Happy on Chappy

Ok, so the weather isn't so hot. Yesterday it rained all morning - which ain't pretty in a house with 2,3,4 year olds. The afternoon was nice - albeit windy - so we headed out to Cape Pogue. The boys slept in the car the whole way, but Keelin made the first of a series of "castles for the animals and birds". She decorates these castles with sea grass, shells, rocks and wildflowers (which I think are goldenrod - aaaaachoooo). Rob fishes. I chill out. Here are a few shots from yesterday and today on Chappy. Way out past the lighthouse. So remote. So beautiful.

We haven't done much other than play, eat fish - see earlier post from our weekend in Duxbury!, drive on the beach, and some sleep. Easing in to Vineyard life...

Rain? It was raining?

As I create this post, I am blissfully sitting on the couch in our house on the Vineyard. Life is good. But more on that later. Now I must post about our lovely weekend in Duxbury with the Ms. We drove up late Friday night after work, kids sleeping as we listened to the first debate on the radio. And it POURED rain most of the way. Treachery - two narrowly averted serious accidents, but it all came together as we cruised close to our destination and the phone rang. It was K&B right in front of us on the road!

We stayed up (yeah - all 5 of us and all 4 of them) until after 1 chitchatting. The kids were so excited and the popcorn didn't hurt. The gorgeous house with meticulous playroom was converted into a racetrack for our kids. Up one staircase, down the other. Loop de loop. We slept in the girls room, and when Keelin walked in you would have thought she'd never before seen pink. This was heaven to her. Rob & I both said we'd better get cracking on making our kids rooms look a little more like kids rooms. Then maybe they'll stay in them longer!
So what is this picture you ask? This is Finn and Kate - in the tent. In the playroom. Finn is now Kate's number one fan. And Kate is now Finn's idol. He LOVES her. If you know Kate, then you know why and it all makes sense, but when you know Finn, it was very hard to believe. He was SMITTEN. There was no fighting. There was no screaming or kicking. It was like he found his muse and in her presence, Finn was a new man (boy). Izzy and Loch were another item. As a matter of fact, Kate came in at one point and said "Um. I'm not sure if it's appropriate, but, uh, Izzy and Loch are KISSING!" Yup - the 6 and 2 yr olds smooching when the rentals weren't looking. TROUBLE! I just wish I took a picture. There are a few cuties on K's camera, which I'll add when she sends them to me. RIGHT K? :) The good news is that Keelin was so excited to have the two girls there - playing Webkinz on the computer, putting on makeup and doing nails, coming down with Polly Pockets - and the boys were also having a ball with the older women (girls). Something for everyone! It couldn't have been better chemistry.

And what a dope I am not to have gotten a shot of PK who came over to chill for the day. (Or K&B our hosts for that matter!)It was great to see PK and since it was bucketing rain and we had 5 kids to contend with, we basically hunkered in all day. So we got lots of catch up time which was just what I wanted. K had the house stocked with lots of yummy stuff and fed P&I some crazy good pancakes for brunch.

The boys went out fishing and caught a few stripers. We had one for dinner here - on MVY - tonight, but last night was the tuna fest. I wish there were an accurate word to describe the insane amount of tuna we had last night. Caligula would have been right at home. B caught a 100 lb tuna this week and we put a massive dent in it last night. 3 kinds of tuna sashimi. Tuna rolls. Tuna steak. As K said, it was like Forrest Gump of tuna. And boy was it YUMMMMY. We ate tuna for about 4 hours. And drank 3 bottles of wine plus some beer. And B doesn't drink anymore. And P&B had gone home!

So long story short, we had a super time in Crazytown (named after the ginormous pancakes made in Duxbury). Rob & I were astonished at how well behaved the kids were (yeah, P&K, that was REALLY GOOD!) and how surprisingly relaxing it was. Thanks so much to K&B for being hosts with the mosts. :)

Remember Loch...

Finn kinda stole the day from Lochlan as we headed off to school on Tuesday. I told him to wish Loch luck for his first day. He said - and I quote - "Remember Loch, no fighting, no biting. And I'm proud of you." Then he gave him a huge hug. Loch was beaming with pride. His hero finally acknowledged him. Ahhh.

This shot is blurry, but I'm a nut for taking first day of school shots in the same spot - so tough. Keelin isn't in these either - because she's already on the bus!

Here is Loch playing with Steph before we headed out. Actually, he's AVOIDING the photo op spot that I was trying to make him stand in. He had to be on the OTHER side of the yard.

