Just Life Around Here

 Reagan and Katelyn have been playing together more than ever lately.  Kate seems to enjoy following Reagan around and participating in whatever her big sister is doing.

 Here Reagan is teaching Kate a few dance moves and Kate follows them exactly from the hands behind the back to the crouch down on the floor.  Too cute.

 Katelyn and Logan saw each other for the first time since Christmas (I forgot to post this before; this was during the time that Collin and Reagan were in Florida).  They are three days apart, Logan being older.  They were very cute together.

 We have had a few days of nice weather.  When we do have them, we try to get outside.  We are supposed to have a nice week!!!

 Last week, Reagan helped with every step of dinner making.  She did a great job.  I LOVED that she tore all of the parsley leaves for me - not one of my favorite tasks.

Orange Leaf frozen yogurt is all the rage around here right now.  The girls and I went for the first time last weekend.  

 Collin decided to play baseball this year.  I was surprised seeing as when he played tee ball, he wrote, "I hate baseball" in window crayon on the sliding glass door and swore he would never play the sport again.  He had a change of heart, and last Sunday was opening day.  While it looked sunny, we were all pretty cold!  If you look closely (clicking on the picture enlarges it), you may notice that Collin has a fat upper lip.  He took a ball to the mouth playing catch with Tom on Saturday.  It is all healed now.

 Tyler's braces came off on Monday.  He was very happy to say goodbye to them!

Kate loves to read.  She sits on the floor and goes on and on; it's adorable.  I love that she is reading to Kelly in this picture.

Collin and Reagan drew tigers (their school mascot) for a contest.  One tiger drawing from each grade will be selected, and there will be one overall school winner.

I made these cookies and they were gone in two days.  No one missed the artificial colors from M&M candies.

Another tennis article.  The last week or so has been filled with very strong opponents and a few losses.

Reagan at her swimming lesson today.  Sunday at 3:45 has not been the best time for us; we have missed quite a few lessons, but she swam well today and had fun.

 She is just the sweetest little girl ever.  Right now, she is obsessed with "flowers" and insists on collecting them on our walks.

Collin doesn't like his freckles, but I love them.  He is such a handsome boy.  You can see that his lip is much better now, just a little dry skin.

How is it the end of April already?

Boston

I still have a little ache in my stomach.  I'm not sure that will go away anytime soon.  The cowardly act of terrorism that occurred during the Boston Marathon has hit me especially hard for many reasons.

Boston was my home for six years.  I loved every minute of every year that I spent in that city.  There was so much to love about it.  The history, the art, the architecture, the people, the atmosphere.  I was happy to be there, and for several years I had no intentions of leaving.

During the years I called Boston home, I loved attending the marathon.  It consumes the entire city.  Some Bostonians find it a nuisance because it is difficult to get around the city that day, but I loved the buzz of it all.  For a while, I lived right around the corner from the finish line, and my friends and I would cheer on the runners from the area where the bombs exploded.

I am devastated that lives were lost and so many people will have permanent scars and injuries due to this senseless act.  I am especially saddened by the death of the eight year old boy, Martin Richard.  Collin is eight.  I can't even write anything else about that.  I just cannot imagine the complete devastation of losing a child.

On Friday, during the manhunt for the remaining suspect, I was glued to the radio.  I tried to avoid putting the television on because I didn't want the kids to see too much.  They know what happened, but watching that much coverage is not good for anyone.  Even I realized that I had to turn the radio off and take a break from all of it.  It was such a relief at the end of the day to go to sleep knowing the suspect was in custody.  I do have to say that I am not completely comforted.  I am very concerned about the connections to New Bedford and UMASS Dartmouth.  I can only wait and hope that there is nothing for me to worry about.

