Our Special Gifts

December was a whirlwind!

2012-01-29T10:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I am close to my deadline, but as promised I would take the month of January to catch you up on what happened in our lives September through December. I hope you have enjoyed the high lights so far!

December went by fast and we were busy every weekend. I had my annual Christmas Dance recital for Right Attitudes Dance Studio. It was a blast. I had my first solo in a long time and I opened the show.

We decided that part of the boys Christmas this year we would take them to Santa's Village. Our friends joined us for the trip. Four little boys running around in snow suits looking for elves is a ton of fun. They did great lasting most of the day into the late afternoon when everything glowed with lights. Henry's favorite part was the Reindeer, and William loved visiting Santa.

We also went to the annual ELKS Christmas Party. My Mimi & Poppop (The boys great grandparents) sign the boys up every year. It's always so much fun, clowns, face painting, dancing, lunch, cake and ice cream, and of course Santa. Santa takes time to hand each child a gift and have his picture with them.

Then if that wasn't enough, Christmas came!! Christmas Eve we spent time with Grammie, Bumpa, Uncle Chris, Auntie Monica, and Scott. We had Chinese Food, opened presents, made Christmas Cookies, and Uncle Chris read the boys the annual story "The Night Before Christmas." Christmas Eve is always a nice way to begin our Christmas.

The next day my Mom's family comes and joins us for dinner (Ham this year), and a Yankee Swap. We always have a blast although this year people didn't try to trade as much!! Come on people let's have some fun!! I'm just kidding, we all had a blast and somehow I forgot to take pictures! That is definitely not me! I did however capture my brother (Josh) and the boys snuggled up the living room.

This brings us to New Year's Day (I know finally right? How long did it take me to update this blog?) New Year's Day we spent time with my Dad's family for Christmas. We went to the Dynasty (Chinese Restaurant) and enjoyed the buffet then went along to Rose's house for a Yankee Swap. The only thing that could have made this better would have been if Poppop had been feeling better and could have made it out for the celebration. However rest was what he needed.

Well that is that. I will be doing a separate post for our own Christmas morning. I hope you enjoyed the recap from the end of the year. I promise I will try and keep up with everything now. Thanks for visiting!!

Till Next Time,

~Andrea

November 2011 Memories

2012-01-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

November like the previous couple of months was a whirl wind! I turned 30....that was interesting. I never thought I would have an issue with a birthday. I guess leaving my 20s was bittersweet. Now that I am 30 I don't even notice a difference except for my addiction to the iPad my Hubby spoiled me with. Charlie was so amazing. He had been squirreling away money since March (2011), and purchased me an iPad! I was so ecstatic. I use it all the time and it is super handy for me at work.

We also had our very first cousin sleepover. William, Henry, and Evan had a blast! They enjoyed having dinner together, eating popcorn & watching a movie, playing, sleeping in the same bed for a short time before splitting up into their own beds (their own choice!) Then we had a very yummy breakfast with homemade pancakes and strawberries. We'll definitely be doing that again.

William also had homework for the first time this month. He had to take Jesse Bear home from school and take care of her.

Will, Jesse Bear, & Jessie

Will's Journal Entry & Pictures for his homework assignment

We had Thanksgiving up at the Homestead with Charlie's family. We cut down our Christmas Tree, made gingerbread houses, built snow forts, received a visit from Santa's Elf, and relaxed for a 4 day Thanksgiving Celebration. Why not? I mean we all have a lot to be thankful for don't we?

Cousins building their 1st snow fort together!

North Pole Breakfast - Santa's Elf

Gingerbread House Extravaganza


Our Family :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Thinking Back - October

2012-01-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

This month was full of so much fun. We closed the campground and had a employee party. Unfortunately the boys had fevers and Charlie had to stay home with them. I got to enjoy the party but missed my family being there. We also went to Canada for Canadian Thanksgiving. We had our Apply Pie day, Maggie's birthday at a hotel, and of course Trick or Treating! So much fun. Enjoy the pictures!

We drove to Canada to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family up there. The boys were excited to play with their cousins, Ryan & Andrew. We got to sleeps over their house too! We played at a park, had dinners with family, and just enjoyed a great time hanging out. My favorite thing was watching the boys all roll down a hill at the playground. This hill is amazing and looks as though it was man made. Perfect for sledding in the winter and rolling down in the summer! We can't wait to go and visit again!

Once we got back it was time to have our yearly Apple Pie day! This year it was a little later than normal but just as fun! This tradition is great for the boys and it gives us enough pies for most of the year. Here are some highlights.

