Happy Birthday Oliver!

 Well Oliver went ahead and turned 11. 11!  I can't even  believe it!

My hockey/lacrosse loving, kind, funny, and smart little man turned 11.

He had a blast playing with cousins.

And everyone enjoyed the gorgeous weather.

Every year the kids pick out their own birthday cakes, ever since they were little. The kids have always cracked up me with some of their choices.  But as they have gotten older their choices have changed.  This year Oliver was really stuck on a rainbow cake (he loves that his birthday is during Pride month) but he didn't like that it wasn't a cake (it was cupcakes) and ultimately he decided on a peanut butter and chocolate cake because he felt that everyone would enjoy it. Also, this cake had 11 chocolate swirls!  His thought process cracked me up.

And of course he loved his presents!

One of Oliver's favorite gifts was a balance board.  And we all had fun trying it out!

Oliver told me that it was his best birthday yet!  He says this every year and that is one of the reasons why I love him so much.  Oliver is so positive and flexible.  He just has fun and handles whatever comes his way.  He is smart, funny, and ridiculously kind. I am so proud of my guy and I am so thankful that 11 years ago I got to be his Mom.  Happy birthday Oliver!!!!

Proud Sports Mama

This weekend was a sports filled weekend! I am so proud of my kids and how hard they work when it comes to sports.

Oliver played a great final game for his spring clinic. The other team chooses the MVP of the game and this game they chose him! He loves hockey so much and I am so proud of how hard he works. Oliver wants to be in every clinic there is and when he is not on the ice he is playing hockey in the street or on video games.  When he isn’t  playing hockey he is loving lacrosse. Right now he is playing box lacrosse and even though it is a bit violent, I LOVE to watch him play! 

 Claire has been crushing it playing JV as an 8th grader. I am so proud of her. It was hard to leave her friends and I know she misses playing with them so much but she is doing so well. She has started every game and I LOVE to watch her play!

My biggest regret from high school was not playing any team sports. I love seeing the kids work hard and be part of a team. I know I keep saying it, but I am ridiculously proud of these two!

Grey Gardens Update

 Grey Gardens is coming along!

So my cupboards are done (thank you very much)!  Now we just need new countertops and backsplash.  It may not seem like much but we are getting there!  Mark has been sanding the walls for days and days and days but we are almost ready to paint (ignore the wallpaper by the cupbaords, we are putting a sliding glass door there).  Then the new floors go in! It is taking some time but we will get there!

I had lilac bushes in my backyard growing up and the smell of them totally reminds me of the end of the school year!  I could not be happier that I have not one but....

TWO bushes at our cottage!!!!  The smell makes me want summer to be here sooooo badly!

I also love my Lilly of the valley plants! And that super cut birdhouse.  I apparently am obsessed with birds these days.  I could sit and watch them all day.

Every time we go to work on the cottage we make sure we take a walk down to the beach to remind us why we are doing all of this work.  We timed it today and it is a 3 minute and 22 second walk from our drive way to the water!

I love this crew and I CANNOT wait for summer!!!!!!!

Lacrosse Season

 Lacrosse season has begun!  I have to say, I absolutely love watching my kids play lacrosse.  It is such a fast paced and fun sport to watch.

I have to brag here for a moment.  Claire made the JV lacrosse team, AS AN 8TH GRADER!  She has worked so hard and I am so proud of her. She really loves lacrosse and it shows when she is out there! 

This was the best shot I could get since Claire wouldn't let me take a picture before she left for her game!  I love her so much.  She is turning into such an awesome young lady.  She was always an amazing little girl but now she is just a great young lady.  I really thought her middle school years would be rough and she would get that attitude that most girls get (like I had) but she really hasn't at all!  Claire is honestly really fun to be around and super helpful all the time.  She is definitely my favorite daughter!

This guy started his lacrosse season too. Here he is playing box lacrosse, which is a little rougher than regular lacrosse but I have to be honest, I love it!  

He may be a bit smaller than the other kids but man does he hold his own!  I love watching him play!  I am so proud of him.  He goes out there and gives it his all at every game.  Oliver takes care of his team mates and holds his own.  Oliver is also growing up to be a really cool kid.  I love his sense of humor and his positive attitude.  He is so easy and fun to around. I can't believe that he is going to be in middle school next year! He is definitely my favorite son.

Mother’s Day Weekend

This year it was more of a Mother’s Weekend than an actual Mother’s Day. Since we were going to busy all weekend Mark surprised me with a PF Chang’s dinner for my Mother’s Day celebration!

Our traditional “waiting for our table” selfie.

I loved our dinner! That is the thing I missed the most over quarantine, going out to dinner. And not just because I love not having to cook. I love that we all love to try new foods and we have some the best conversations when we all go out together!