In the aftermath of all of this, you would think that I would want to stay far away from Boston, but honestly, I have had a strong desire to be there.  Not to see the armed guards or makeshift memorials.  Not even to celebrate a job well done by law enforcement.  I simply want to see the Boston that I love, the parts of the city that I will always hold in my heart.  Faneuil Hall, Copley Square, Kenmore Square, my Alma mater Emerson College, the Public Gardens, the swan boats, Boston Common, the state house, Downtown Crossing, the Charles River, the esplanade, the Hatch Shell, Comm Ave, Newbury Street, the Boston Public Library, the Citgo sign, and even mother duck with her ducklings.  I want Boston to be just the way it was one week ago, and I just want to be there to see that the city, my old friend, is okay.

Well I love that dirty water
Oh, Boston, you're my home (oh, yeah)

Fort Myers

Collin and Reagan returned from Fort Myers late last night.  They both had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa, and I think everyone is exhausted.  It looks like today is going to be a lazy day.

Here are a few pictures from their trip:

 The Neves' pool

 Breakfast at Fort Myers Beach

 When Grandma sent these two pictures of Reagan swimming and Collin building, she labeled them "the fish" and "the builder".  That perfectly sums up the two of them at the beach!  They have always been that way, from the youngest age.

These pictures are only a fraction of what they did on this vacation.  They were on the go constantly - mini golfing, feeding alligators, swimming, Zoomers amusement park, a water park, and more.  They fit A LOT into five days!  No wonder everyone is tired.

Collin said his favorite part of the vacation was swimming in the Neves' pool.  Reagan's favorite part was the lazy river at the water park.

I'm glad everyone had a great time in Florida, and I am so glad to have everyone home safe and sound.  It was weird around here without my two middles.

A Week Around Here

This post is all over the place, but that is what our weeks are like most of the time!

Puzzles don't seem to get as much play as they used to around here, but recently we worked on some geography puzzles.

It was nice to have some good weather this week (but it's COLD today)!!!  It's amazing how much happier, brighter, and friendlier everything seems when the sun is shining and we aren't all bundled up.

The kids have been playing outside.

We are back to our routine of walking to school.

After a rainy evening, we found lots of worms on the way to school one day this week.  Collin was happy to pick them up, and Reagan also held them but would squeal and jump around when they moved in her hand!

Collin has been learning about the branches of government.  Reagan's class is learning about the solar system, and they had a field trip to the high school planetarium earlier this week.  Tyler started driving school this month - YIKES; I attended the mandatory parent program last night and I was surprised by how much has changed when it comes to the rules of the road!

Activities are keeping us busy!  Tyler made the varsity tennis team for the high school.  Collin is playing Farm League baseball; his team is the Braves.  Reagan will dance (ballet, tap, jazz, and Irish Step) in her fourth recital in June.  We also have piano, swimming lessons, driving school, and gymnastics.

This article was in the Spectator on Wednesday; Tyler's coach had some nice things to say about him:

Collin and Reagan are on their way to the airport with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Susan.  They are going to Fort Myers for a few days.  I'm sure they will have a great time; I look forward to hearing all about it!

Kate has been a fan of the song Baby by Justin Bieber for a while.  That's what happens when you have a big sister that is a Bieber fan!  Here is Kate doing her rendition of the song; it's very short and it will make you laugh:

Piano Recitals

Collin had two piano recitals over the weekend.

He played the same two pieces for both recitals:  Solfegietto, CPE Bach/Goldston and Fur Elise, Lv. Beethoven/Goldston.

On Saturday, he played in the honors recital.

Sunday, all of the students from his piano school participated in a studio recital.  This recital was held at Avery Piano in Providence, and the pianists played on a piano that is worth $130,00.00 (in the picture below)!!!!

Collin played very well in both recitals!  We are so proud of him.  He already asked when his next recital will be held!!!

Children's Museum

 Karen, Kate, and I went to the Providence Children's Museum one morning this week.  The giant "Lite Brite" was fun for all three of us; I would love to have one of these in our house.

 Just as her siblings did, Kate LOVED the water room and did not want to leave.

 You may wonder why I would include this tippy toes picture, but I love love love it.  I know that it is only a matter of time before she will reach the water on flat feet.

Kate was soaked when we left the museum!