Butternut Farm - NH

My chosen "sister" Amy's daughter who I refer to as my niece Margret had her birthday this month. We celebrated by staying in a hotel and utilizing the pool and rec room. Such a great idea and the hotel staff was awesome! My boys love spending time with "Aunt Amy & Uncle Ben" and their "Cousins" Sarah, Maggie, Ryan & Jack. We also enjoy their whole family, Ben's mom, sister & family, and Amy's sister and family! So blessed to know these wonderful people.

Happy Birthday Maggie!

Halloween we had a very YUCKY snow storm. It was so bad that the power went off and didn't return for 24 hours. Our neighbors are awesome and we ended up having a special impromptu Halloween party at our neighbors house. With the neighborhood being without power it really wasn't safe to walk to neighborhood with young children. Instead we hid candy around the house in mini snack bags and the kids were able to go and look for candy. We also enjoyed a yummy dinner and a warm house. I also got to experience just how amazing our neighborhood is. One of the homes down the road caught on fire. All the adults jumped up and ran out to see if they could help the family in need. I was happy to find out it was only a chimney fire and that everything would be alright. I had stayed back with the the kids and played. It warmed my heart to know I live among such caring people.

Our Little Pumpkin & Spiderman

Till Next Time

~Andrea

September is Back - 2011

2012-01-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

As promised I am back tracking through all of the pictures saved and posting the highlights through the months. I hope that after making these posts I will keep up with my posting and post things as they happen.

September was a month full of new beginnings! I started working again meaning both boys would be in school too. I landed a job as a Para-Professional at Nute High School. I work mainly with teenage boys age 15 - 18. I love it!! They really aren't any different from my boys. William went back to Jack & Jill Preschool for his second year and has Ms. A. William's school times are Monday - Thursday 9am to 1pm, Nana Ann graciously watches him after school (and even brings him there in the morning). On Friday's William spends time with Grammie or Mimi. Henry goes to "School" as well with a wonderful woman named Missy. He goes and plays at her house every day. She does projects with them and takes them for walks. His favorite part is being able to help take care of the fish and guinea pigs. Both boys are growing up and changing before my eyes. I miss the "babies" they used to be, however I really like being able to talk with them!

1st Day of Preschool - 2011

Henry Goes To School


This was before we left to bring Henry to school for the first time

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Hectic

2012-01-12T12:37:00.000-08:00

It's been hectic since I went back to work and finished my capstone classes for my M.Ed all that is left is student teaching! I can't wait. I can't believe it has been since August that I have posted anything. I decided to go through my pictures and see exactly what I haven't posted and there is so much I have my work cut out for me. I will be posting the highlights of September through December. Until then I wanted to leave you with something I couldn't very well post everything that I am missing at this point there is a lot of picture editing and thought processing that goes along with posting in our family blog. I hope to print them all out one day and the boys will have a beautiful collection of their childhood.

The pictures I have for you are from a fun trip to Golicks in Barrington NH. They have fantastic ice cream and William is able to have a bunch of their flavors despite the color dye issues. Nana Kathi (My Mom - MDM) took the boys out to celebrate the end of school. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly, playing hide and seek, eating ice cream, and running in the sun. Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Happy New Year

~Andrea

Busy Summer Days

2011-08-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of time today, and I need to find time to catch up on here. Since that's not an option right now I will post a few of my favorite summer photos thus far...

Till Next Time :-)

~Andrea

A little bit of happiness

2011-06-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today my boys and Children's Orchard made me smile...

Early this morning...I mean early like 6:30am we headed to go pick strawberries, where I had the BEST behaved boys I've ever seen. I guess it helps they were still stuck in their sleep coma. We saw miniature horses, sheep, chickens, and a peacock!

Then I finished running a bunch of errands by stopping at Children's Orchard in Newington NH. Oh my I walked into a bit of heaven... I purchased 14 items (3 hats, 1 sweatshirt, 1 long sleeve shirt, and 9 T-shirts) for $51. Yeah, I know it doesn't seem like a huge bargain yet...however what would you say if I told you I received a gift card for 1/2 the cost of my purchase? Yup that's right I received a $25.50 gift card!! So you could say I lucked out and got all of that for $25.50. I love shopping there and I can usually run in and grab something I need when I need it. They only take gently used, un-worn, and non-stained clothing.

So as you can probably tell...I am SMILING today :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Join me in this addicting blog hop!! I just can't stop!

Parkin' it

2011-06-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Our Day...

