Field Trip

In September, I chaperoned a field trip for Mairead's class and she was SO excited!  We went to Parlee Farm in Tyngsboro and we went on a BUS!  The bus ride was, as it is on most field trips, the best part.  The kids had a blast before we even reached our destination.

 

The kids enjoyed a hayride through the orchards, a walk through the pumpkin patch, and a visit to the animal barns.  Their favoriate part of the farm was the hay maze.  The hay maze is a huge hit with kids, but is a parent's nightmare.  There are kids running everywhere, places to hide, places to jump across, etc.  It is MADNESS.  But they love it!

 

The kids were all really great.  I'm glad we have some class pictures so they can look back in a few years and see how small they were when they first met.

School Days

This post is aptly titled because we have officially entered the period of the kids' lives that will be their school days.  Mairead is in Kindergarten five full days a week, and the boys are in preschool two half days a week.  I spend a lot of time shuttling them all back and forth, making lunches, opening backpacks to find important notices, and even doing homework.  All of the kids are in great environments with wonderful teachers.  The boys are still with their teacher from last Spring, and Mairead has a wonderful new teacher.  She also works with a SpEd teacher and a Speech and Language Pathologist.  She is thriving in Kindergarten and we could not be more proud of her.

 

The first day of Kindergarten was harder for me than I expected.  After all, she is at the same school she was at last year, and she has been in school of some kind for two years.  It wasn't the first time my baby was leaving me, but it was still very emotional.  As she walked in with her class, I welled up thinking about all it took to get her there.  About how she has been nothing short of a miracle, and how there were times when we did not think she would be able to go to a regular school, to be in a regular class, and certainly not to do those things on time.  Yet, here she is, just about the youngest in the class, and doing so well.  She is reading on her own, talking to me about hexagons and notcturnal animals.  She can't wait to do her homework when she gets home every day.  Her teacher says she is making progress all the time.  The other kids are so sweet to her and we are so thankful for that.  She is fortunate to be in a class with some wonderfully sweet kids.  I hope they are always as good to her as they are at this age.

 

'Real' school is a full time job for all of us.  The first day was even difficult.  Thankfully, Jen was able to help me because all of the kids had their first day on the same day.  Jen showed up extra early and made special chocolate chip pancakes for the kids.  They were mystified when the letters were shaped like the first letters of their names. 

I am part of the PTO and there have already been fesitvals, fundraisers, field trips, bake sales, and meetings.  Some of the moms on the PTO have kids in Mairead's class, and I am always so grateful to hear about how their kids speak so kindly of Mairead.  I chaperoned a field trip (pictures to come) and saw how friendly all of the kids are to her, and it is just overwhelming.  She still has trouble talking to other kids in a conversational manner, but when I pick her up each day, I see her wave to other kids and call them by name to say goodbye for the day.  I see other girls run to her in the morning to give her a hug, or call loudly to say goodbye as they leave.  When I drop her off, she can't wait to get in line and start her day.  I am grateful every day for all of this.

 

The boys are doing well at school, too.  We have had a bizarre period of hysterical crying when I drop them off, though.  They say they will miss me, they are scared, etc.  After I leave, they are ok, but it's hard to walk away from them.  Their teacher says that they are doing well and that she just loves them.  They come home and tell me about what they do during the day, about the stories they read, etc.  They get progress notes that tell me what they are up to, and one section is: Your child's best friend at school is____________.  Jack's best friend is Ben, and Ben's is Jack.  Seriously. So cute.

We are so happy an so lucky to have the kids in great situations at school.  Sometimes, it's a little sad to think that they are off in the world now, that my time at home with them is so limited.  For the past three years, we have been a little team- traveling everywhere together.  Now, they are growing up and doing all these things without me.  I worry about them and how they are doing.  I worry that the rest of the world will not see how wonderful they are, or that people will not be kind to them.  I worry that they will be afraid, that they will be hurt, or that they will see the 'not so nice' things in the world.  I know that they need to experience all of this to learn and to grow, but it's a tough pill for all moms to swallow.  I just hope that we give them the tools and knowledge to be good people.  To be smart and to be kind.  To have confidence and to stand up for themselves and for others.  I hope, most of all, that they know how much they are loved.

