Daniel Webster Estate

I opened today's newspaper and found our picture nestled at the bottom of the article about Family Fun Day!

Marshfield's Annual Family Fun Day gives people a chance to tour the Daniel Webster House, as well as take part in lots of fun activities for the family. They had a Chili and Chowder CookOff. There was a bouncy house, face painting, pony rides and storytelling for the kids. There was even a woman offering free massages, which Dave was lucky enough to take advantage of with no waiting.

The Daniel Webster House

The portrait of Daniel Webster can be seen about the fireplace.

They were very curious about the old fashioned bathtub.

Dave got a massage, but said it was more about "energy" than any type of muscle massage.

Liam loved watching the girls jump around in the Bouncy House.

Super Baby...aka "Captain Marshmallow"

When I looked through the last batch of hand-me-downs and found this outfit, I couldn't help but smile.

How perfect that Liam now has his very own dress-up costume, complete with a yellow satin cape! (Those pink, sparkly Princess gowns just wouldn't do for our little guy.)

"I'm super!"

I finally dressed him in the blue and yellow get-up this afternoon. With the girls dressed in Princess gowns, tiaras and magic wands, they had a blast creating "Superhero Scenarios" with Liam.

I told them if he was a superhero, he would need a name. We finally decided on Captain Marshmallow because of his chubby cheeks and thighs.

The best part is that Liam played right along with them, eating up all of the attention they were giving him.

Should I be embarrassed that I am dressing up a completely defenseless little boy?

I suppose it's the same thing as a pet owner who dresses up their cat or dog in a silly Halloween costume, but I just couldn't resist.

Besides, who am I to deprive him of some theatrical fun?

A Princess Playdate

I cannot believe that we only have one week left before our big Wisconsin trip! That means this is our final week of summer here at home. School starts just days after we return at the end of August.

I wanted to fit in a final "girls only" playdate before Amanda's co-ed birthday party this weekend. As luck would have it, the movie I've been waiting for at the library finally came in so we invited some of Amanda's best friends over. We decided to call it a Princess Party, complete with dress-up clothes and the screening of "The Princess and the Frog."

The girls all sat together on the futon with popcorn, beach-themed cookies and juice while they watched the movie.

Caroline, Abby, Amanda, Katelynn and Eva

After the movie, we broke out the dress-up bin and everyone chose costumes.

Such a great group of girls!

Because we finally got some relief from the two weeks of 90* temperatures, I thought we should take advantage of it and spend some time playing outside. We went on a nature scavenger hunt and then played a bit of baseball before all of the parents arrived to claim their children.

As a perfect ending to a perfect day, I gave Amanda and Eva manicures and pedicures this evening. (Truth be told, their nails were getting a bit long so I figured they'd be a lot more cooperative if I added polish as an incentive! It worked.)

I am really going to miss all of our summer fun once school starts. This has been the best summer ever!

We caught the tooth fairy!

Just last week, I heard about a website where you can superimpose a tooth fairy onto a photo of your sleeping child. For a limited time, you could get a free photo using a specific coupon code.

This was perfect timing because just two days earlier, Amanda had announced that her tooth was loose. That night, I snuck into her bedroom and took a picture of her while she slept so I would be prepared once the big event finally happened.

Today she lost the tooth. I thought,"Great! Now I can get to work on that photo!" I chose a fairy that would work with our photo composition, added a border and voila! I was all set! Or so I thought.


I soon realized that tonight's setting had to be exactly the same as it was a few nights ago. My "preparedness" had set me up for potential disaster.

For starters, I had planned to wash the girls' sheets this afternoon, but if I used Amanda's spare sheets, she would notice that the pillowcase didn't match the one in the photo. Seeing as there was not enough time to wash and dry the sheets before bedtime, I had to leave the bedding on for another day.

The second problem arose when Amanda couldn't find her night hat tonight. This is a hat she sleeps with EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, yet the one night that she needed to have it, it was nowhere to be found. We searched the house. We searched the barn. We went through the laundry hampers, couch cushions and anywhere else we could think of. It was nowhere to be found.

Dave and I discussed how we would handle this. Wait a few days until the hat resurfaced and then show her the fairy photo, hoping she'd forget that it was missing for a night? Pay $10 to have a new photo taken, since I had already used my "one time" coupon code to get a free photo? Skip the whole charade altogether?