Oliver couldn’t wait to give me his gift that he made at school. He told me, “Other kids were writing stuff like my Mom is pretty or I love my Mom. But not me, I told everyone my Mom is super funny!” ❤️❤️❤️

Then on Saturday we had Liam’s birthday party. And Mark really wanted a picture with me for some reason! 🤷‍♀️

Afterwards my side of the family came over to celebrate my mother. We had such a great time but I forgot to take pictures!!!

Then today for Mother’s Day, we all met for brunch to celebrate my Mother in law!

Then we all walked down to Olivers lacrosse game! 

Then me and the kids went and bought my Mother’s Day gift, a new juicer! We had so much fun making all kinds of new juices! 

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend filled with family! I do have to say that my favorite part of the whole weekend was when my kids bickered over who got to sit next to me at dinner. I LOVE that my kids like to spend time with me and don’t find me annoying! THAT made my whole weekend! Happy Mother's Day!

Spring Break

We had a wonderful and relaxing spring break.  We didn't get to go on our trip as planned and that really stinks but we made the most of our week together!

The bunny was tricky this year and it took the kids a LONG time to find their baskets.

Even though we couldn't go away we did get to spend Easter at Aunt Diane's like the old days. 

The kids loved doing the annual easter egg hunt!

After a lovely Easter we had a whole week to work on the cottage!  The weather was gorgeous and my helpers were amazing!  Since I am apparently painting everything white, I needed some help. And the kids were excellent helpers.

So we primed and primed and primed.

The kids had a blast exploring!

The weather was unbelievable and we made sure to take some breaks from painting and enjoy the beach.

Oliver couldn't wait to get back to fishing!

We called in some extra helpers and got a ton of stuff done!

Then we primed some more stuff.

Then I bought 97 paint samples to try to find the perfect wall color.  I am color blind so picking out paint colors is really tough for me.  I struggle to explain what I want because I see color so differently than everyone else.  There are a rare few that can help me and understand me.  But I am getting closer to a decision lol!

The weather was so gorgeous that I even busted out the homemade cold brew and it tasted like summer!  To say that we are excited for summer is an understatement!  We cannot wait to finish up the cottage and spend our days at the beach!

 

Grey Gardens

 So we finally named the cottage.  We will call it "Grey Gardens".  It is named after the famous Grey Gardens and if you have never seen the movie or documentary you need to see it immediately.  It is basically about a mother and daughter and the mother tries to keep the daughter with her at her house (Grey Gardens) forever.  And since my kids are never going to leave me, I felt the name was perfect lol.

Yesterday we went up to the cottage for the day to start making it our own.  I couldn't do too much but the kids were super helpful!

When starting to take down the wallpaper we discovered 9 layers of paper and the walls were getting damaged.  Soooo I may have talked Mark into letting me wallpaper the place!  I LOVE wallpaper but Mark hates taking it down BUT he may go for it now!

We did find this magical surprise in the kids' bedrooms when took up the carpet!  

Then we had our first dinner at Grey Gardens.  We enjoyed delicious subs from a local deli.  It was the perfect first meal. 

We are so excited to make this place our own.  The kids are at such a great age and they are so involved and helpful.  We are already making some great memories!

On Saturday I was lucky enough to steal a friend's reservation for a fun lunch at Juicy Burger inside and igloo!

It was the perfect day for it and thank God I had some extra sunglasses in my car!

We all agreed it felt like being on vacation because it was so toasty warm in there!  

Thanks Carolyn for having hockey and not being able to use your reservation!  We loved it!

Womb Removal And Big News

 We have some big stuff going on here lately!!!  Two weeks ago I had a hysterectomy.  It was a long time coming and besides some crazy restless legs, I have been feeling pretty good. 

I have been spoiled rotten by my amazing family and some of the best friends in the universe!  Every time I turn around someone is sending a card, flowers, treat, meal, gift card, or funny and loving text message.  I seriously have the most amazing people in my life.

Even some of my amazing students have spoiled me!

In other, better news.  We have some exciting news!!!  Everyone who knows me, knows how much I love the beach. It is my happy place and now....

WE HAVE OUR OWN COTTAGE!!!!!  It is just a few doors down from my in laws and for years I have walked by it and said, "This one is perfect for us!"  and in January it went up for sale!!! So early this week it was official and we closed. We are beyond excited and we can't wait to get in there and make it out own.

Other than that we have just been living our usual lives.

Claire has been knitting.

And Oliver has been living his best life playing hockey!

The weather is getting nicer and I can't believe that it is somehow March already.  This has been a wild year and I am excited to see what the future has to bring!!!