November 23, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving From Vermont

starting a fire Thursday morning
joining the Black Friday coupon hunt
football! what a difference in weather from last Thanksgiving
Rachael annoying Webster
chopping more wood for the stove
Popa teaching Jill how to climb trees in the yard
and then climbing them himself!
thrilled
loves her Popa
then she had to climb every single tree she could find
I love this pic - thank you, Kim!
goofing around
my Martha Stewart mother-in-law cooking up a storm
time to eat! I believe Jill is under the table in this pic.
and head outside to play more football
and field hockey
the 4 generation shot
final Thursday night prep
The Polar Express
Friday morning about 5 a.m.
the kitties
love for Rachael



coming back from a walk with Nana
an early birthday celebration w/ Nana's homemade chocolate cake
new jammies
Cinderella, a princess castle and so many other wonderful and thoughtful gifts. Jill is a very lucky little girl!



November 20, 2012

Big Girl Beds, Haircuts and Petting Zoos

I’m sitting on the commuter rail right now on the way into Cambridge. Yes, we moved to Berkley and I spend 4 hours of each work day commuting. And it’s nuts. This morning I woke up and thought about how quickly the week was flying by. I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday, I said to Jill. “Ummm Momma, it’s Tuesday. Wednesday we go to Nana’s,” she reminded me. Oh right, it’s only Tuesday. But it’s really Friday because Momma took tomorrow off. So I guess the work week is flying by after all.

Last Friday (apparently only a few days ago), we set Jill up in her big girl bed, or rather a twin-sized mattress on the floor. Four nights in a row she’s slept in her big girl bed and twice she’s reminded me that she can’t leave her bed without Mom and Dad. Tony shot me a look the first time when I called for Jill to come to our room. Duh, Mom, keep Jill “trapped” so to speak in her big girl bed as long as possible. She’s a smart kid. It won’t last for long. So for my two readers who sent messages on Monday asking how the big girl bed was going, so far so good! And thank you for asking.





Here are some pictures from the weekend. Jill had a haircut Saturday morning followed by an animal rescue fundraiser at Ventura Grain in Taunton (Jess’s family’s business) where we met Mel and Cole, Becky and baby Ella and BJ. Ella is three months old now and I may just steal a photo of her from Becky’s Facebook page to show you how flippin cute she is! BJ was then gracious and brave enough to come to the 99 with me, Mel and the kids. Cole proceeded to antagonize Jill while she lay under the table and giggled. We don’t get out much!







Jill had playtime with Cole again Sunday morning. We met the Barbozas at the Dighton Country Diner for breakfast. While Tony and Brian winterized the boat, Mel and I took the kids to the playground behind the Dighton Town Hall. For about 4 minutes. Everything was wet so we left and played at our house instead. Playgrounds during the winter months are best around lunchtime after slides and swings are dry and the sun has warmed up the plastic dinosaurs and metal handles on the merry-go-round. Later on Jill had a chance to play with Guy in the back of Scott and Jess’s boat while we ate some of Jess’s yummy pizza for lunch. And Sunday late afternoon was taken up with a long, late nap and watching the Pats kill the Colts. Not a bad little weekend.




As a little side note, I'm excited to report that someone in our family may have purchased us a Family Plus membership to the Roger Williams Zoo for Christmas.  I may know this because said person is not very computer savvy and I had to make the purchase for him/her! Many fun trips to the zoo are in our future!!

November 16, 2012

Bye Bye Crib

Yes, Jill’s almost 3 and yes, she still sleeps in her crib. That is, until tonight. The big girl bed will be set up this afternoon and will be ready for bedtime. Jill asked for it.

We’ve watched our fellow parent friends move their children from cribs to beds much earlier than our Jill but they’ve also welcomed #2 or had to avoid the crazy monkey-like kid from climbing over the railing. Jill’s been testing her foot up on the railing for more than a year but hasn’t taken the plunge, so to speak. So that’s happening tonight and Jill couldn’t be more excited for it!

Tomorrow morning we have a 9:30 appointment for Jill’s hair. We’ve done the all-over trim and cut the bangs several times but this will be her first “real” haircut, at least that’s how I’m thinking of it. I’ll apologize in advance to the grandmothers for cutting off the leftover summer blondeness on the ends. Jill’s hair is OOC as my Mom would text in code (out of control). I honestly feel badly dropping her off in the morning at Tyla’s with her hair looking like a bird’s nest. It’s a cute nest but really, we’re almost 3 and it’s time for a more manageable cut (for Mom anyway). It’s going to be a big weekend of growing up!

November 15, 2012

Trip to the Zoo with Nana and Cole

Saturday's trip to Roger Williams Park Zoo
where my Mom took my brother and I growing up

 The West African Crowed Crane put on quite the show for us.


 the elephants: always a favorite


and then we met Mel, Brian and Cole by the giraffes
Jill was squealing with excitement to see her buddy!
 watching the seals from above
 The Barbozas in the Barnyard
 apparently this is a petting zoo too
 bathtime for the elephants!
 indoor playtime for the giraffes
 and a great day at the zoo with Jill's Nana
 running through the new treehouse to check EVERYthing out
 cool new additions to the outdoor learning and play area at the zoo
singing Happy Birthday to Nana with the help
of my Mom and special visitors Mark and Ali