So on to the actual school part. We walked in, I helped Loch wash his hands, he dumped the back pack and started right in with the toys. No issues. I asked for a kiss goodbye - full pucker. (Oh yeah, nice wet one, the super drool hasn't disappeared yet)

I start to walk out - then realize I need to take at least ONE picture. So I cruise around to the table where he's doing a puzzle. Snap. He looks up. Snap again. (actually, snap doesn't really fly with a digital, but I need it for effect. Artistic license.) Loch looks at me like I'm nuts. Like "WHEN are you leaving Ma?? Can't you see I'm busy here?"

So I left and headed into the Parenting group. It's a good crew and there is even another boy with an older brother named Fin(bar)! Loch and Jack can share stories about their Finncidents of the day. One mom got pulled back to calm some crying. Another to change a diaper. Every time the door opened I cringed. All reports are good. Not a single outburst. He made it.

No fighting, no biting. I am so proud of him.

Happy Birthday To Sue

Sue F came to celebrate her birthday on Saturday! Keelin was very eager to hand over the gifts, so this picture was taken about 2 minutes after Sue walked in the door!

Here she is with the boyz unwrapping the framed pics of her nieces. The other gift was some cute veggie plates that I've been eyeballing with her in mind for about a year.

After the gifting, we went to the Blues and BBQ festival in town. It was actually pretty good for a first annual anything. The big flaw was a loooooooong line to buy anything BBQ. Yeah - kinda major flaw. The ribs were super yum though - once we got them. Then we sat down on the grass and licked our fingers.

The bands were good, the beer tents were line-free, and there were lots of games for the kids. We stuck to pony rides (2x each), checking out the fire truck, and this enormous bouncy-thing obstacle course.

This pony rode shot has all three kids in it, but it's not so easy to see Loch back there. He LOVED it - but was very shy about the cute girl guiding him. Blushing and
everything.
And here is Finn hoisting himself over the climbing wall in a flash. Even Lochie attempted it - but he wasn't quite ready to scale it using the rope. He needed some help from Sue to get around it! Can you tell who is who here?

No picture of Keelin scaling the wall because she flew through it so quickly that by the time I had Loch's shoes off and got him started, she was already done. And milking a fake cow.

Anyway, it was great to have Sue for the night. I wish I could say we had a raging night of birthday rancor - but no. We were all exhausted and didn't even eat dinner. We had chips and salsa. And never ate her cake. We got one at Carvel, but never ate it. 'Til Monday anyway :)

Trifecta!

Loch met HIS teachers today! Here he is with Mrs P - who was also Finn's teacher last year. Keelin never had her. This is a goofy shot, but she doesn't look half bad :)

School starts next week. Yes - you'll have to endure ONE MORE sequence of first day shots! Luckily in a few years they'll all start the same day. But that isn't for three more years!

For the past week we've been telling Loch he was going to school. Every time he had the same reply. "No." He is such an easy going little dude that I thought this was it. Finally it will happen. One of them will be the drama case at school. On Keelin's first day of Twos, she bolted right in and didn't turn back. Yeah - kinda like the bus this year! Finn was also comfy cozy and strolled right in. So ONE has to be the screaming, kicking, bawling, grasping, sobbing, guilt-laying center of attention. Right?

So far so good on the Lochster. Of course I was there today for the hour. Tuesday is when he stays. Alone. But I think he'll be ok. He did come find me every 5 minutes or so today, so there IS a little neediness there, and he DOES get shy sometimes. But I'm going to hope. And pray. No screaming, kicking, bawling, grasping, sobbing, guilt-laying. PLEASE.

Claire's HERE!?!?

This afternoon Johnny stunned us by not only showing up - but he even came ON TIME! WOW. It was a shocker, but a good shocker.

Even though Keelin and Claire only see each other a 6-8 times a year now, they snap right back into their comfort zone. They've known each other since the day after Keelin was born and 4 mo old Claire wheeled right into the hospital room.

Many, many things have changed since then - but they are still two peas in a pod. Because I have a "can't remember life without you" friendship with Wrubel (we were two - ok, yeah, I was 18 months :) ) I so want these two to stay close. New schools and new friends come and go, but they'll always have each other and some semblance of stability. And that's a pretty big thing for them these days.

Finn and Gus on the other hand - not the best of buds. Today was far better than usual - Finn only kicked Gus down the slide once. Loch thinks Gus is the cat's meow though, so Gus has a fan and playmate.

We went back to Earthplace to do the trails again. Hey - worked last week! I thought it would be really good to run them like mad, and what's better than the trails to exhaust this pack?

Moments after this shot was taken the kids spied two enormous turkeys crossing the far lawn. Loch and Keelin might even have caught site of them here. The kids BOLTED off the bear in hot pursuit of the poor grazing turkeys. How do you tell 2-5 yr olds that this is a place where animals are supposed to feel safe? Not like prey.

