When I turn my back...

...Justin learns that he can climb his toybox and flip the closet light on and off...and on...and off....

...And Jake learns to give himself blue toes like mommy... (yes, I have blue polish on my toes!)

Mother's Day

OK - so Mother's Day 2 weeks ago - but ya'll know I tend to be less than prompt. I figure better late than never, right?

My day was pretty darn nice - laid back, low key, relaxing. What more could I want? I started the day with my favorite activity - cooking! Yes, I cooked breakfast for the boys - but I love cooking, so making blueberry pancakes was a good treat. After a few chores, my boys and I went to the Rhodendron Trail in the Pachaug State Forest. It was such a nice warm sunny day that being outside was the only thing to do.

Jake always runs ahead.

At the end of the trail, there's a little platform to watch the stream and such - Justin loved watching the birds with Daddy.

After the walk, we let the boys romp in the big field outside the trail. Jake was all about climbing the rocks, while Justin was content to pull grass.

Next stop was Mom and Dad's house. On the way, Justin re-discovered his toes. The whole trip, all I could hear was the little Chop sucking and gnawing on his piggy toes!

We had a bbq there with my dad's FANTASTIC chicken. Justin ate an entire chicken thigh - plus summer squash! I think he's got a hollow leg. It was still so nice that we spent most of the day outside - boys running and romping and getting good and tired out.

Butterfly Garden

One of the most exciting things about Jake being in school (for me, at least), is FIELD TRIPS! His teachers try to arrange them for the kids when they pertain to their lessons. This month they started learning about butterflies - so the class took a trip to a local nursery. They had a butterfly garden set up in one of the greenhouses. It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen! Hundreds and hundreds of butterflies just filling the air - landing on the flowers, on the pots, on YOU. The kids really enjoyed seeing them up close, and I managed to get through the trip without accidentally swatting one.

Justin wouldn't sit still long enough to get one to stay on him - until he bent over to play with the cracks in the brick! I resisted the temptation to swat this one off my shoulder. I guess all the kids were warned ahead of time to NOT MUSH THE BUTTERFLIES! I didn't want to end up in the naughty chair so I was careful...

Jake took a little coaxing to be comfortable letting the butterflies land on him - but once he realized they didn't sting like bees, he was fascinated!

Crazy Coopin Boy

If you don't already know, I'm a big coupon fan (or "coopins" as they're sometimes called). Mom saves them for me - and often collects them from a friend - and after a trip to their house, I always come home with a bag FULL of those lovely paper goodies. I have my own routine when it's time to cut coupons, and apparently, Justin isn't of the same mindset. Where mommy likes to keep things orderly and neat, he prefers to yank piles and piles off the couch, on to the floor, and scatter them EVERYWHERE.

First, he just walked all over them.

The he decided to zoom around on all fours, complete with "vroom" sounds.

But, at the end, I guess it was much better to just roll around in them.

Zoo Day!

A week or so back, mom and I took the boys to the Forest Park Zoo in Springfield. It's a small zoo - almost like a big petting zoo - but PERFECT for a nice little trip with the boys. They LOVED it! Jake was a wee bit intimidated by how close some of the animals were - but Justin just ate it up.

Jake petting a cockatoo (or whatever it is!)

Justin having a staring contest with an emu.

Mom and the boys on the zoo train.

The whole gang on the zoo train.

Since the boys were so good, we stopped for a little ice cream snackie before we hit the road. Justin shared a watermelon fruit pop with me.

While Jake rapidly consumed his chocolate ice cream bar.

Some of my favorite pictures

I've recently started getting interested in photography. I'm far from good - but once in a while my camera manages to catch something worthwhile. Just thought I'd share!

Welcome Miss Maggie!

In the words of her mother Sara, "She's a bit impatient." In the case of Margaret June, "a bit" is an understatement. Little Maggie was born on May 1 at only 26 weeks - 14 weeks before her due date in August. Dan and Sara were the last couple out of 5 with babies joining us in the coming months, but thanks to their little girl's excitement to meet her parents, Maggie is baby #2.

She weighed just 1 pound 9 ounces at birth - roughly the size of an eggplant. Considering her entrance, Maggie is doing well. She needed a breathing tube for a few hours, but is now breathing with the help of a CPAP to keep her lungs open. Hopefully she'll continue to stay strong and not need the breathing tube in the future.

Unfortunately, Dan and Sara live near Philadelphia, so for those of us in Connecticut, it's been a trying time. We're a real close gang of friends, and in times like this, when we can't be there to offer hugs and comfort, it makes you feel powerless. But we're doing what we can for them - sometimes just knowing someone is there makes all the difference.

I've known Dan and Sara since East Catholic. Dan and I went to UConn together - were in the Marching Band together - and were in TBS together. He's like a brother to me - heck, our whole gang is like family. They are strong people as individuals - and I know as parents, together, they'll be unbreakable. Miss Maggie has a long road ahead of her - but there's no doubt Dan and Sara will fight every moment for their little girl.

They set up a website for Maggie to keep us all updated - http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/maggiedaley Even as a wee little peanut, she's a beautiful little girl. Welcome, Princess!