Shortly after the girls fell asleep, I tiptoed into the room with a flashlight and made one last ditch, desperate attempt to locate the missing hat.

And what do you know? I found it... stuck in the sheet down by Amanda's feet!

I left the room, feeling victorious as I told Dave the good news.

And then he said,"So when are we planning to show her this photo?'

Um... I hadn't thought that far ahead.

And so, I just sent Dave to CVS, flash drive in hand, so he could print out a copy of the photo.

I predict that Amanda will either shriek with delight... or be scared speechless. (At bedtime, Eva told us that she was scared of the Tooth Fairy and when I went in to search for the missing hat, I found her completely burrowed under her sheets and comforter, fast asleep. I can only imagine what will happen after she sees the photo.)

The next morning...

The tooth fairy left a letter and $1, along with the picture. Amanda liked the photo, but said she was a little frightened when she first saw it.


And now she's asking me where the dental floss is. This is good.

And.... It's out!

This afternoon we met friends at Dairy Queen for an ice cream treat.

Shortly after Amanda bit into her cone, I heard,"My tooth came out!"

Goodbye, baby tooth!

Sure enough, that wiggly tooth came out, just one week after she realized it was loose.

This is pretty exciting stuff to a 4 year old!! It's amazing how different she looks... how much older she looks, with that little gap in her mouth now.

I guess the Tooth Fairy will need to add our address to her roster and pay us a visit tonight.

Flower Fairies

When I was at the gym the other day, I picked up a Family Fun magazine to help pass the time.
By the time I stepped off the elliptical, I had tons of great craft projects to do with the kids.

I was most excited about this one: Flower Fairies using mixed media.

I knew the girls would really enjoy walking around the property with their containers, collecting various leaves, grasses and flowers. I was right. They ran from one plant to the other, saying,"This would be a good one!"

I told them to make sure they didn't pick any poison ivy. Of course, Eva pulled on a leaf and asked,"Is this poison ivy?" Sure enough, it was. (So far, no reaction...)


We dumped all of our findings into a tray and got to work gluing and creating. This was so much fun!! It is definitely a project we could do over and over again with different results each time.

Here are our finished fairies:

Birthday Trip to Build-a-Bear

Yesterday we made a trip to Build-a-Bear to use Eva's gift card from Uncle Josh, Auntie April and Taylor.

It was our lucky day! They had a special promotion going: $29.99 for any animal in the store, plus an outfit and shoes of your choice.

Eva chose the Jack Russell Terrier. She was a little shy during the whole "building" process as the store employee guided her through all of the steps.

But when it came to washing her dog, she really got into it.

Choosing an outfit was the hardest part. Eva immediately spotted a sparkly fairy costume with matching shoes. But then Amanda showed her the Ariel mermaid outfit, complete with a red wig. And then there was a Buzz Lightyear costume.

Poor Eva was overwhelmed and her eyes darted from one to another. I imagine this is part of their marketing plan. Stock the store with a million outfits so you can't possibly leave with just ONE outfit.

In the end, she went with her first choice: the fairy costume.

She named her dog Sparkly.

She is a very responsible mama so far. She woke up this morning, got her dog dressed, and told me it needed to find the "potty cup" and "eat some pancakes." I promised her that I would turn one of our jump ropes into a leash so she can "walk" the dog.

Thank you Uncle Josh, Auntie April and Taylor!! You couldn't have chosen a better gift.

Braids... and the Prairie

As I've mentioned before, the girls are obsessed with Little House on the Prairie. They are especially fond of Laura... and her braids.

They are constantly asking me to put braids in their hair. This morning, I made their wishes come true.

Perhaps you could say I was inspired to do this because of our upcoming Wisconsin visit, which will include a visit to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin, WI.

I booked a cottage at Cedar Ridge Resort in Nelson, Wisconsin, where the girls will be sharing a bed in the loft... just like Laura and Mary. You have no idea how exciting this is to them. They asked if they would be able to climb a ladder to get into the loft. I said I doubted it.

As my mom pointed out, it will probably be very hot in that tiny cottage. But if anyone complains, I'll tell them that there were no fans or air conditioning on the prairie!


The only thing they need now are bonnets.

Origami

Dave came home from the bookstore today with an Origami book.

Before bedtime, he constructed the first and easiest lesson in the book: a yacht.

The girls looked on, trying ever so hard to be patient as they awaited the final result.

(Click on the arrows in the lower right hand corner to view in full screen.)

