang. I could not even comprehend what had happened because I had not been in the act of stopping. We had been stopped. What the heck happened?! 

I was so thankful to be in a truck. LOVE my Ford Explorer. While we are still waiting to see what is wrong with ours, it appears we may only need a new bumper. The other car? The entire front was smashed up. The teary eyed kid admitted to me he took his eyes off the road for a few seconds and he was so sorry - and then tried to tell me we didn't need the police because only his car was damaged. Um...no. I explained that I had a 5 year old in the car and we were calling the police. The Doodle Bop ended up being taken to Hasbo by ambulance as a precaution and it was horrible to see him on a backboard in tears.

He ended up being 100% OK. That news alone left me teary. I was beyond thankful. I hurt my neck and shoulder but all I cared about was that my baby was OK.

This week I need to repeatedly remind myself of what is most important - that he was OK and everything else can be fixed. Because I am oh so aggravated right now. When I say everything that could go wrong with this insurance claim since then has gone wrong? It has. From the kid not reporting it, from an adjuster who acts like he is doing me a favor, to fighting with rental car companies. I spent so many years working at an insurance company handling these things for clients myself that I thought this would be so easy to take care of now. I couldn't be more aggravated. And if you follow me on Facebook you really saw me lose it over the last few days with the rental car situation.

Changing rental car companies on the advice of a friend yesterday afternoon was the best thing we could have done (till the adjuster gets wind of it I'm sure - but the amazing girl at the company vowed to fight for us). We went from a small SUV that did not fit 3 booster seats in it (which was Not OK) to a newer Ford Explorer with 7 seats that the boys are beyond in love with. And I can start to breathe again. (I think.)

Trying to get back into the daily routine of blogging again. More posts this week to come, I promise. The boys got word they are finally allowed to cut their hair so you KNOW that will make the blog. I'm so sad! I hated the in between stages when it was everywhere, but I am loving the way it looks now. Just as they are ready to pretty much shave their heads. We will see what they end up with - but I can assure you there will be before and after pictures.

See you all tomorrow. There WILL be a Thankful Thursday post. I promise.

xoxo

Thankful Thursday and Boston

Thankful Thursday! Changing it up a little today because there are some things I feel like I need to say first. It has been a week since I posted last. I actually have a few posts in the can ready to go, but was waiting for different reasons. Monday morning I got a post written about the boys and the dog but then Boston happened and it didn't feel right.

In fact, nothing has felt right since then.

It took such a toll. Born and raised in Rhode Island, a piece of my heart has always belonged to Boston - especially with what we have been doing with the boys lately. Red Sox, Fanueil Hall, The Freedom Trail, the North End ... Al and I used to love spending entire weekends there. Something about living in New England, having everything so close, you feel a part of it all. The morning of the Marathon I debated on taking the boys down. I felt braver after all of our recent traveling and thought I could do it OK without Al (who was at work). I then started to think about how much I hate crazy crowds and decided we should just skip. Plus I had work to do. Maybe next year I decided.

I took a break from work and the boys and I met Al on his lunch break, then we were back home again. From my laptop, with the Bunny Bee next to me, I caught a blurb online about a possible bombing at the Marathon. Could not be. I couldn't turn on the news so I started asking my girlfriends what they heard. Once I realized just how serious it was, I put the boys in front of a DVD so they wouldn't see anything by accident and turned on the TV in my room. I was horrified by what I saw. And sick to my stomach. Blinking back tears all I could think was that I had almost taken my kids.

The girls and I were glued to our laptops talking while watching the reports, all of us in disbelief. I was IM'ing Al. This just was.not.happening.

But it was.

While we managed to keep any knowledge of Sandy Hook from our kids, we weren't so lucky with the Marathon coverage. I shielded them from the TV reports, we didn't talk about it in front of them, but I forgot all about radio coverage. (They boys go to sleep with their radios on at night... during Sandy Hook I remembered to put on Cd's... not this time.) I didn't know they knew a thing until we were sitting at the Rhode Island Blood Center the next day. They asked why so many people were donating blood. I simply said that there were lots of people who needed some and they asked people to come in and help.

It wasn't until we were in the truck on the way home that they asked about it again - and mentioned that they had 'heard things' on the radio about people getting hurt badly at a race. I struggled with what to say. I told them I hadn't wanted to talk about it, that I didn't want them to be scared of anything. I told them at the Marathon someone exploded some things (I could not say 'bomb' to my little kids) and lots of people got hurt. A few died. Mommy donated blood to help the people who got hurt get better.

They nodded their heads. I explained that this does not happen all the time and again, I didn't want them to be scared. That they could ask me anything. They told me they would not ever be scared, because whoever did that was the 'baddest person ever' and once the police catch him no one will ever do bad things like that again because he will be in prison forever.