Until Next Time

~Andrea

More Information on SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder)

2011-06-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a link about SPD (The Spiral Foundation) Basically William has a hard time with the Modulation area. He will be receiving weekly OT sessions to help with this. Here are some of the characteristics of his "disorder"

Easily distracted by noises
Overly sensitive to noises
Difficult time falling asleep
Reacts defensively to being touched lightly or unexpectedly
Easily distracted by visual stimuli
Overly active
Strong outbursts of anger

Baiscally "A problem in regulating responses to sensory inputs resulting in withdrawal or strong negative responses to sensations that do not usually bother others. Problems are often seen in fluctuating emotions that are made worse by stress, and vary with the situation."

I am not surprised by the answers we received. I knew in my gut he was struggling in situations that the rest of us are fine in. I am glad I will be learning the tools to help him become comfortable in situations that he wants to be in. For example he LOVES T-Ball, he loves hitting the ball, catching the ball, but when we arrive at the field with everyone there he is overloaded by the setting, environment, people etc. and "loses" it...I also learned that his dry skin can make him more sensitive. Put some lotion on him you say?? HAHA!! Nice thought, too bad he doesn't like the "sticky" feeling. Doesn't feel sticky to you? Well it does to him. We'll be growing his hair out for a bit also...having SPD means that when he tells me it hurts to have his hair cut, for him it really does.

We did learn some other things through the evaluation, he is above and beyond his normal development for speech, he has amazing puzzle solving skills beyond the a 6 year old, he has great sense of balance when he can be still :-), He also has a great sense of balance when he is in motion, he does great following multi-step directions.

The specialist we talked with said she feels that his sessions will only be for a short time. He has a great home base, and she was happy to speak with educated parents. That it helps things tremendously and they usually see progress happen quickly.

William you light up my life and I wouldn't change anything about you... I Love You <3

He's already come so far...at the beginning of the year he wouldn't touch paint. At the end of the year on circus day he let his teacher paint his face like a tiger. I am so proud of him. You could tell it took a lot of effort. His entire class had their faces painted first, then he really wanted to. He did it... GO WILL!

Special fun at the playground. He's such a good boy.

Keep being you William!!

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

Happy Wednesday

2011-06-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very long but VERY great day. We started by heading out to Concord for William's OT Evaluation at 8am. We left Henry for some Mimi & Poppop time (his great grandparents) and we went on our way. We arrived at Swing for the Stars and found a very pleasant environment. William did great throughout his 2 hour evaluation (1.5hrs of it by himself!!). He qualifies for services to help him cope when he is on a sensory overload. I wasn't surprised, just very grateful that he will be able to have services to help him learn to be in situations that can be overwhelming for him. I was told for the most part he is beyond his age in development :-) YAY!! Great Job my boy :-). Then we went to Petco where Will helped us pick out a new collar for our dog and some outside toys.

Later that day we went to the lake for lunch. We are fortunate to have access to a private lake front so we were alone just to enjoy each other as a family. Of course we picked up Henry and brought him too!! He had a blast playing with his Mimi & Poppop, he even got to take a walk with Mimi to the bank. I remember doing that when I was little, I am so glad that my boys have the ability to share these traditions with their great grandparents.

Anyway here are some pictures of our afternoon...Something that will surely make you smile :-)

Our 1st Lake Lunch of the Summer :-)

Our afternoon view...

He's not sure about Daddy going under water...

Sand play, with "Booty" near by...

Splash fight...my 2 fish stayed in the water pretty much the whole time! William is swimming now, I can't believe how big he is!

"Streaker" He doesn't like having dirt stuck to him so he ran in naked!!! What so you think? A good Water Baby Lotion commercial?

Henry likes to hide when we change him lately...here he is in his tent :-)

I'm thinking it was a GREAT day :-)

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

Join the Rub Some Dirt On It "Happiness" Blog Hop!! It's so much fun and will have you smiling all week! Just click the button at the bottom of this post to learn how!! I love her blog she always has great posts and pictures :-)

http://rubsomedirtblog.com/

Our Friday Afternoon

2011-06-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon I took the boys to the beach for a photo shoot. With William 4 years old now, and Henry's 2nd birthday on it's way I thought it was time to capture just how big they have gotten and how much they have changed. alice.RICHES.snow [photography] took the pictures. She was amazing with the boys and even dealt with Henry's camera shyness. For whatever reason he wasn't in the mood for the camera that afternoon. William did a great job smiling and posing for her. I later found out he thought she was cute....