As the girls observed, "This is the first time Daddy ever did a craft with us!"

This may have to be incorporated into the bedtime routine: brush teeth, bedtime story, origami project, lullabies...

6 months old

Today Liam turned 6 months old.


As the kids and I cuddled in bed this morning, we all sang,"Happy half birthday to you!" to Liam. He just grinned at us.

Right on time, he had his 6 month well-baby visit today. Dave and I both predicted that he would be off the charts for height and weight. I mean, look at those thighs!!

We were very surprised to find that he is only 50th percentile for weight (17.6 pounds), 65th percentile for height (26.75 inches)... and still has a very small head (11th percentile!!!!!)

We had his pediatrician work out a delayed immunization schedule, which means bringing him in every 4 weeks so his vaccinations will be more spread out, but I feel more comfortable with this than having him get up to three vaccinations in one visit.

This past week, Liam has been having semi-regular meals with us at the family table. He looks at our plates with extreme envy now, but he is stuck with just two entrees for the time being: rice cereal or frozen grapes in the Munchkin mesh holder. I think we'll work on expanding his menu this week, one food at a time. Eva thinks we should give him pears next and I might take that advice. (We tried bananas a few weeks ago and he was constipated for days!)

Here he is playing ball with Eva, their favorite little game these days.

Also today, I received a copy of this photo, taken at our friends' wedding in New York last month.


I love this photo more than words can express. It reminds me of the fun we had, dancing the night away.

It's hard to believe that half a year has passed already with our little guy. I can't even think of him without breaking a smile. He brings such joy to our lives!

A loose tooth?

We spent another afternoon at the beach yesterday. With a predicted high of 95*, we knew it would be crowded and we were right! Unfortunately the tide was coming in and we were rapidly losing our beach real estate, so we had to constantly move our belongings to keep them from getting wet.

The best news of the day was that Amanda swam on her own for the first time! She was only in about 2 feet of water but she could doggie paddle and stay afloat. It's a start! We couldn't get her out of the water for anything!

Eva "swam" around with her Tweety Bird kickboard, sometimes using her hands to "walk" on the ocean floor, trying her hardest to show that she could swim just like Amanda. Liam was his usual easygoing self, perfectly content to sit under the shade of the jogging stroller visor and watch what was going on around him. Dave dipped his feet in the water a few times, which Liam seemed to like.

(I have no pictures of the afternoon because after ruining two cameras due to sand, I am keeping it safely at home from now on! Besides, I think we have enough beach pictures to last a lifetime by now.)

In the evening, we ordered a pizza for the kids and they spent "special time" with Omi and a Charlie Brown special. Dave and I got a chance to go for a motorcycle ride but we were both too tired to travel outside of Marshfield. We stopped off for a quick drink and appetizer and then had a dinner of soup and salad at Haddad's. We then sat on the sea wall, where it was so peaceful, and we marveled at the number of lobster buoys clustered out in the ocean.

As we looked out over the waves, Dave commented about how fast Amanda is growing up. She can read; she can spell; she has actual penpals that she corresponds with; she can ride a bike; she's starting to swim on her own; and she's wearing size 5-6 clothes! It's almost as if we blinked and she skipped ahead a year.

"My tooth wiggles, Mama!"

When we got home, Amanda excitedly told us that she had a loose tooth! I was shocked. Sure enough, I felt her front bottom tooth and it is definitely wiggly. She said it hurt while she was watching Charlie Brown, and then when she bit into her corn on the cob, it hurt again.

Dave and I are both concerned that it is too early for her to starting losing teeth. With her fifth birthday just weeks away, this isn't something we are prepared for! I read that early teethers will usually lose their baby teeth early, and since she got her first tooth at 5 months, perhaps this is one explanation.

But still, Dave thinks I should take her to the dentist. She just had a cleaning and exam a few months ago and everything was fine, and it's not like they can glue the tooth back in... but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see what the dentist has to say about it.

At bedtime, the novelty of a loose tooth seemed to have worn off and Amanda began to cry. She's afraid to eat anything hard or crunchy now because she's afraid she'll swallow it. I had to assure her that it wasn't that loose and that it wouldn't fall out anytime soon, but I think I was trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to soothe her.

It's a bit ironic, since I am checking Liam's mouth daily to see if his first tooth has broken through yet. That, I can handle. As far as Amanda goes, I am just not ready for that yet.

