Halloween 2007

Halloween went off without a hitch. I got some pictures from the school party but we didn't bring the camera for the "actual" trick or treating.

We go to a really fun party in our neighborhood every year ahead of time.

This year it was light out for the party which was a treat. The kids had cute costumes. Brooke's costume is a combination of stuff she picked at the Christmas tree shops and Lexi's was a packaged surgeon costume. She got a lot of "oh, you're a nurse!" Which is a little 1950's don't ya think? Anyway, fun was had by all. Thanks to Yia Yia for holding down the fort and giving out candy to the 2 groups that came by.

Busy, busy

We have been busy, busy lately. John's work(s) are extememly busy (but that's good). My job has changed and become much more busy, so much, in fact, that I am going back to full time. Brooke is enjoying her dance class. She is really liking the routine of it and enjoys practicing in between classes. I'm really glad we switched for a session to dance (from gymnastics).
Brooke is also very into writing and reading. She's desperately trying to read and we are working on her "letters and sounds" skill set. It's encouraging that both kids go to bed with books and fall asleep reading. Yay us!
Alexis is growing like a weed and is currently 4" taller than Brooke was at this point. Yikes. She is actually still in the 95% percentile for the nation but I think that's because there is some giant midwestern boy somewhere who is skewing the curve.
They will both be taking soccer in January with me and John. It's a class called Hot Shots in Marshfield which is just for girls. It's really more of a confidence builder than a real soccer class but it's gotten rave reviews from people I know so we are psyched for it.
Before that we, of course, have Halloween (Lexi, surgeon; Brooke, fairy), Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are planning a trip somewhere in there to visit my father in Florida which will be a blast! He's down in Highland Beach (Palm Beach area), FL so we'll get to see southern style Christmas.
So that's the update for now!

Shirley Brown Cousins

For all of you who think having a blog is all fun and games this will prove you wrong. It's hard to decide what to include and what not to include on a blog. Sometimes you want to put things out there that are going on but you can't because you may upset someone. Sometimes, like now, you would prefer NOT to put something out there but feel like it would be an affront to the event if you don't mention it.

So here goes - on September 6, 2007 my aunt, Shirley Brown Cousins passed away. I will always remember her as a tall, thin, blonde 20 something. She was the one I wanted to be like. She seemed to have it all. When I was 12 my Mother and Father let me go to Florida and stay with her for a week under the auspices of "babysitting" for her new baby Campbell. There was a big debate raging in her family because her mother-in-law was determined to call the baby "Jane" and Shirley and her husband, Charlie, were equally determined to call her Campbell. It was sort of comical and finally died down (with the parents winning).
While there I had a great time. They had a pool and there was another teen who lived down the street that I hung around with. One afternoon Shirley took me to an outside mall and for lunch. She ordered me wine and we flirted with some guys sitting next to us at an outside eatery. It was very "adult" and, as my mother often says, changed me completely. Totally inappropriate of course but I thought it was wonderful.
Once I was home she always remembered my birthday and sent me gorgeous jewelry like a star sapphire ring and an opal necklace, both of which I still have. She was generous and fun.
Eventually her luck changed and they ran into hard times. The drink and life got to her and now she is no longer with us. She'll be missed but I'll always remember her as she was on my visit and in her heart.
Peace Shirl.

August vacation

So I'm back to work after my August vacation. We had a great time. I am really not that excited about being back. It is going to be a beautiful week which doesn't help.
A few things I (we) 've learned on vacation:

• Brooke can swim across a pool without touching the bottom
• Lexi can sing and sing and sing
• Brooke and Lexi LOVE horses
• We all wish our Dutch relatives lived in the U.S.
• Lexi is going to be potty trained on her own damn timetable
• If you get a child a desk they will stay in their room (Thanks Barb & Kate)
• Somehow housework increases exponentially when you are home all the time
• Going to the gym has nothing to do with your weight (I gained 2 lbs. over vacation but appear to be thinner based on the comments I've been getting - go figure)

There are a ton of pictures to view on the Vallier family photo gallery (see right). I think we are all set with carnivals, fairs and Storyland for quite awhile!

Move over Clapton because Sting is God.

Good lord is he still HOT! The Police concert at Fenway was AWESOME. John said it was the best show he'd ever seen and he's seen U2! They played all the hits like Roxanne, Message in a Bottle and Wrapped around your finger. They also did some not so well knows like De doo doo doo and Driven to Tears which I loved. The lights and video screens were great but didn't overpower the show. Sting was in great shape and I thought, the songs were all really well done. Stuart Copeland did an awesome job or recreating the chimes and percussions for Synchroncity II which isn't an easy task while playing lead drums as well. Well worth the money - I bought the $40 shirt and probably won't take it off until I have to work Tuesday!