Anyway, turkeys run fast. Just a hair faster than Gus, but it was an important hair for ALL of us. So then we diverted them to the trail head (actually, it's just a short loop through the woods, but I like to play it up) where Bucky was standing with 2 members of his family. "Bucky" is what we call male deer. Somewhere along the way female deer became "Maria". So Bucky, Maria and doe were chomping on trees when along came our gang. Gus screamed his head off, and the deer pounced away in a flash.

Off we went, through the paths. Kids running willy-nilly, sticks snapping, and an occasional disturbing noise to bring them all to a halt. John had the video camera going for the Blair Witch effect. It was downright nice. As John commented at one point, we'd been in the woods for about 15 minutes already and no one had been hit, no one cried and everyone was eagerly parading along the trail. Excluding the 3-kid pile up right after the Bucky & Maria chase (oh yeah, that's why them deer scrammed...), but it's mostly true. Back to the age old advice to keep the kids stimulated and moving - FAR less fighting.

The big news of the day was John's apparent return to CT in November. I'll believe it when I see it, but it would be fabulous to have him closer. We'll be able to do so much more with them. John went to Westchester for Claire's soccer practice today and I think he realizes that he's missing alot. He and Jen were civil and he said they even had a few laughs. I hope he makes the move happen AND then I hope he makes it work when he gets here.

This was Loch two weeks ago

Poor little guy took a digger outside the Mexican joint Mom and I took the gang to two weeks ago. It was one of those "not-so-great" restaurant experiences. These days we are about 70/30 on the "not-so-bad"side of the spectrum. That night was just unusually unruly. Likely the "grandma effect".

Anyway, back to the spill. Right outside the door, on the side walk. As usual, Loch was a little dramatic - mostly embarrassed - but got over it in a flash. It actually didn't look terrible that night. Little touch of blood, one little gouge out of the nose...

This picture was taken about 2 days after the spill - and he looked UGLY. You also can't see the scrape on his forehead in this shot. Drool's still there.

And this will be a continuing thread...

Long story short: Sunday our dishwasher leaked all over our kitchen. Actually it was more than just the dishwasher - it was also every last drop that went into our kitchen sink on Sunday. Which is kind of alot. Of water.

Yup - if you know about my water heater explosion back in April, you'll be happy to know we FINALLY got new carpeting down about a month ago. The carpentry was all done just before that. The painter had to go to Mexico, so he was coming next week. Was.

That perfect new carpet? Not so perfect. All that water drained through the floor into the basement (through a light fixture) and onto my new carpet. AAARRRGGGH.

But that was yesterday's drama. Today the insurance guys came to clean up and the plumber replumbed. Then the Service Master cleaning guys started stabbing around our kitchen floor with this metal pogo-stick looking thing that said something on it. I caught the letters ...hydr... This thing was beeping like mad. Our kitchen floor and cabinets are soaked. He looks at me. "I have to rip up these tiles lady". It's 7 PM and my kitchen is a disaster area already. We haven't eaten. I said "go nuts".

So now half our lower cabinets have been ripped out, chunks of tile are gone, and the subfloor is soaked through. Like - "we hope we don't fall through the floor" soaked through. There are fans a-blowin all over the joint.

As it turns out, the whole incident was probably a screw up on the plumber's part two weeks ago when they put a new hose on the dishwasher. So hopefully we won't be out another $1000 insurance deductible in under 6 months. Of course we didn't hear back from them today - but I found their very-Fairfield-County motto on their website tonight.


"A Good Job Costs a Lot, A Bad Job Costs a Fortune"

Gee. I feel better already.

More on this recurring drama in the coming days :) Feel free to bring me slabs of granite, travertine tiles and solid cabinetry. I may be getting a new kitchen. I doubt insurance will pay for it since we had to haggle over replacing beach towels with the basement flood, but since we're ripped up, it's forcing the issue of the situation we called a kitchen before.

Think I could get insurance to pay for my addition?

Thumbs Up

Today was Finn's first day as a Junior at Earthplace. Woo Hoo! Here he is squatting down because I got down to take his picture. PS. Yes - that is a skateboard in his hands.

Finn was a champ at school - no clinging and no hesitation when we got there. He darted right for the area he wanted to play in, with his friends from last year and once again I became chopped liver on the first day of school! 2 down, one to go.

Finn is the one I always think I need to worry about. Middle child. Sensitive one. So I'm really glad that he jumped right in with his (3 yr) old buddies. They barely acknowledge each other in person, but Finn talks all about the boys when he is at home. Here he is as I was leaving.

GASP. Finn is actually handing me his skateboard (safety blanket) . He doesn't need it. Just after this he realized I was really going. And school had begun for the year.


Finn glanced around, cracked a confident smile, then gave me a little tiny thumbs up. The way he does when he knows I'm checking on him and he wants me to know he's ok. Gulp.