Bday Party at Kidz Planet

What an awesome, stress-free birthday party we had for Amanda and Eva! It was worth every single penny to have the party held somewhere other than our home - no preparation and no clean-up!

Eva's 4th and Amanda's 6th birthdays

I can guarantee that there would not have been smiles on everyone's faces (especially Mama's) if we had gone with the traditional backyard pool party.  So.  Much.  Work.

The answer to "What do you do all day?"

When my nephew Brady was born, I remember asking my sister-in-law Pam,"So what do you all day?"

At that time, I didn't have any children of my own. I was completely clueless as to how much time and effort it requires to take care of a baby and run a household.

When I read this article, I felt like applauding. This is my life now.


Time management takes on a whole new meaning once you have kids. Prioritizing is paramount.

And boredom is a distant memory.

Hot off the Presses!

The official results of last week's race were published in today's local newspaper. I don't think the ink had even finished drying by the time I picked up a copy to take home.

(Click on the picture to make it readable.)

Amanda is super excited to enter the 50 and 100 yard dash races tonight, if the weather holds out. The sky looks pretty threatening but so far we've only gotten scattered sprinkles. We're crossing our fingers that the heavy rain holds off until dusk.

And... my new camera arrived today, and not a moment too soon. I treated myself to a small upgrade: 8.2 mexapixels instead of the 6.0 I had before. Other than that, it's the same Kodak EasyShare type of camera I had before but this one is a pretty teal color.

Note to self: Do not take your camera to the beach anymore! Sand is a killer on all those moving parts and you're already ruined two cameras this way.

Summer Camp #1

This week Amanda and Eva went to summer camp for the first time!

The camp is through our town's Recreation Department, and the theme was Exploring Pond Life and Bugs. It was taught by one of the teachers from the girls' preschool, and one of our babysitters was a teacher's aide.

The first day of camp was the perfect time to dress Liam in his "Don't Bug Me!" outfit.

I was a little concerned about how Eva would do, considering that the camp went from 9 am - Noon every day. She has never been on her own for such a long period of time. She kept saying,"What if I can't find the bathroom?" I think she was most worried about having an accident, but she did just fine - no accidents at all. Now I can relax, knowing that she'll do just fine in Preschool this September.

Lathered up with sunscreen and bug spray, snacks in hand and ready to go!

It definitely helped having Amanda and Eva in the same class. Whereas Amanda is quick to make new friends, Eva is much more shy. I'm sure a lot of it is the age because some of the other 3 year olds in the class cried and became very clingy when it was time for their parents to leave. But right from the start, Eva followed Amanda right over to the Lego's and the dollhouse and never once looked back.

As for the theme, I wasn't sure if the girls would be interested in frogs and bugs, but I wanted them to learn about something other than fairies and princesses for a change! Typically, they scream when they see a fly, spider or any other type of insect. However, on the final day, I asked if they had enjoyed it and they both enthusiastically said they loved it! (I think baking caterpillar cookies may have had something to do with it!)

They made several crafts (frogs, turtles and ladybugs), learned about the life cycle of a frog, got to see and touch a turtle shell, read books, sang songs, made new friends and got to eat snacks outside.

I'm glad they both had such a positive experience. In two weeks, they'll be going to one more camp: Music and Movement. There's not a doubt in my mind that they will love that one just as much if not more.

We have a winner!

Our town has a group of running enthusiasts called the Marshfield Road Runners. Each Wednesday evening in June and July, they sponsor races for children at the high school track. We had never gone before, so when someone reminded me about it the other day, I made a point of marking it on the calendar.

After a quick dinner, we headed over to the high school. I couldn't believe how many people showed up! Who knew this was such a popular event?

Each week they hold races of varying lengths and the heats are broken down into small groups such as 3 year old girls, 3 year old boys, etc. This week, the races for our girls were the 50 and 100 yard dash. Kids ages 5 and up could run the 400 or the 1 mile.

Eva was the first one up for the 50 yard dash. I stood with her at the starting line, making sure her feet were behind the blue line. She was all decked out in her brand new sneakers, which she has been breaking in this week by "zooming" all over the place. I had a feeling she would do well.


But when the whistle blew, signaling the start of the race, all of the other 3 year olds took off running... and Eva froze. Then she said she was scared and that she "only liked running at home."

Amanda's age group was next. The race coordinator reminded all of the children to run in a straight line, heading right for the orange cones and the line of cheering parents.