All this was made possible by Yia Yia who came and sat for the kids which saved us the $$ for the sitter. Thanks Yia!!

Brooke quote for the day - We had just moved two couches out of the house to make way for teh new couches. Conversation between Yia Yia and Brooke:

Yia Yia - My back hurts I think I need a percocet.

Brooke - What's a percocet?

YY - A pain killer.

Brooke - YOU ARE GOING TO KILL LEXI???

Too funny!

Anee's party!

We had a big fun weekend. I am going to start with Anne's (John's mom) 70th surprise party which was Saturday. The weather was great and the catering was fantastic (silent chef in Scituate). The best part was that she was actually surprised, which is amazing with me and Poppy running around!
Everyone had a great time and the kids were all really well behaved. I didn't get to talk to everyone I would have liked but it was MUCH better than my standard conversation at our parties which consists of "Hi, how are.....what, oh yes I can get you a spoon, hold on one second..." We are spoiled forever!

Yia Yia and I at the party












MacEachern people (Allen Sr., Barb and Scott with Finn)












Mary Graham with the Wards (Robin and Harriet)












Me with the noodles waiting for Anne to show up












Anne eating her cake - notice the little scavengers...


















The newest MacEachern, Finnonbar MacEachern.











The Grahams (some of them) playing ball (Megan, Catherine and Tim)











Jane (John's sister) and Alison MacEachern (his cousin)












Papa John and Lexi Lou












On the Friday prior to the party we went to the cute little Zooquarium in W. Yarmouth. It was fairly cheap and small but it was BIG fun for the kids. The featured animal that day was skunk which you know is one of our favorites so it was a big hit for a dreary day activity.






























This pic is of the girls in their new 'Scotland' football jackets that uncle Derek and aunt Mo sent them. They absolutely love them and Lexi has been living in hers!

N.H. trip was a success!

N.B. - I apologize for formatting issues with pictures. Blogger really stinks when it comes to that.

This weekend we went to visit my father and Karen in N.H. It was a great time. I was a little worried it might be too long (2 nights) but it worked out perfectly.
The weather was nice (not hot but nice) and we spent a lot of time with Dad & Karen. They were unbelievable hosts. Karen sat down a sum total of 10 minutes the entire time we were there. She really went out of her way to make us comfortable (and well fed!). The kids absolutely loved it. Dad also spent a lot of time playing with the kids, swimming, tether ball, swinging, disc gun (which we graciously left there because he was playing with it as we were leaving).
They live about 15 feet from a small lake and beach. We went swimming, went out on their kayaks and went shopping in Wolfeboro. The kids were very good and overall we all had a great time.
We are all still sick but I'm pretending like that's not happening. Enjoy the photos and click on the link to the right for the complete collection of pics.

Reunion, sickness, 4th of July

How's that for a blog title? If you don't already know we've been sick as dogs in Vallierville. I have bronchitis, John has some cough and a stomach bug (which I had last week) and the kids are both randomly coughing and, in Lexi's case, throwing up occassionally. PLUS Brooke cut her foot at the beach on July 4th and spent 5 hours with John in the emergency room. Wicked blast!

Anyhow, we are on the mend hopefully! This weekend we are off to NH (I think) to visit Dad & Karen.

The reunion (2 weekends ago at this point) was great. A lot of people came and paid at the door (as I suspected) as we had a much bigger crowd than we had thought we would. We hooked up with Celia & Brad (shown with us in pics from reunion) beforehand and Mom gave us a ride down to the restaurant. A few friends I hadn't seen in a long time were there including Andrea Cummings, Carolyn Carey, Alisa Blitt, Heather

Tobin, etc. The women all looked amazing. The guys didn't. I am thinking guys just don't care as much as women (ya think?).

Anyway, a good time and everyone was wondering when we'll have the next one. The kids had a great time at Yia Yia's as you can see - though she was also sick.

We also got a chance to spend the day (this past weekend) with Kate & Barb our soon to be married friends in Hull, MA. They have a pool and a great yard and the weather was perfect. Brooke actually learned to swim in their pool on Sat. Previously she would cling to me and drive me a bit batty but she jumped in with John and got going on the noodle (swim toy) and couldn't be stopped. We all got burned and stuffed (Thanks Kate!) and had a blast.