Franklin Park Zoo

Before everybody went back to school this year, we wanted to be sure we fit in a trip to the zoo.  This year, we went to Franklin Park Zoo in Boston and we had such a great day!  The zoo is a good size, has tons of great animals and things for the kids to see and do, and is clean and friendly.  The kids loved it.  Jack and Ben, Jack in particular, spent a great deal of the day consulting his map of the zoo to see where we needed to go next. "Hold on.  I just look at my map."  It was pretty cute- to the point where other people walking by were commenting on how cute he was with his map.  One man pointed him out and said to his wife, "Check out this guy with his map- he's all serious!"

In the center of the zoo, they have what is probably the most amazing playground I have ever seen.  It seriously is unbelievable.  So many fun things for the kids to do, such beautiful colors, quality equipment, accessible to all... it was beautiful.  It was also INSANE.  There were hundreds of kids running everywhere and was impossible to keep track of all the kids.  I am usually pretty laid back at playgrounds, etc, but it was nerve wracking- we kept losing kids! We went on a weekend so maybe it's better during the day.  Just a heads up to moms, especially to MoMs, that if you have more than one kid, you definitely need reinforcements.  I don't really even have pictures of the playground because I was busy looking for kids!

The gorilla exhibit was incredible.  They are amazing animals.  It was almost a little unsettling to watch them- they look so much like people that it felt like we were spying on them, or that they were prisoners.  But watching them was absolutely fascinating.

Aaaannnd, we're back to the maps...

There is a super cool thing to do in the bird aviary.  You can purchase these little sticks with food on them and them go in to an enclosure in which you can feed the budgees (parakeets).  I would not have known about it except that a friend of mine and her husband are zookeepers, and she told me this was a 'must do.'  She was right- it was awesome!  Mairead was as happy as I have ever seen her.  The birds lit on the stick, her hand, and even her head.  Even though it was loud and chaotic in there, she didn't care.  She absolutely loved seeing them and having them come so close.  The boys loved it, too.  I thought they would freak out a little since they don't always like close quarters and noise, but they had so much fun feeding the little guys.  Definitely check this out if you go!  Thanks for the tip, Jackie!

Somebody's Getting Married

Jen and Mike's wedding was so beautiful, so fun, and so much about family.  They involved everyone who is special to them and the whole weekend brought us all even closer together.  We all had fun spending time together, sharing and making memories.  All four of the Monaghan kids are married now, and we are all lucky enough to have found amazing people who will truly be our partners in life, and who love our family very much.  Everyone involved had a great time- the kids were great and everyone looked fantastic!

 

Even Kellan, at all of one month old, had a special outfit and shoes for the occasion.

                                                  One of my favorites- the whole family!

Jen and Mike's Rehearsal

On August 3, we headed to Laconia to start Jen and Mike's wedding weekend!  We were all so excited for the event- the kids, especially!  The wedding was held at The Margate resort and it was beautiful there.  The rehearsal was held on Friday evening and it was very pretty, and VERY hot!  It was literally in the high 90s, and then we went into the tent, where the sides were all down, basically creating an oven.  Luckily, our favorite officiant, Judge DiGangi, had everything under control and we were out of there before anyone melted.  The kids were very cooperative, considering, and everyone was ready to do their part for the big day!

 

The tent is right next to Lake Winnepausake and the view is spectacular. Jen and Mike really picked a beautiful spot!

After the rehearsal, we headed inside for a great family dinner.  It was so fun to see everyone and to spend time relaxing, talking, and watching the kids play.  Jen and Mike were very generous with their gifts and the kids were thrilled with all the surprises. 

Jen gave the kids shirt that she designed herself.  The girls had pink shirts that said, "Flower Girl," and the boys' shirts said, "Bride Security."  On the back of each kid's shirt was the word 'Auntorage" because Jen has so many little followers.  Mairead's lips are a scary blue here, thanks to her lollipop!

There are a million beautiful pictures of the wedding day, but most of them belong to the photographer.  I'll post a few so you can see the beautiful bride and her 'auntorage' in all their splendor!