Lynch Park

On a very hot Saturday in June, we found ourselves with no plans and a need to beat the heat.  So, we packed up the kids and headed to Lynch Park in Beverly.  Katie and Steve introduced us to this great place and the drive is definitely worth it.  The park is actually an old estate and has everything a family needs to spend a great day outside.  There are two beach areas, beautiful old gardens, a huge, open field, restrooms, a concession stand with food and ice cream, shaded areas, and two playground areas.  The website is http://www.bevrec.com/lynchpark.html and it's definitely worth a look.  You do have to pay an entrance fee ($15 per car), but I found that worth it... where can you park for an entire day for less than that?  The restrooms leave something to be desired in the cleanliness department, but everything else about the park is great.

Mairead and Jack loved the beach part of the day.  Ben is super sensitive to strange textures so he was not a fan of the sand or rocks.  It was partially my fault because I put sandals on him and not water shoes, so we hope that we have better results when his feet are better protected.  Mairead and Jack engaged in an extensive hermit crab 'catch and release' program and had a lot of fun with that.  All of the kids loved being able to run free through the park and had a blast at the playground.  There is a large climbing structure for kids who are pretty independent, as well as a toddler structure that is entirely in the shade.  The big kid structure is mostly in the sun, so it can get pretty hot! 

After a day of fun in the sun, we headed to Richardson's for some delicious ice cream.  It was a really nice family day and we are looking forward to many more of those days once summer officially begins!

Oh, Babies!

My kids love babies.  LOVE them.  In public, they point out babies and comment on how cute or how sweet they are.  They want to 'pet' any baby they see.  At home, they are even more in love with their young cousins and it's very sweet to see.  Mairead is SO proud to be the big cousin and loves that she can hold Mairin.  The oldest grandchild and the youngest- just shy of six years apart.  Six grand-kids in less than six years- how lucky are my parents?  With the addition of Mairin, there are now three boys and three girls on this side of the family.

 

The boys were THRILLED at being able to meet Mairin in the hospital and were very good about listening to the rules and being quiet.  I think Jen has more (and better) pictures so I'll post those when I get them.  The boys kept petting her and giving her very soft kisses on her head.  They did ask some cute questions and talked about all the things they want to show Mairin.

They have been waiting a year for Kellan to walk and be able to play, and we are just about there!  For a while, they would ask, "Is Kellan coming over?  Did he growed up yet?"  Now that he is mobile, they are having a lot of fun with him.  He is a big kid, and weighs probably 8-9lbs less than Jack, so he is catching up quickly.  He was even able to pin Jack in a recent wrestling match.

Of course, Dave and I love having little babies around... our 'baby phase' happened all at once and seems to have passed in the blink of an eye, so it's nice to have new babies to snuggle.  Especially since we don't have to worry about whether or not they sleep at night!

Play Time

We love the nice weather and get outside for 'adventures' every chance we get.  Soon, Dave and Mairead will be out of school for the summer and activities at 'Camp Fairmount' will be in full swing!  I recently took all of the kids to the playground for the morning and then we headed to Dunkin' Donuts.  It's rare that I get to have all three with me because Mairead is in school full time.  So, it was nice to have the whole crew together for the day.  On this trip to DD, Ben was, as usual, wearing more chocolate than he was eating, and one family near us just couldn't help laughing and commenting on how funny he was.  Then, an elderly gentleman from Vermont came to chat with us and talk about the best way to eat donuts.  We tend to attract a lot of attention, no matter where we are!

 

One thing we miss about the South Shore is being able to spend time with our BFFs, the Estee family.  The whole family made the trip down to spend the day recently and it was really great to get everyone together.  The kids (and dads) had a great time in the backyard and as always, Jaime put out a spread for everyone to eat!  Thanks, Estees, for having us!

We had a stretch of rainy days early in May and we decided to get out for a bit and head to Imajine That in Lawrence.  They are one of the only places where twins are actually 'buy one, get one free' in terms of admission, so we really appreciate that! We couldn't go without our ninja turtle masks, of course, but we ended up at the train table first.  It seems that no matter what their newest obsession is, they still have that fondness for their first love, which I think is sweet.

The end of May brought some incredibly hot days (95+ degrees) so we broke out the kiddie pool and water table to beat the heat.  Jack took full advantage and had the pool to himself for a while.

I also get to go on 'adventures' and one was a cake decorating class with my MoM friends!  I love being part of this club- it's great to have planned events to look forward to, especially ones that involve time with other MoMs.  I did this all myself-- with careful direction from the baker, of course!

Just last week, we had another MoM planned activity and met up with three other sets of twins at a playground.  It was a nice way to spend a morning!

One rainy day a while ago, Mairead and I visited 'Time to Clay' in Nashua.  This 'paint your own pottery' place is a lot of fun for kids and grown ups.  Mairead chose to paint a little ceramic pug and was VERY into her work- she had a great time!  She is very artistic and it's fun to watch her create!

Welcome to the family, Mairin!

On May 15, we welcomed the newest member of our family- Mairin Brigid Monaghan weighed in at 7lbs, 11oz, and was just perfect!  Brian and Christin are in love with their beautiful and healthy baby girl, and so is the rest of the family!  Mairin is pronounced like 'karen,' and it is a gaelic name derived from 'Mary' which means 'star of the sea.'  It is spelled much like Mairead, and since her name is a variant of 'Maire,' which is the name Mary, I feel like these little Irish girls have a connection already!

 

The kids always ask about her and want to hold and 'pet' her.  They are all SO sweet to her.  On their first visit to the hospital, the boys each gave Mairin little kisses and were obviously smitten.  Mairead LOVES being the big cousin who gets to hold the baby.  The kids know that when Christin returns to work in September, I will be taking care of Mairin.  Well, according to the kids, "WE" will be taking care of her, and they are really excited to see her every day.  Let's hope that lasts!

 

Christin and Brian are great parents already and I love seeing how smitten my brother is with his baby girl.