Will: "Mom what was that girls names again?"
Me: "Oh you mean Alice, the lady who took your picture?"
Will: "Yeah, her. Alice."
....a few minutes went by...
Will: "Mom Alice is pretty!"

Hehe....my boy had a small crush that day :-) A crush he turned in for a bowl of ice cream at a local ice cream stand with Shains of Maine ice cream. Here are some sneak peek photos...I can't wait to see the rest :-)

My boys are absolutely perfect.....

Well I suppose I am a little partial :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Frugal & Organic??

2011-06-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am super excited!! I woke up this morning, clipped some coupons and headed out to the store. The goal buy groceries for $100 or less. My budget allows for $20/person per week. So $80/week to feed a family of 4, 3 meals + snacks each day for 7 days. Today I was determined to purchase groceries for 2 weeks. That way we have more fresh food and I am not shopping weekly. Although, I may adjust and shop weekly...we'll see as I work to perfect my grocery shopping skills.

Another obstacle we face, My DS is unable to have food with RED40 or YELLOW5 in it (overall we are trying to avoid all artificial colors & even flavors). Most of the food we need to buy has to be all-natural or organic. So the quest for me is huge...and I will do it!

I made our dinner calendar for the next 2 weeks on our "family google calendar." This way my husband knows what is for dinner as well and there are no surprises food it purchased and not wasted. I made the list of groceries I needed to make the meal plan happen over the next couple of weeks and off to the store we went.

At Market Basket I spent $105.52. I had $12.75 in coupons making my total purchase $92.77. Now I know that isn't as extreme as some of those women you watch on TV. However in New England it is harder to extreme coupon because many of the stores give you a hard time. For example, today I went to Market Basket. Now they already have very competitive prices and I know just by shopping there I saved about $30 - $50 depending on which store you compare my shopping list to. Anyway, the sale flyer for MB said that if you purchased 4 boxes of general mills cereal you would save $4 . You had to use a "in-store" coupon for this which meant I was unable to use a coupon I had for this cereal because it would be considered "doubled." It was a better deal for me to use the "in-store" coupon so I have the other in my pocket still. Shaw's allows you to double coupons that are under a $1. However in my experience all of their product is more expensive in the long run. I will go to Hannaford and Shaw's if I am driving by and it isn't an extra trip to help save money paired with their sale flyers and coupons.

My next stop the bread store. I spent $8.26 on 4 loaves of wheat bread, hotdog rolls, hamburger rolls, and sub rolls.

My final total, $101.03. Yup, you're right I went $1.03 over my goal. I could have put back 1 item. In the long run, I am still under my goal of $80/week for a family of 4. Maybe next time?? :-)

Milk, Newman's Own Pink & Regular Lemonade, Beneful Dorritos, Welch's juice, Bananas, cucumbers, peaches, frozen veggies, cereal, Pediasure - Side-kicks, sub rolls, OJ, pizza crust (for grilled pizza YUM)...

peanut butter, more cereal, veggie pasta, beans, bacon, hotdogs, ground beef, ham, pasta salad, go-gurts, bread, english muffins, hamburger rolls, hotdog rolls, pudding, Luna bars, organic applesauce squeeze (a treat for the boys), Ice cream sandwiches..... I think that's it :-)

Here it all is!

My DS wanted in on the photos too :-)

Our dinners for the next couple of weeks include:

Spaghetti Night (x2)

Leftover Night (x2)

Beans & Hotdogs on the grill

Eggs, Bacon, & Toast Night -- (1 of my boys fav. dinners!)

Grilled Pizza

BBQ Chicken w/rice and veggie

Homemade Mac & Cheese w/Ham and veggie pasta

Hamburgers

Meatball Subs

Pancakes & Bacon

That's just a few things on our calendar :-)

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

Birthday Bash

2011-06-01T07:18:00.000-07:00

William's school handles birthdays in a neat and different way. Once a month the kids who are celebrating their birthdays have a Birthday Bash day. The parents are assigned an item to bring in, I brought juice and birthday plates/napkins/cups. The other mom brought enough cupcakes for everyone (I had to bring a special cupcake for William since he can not have RED40). I was then able to come back for the end of his school time and watch the fun unfold. Here are some pictures from his special day!

Will's Special Dye Free Cupcake

When I arrived William was painting with Miss Tammie

Will & Emma are only 5 days apart!

Birthday Songs Time :-)

Yes there were 2 different special songs to sing.

Time for the official Birthday Stamp and Birthday Book.

The Birthday Snack, YUM!

Excited today is HIS Birthday Bash!