Of course we were back in Marshfield at 4pm (we're just crazy like that)!

Here's a random pic of Brooke in her last gymnastics class (she'll sign up again in the Fall).

I passed the test!

I am now officially a P.M.P. or Project Management Professional as sanctioned by the Project Management Institute.

I took a 4 hour computer based test this morning. I finished in 3 hours and 55 minutes. Seriously. It was hard but I studied for about 6 weeks and passed it! Very excited. Hopefully it translates into some money!!

Brooke quotes

John likes to watch the weather - a lot - often.

So I'm driving the kids home from school the other day and I said "It looks like it might rain."

Brooke said, "I think it's going to rain on and off throughout the day." Swear to God.



Yesterday we're driving home and I said something like"This weather is ridiculous. I wish it would be sunny already." Brooke said, "Well Mom, sometimes the weather is just the weather. Sometimes God and the weather decide that it should be rainy and that's how it is."

Vacation, work, etc.

After much badgering I'm back!! It's been crazy in Vallierville. We went on vacation last week with Yia Yia (John couldn't make it, no vacation time). We had a great time. Yia Yia made lots of plans for fun things to occupy the kids! We went to North Conway, NH. Storyland, hiking, a lot of eating (you'll be happy to know I somehow LOST two pounds), swimming and shopping. Really a great time.


The kids rode horses. As you see, REAL horses. They were lead by the two handlers but they LOVED it! We hiked a few small trails, Diana's bath, Glen Ellis Falls, small part of Tuckerman's. All really nice hikes with little noodleheads.

The lake you see in the distance in one of the pictures (taken from the top of Cathedral ledge) is Echo Lake State Park. We went swimming there about 10 minutes after the photo was taken. It was great - a private little beach with fish in the lake and everything. Again, really good place if you have kids in North Conway. Yia Yia finds all the good stuff!

Papa John came to Storyland (as you'll see in the photos) which was a treat. We were able to stay an extra night (Wed.) after Yia Yia had left and visit Dad (Grandpa) and Karen in NH. That was also fun although a little cold for swimming BUT Lexi had to go in the water regardless.













So we were back on Thursday night. Once all the unpacking was done it was basically dinner, bath, bed. Friday morning wasn't too nice out so I thought we'd spend the day in the house. The phone rang about 8:30am.
"Hi, this is Mark Costa from DSS."
Me - "?????"
"There has been a report of abuse at Cherub's daycare center and your daughter Alexis was cited as one of the three children."
Ok, now freaking out of course. Asked questions etc. Basically Lexi had a teacher (whom I never liked) who would take her lunch if she didn't finish fast enough and throw it away then yell at her and "forcibly" put her in the corner.
She used the corner often and would grab or pull Lexi.
Excuse me but what the #$%&?
She would make her take a nap if she really was acting up. I am not getting a clear understanding of what happened and how often but John immediately went to the center and spoke to the Director. Turns out SHE was the one who reported it. There were allegations from teachers and the teacher was fired (about a month ago).
The Director, Amy, said they fired her immediately after hearing about it but it was going on a for a little while and the other teachers didn't say anything because they weren't sure what to do. It sounds like the woman was just a bitch and couldn't really handle the kids. Lexi doesn't seem to remember it (after asking her) but she has always HATED the corner more than Brooke ever did. We have stopped with the corner for awhile.
Also, we had her pretty much potty trained and it wasn't working at school. Now we know why. So that's my big fun Friday.
The whole situation has solidified my decision to take August off which some people were making me question. I want to focus on the kids and the potty training for one month. We had a great week last week but some time just going to the beach will be good and hopefully change some of the bad behavior Lexi exhibits occassionally.

In other fun news - my reunion is coming up and we only have about half the people confirmed that I thought we would. A lot of people "say" they are coming but haven't sent their money in yet. Cecilia is coming though so I don't really care if anyone else comes. Oh, and I have a great pair of shoes to wear (so there John Z.!).

Additionally, anyone seen the Herald's salary info for state employees? That's been big fun. Everyone at work knows what each other is making and is pissed about it. I sit between people making 175,000 a year and 25,000 a year. No problem there. Should be interesting to see how that plays out. Now that everyone can see what I make let me remind you that is for 30 hours so it's not so bad PLUS I'm taking August off and I work at home on Mondays! Still should be getting more money...... see what I mean!!! I hate the Herald!