When the whistle blew, Amanda hesitated... but then ran like the wind!

And she actually won!


By the time I made it down to the finish line to congratulate her, she was already holding a blue ribbon and spelling her name for the newspaper reporter.


The first thing she said when I saw her was,"I'm going to be in the newspaper!" She was so proud!


After the 5 and 6 year olds finished their races, they announced the start of the 3 year old 100 dash. Amanda and Eva held hands and ran back to the starting line. It looked like Eva was feeling more comfortable now that she had seen Amanda run. Unfortunately by the time Dave walked them down, the race had already started without Eva.

Amanda lined up for her turn in the 100 yard dash and this time when the whistle blew, she was ready! She started out running a very strong race, when all of a sudden, she got a bit too far ahead of herself and lost her footing. Amanda tumbled to the ground, crumpled in a little ball for a moment, and then hastily limped off of the track. She cried for a while, disappointed that she fell during the race.

We saw one of Amanda's friends there as well as one of my students, and we cheered for both of them. It was a fun night and we have already made plans to try it again next Wednesday.

Pool Party

It was a hot 4th of July here, with a temperature of 90*, and it's not going to get cooler anytime soon. We spent the day at some friends' pool party and it was just perfect! We had only planned to stay for a few hours but before we knew it, it was 7:00 pm!


Amanda spent almost the entire day in the pool, wearing her swimsuit with the built-in flotation device.

This crocodile held at least three kids on its back.

Eva wasn't too crazy about the water, especially after she had a little scare when she toppled off the floating pool toy!

Eva and her friend, Colleen

She went in here and there, but seemed happier just to dangle her feet in the water... or park herself near the snack bowl.

I brought red and blue star cookies, which were a hit with all of the kids.

Dave got in the pool with Liam at one point but he fussed until I finally took him out and got him dressed in fresh clothes.


The food was great - hot dogs, sausages, chicken, corn on the cob and an assortment of potluck dishes. We met a lot of new people and I think the kids nearly outnumbered the adults!

We tried to gather the kids for a picture, but these are only ones who cooperated.

Later in the afternoon, someone laid out a large piece of plastic film in the grass as a makeshift "Slip n Slide" and everyone took turns sliding down the hill. According to the adults, it was a lot more slippery than they thought it would be!

Since today is a holiday for Dave, we're having a small family cookout here. Dave special ordered several racks of beef ribs and he has had them soaking in a brine solution for a few days. I guarantee they will be worth the wait!

A new discovery

When Dave was a kid, he used to walk to a nearby pond where he'd go swimming with friends. I never knew about this pond. It is hidden at the end of a Dead End, within walking distance of our house. (Joey Kramer, the drummer from Aerosmith, used to live on this road and his daughter rode Dave's school bus. The Boston Celtics used to train on the property and it was called Camp Milbrook.)

Yesterday we all went for a walk so Dave could show us the spot. He had suggested taking a picnic lunch and bathing suits, but time didn't allow for that.

It felt like we were in a different state, far away from traffic, surrounded by nature. It was beautiful. I can't believe I never knew about this until now.

At the end of our walk, we came to the pond.


Dave told the story of how he lost his glasses in the pond when he was young. Eva suggested that we come back with swim goggles to look for them.


I think we'll definitely be returning for a picnic... and the girls really want to swim. As for me, I think I'll stick to swimming in the ocean. Ponds make me nervous.

Pet Show

The Duxbury Library sponsored a children's Pet Show at the high school the other day.

We went with the girls' friend Katelynn, after first stopping at her house to see her new kitten.

The girls got a chance to see lots of different pets, talk with the owners and even pet or hold some of the animals. There was a small parrot, a frog, two hamsters, a guinea pig, and lots and lots of dogs.

The hands-down favorite was the guinea pig named Oreo.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Katelynn and Amanda took turns holding and brushing the black and white guinea pig, while Eva looked on.

She wasn't so sure about holding the carrot.

I stayed in the background, taking pictures and hoping that my allergies wouldn't flare up once the kids got back in the car. (Unfortunately, they did.)

After about 15 minutes with the guinea pig, the girls were finally ready to move on. We made our way to the dogs, with breeds ranging from labs to pugs to beagles. I think this actually may have helped to reduce their fear of dogs. After a while, Amanda was going up to the dog owners saying,"May I pet your dog?"


Eva was still a bit reluctant, but she definitely made progress. Usually they both run the other direction in fear!