Book Pile

It's been a while since I did my last book pile! I am enjoying my girls trip to Kansas and since I've left home on Friday afternoon, I've already read two books. Since I am not doing a Menu Plan this week, I thought I would share my book pile. It's a pretty big one!

My Kansas book pile:
Six Years by Harlen Coben
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner
Daddy's Gone A Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark

Books at home in my pile:
Don't Go by Lisa Scottoline
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Books on my request list at the library:
Until I Say Goodbye: my year of living with joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenburg
Under The Banner Of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

iPhoto Friday

I am leaving for my trip this afternoon so I wanted to get this done before my day started. We have had a nice low key week despiste my nervousness I wrote about all week!

 

1. The boys got to go to the dump with Grampy on Saturday, clearly they were very excited!

2. Another Jack adventure! This time he took a baby powder bottle that was open and squeezed it in his face. We were laughing so hard. He was not.

3. Sunday we went to Waterville for Cameron's birthday.

4. Peter and I took the NEC team bus from Waterville to Westbrook on Sunday so we could spend time with Jill and Ada! It worked out great that they had a game two minutes from where we were!

5.We enjoyed dinner with the Varneys.

6. Both boys experienced their first skinned up knee of spring minutes apart.

7.Kelli and I enjoyed our first redneck patio this year on Wednesday!

8. Pete arrived home from work yesterday with a truck load of mulch. The boys were happy to "help" us out!

Fears

I have a fear of ants. A bad one. They are small and everywhere. Want to know my number one fear in life? That I'll die before my children are old enough to remember me. Yes, to some of you I might sound like a nut job. But, to others you might understand my fear. I'm guessing if you're a Mom, you too might have that same fear.

I am flying on a plane on Saturday. Since I've had kids, I've only flew with my kids. Since I've had Jack, I've only been away from them for the length of one night. Pete and the kids are staying home so here is where my fear is intensified. I'll be gone for 5 nights.(Bethany, don't read this part since you're flying with me) I'm nervous to fly and leave my family behind. What if something happens and I don't make it back? When deciding to go on this trip I actually struggled with it. I want to live my life. I want to go places . Why do I feel selfish? I have such Momma guilt. I have been having major anxiety all week.

My fear is that I'll miss so much. Watching them splash each other in the bathtub. The laughter, the hugs, the giggles. The big things, getting on the school bus for the first time. Taking a picture of them with their first deer. Helping them order corsages for prom dates. Graduating high school & college. Sharing the mother-son dance at their weddings.

I've told Pete the important things before my trip. No, not anything about finances. I've told him the password to the snapfish account, where I store the thousands of photos I've taken. How to print out the blog so, the kids can read what we've done this year. Where I uploaded the videos from my iPhone so that the boys can still watch them! What traditions I want to make sure the boys grow up with. He thinks I am nuts to be even having these discussions with him but these are things that are important to me.

I've wrapped a present for them to open every day I'm on my trip. I made them each a photo album. Thanks to technology, we'll be able to face time and I can see them. Everyone says I'll be fine...but I'm still fearful.
 

NASCAR Birthday Party!

Well, it's taken me a month to get this post done, but here it is! We decided to have a joint birthday party for the kids this year and I'm so glad we did! We had a private party at The Children's Museum with family and friends and everyone had a great time! I realized though that I didn't take many pics because we were all busy having fun!

 Giana from A Cake Storey made us this delicious cake!!

Peter helped me make notes to put in the goody bag.

When everyone came in we had them take their picture as a race car driver.

with Bethany & Mackenna.

Gwen having fun at the diner....

Kids having fun!

Jack with Katelyn & Auntie.

Everyone loves cake!

 

 

Menu Plan Monday

I have a lot of my to do list this week so I am planning an easy menu week! On Friday afternoon I head to Boston with Bethany and early Saturday morning we fly to Kansas to visit her sister Abby and meet her new niece Stella! Even though I won't be here, I know the guys will be doing takeout on Friday.....and most likely Saturday & Sunday, hahaha! Enjoy your week ;)

Monday: Grilled Steak & Pasta Salad
Tuesday: BBQ @ friends
Wednesday: Terikayi Ginger Chicken Thighs
Thursday: Homemade Italians
Friday: Takeout :)

Each week I link up with other bloggers for menu ideas :)

iPhoto Saturday!