Henry got to join in too!

William showing Henry the playground....

William got to ring the bell to go inside!

Till Next Time,

~Andrea

William's 4th Birthday

2011-06-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little boy, my first born, who will always be my baby. I hope you enjoyed your special day. Everyone came out to celebrate how special you are. I can't believe how big you are now and how much you've grown. I enjoy watching you each and every day and I can't wait to see you grow more and more each day.

Special Cupcakes with Toy Story Toppers :-)

YUM! Cupcakes!

The kids LOVED the new trampoline, Thanks Auntie Sarah!

Our new friends "The Kenison's" from across the street :-)

Time for the Pinata

The birthday boy goes first!

The pinata, this is the back...the front looks like Buzz's space ship!

CANDY!

How many soldiers are in the tub? Answer? 207!

Will & his friends from school :-)

Pass the meteor

Time to open some presents...

Thank you to everyone who spoiled my little boy :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

BUSY BUSY BUSY!

2011-05-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

I have so much to post and very little time lately...I am sorry for my dedicated followers!! I will in the next few days, post pictures from William's birthday celebrations, my girls trip, Easter and other random fun things. We are doing a lot of fresh cooking, budget adjusting, and family time, it is all needed and the most important thing in our lives right now. We were so happy to welcome a new baby girl into our family, the boys are excited to have a new cousin Gwen. I'll be starting work on the weekends at the campground again, my school is winding down and I will have easier classes over the summer. I can't wait for summer sun, beautiful breezes, beach visits, and barbecues. Until then the Bancrofts wish you all well!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Surprise!

2011-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

Auntie Sarah/Bug whatever she is at that moment in time :-) spoiled my two little babes. Here is a movie of what she did :-)

This was a very special present for both boys' birthdays. I think it's a hit...and they can't stay off of it. On Sunday Will went outside in barefeet and his jammies to jump on it :-)

Will Sings the ABCs :-)

2011-04-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

I was so proud this morning! William hardly ever shares any songs he sings at school with us. In fact most of his "singing" is of an inappropriate song Daddy thought he's share with him this past Christmas "Jingle Bells Batman Smells" ever heard of it? Well it's a bad habit we are trying to change!! (Charlie definitely learned his lesson hehe) So when he sang me the ABCs this morning I just had to tape it!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Just an ordinary day :-)

2011-04-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

Nothing big or super important just an ordinary Sunday :-) Enjoy some pictures I've neglected to post!

Friday we had a yucky snow storm (April Fools Day, the irony! Ha) I made English Muffin Pizzas for the kids. They sat and watched them while they cooked....so cute :-)

Our Caterpillars are growing so much each day! Every time they reach the top William asks if they are going to go in their "sleeping bags"

This is what happens on a yucky snowy day....I personally, Love it!

"Mom say CHEESE!"

Heading to church today for his 4th Birthday Blessing.

Such a Ham. He was eating a "fluffernutter" in a really silly and ridiculous way, and I just couldn't stop him...I was laughing so much, he's such a comic.

Spring, I love it....I want it to come sooner...so I bought it.

I don't know why I just liked this photo.

Till next time,

~Andrea

Easel

2011-04-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

We decided to go ahead and buy an easel for the boys. William had wanted one for his birthday, however I knew Henry would want in on this exciting new toy! So we took them one night out for pizza at La Festa - Brick and Brew. They did an amazing job!! Both were great eaters, so Charlie and I decided we'd walk down to the Noggin Factory and look to see if they had a wooden easel. I really didn't want one of the plastic ones. They had a Melissa & Doug Wooden Easel. It was just what I wanted. The boys have used it almost daily since we picked it up last Friday. We do not have paints for it yet, but it was on his birthday wish list! After his birthday party we'll pick up any supplies for the easel we may need. Here are some pictures...

He couldn't wait to draw over what I had written!

William is showing Henry which pieces of chalk he can use.

Drawing together <3

Makes my heart melt...

Henry enjoying a turn by himself.

William's turn... He said, "I am going to write W, I, L, L, Will that's me."

....and he did :-) I'm a very proud Mommy :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Poor Buddy

2011-03-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

William is sick. Poor things has a horrible cough. He told me yesterday "It hurts my heart to cough mom." as he's laying upside down off the couch. I called the doctors fully expecting them to tell me they couldn't do anything, that it was a virus that needed to run it's course. However, Dr. H. said that he was concerned with the sound of his chest and they wanted to do a breathing treatment right then. William did such a great job. Mary Ellen one of the nurses is great and she helped him feel comfortable. The mask looked like a fish :-). Dr. H. said the treatment helped tremendously so off I went with a loner machine and a couple of prescriptions. The only downside, the Albuterol makes William hyper and jittery. Luckily we only have 4 more treatments to go. Here are some pictures of my baby.