My heart.

We went into Dunkin Donuts and right at their eye level sat the stack of newspapers with the photos from the day before splashed across them. The Bunny Bee's mouth opened. I just grabbed him and moved him along. I don't want you to look at those things I told them. I don't want you to watch it on TV either. Promise me that if you are changing channels and see something you change it right away. Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network only - do you hear me? Again they nodded. I hate that I even have to talk to them like this. The Big Guy often turns on the news (we have had chats about this) because he likes to see them do the weather. I explained that I do not want them talking about this at school because we wouldn't want to scare kids who may not know or understand.

And I made it my mission to make sure the boys got their mind off all of it. Easier said then done. They have talked about it daily. They want to know if all the people are better and if they have caught the bad guy. All I can say is they are all getting better and they think they will have the bad guy soon.

Yesterday we went to the beach. Today we had a family day. I still can't wrap my head around Boston and I don't think I ever will. I am running my first 5K in a year next weekend and the thought of the boys at the finish line scares me. But I know that that is no way to live. They are excited to come watch and watch they will.

I know this post doesn't exactly fit into the usual Thankful Thursday, but trust me when I say I am beyond thankful for everything that I have ... this week has really hit that home. I am thankful that we were not at the Marathon on Monday and that my kids don't have the images of being there and the panic in their heads. I am thankful that my babies are not scared, and that they still believe there are not more people out there in the world who would do things like this (when the rest of us sadly know different). I am thankful I can hug my husband and boys. I am thankful for April beach days.

I am thankful for crazy kids. Chaos as usual. An insane puppy. Every last bit of it.

And even if we are technically Rhode Islanders, I still consider us Boston Strong.

I am thankful for it all.

The adventures of Captain America

Yesterday just might have been the craziest day we have had yet.

Up at 5:30am, on the road by 6:30am...

two hours of traffic before we hit our destination. Talk about being tired before your day really even starts. Stress that comes with it aside, the day was beyond amazing. My face is sunburned from spending the day in the sun, but I am so thankful it turned out to be such a great day weather wise.

By the time we were on the road to head home again, it was past the boys bedtime and we still needed to stop for dinner. McDonalds at 8pm on the road was the best we could do.

We didn't get home till after 9pm. The boys burst into the door yelling Captain America's name. Followed by screams of Ewwww!

I'm saying it now. We totally had our reservations about leaving a puppy home for an undetermined amount of time. Though we are crating, knowing it would be a a really long day didn't seem fair to leave him in the crate when he's still getting used to it. Al made a huge space for him in the living room, complete with food, water, pee pads, toys, his blanket ... all enclosed by the big superyard we used to use for the boys. He called it Captain America's Palace for the day. And just in case he got out (though he assured me it was not possible) he blocked off the kitchen door.

Guess what y'all. This puppy hopped the superyard. He can barely hoist himself onto the couch most days, but he could hop the superyard ... which is Higher than then couch. Because of course. In fact, from the looks of the living room he may not have spent a full 20 minutes in that enclosure before going on to wreck the living room, pee on my sweater and cover half the room (himself included) in poop.

Oh.my.gah!

We got the kids to bed, Al started cleaning the living room and I dragged Captain America into the bath tub. This 22 pound puppy fought me like crazy and I ended up just as wet as him. I'm also sure he was not.sorry.at.all. Just upset he had to get wet. Look at this face. It says Mommy is torturing me.

By the time I finished getting him dry it was after 10pm. And I don't think Al finished cleaning till about 11. Don't even get me started on the issue of Danny's dream light that should not have been in the living room. (If anyone has any tips on how to clean THAT without ruining it, I would greatly appreciate it.)

I would like to say the night calmed down after that... but you know it didn't. This morning I nearly lost my ish on the boys - and the dog - none of whom slept in at all after getting so little sleep. The first thing I did after getting the Big Guy to school was get.coffee! And now I am trying to get caught up from yesterday.

Never a dull moment anymore with Captain America. Never.

Birthday smirthday

36. That doesn't even feel real. (I mean I told the kids I was 23 and they thought that was old!) Aside from the debacle that was my 25th birthday (hello quarter life crisis), I usually spend a good 2 weeks counting down to the big day. This year? While I knew it was coming, I had almost completely forgotten about it with everything going on with the boys. I remember telling the boys two weeks ago that I wasn't sure if we would be going to the school basketball game they wanted to attend because it fell on my birthday ... and that was pretty much that.

Countless trips to Boston the last few weeks combined with a 3 day stretch of driving back and forth and it was a few hours into our wedding anniversary before Al and I even noticed what day it was. First time ever we had forgotten and we laughed about how funny it was and how crazy things are. But then I saw the look of panic... the one where he silently realized that meant my birthday was the next day. And I said seriously, its fine... this year is so far out of the norm...

