Day At The Farm

It is so much fun to take Mikey back to Drumlin Farm every year and see a new and different perspective on things. This year we actually were able to talk about the animals that we would see beforehand and Mikey also remembered the "tractor ride". I brought the stroller since it was quite a distance from the car but overall, Mikey spent a majority of the time walking by himself and being a big boy. We saw all the animals, caught the tractor ride and had a picnic lunch on the rocks out front of the farm. The weather was in the high sixties with no clouds and gorgeous sun. It was a perfect Mommy and Mikey day!

All smiles on the tractor ride

"Green digger tractor"

Right after I snapped this picture I realized that Mikey had a pee-ing accident. Good thing I brought that extra pair of clothes with me! He had been accident free for a few days but I guess he was distracted!

Happy boy digging in the dirt

**I think I am noticing a trend here as being the parent of a boy. It seems like after every outing we are coming home and I am giving Mikey a bath! He was COVERED in dirt!

**Potty training update: Grandma assisted in the potty training last week since Mikey was pretty much refusing to do it with me during the day. Mikey and Grandma had made a pact that if M had to go potty, he would tell Grandma. Mikey wore "big kid pants" the whole 3 days she was with us and M barely had an accident. This week at Eva's house Mikey had NO accidents. Naturally, I kept the trend going today at the farm but our track record got tarnished due to distractions. I'd say overall potty training is off to a good start!

Marathon Monday

Marathon Monday is my favorite day in Boston. This year it was 92 degrees and not very pleasant for those running. We weren't all that comfortable and we were NOT running!

Mikey and I convinced Daddy to take some time away from work so we could catch the marathon for a bit. We took the train from Daddy's office in Newton. Mikey was so bummed that we were only on the train for two stops. He kept saying "do it again!". Mikey had a great time cheering on the runners and told me he wanted to "run, run". After some marathon viewing on Commonwealth Avenue and Centre Street (mile marker 20), we hit up the playground for a bit (most of the equipment was too hot to enjoy) and then cooled off with some ice cream.

"Run, Run!"

And thank goodness for air conditioning. I turned that machine on as soon as we got home!! This time last week Mikey was at the Zoo wearing his winter jacket! This has been the craziest year for weather BY FAR!

Visit with Grandma and Bob

Grandma Anita had spring break the week after Easter and so she came to spend a few days with us. She arrived on the train on Thursday and Grandpa Bob came up after work on Friday. Mikey had a ball! Mikey and Grandma were like two peas in a pod---they planted tomato seeds, colored and did stamps, and played for endless hours with his cars and garage set. A few times over the weekend Mikey was heard saying "Grandma stay, Mommy LEAVE" (!!!). Needless to say, they had a great time together and we were sad to see them go on Sunday.

Stone Zoo

Today we met up with Ruby, Calla and Leah at the Stone Zoo. It was a great time. We got to see a combination of animals, construction vehicles, played on the playground and even got to ride on a few rides! What a successful outing!

Holding hands on their "date"

Checking out the llamas

Flamingos

Fixing some holes in the concrete

Snack time

Cougar watching

Riding the hippo

Thanks for a great day, ladies! We had SO MUCH FUN!

Easter Weekend

Mimi, Grandpa and Uncle Timmy came to visit us for Easter this year. This was the first holiday we ever hosted! (We had Easter here in 2009 when Mikey was born but I didn't really do any of the hosting.....Grandma Anita and Grandpa Bob took care of everything while I was sleep deprived and breast feeding!)

We went to church in the morning and then had an early dinner. We started with an orange, fennel and arugala salad, followed by ham, potatoes au gratin, roasted asparagus and glazed carrots (red, orange and yellow!). We had a nice, relaxing dinner and enjoyed each other's company. Thanks for coming everyone!

Easter Playdate

Today we got together with Skylar and Summer, two of Mikey's friends from Eva's House. Her mom and I wanted to do something "Easter-y" so we planned an afternoon of dying eggs and going on an egg hunt. Everyone had a great time!

Mikey and Skylar

Eating Easter Bunny cookies

(I promise it was WAY more exciting than it looks!)

Beautiful Summer

Family Time

Michael has been working A LOT lately. Although we don't get to see him as much as we would like during the week, he always makes it up to us on the weekends. The past few weekends have been pretty quiet in terms of plans which lets us "wing it" and do what we feel like as the day approaches.

Here are some fun things we did:

1) We celebrated St. Patrick's Day with corned beef and cabbage---made by me! I also made the famous McDonagh irish soda bread, too! (Mikey and I also ventured into Boston and took a peak at one of Daddy's new offices!);

Enjoying his grilled cheese and green milk

2) HOCKEY games! We spent 2 weekends in a row rooting for the BC Men's Hockey team as they played in the Hockey East tournament at the TD Garden and then in the NCAA Regional Championship game in Worcester. We witnessed two wins and our streak continues! As much as Mikey loves hockey, I think he loves the Eagle mascot more. Every time we talk about a hockey game Mikey tells us he wants to "high five the Eagle";

Mikey with cousin Emily and her roommate Katie

Mikey and Drew

3) We had a glimpse of summer for one week in March and tried to take advantage of the terrific weather while we could. This included taking a drive down to Foxboro and walking around Patriot Place. Not only is this the home of the Patriots football team (and New England Revolution soccer team) but also has lots of shops and restaurants. Outside the stadium there are patches of grass where Mikey loved to run around and play with the other kids. We ate at "Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill" for some yummy southern food! Mmmmmm!



4) Playing! Mikey finally finished opening all of his birthday presents! I have never seen a child get SO EXCITED over every present and wanting to play with it immediately. Since he wanted to enjoy each present, we didn't feel the need to rush through and open everything at once. We spaced it out and so the birthday celebration continued! He has been fascinated by his Cars figures, dinosaurs, new train set, "jeeps", "digger truck", games and books! He is truly enjoying each and every gift. And it is also fun for Mommy and Daddy to participate in the fun, too!

To Michael: Thank you so much for working so hard for us! We love you MUCHO!