I think Finn is going to love school this year.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning...

With the torrential rain from Tropical Storm Hanna gone, today is absolutely perfect. Sunny, cool, light breeze. Ahhh. This morning we hit up the "new"Christie's Market on Cross Highway for a test drive. It was great and we're thrilled to have the neighborhood joint back in good condition: yummy breakfast stuff, plenty to drink, a good deli plus a natural foods mini-mart. Now that we know it's worth the trek, we will walk there next week.

Then we cruised by the beach to look for bluefish (no luck) and decided a hike on the trails at Earthplace would be fun. Finn starts school tomorrow and Loch in 2 weeks, so we thought it would be good for them to spend some time "on campus".

We detoured to the farmer's market for some corn, raspberries, squash blossoms (gotta dig up a recipe!), black/blueberry pie and a loaf of bread shaped like a frog!

On the way across town, we passed a fire truck sitting in a parking lot with 3 firemen. So we pulled in, and as usual, the firemen were great - letting the kids sit up front and explaining all the hoses, etc. They were there to witness a 200-motorcycle tribute to Police and Firemen lost on Sept 11th. It would have been a site to see, but the kids were getting rambunctious with the truck's levers and doors, which was our signal to skeedaddle. Finn proclaimed that he wants to be a fireman for Halloween. We'll see if it sticks.

By the time we made it to the trails, it was getting pretty warm and the shade was much appreciated. Keelin played the boss repeating stories she had heard from her teachers over the years. She told us exactly where we'd find frogs along the trail, and by golly, she was right!

Loch wanted to be carried, so he rode on Rob's shoulders for the back half. Then we made it back up to the playground and the birds of prey.

We checked out the eagles, owls, hawks and vultures. If you have never seen a bald eagle up close then it is time for you to visit. I am always amazed at their size - HUGE. Here are Chatty and Cerena - each one of them is about 2.5 ft tall. Stop by one day - you can hike the trails and play on the nice playground for free - or go into the nature museum inside for a small fee. They usually have something going on each weekend...

Peas and Shrooms

We had dinner at AMK's tonight and it was quite tasty. Yes, even with peas and shrooms - no - I didn't EAT them, but avoided them successfully! The usual gang with the L's the K's and the surprise guests - the F's. Ann-Marie is my kind of host - she entertains, she makes an effort; and it's always real at the K's. Nothing is too serious yet there is always an attention to detail. Dinner was great, the kids had fun, and ugh (I think it's a mental block here) I forgot my camera again.

I also should have brought the camera to Kiki's friends b-day party today at KidsU. She had so much fun with the gang from last year. Her 4s class.

Seems like everyone is dealing well enough with Kindergarten, but you could see a real sense of relief and familiarity with all these 5 yr olds. They've all moved on, but boy were they having fun together today. So much has changed, with alot of growing up, but it is not SO distant. I think the same could be said for most of the moms too. We had a good time today. And probably pretty much for all the same reasons. This picture has some of her old class there, mixed with other friends. K is Dorothy here :)

Anywho, tonight was fun. It was really nice to see Mo and Jay + 3. We just don't get to hang out with them enough. Thanks AMK!

I'm not dead

I'm super sleepy tonight, but not dead. I'll post more this weekend after I bust out the camera. That's been my holdup - I am trying NOT to post unless I have a picture to make it more compelling.

What the hell - I can't disappoint my fans. I'll dig up a shot. I tried to find a super goofy picture of Sarah Palin, because well, you know. She's just bugging me and lord help me if they win because I can't TAKE her voice. And you know she'll be front and center for every photo and soundbite op she can get her grubby little paws on. Yeah - I know - one week ago I didn't even know who she was. Now she's under my skin and I don't like it.

So anyway, many of my fave Palin bits are in here - which I like because it seems credible. I heard the author on NPR, so that counts, right? The fact that she got her passport in 2007 is awesome too. She's def gonna resonate with the ferreners.

Back to my image search - I changed tacks. This is Trig. Palin's youngest son. He's a cutie and I feel bad for him. It probably would have been pretty cool to grow up as the former gov's son in Alaska. Huntin and fishin with the MILF. Instead he's already embarking on a torture tour of loud auditoriums, buses, photo ops and being tossed around by his siblings. Oh yeah, and getting the dreaded lick down from his 6 yr old SISTER. Having your Mom licking her fingers to wipe off food from your face is bad enough. When your sister licks her full palm to straighten your hair on national tv then you are done for. He's going to be overshadowed by his niece in a few months anyway (yeah I heard it was a girl because Jamie Lynn Spears supposedly sent Bristol some pink burp cloths, but who knows). Poor little dude.

Hoop hoop. (i know some of you were waiting for that).