That night after we got back from Boston we got a call we needed to be back again in the morning, but Al had to be at work ... so I left a message with school that we would be late, but not by much. Famous last words.

Yesterday we woke the boys up bright and early and piled them into the car for the hour drive. After tons of traffic, we were about 10 minutes away when I missed the lane I needed. And the GPS could not seem to reroute itself (because who really pays for the updates? we sure don't). I kept watching the time increase on the GPS as I cursed it and hit the steering wheel. Oh and then there is the part where I blew through the EZPASS lane literally throwing Cd's out of the center console only to find it was in Al's car and not mine. Good times.

Long story short? It took us an additional hour plus to reach our destination. Where I then had to parallel park. (You don't want to know.) After spending an hour at our destination we were trucking it back home to get the Big Guy to school. Once we hit traffic the boys were fighting, I was yelling, they were crying... terrible horrible no good very bad day. I got the Big Guy to school 7 minutes past the 3 hour mark where you are no longer considered tardy but absent. SEVEN MINUTES. It was all I could do not to explode at being told what I already knew. I would have taken the twins back home with me... but the Big Guy needed the class time too much.

I ran home with under 20 minutes to feed the Bunny Bee and Doodle Bop lunch and then get them to school. More yelling followed by tears. Parent of the year award. It was my day to work in Kindergarten but I was so exhausted I went home and slept. At some point I pulled a Justin Bieber and tweeted that this was the worst.birthday.ever. I know have so much to be thankful for but I sort of broke under the stress of the last two weeks.

Last night we took the boys to our old high school for the big 6th grade basketball game. (Blog post on that one later.) Colored beads, light up shark headbands, the whole shebang. The boys were having so much fun ... until the twins hit the wall of being overtired and the Big Guy literally fell off the bleachers and hit his back. From a sitting position. We left early but still didn't get home till around 8:30. Cake, sent everyone to bed... Al and I were in bed pretty soon after.

And that was that. I was feeling so miserable I didn't really even get online - or read the masses of birthday wishes that I am wading through this morning. And I am so thankful for them... I truly feel blessed to have so many friends. I feel badly that I spent the day yesterday focusing on everything that went wrong, instead of the good things (on Thankful Thursday no less).

Looking forward to everything this new year brings ... now that I am 23.

Saturday fun

We wanted to do something fun with the boys today so we decided to hit up Boston's North End. The weather was perfect for a walk around. The Big Guy had to pose with Paul Revere. I tried to get all three boys, but the other two were not having it.

I did get one shot with all three shortly after thanks to Al. A little sunny, can you tell?

For lunch we went to Regina Pizzeria. The boys were fascinated at how small and packed the place was, and that people had to wait outside to be seated. We got there in the nick of time. No wait for us. Wait for everyone after us. The pizza was amazing. Before they were even done eating they were telling us we have to always come get pizza there. The glass Ginger Ale bottles helped them make their decision.

And you know we had to hit up Mike's Pastry - because no trip is complete without a stop for their fabulous cannolis with the chocolate chips at the ends. Mmm!

The lady that waited on us thought the boys were so cute she even snuck a few cookies in with our order at the end. So sweet.

All in all, we had a super fun day. Two out of three kids asleep in the car on the way home this afternoon. Thank you fresh air! I love that they love the North End as much as I do. I could go back every weekend.

Our trip to Yo Gabba Gabba in Boston

Saturday we took the boys to Boston to see Yo Gabba Gabba.

We started the day with a trip to Fanueil Hall and oh my gosh was it cold out! Fresh hot pretzels helped the boys warm up and we spent some time sight seeing before we headed over to the Orpheum Theater.

 

The boys had an incredible time at the show! The Bunny Bee brought his very own Plex doll and the Doodle Bop brought his Brobee and they held on to them the entire show. I was excited to see not only DJ Lance Rock on stage, but also Biz Markie make an appearance. It may have been Yo Gabba Gabba, but seeing Biz Markie took me right back to being a kid. My kids were surprised that I knew who he was. Too funny.

 

I loved that they encouraged all the kids to get up and dance. My guys were a little shy, but plenty of other kids were on their feet the entire time. We sang songs we knew from the TV show together. I can only equate it to what I would imagine a little kid's rock concert to be like. My friend Joanna's son stood at a railing taller than him, breaking it down almost the entire time. Biz also grabbed some kids from the audience for a little beat boxing and then some dancing on stage.

 

 

We would definitely go to another Yo Gabba Gabba show again! I would recommend it as a show not to be missed with your kids.

 

 

***Disclaimer: We received free tickets for our family to attend the show in exchange for promotions and a post about the show. Opinions are all our own.