1st breathing treatment at home. I let him snuggle in my bed and watch TV.

Goodmorning William...Watching cartoons as he holds the mask to his face...I hate seeing him sick :-(

Henry was missing his brother so much (Will was relaxing upstairs in bed) that he put on his shoes and hat.

Till Next Time

and hopefully we're feeling better...

~Andrea

So Special

2011-03-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

We went in to check on the boys tonight before we went to bed and this is what we found...

They are so very special to me...and they love each other SO much.
By the way, they are in Henry's bed. Look who is under the covers (certainly NOT Henry :-) hehe)!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

I just participated in my very first "Blog Hop!" Another Blogger from my area Rub Some Dirt On It , I was introduced to her through another Mommy Blogger (who likes to remain private). She has amazing ideas to do with her kiddos and is amazing to follow. I LOVE her photography.

Click the the "button" below to learn how to "Blog Hop."

Happy Irish Day from the Bancroft Clan

2011-03-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today is gorgeous out!! I need to get the patio set upstairs so that I can let the boys eat out on these beautiful days. William had fun at preschool, he made a shamrock hat and had an ice cream party. Henry and I visited our Mimi & Poppop. I had to go to the post office so we went for a nice walk there (Birthday invites to come!!) Then we came home, went for a walk and played outside a bit before lunch. I can definitely use more days like this. Makes me dream of flip flops and sand!!

My Little Leprechaun :-)

Poppop & Henry enjoying the fresh air...

Henry riding the Harley.. :-)

William's turn!!

Till Next Time!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~Andrea

One of my favorite things

2011-03-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

Want to know something that I LOVE?

Books..We have so many of them, and we don't like to give them away. I love the smell of a brand new book, old books as well. I like picture books, books with crazy outrageous stories, I love mysteries, I love a sappy romance. You name it I'll try and read it. I even tried the Twilight Series! With a love of books comes the annoying task of trying to figure out just how to store them. Poppies at Play has some fantastic ideas, here are some of my favorites from her Blog...

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Dancin' Queen.

2011-03-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

So I've been made Captain of my Dance Team. That is what Stevi is calling it. But basically I am like the assistant. I get to plan all the fundraisers and book us for exhibitions and competitions. I also got to pick out our Dance Team warm up suits. I may not be able to be dancing on a competitive team much longer. But I think I will always want a hand in it! This will give me the opportunity to. Stevi and I work well together, and I want to support her and her business for as long as she has it. I have been dancing with Right Attitudes for almost 12 years now.

Saturday night we had a Spaghetti Dinner. It was amazing and the girls on the team did a great job serving our guests and making everyone feel comfortable.

The Girls

Decorations in the Studio

Some of the girls showing the kids how to dance :-)

The Silly One!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-03-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

We have combined the boys into one room. Our Doctor suggested that we should because William didn't like being in his room on his own. They were doing well, and then Henry figured out how to climb out of his crib. Yes, that's right, I said "Henry figured out how to climb out of his crib." He is only 19mo. He is a handful!! But I love him, every bit of him even his stinky toes!! Nothing worked to keep him in his bed so I started looking for advice from anyone and any blog or discussion I could find. Overwhelmingly people said we needed to wait out the stage and switch him to a big boy bed. I looked into crib tents but I am POSITIVE he would have been able to crack that code as well. He already can open the cupboard locks, break apart the door nob safety locks, and open most gates. How would a velcro attached tent keep this boy in? Well it wouldn't!

We had ordered bunk beds for the boys and they were on layaway at one of my favorite places Holmwoods. I went and picked it up this weekend. Last night we were finally able to put it together and the boys spent their first night in their new beds. It was just as exciting for William as it was for Henry.

Side by Side

Will's Side...

Henry's Side

End of the room...

Will LOVES his new bed!

I painted the shelf myself, Love the rocking chair, and the blanket crocheted by my Mimi..

I'd like to take credit for this tree but I can.

A woman named Jen who used to live in this home painted it for her daughter's Princess Fairy Room.

Enjoying their new room, reading books.

Last night they did a great job sleeping in their beds!!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Museum with Mimi

2011-03-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from a few Fridays ago. We went to the Children's Museum of NH with my grandmother (Mimi). William had fun hanging out with Mimi and showing her lot's of different areas. I tried capturing our Henry, but he is SOO fast! Here are some pictures from our fun...