In John's world he is kicking butt and taking names at his job(s). He made a HUGE Home Depot sale which is getting us a trip to California for sure and possibly Mexico. He also has some orders in the works for Bio-Cascade which will be coming through this summer. Good job Johnny!

Overall everyone is healthy and happy (if not a little crazed) so what else can you ask for?

A couple post scripts:
I'm reading "Einstein: His life and universe", v. good book though heavy material check it out if you are so inclined.
HOW MUCH DID THE SOPRANO'S FINALE STINK?? A LOT. THAT'S THE ANSWER.

How's your day going?

I wore my "fancy" shoes knowing full well that I had to walk through Downtown Crossing, up Boston Common hill, across Beacon Street and down Beacon Hill to a meeting. I did, however, change into my "non-fancy" shoes for the walk up because it was 7:30am and who cares at that point, right?
After my meeting I was feeling all full of myself because I hadn't sprained an ankle yet so I decided to wear the "fancies" on the trek back. I'm cool. I stepped on a sewer grate, got stuck, lost my shoe, had to walk back half barefoot, twist and pry my shoe from the grate and then put the shoe back on while trying to appear non-chalant. Did I mention I'm cool? And now, I have a big white scratch on the back of my "fancies" where the grate ripped my fuschia pink leather heel.
Oh, did I mention I only put deodorant on one arm pit as well? Cool.

Brooke's 4th b'day party

We had Brooke's 4th over the weekend and it was HUGE success. I wish I had more time to write but it's post a long blog or go swimming day so I'm going to put the link to the photos here so that you can check them out yourself.
We lucked out with the weather and everyone had a great time!
http://vallier.shutterfly.com/action/

Lord help me

Here is my conversation last night while getting Brooke out of the bath:

Me, "Do you want to wear the princess pajamas, Brooke?"
Brooke, "I remember I wore those to school one time and Jacob wasn't even there."
Me, "What difference does that make, whether Jacob was there?"
Brooke, "I don't know,... (blushes), you know..."
Me, "I thought Jacob drove you crazy? Is he your friend now?"
Brooke, "I don't know, yes. I have a feeling about him (*giggles*)."
Me, "(while trying to stifle my feelings of panic/giddiness/awe) so you like Jacob, does he know that?"
Brooke, "I don't want him to know. No," runs out of the bathroom giggling.

Oh lord, her first crush on the bad boy of class, of course. My mother is laughing herself silly right now.

p.s. Brooke's b'day photos will be up next week - party this weekend. Brooke is officially 4 as of Monday!!

Big weekend!

Wow did we have a busy weekend. To recap:

- Friday - gymnastics and then into Boston to sleep over at the Marriott Longwharf

- Saturday - Brunch in Boston, Aquarium with kids, home to Marshfield, dinner (at home) with Dad & Karen

- Sunday - Easter, brunch with Valliers & Yia Yia, home to hangout with everyone, in bed at 8am.

The trip to Boston was a good time. Though ridiculously expensive. We didn't think it would be that expensive and we probably won't do that again for a v. long time. The girls and I had a good time but I don't think John enjoyed the screaming two year old antics that Lexi put us through. In fact I'm sure he didn't (I wasn't a huge fan either truth be told). Brooke was great though. She really was curious about everything and just wanted to explore. On Friday night we went from the hotel (which was great, would highly recommend it Boston Marriott Longwharf) to Fanueil Hall which is right across the road. We decided to eat at Durgin Park which is in one of the three main buildings. It used to be very low key but has since changed into white tableclothes, etc. There was noone there at 5:15pm so we weren't too worried about the kids. The food was good, the service excellent (even though they are know for their "rude" waitresses). It took us approximately 15 minutes to eat though because Lexi was hitting her stride with squirming and stuff. We then walked around a little but it was very crowded and cold so we got some Chocolate Chipers at the "Chipyard" which Lexi threw on the ground ($3 for 6 cookies) and then proceeded to chuck herself down as well. We thought of leaving her there but decided we couldn't so we pictured her up and started heading back to the hotel (approx. 6:15pm at this point).

I spotted the horse & carriage rides so we went over to pat them. I talked a reluctant John into going for a ride and it was really cool. We went through the financial district and Brooke kept asking about the buildings and the architecture (no, really!). It was cold but the blanket was strangely insulating. That buoyed everyone's spirits so we headed back to the hotel.

I decided to take the kids to the pool and John came along. There were a lot of people in the pool many of whom had not been taught even one, single manner so it was OK but not great. The pool was also not quite as clean as you'd want it to be, such that we immediately took a shower upon coming back to the hotel. That was OK because the kids played for about 30 minutes and we were able to have a beer (albeit I was in the bathroom and John was in the main area).

