Getting the Circus Back Together

It was a big adjustment for me and for the boys when Mairead went back to school in September.  I was so used to having all of them together all the time... we were a little team, a traveling circus.  It was, and still is, strange to go places without her.  So, days when we all get to be together are all that much better now!  I found these additional pictures of that day at the playground, and they make me smile.  It's a very simple thing, but seeing all of my kids having a snack together at the playground just makes me happy.

 

Jack and Ben were the hit of the playground since they were wearing their capes.  Jack even wore the mask for a while.  Jack is wearing the blue Batman cape and Ben's cape is black.  They were leading around a little crew of boys who were imagining all kinds of scenarios in which they were fighting crime and capturing the Joker.

Mairead and Lily had a great time on the tire swing, thanks to some pushes from Katie.  It's nice to see the girls spending time together and having fun!

An Artist in the Family?

Mairead has always loved drawing, painting, and other art projects.  She will spend hours at the art table cutting, pasting, coloring, etc.  And, she appears to have some talent!  She definitely gets that from her dad.  Her teacher even comments on how well done her drawings are, and Mairead comes home every day with enough drawings and projects to wallpaper our house!

 

The first one is a collection of things that begin with 'I.'  The bear at the bottom is named 'Itch,' Mairead explained to me.  If you can't see everything, there is an iguana, an ice cream, an inchworm, and an igloo, too.

Mairead has decorated her homework folder with drawings of animals, as well as with the names and faces of two boys (twins, actually) in her group at school.  Isn't she too young to be doodling boys' names in her homework?

This is a Thanksgiving placemat she made.  Each finger has written on it something she is thankful for.  She wrote: Mom, Dad, Me, Brothers, Nana, Aunt, love, pie, turkey, home.  So sweet.  I asked, "Did you forget Grampy?"  She replied, "No, Grampy was too long to write, so I write 'turkey' instead."  My dad got a laugh out of that one!

And, we're back to boys.  These are pictures of her with Zack.  Zack was recently moved into Mairead's group at school and Mairead just thinks he is great.  She talks about her friend all the time and about how he is nice, how they are friends, etc.  The first picture has them holding hands.  The one of the two of them in the heart is just too sweet.  I'm so happy that she is making connections with kids at school.  I'm not sure just how much she talks to the other kids, but I know that she loves them and loves to be around them.  Recently, she has told me that a few kids are not nice to each other.  One boy called her a baby when she cried, and another boy pulled her arm too hard when he wanted something she had.  She was upset about both incidents, and I think it's in part because she doesn't know how to handle those things, and because she just loves everyone and wants them to love her.  She also has such a sweet and peaceful nature that I think it really bothers her when people are not nice to each other.  It will be tough for us to help her keep that heart of gold while developing a little bit of a thick skin.  I know that she has some very sweet friends at school, so I hope they are able to keep those friendships for a long time.

Miscellaneous November

Whenver we drive by Wang Towers (Cross Point, for anyone who has lived in Lowell less than 20 years), Ben will point it out and tell me, "That's Gotham City."  So sweet- I just love their innocence and imaginations!  Three is a a tough age, for sure, but they are always making me smile with the ways their minds work!

 

 

On a beautiful day in November, we met up with the Crowders for some fun at the playground.  The kids love getting together and have become true friends.  Katie and I were talking when we heard Lily yell, "Mama!  I need you!"  Turns out, she had been able to get to the top of this climbing structure, but couldn't get back down.  It was pretty funny to see her little self at the top of this!

My pictures are all out of order... sorry!  Anyway, I have taken the boys to the Chelmsford Library a few times lately and they enjoy going.  There are a few superhero books they like, so we always read those together and then the boys play for a bit.  Their favorite part, though, is heading to Friendly's for lunch after!  They are very interested in books, though, and definitely love to be read to.  I'm happy to see that!

 

Back to the playground.  The kids use this car set-up as a Batmobile.  Of course.

Playdate

We had a great Sunday morning playdate in early November.  A friend from my twin club invited us over to play, and we lucked out with the weather!  Her twin boys are five, and their names are Jake and Ben.  My boys think they are pretty cool!  Abby is the little sister and Mairead heads up the group as the oldest.  The kids had a fun time playing together and running around outside!  Jamie, the mom, even taught Ben how to throw a frisbee!  Thanks for having us!

Happy Halloween 2012!

This Halloween was probably the best since we have had kids.  They all 'got it' and they were all super excited for Trick-or-Treating.  We were happy that the night didn't get rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy.  And, since Lily lives so much closer to us now, she and Kellan joined the fun too!  They were practically jumping out of their skin as we got ready to go.  The picture of Lily standing on the couch is when they were all screaming, "Trick or treat" at the tops of their little lungs.

Lily and Kellan were the princess and the pea... so cute!

As much as they loved Trick or Treating, Mairead and Lily probably had more fun toward the end of the night as they handed out candy at our house.  Mairead was putting things into bags and saying, "Here you go, honey."  They would get all excited every time they saw someone coming and they did a great job distributing the candy!

This holiday brought to you by chocolate mint liqueur in our hot chocolate.  :)

When you live across the street from a castle, you get a pretty unique trick or treating experience.  The owners dressed in costume and went all out.  They had fog machines and scary music.  Every kid was so excited to go to a real castle!

Earlier in the day, Brian brought over some treat bags that he and Christin had put together.  The kids loved them!  Thanks, Brian and Christin, for the fun surprises!

Pre- Halloween Festivities

Mairead's school does a big Fall Festival just before Halloween so she dressed in her second costume so that Daddy could take her.  She had a fun time participating in the activities and going to her school at night.  She saw some friends and showed Dave her school, so she was very happy!  Thanks to Jen for this dress- she loved it!

We were invited to a Halloween party at Liam's house and had a fun afternoon jumping in his bounce house and eating fun Halloween treats.  Jen made these eyeball cookies.  The kids loved any chance to wear their costumes, and they really like Liam, so it was a good day!  And, Liam has Batman toys, so life doesn't get much better than that.  Except for when Mike plays Batman with you... that's pretty great, too.  Thanks to the Whites for having us!