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Lets call him Woody

2011-03-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

I needed to share a photo with everyone. William has been doing great at school, his teachers are amazing and help him through his days there. They change up the toys monthly as to what is available to keep things fresh and new for the kids. In the "Home Play" area this time there have different dress up outfits. Of course our very own little William found a way to become his favorite person Woody!!

He is so cute I love it. There is also a Jessie hat. His teacher told me that when his friends are wearing the Woody costume they often ask him to wear the Jessie hat and he replies, "I can't wear that, Jessie is a girl!" However when he's Woody he expects his friends to be Jessie even though they are boys!

He is turning 4 in just a few weeks, I can't believe it. He is asking for a Toy Story birthday party. So I will work my magic and try my hardest to make a fun party here at our home. Charlie and I have decided that big parties like the one we had last year at Twice the Fun will have to happen every other year. Hopefully that will help us save money, especially with two boys.

Till Next Time!
Andrea

Shhh, it's a secret....

2011-02-27T06:37:00.000-08:00

I am dying inside right now because I know in about 30 minutes we (Charlie, Will, & Myself) will be jumping in the van and driving to the TD Garden Center, where we will watch Toy Story 3 - One Ice!!! We haven't mentioned a word of it to William. I can't wait to see his face light up when he sees his very best Pal Woody, Jesse, Bullseye, and Buzz out there skating away. I just know my heart will warm up with love for the amazing excitement that only a three/four year old can show in their eyes.

Loge 1 Row 14 seats 15 - 17

This is where we are....

You Just wait William!!

I can't wait!!

Good Job Henry!

2011-02-26T12:28:00.001-08:00

Henry just said "Hi dada" he never puts words together let alone use more than one!! :-)

He says "Dada, Muma, Brober (brother), titty (kitty), dity (pretty), Nana, Pop (poppop), Mimi, eeese (cheese - when a camera is taken out) Uh uh (no), and gamee (grammie)

I really need to make a special post for Henry like I have for William..he's changing so much too. That will be on my list for this week, since I have a week break between semesters!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Happy Birthday Sunny

2011-02-25T19:49:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed Sunny's first puppy birthday :-) Here are a few highlights.......

Cupcakes for the humans :-)

Sunny Boy

Puppy Love

MMmm Quesadillas

Mom, I will humor you and look at the camera but then the hat comes off!

Practicing writing Upper Case Letters on his Leapster Explorer

Doggie Cake :-)

The Boys love balloons!

Henry's turn for the balloons :-)

Sunny checking out his birthday card

Brady made off with one of the new balls

He figured out the switch made it light outside :-)

Henry can't wait for spring to use that with Sunny and the other pups!

Charlie taping it all :-)

My baby girl :-)

Henry wants to play!

He's calling the doggies over..so cute.

It was a blast, Happy Birthday Sunny!!

Mr. Manners

2011-02-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

So today we took William for his blood draw. He is being tested for various allergies, and a couple of other things. Nothing huge to worry about, although we may have to make a change in our diets and go gluten free. Anyway we were fortunate enough to have my aunt draw his blood. It made me feel more comfortable knowing that she would take care of my baby. There was another Phlebotomist in the room helping her and assisting to hold William down. It took all four of us and he was mad. However in all his madness he managed to keep his manners. Here are a few of his choice yells:

"Excuse me, I would like to go home please!"

"Excuse me, I want you to take that thing off of me!"

"Please stop"

"Ouch, you pinched me! That hurt!"

"Mommy, Mommy, Please help me!"

"Excuse me, I would really like you to stop, take that thing off me please!"

All of this said while he was screaming and red in the face. He did however lay still for the most part, and when he was done he refused the band-aide but didn't mind the magic tape. Later he told my aunt he was mad at her because she "pinched" him.

We went and let him pick out a cupcake with a coupon he received for Valentine's Day, from his friend Liam. He told me he like Auntie a little because she has a nice house. Finally later when we were grocery shopping he decided he loved her a little because she's fun to play with and has a farm.

We also talked about how sometimes his brother pinches him and he becomes mad, but he still loves him. So he decided he was mad at Auntie but he did love her.

He also has decided that cotton is fluffy like snow --- this was determined after bedtime when he finally let us take the magic tape off and the cotton ball... <3

I love this little boy to pieces.