Yesterday I wrote about Boston, so today I am posting our week in pictures. My sister Nicole and her girls have been visiting for two days so I'll do a separate post on that!

1.Our weekend started last Friday with dinner & drinks with Ben, Bethany and the kids at Tortilla Flats! Yummy Margarita!

2.Jack doing a little light reading at Grammy & Grampy's.

3. Saturday night Peter & Jack spent some time with Cyn & Katelyn. They loved exploring their backyard!

4. We celebrated Ben's birthday with a night out in the Old Port on Saturday. 

5.Jack & Peter cuddling on Cyn & Katelyn's couch watching Wreck it Ralph for the 100th time.

6. Sunday we went up to Waterville to have lunch with Cameron on his 2nd birthday. Love Pete photobombing this pic, hahaha!

7. Enjoying a Patriot's Day afternoon beverage. This picture was taken two minutes before we heard about the Boston Marathon bombings.

8. Enjoying the weather, we've been taking walks nightly around the neighborhood.

#Bostonstrong

 My parents grew up in Boston, growing up we were always down there and after college I was blessed to call Boston my home for 3 years. I still have many friends and family in the city. Marathon Monday. Patriots Day. One of the best days to be in Boston, it was always my favorite day when I lived there.To truly understand the joy and spirit of the day, you need to have been in Boston on one. The sun was always shining and it was the sports day for the city! On Monday a horrible act changed that forever.

I was at my sister in laws when we first heard the news. I had many college, high school friends running and family down in the city. My thoughts immediately went to them. I also knew many down watching the race. Thanks to social media, I was able to learn fairly quickly that while all were quite shaken up, they were physically OK. I was woken up this morning with text alerts to see that blocks from where I use to live was under lock down. Many I care about are in lock down mode as I write. I have spoken to them and while it is surreal and scary. They are safe!!

I'm not a great writer and I don't want to talk about the horror.  I view life in pictures. The images all over social media make me sick, but I have also seen beautiful, uplifting, heartwarming images that reminded me in a time of evil that there is still a lot of good. With Boston being such a sports city it was nice to see other cities and teams recognize that.

 

The front page of the Chicago Tribune sports page.

Love those Soxs.

Yankees are being a class act even playing Sweet Caroline the other night at their game.

 

This is a great image from Monday. My old NEC teammate Emily Frawley Manach. She ran 25.8 miles of the Boston Marathon yesterday before she was stopped. She gave me permission to post this and she is a champ in my book! To read about her incredible experience click here!

My old neighborhood,usually busy, is a ghost town this morning.

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Eerie to see the market so empty.

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Keep them all in your thoughts in prayers. Pray for the victims and their families. Pray for the injured. Pray for the runners. Pray for Boston.#bostonstrong

Menu Plan Monday

It's Patriot's Day, whick means the hubs and I get to enjoy a long weekend! We had a great weekend, enjoying Saturday with the boys and going out on Saturday night with Ben & Bethany. Sunday, 8 of of piled into the van to head to Waterville to visit our nephew Cameron on his birthday for which I made a batch of Chicken & Rice soup. Today our goal is to clean out the garage and buy a new grill! I have a feeling this week will fly by with my sister, Nicole and my nieces coming to stay with us Thursday & Friday night! Enjoy your week :)

Monday: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches
Tuesday: Steak Salad
Wednesday: Dinner @ our friends Nick & Kati's
Thursday: Chicken Marsala
Friday: Chinese Takeout :)

Each week I link up with other bloggers who menu plan :)

iPhoto Friday!

Another Friday has arrived! We have a fun relaxing weekend planned starting with dinner with friends this evening. Welcome weekend :)

1. Saturday I headed to Henniker for an alumni lacrosse event. Jaim and I enjoying the game!

2. I hadn't been back for a few years so it was nice to spend some time with these girls in our old stomping ground! After the game and alumni lunch, we enjoyed some beverages at Daniel's.

3. Sunday we got to enjoy some time in the backyard, we'll be working on the project next!

4. Tuesday night, Peter had his art school at school. He enjoyed showing us all his work!

5. With his teacher Mrs. Lessard :)

6. Jack enjoying his new book!