Then we watched a little tv and all went to bed (8:30pm). You couldn't really do much else since it was one room. I slept with Brooke we is great to sleep with. Lexi was in a pack and play and went to sleep fairly easily but she wakes up at night and screams for no reason once or twice almost every night (I've read it's common at this age). So Brooke & I would spring up and then console her. John? ZZZzzzzz. Slept right though it. Overall it was an OK night though and John said he hadn't slept so well in a long time. Good for you.

The next day started at 6am as usual. In Boston there isn't much going on at 6am. We tried some tv but not many good shows were on then. We debated on the breakfast options and decided to try the brunch at the hotel. Pricey but free to the kids and open. It was very good but, again, Lexi was a little tantrumish so we had to rush through it. I then took the kids to this fabulous park that was right next to the hotel. John had some time to decompress and then we met up at the aquarium (9am) which was fun. We left there at about 10:30am and headed home.

Everyone took a little rest and we played outside for a little while.

Dad & Karen were in town for the Easter holiday so they came by around 5pm for dinner and drinks. The kids enjoyed visiting with them and John & I stayed up too late as usual enjoying our conversation. Dad & Karen helped us be the Easter bunny so that was fun and promised to come by in the morning to say goodbye to the kids until June.

Sunday morning came around 7am which is a godsend. The kids loved hunting for the eggs (inside only as it was abou 40 degrees out). After that John let me take a much needed nap for an hour and then Dad & Karen came by, Yia Yia showed up and around 11:30 we headed to the restaurant for brunch with the Valliers (sans Dad & Karen who headed up to her sisters house). Brunch was excellent but very crowded though it came off without a hitch thanks in large part to Yia Yia for entertaining Lexi Lou.

Overall a very exciting but tiring weekend. Hope everyone else had a good Easter too!

p.s. thanks to everyone for contributing to the Arthritis Walk - I really appreciate it!

Great weekend!

We had a very nice weekend here in New England. It was mid 50's most of the weekend. We got to go to the park, fly a kite and Brooke and I took our first bike ride together. It wasn't far but it was progress. Note - v. hard to stay on bike without training wheels when barely moving.

On Sat. morning we went to a Jimmy Fund pancake breakfast with the Easter Bunny! We were the first little kids to arrive so the bunny was in full "hop". The kids had their picture taken and got some candy and then we did arts & crafts for awhile.
We came home and Poppa John and Jan came to whisk the kids off to the park and kite flying. I got to go for a bike ride, install my shoe racks (3 more in addition to the 2 I already have. Need one more and then I'll be done - I know I have a problem but I'm telling you it looks fabulous. I'll get a pic for ya), do some laundy and clean up a little. What 2 hours can do for you - I tell you. Anyway, then I met up with the clan for lunch at Haddad's (which was REALLY good). Came back home and we played in the yard and had a fire.

Sunday I took the girls grocery shopping which is usually John's thing but I decided to give him a break since he's been working his butt off with the Bio-Cascade stuff. It was actually fun, I just let it roll and wasn't in a rush which, shockingly, made it much better than the usual, "hurry up, let's go, Brooke do this, Lexi stop that" mode. The rest of the day we just chilled out and relaxed.

Overall a good weekend.

This weekend is crazy! Fri - hotel in Boston for our mini-family vacation, Sat. aquarium, Sat. night Dad & Karen for dinner, Sunday Easter with Yia and the Vallier's. Always fun to have things to do though.

Here's one more gratuitous Lexi shot from school that I just got. What a character!

Go Diego Go!

We went to Go Diego Go at the Boston Opera House yesterday. My mother picked the kids up at school, brought them to lunch and then came in to my work. They got to meet some of my co-workers and see my cubicle which they thought was pretty cool.

The Opera House is right across the street. The show was perfect for kids. Silly and simple just like the tv show but the set design was impressive. The souvenirs were ridiculously expensive but Yia Yia treated so the kids got a couple of spinning flashlights that they love.

State Farm Ins. had a booth to get a free picture so I got one with each of the kids. I would have done them together but took Brooke for a walk first, discovered it and there wasn't a line so I jumped in with her. They came out pretty cute. It was a very fun trip!!

Happy Birthday Lexi Lou!

Lexi's b'day party was a couple of weeks ago but I'm just getting a chance to post some pics now. Big fun was had by all and the cake was a huge hit!