A (mostly) Super Sunday

Well, it didn't end the way we had hoped, but Super Bowl Sunday was pretty exciting around here.  As part of a once in a life time, Carpe Diem kind of trip, Dave was able to GO to the SUPER BOWL.  His friend, Joey, managed to get tickets and was kind enough to invite Dave.  On Friday afternoon, they began the drive to Indianapolis, stopping in Scranton, PA and Canton, OH, on the way.  Despite the loss by the Pats, the guys had a great time on their road trip.  I mean, how amazing is it to go to the Super Bowl, and to see your own team play in it?  I would imagine this would only be topped by your team actually winning the game. 

It was a long five days without Daddy (mostly for me) but the kids got into the spirit and were excited that Daddy was in "Apolis."  They loved yelling, "Go, Patriots!" and they loved that many family members were here to watch the game.  Jack loved that he conned Jessica into carrying him around and getting him things for an hour.  That boy... he's a con artist.  Mairead loved that Jen came over and danced for a bit before heading to a Super Bowl party.  Mairead donned her Bruschi jersey for the occasion.  She and Tedi have a lot in common.

Jessica had the great idea to have all New England foods at our Super Bowl party, so we had clam chowder, a Boston recipe for pulled pork, Boston Baked beans, Boston Cream pie, nachos made with Vermont Cabot cheese, and more!  We didn't win, but we ate well!

Ben was missing his dad and while watching the game, he was sitting on my lap and saying, "I'm just missing Daddy right now."  Mairead, being my daughter, insisted on wearing "my Patriots clothes" to bed that night.  Just when I thought I couldn't love her any more than I already do...

This video is not from Super Bowl Sunday, but it's just cute!

Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa

We had plans to celebrate Christmas with our NY family quite some time ago, but things did not work out. So, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's two weekends ago to celebrate Aunt Ry's 40th birthday, and we had our Christmas while we were there!
It was great to see everyone. The kids were thrilled to play with their grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousin. Oh, and Rosie (the dog), too! In fact, when we were getting ready to go, Jack told me he didn't want to go to the purple house. He wanted to live at Grandma's. We had a fun weekend and were happy we could be there for Aunt Ry's party. We were lucky enough to have a visit from Aunt Kathy and Uncle Frank, and Mim- one of the kids' four great-grandparents. They are pretty lucky to have these special people in their lives. They loved the Valentines that everyone brought. Thanks, everyone, for your generosity!

The kids just recently stopped listening to Christmas music every day (we have now switched to The Monkees), so they didn't really seem fazed by the fact that we were celebrating Christmas again. They were pretty happy about it, actually! Mairead LOVED the barn. It has animals and a million pieces. In other words, it's perfect for her. The boys had a great time with their fire trucks. They talk, have sirens, change shape, and shoot little foam balls. What’s not to love? Grandma and Grandpa did a great job picking out fun gifts.

The boys loved their Thomas playsets from Aunt Ryane, Uncle David, and Rachael. And, Rachael picked out a LaLaloopsy (am I getting that right?) doll for Mairead that is just like hers. It’s very sweet to watch the girls together. They have a very special relationship already.

It was nice to spend some time with our family and to just relax together. Most winters, we would have taken the kids sledding on the big hill on the property, but there was just no snow! The kids did get to see a bit of snowfall Saturday morning, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

Thank you to everyone who made the weekend special!