Until Next Time Hugs & Kisses

Something new

2011-02-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

The boys have been asking to sleep together lately, and love playing together in the same room. They play together or just enjoy the company of the other in the room. Certainly we have moments where they simply can not share a toy, but don't most children? We were able to purchase bunk beds on layaway!! I am so excited. They are from Holmwoods. I absolutely LOVE this store. The furniture is made from real wood, and is so comfy. The bunks we are purchasing are stained a blue. In the beginning though they won't be stacked. Henry loves to climb too much! We've been also talking about moving the play room downstairs to the den. I have been looking for different organization ideas, that will also be pleasing from a decorating point of view. The Idea Room featured "Organizing Kid Stuff" written by another one of my favorite bloggers Clean Mama. She had some pretty cool ideas. I was also fortunate enough to be able to shop with my Nana, and Mom yesterday morning, we enjoyed JoAnn Fabrics & Savers. Savers is a really neat thrift shop, all the proceeds go towards the Epilepsy Foundation. I found a really neat table for only $10. I plan to refinish it and put it into the boys playroom. They will be able to color on it, build blocks on it, use play dough, have a snack, and I won't even worry if for some reason it gets ruined. I can tell this is going to take a lot of work, but I think I am up for the challenge.

My mom at Savers modeling the size of the table so I could text Charlie about it before buying it :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

A Child's Heart

2011-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

First -- Look at my little boy....

Today at school was his Valentine's Day party. He was so excited to pick out his own clothes and get dressed by himself because as he says, "I am the biggest boy now"

He made Valentine Envelopes for his friends, and we put Gift Certificates for a Child's Ice Cream at Friendly's in them. He had a great party, and brought home some loot.

He also brought home some Valentine's for Daddy & Mommy....

However the best Valentine he gave me today was the reminder of how pure his love is and how innocent he is...He said this to me on the way home from school....

"Mom, I think it is ok that Priscilla lives with God now. He made everything including chocolate. Now she can have chocolate with God. He also made me mom, so God is good."

God Bless you and yours...

God Bless

2011-02-06T18:20:00.001-08:00

Mary P. O'Neil

February 03, 2011

O'NEIL, Mary P.- Of Reading, formerly of Malden and Melrose, February 3rd at the age of 66. Devoted daughter of the late Walter and Monica (Comeau) O'Neil. Beloved sister of John O'Neil and his wife Elaine of Alton, NH, Hester Riley and her husband James of Reading, Nancy Bancroft and her husband Christopher of Wakefield, NH and Thomas O'Neil and his partner Jane of Salem. Also lovingly survived by her best friend Margaret Hayes of Woburn as well as many nieces and nephews. Family and friends are kindly invited to attend a Funeral from the Carroll Funeral Home, 721 Salem Street, (Maplewood Square) MALDEN on Monday, February 7th at 10 AM followed by a Funeral Mass celebrated in St. Joseph's Church, 770 Salem Street, Malden at 11 o'clock. Visiting Hours in the Carroll Funeral Home on Sunday from 2-6 PM. Committal Services are private. Expressions of sympathy in Mary's name may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 9 Erie Dr., Natick, MA 01760. Retired Linden School teacher for over 36 years.

My Baby

2011-02-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Who is this kid? Yup, I said kid....he's not a baby, not a toddler, but a preschooler...a little boy. He can put on his own shirt, pants, "daddy" underwear, and socks. He can put on his coat, hat, mittens, snow pants, and boots. He can write his own name, and carry a joke. He understand sarcasm, and knows when he's not supposed to be doing something. He also will accept consequences willingly especially if he just HAD to do something he knew he wasn't supposed to. He's asked me to kiss him at home and not at school in front of his friends, but hugs ARE ok. He has just been invited to his 2nd birthday party from a friend at school. He can tell me the days of the week and what day tomorrow is. He makes up stories according to the pictures of the books, and really wants to read. He loves to play with his brother and has even asked to have bunk beds to share a room with him. He worries about you when you aren't around, and tell you he missed you when you return. He thanks you when you pick up a special snack from the grocery store. He can listen to a chapter book and remember what we read from the night before. He loves to lay on the floor and play with matchbox cars. He is infatuated with Toy Story. He loves Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye...and sleeps with those stuffed toys at night. He still has his blanky and will find it when he is very tired, otherwise he hides it in his underwear drawer. He enjoys spending time in the kitchen cooking, and will sit for hours playing with buttons. He enjoys asking me about when he was in my belly, and how he made it comfy for Henry. He likes to hear stories of when he kicked so hard in my belly he knocked the remote off. He loves pulling out a little stuffed elephant and reminding his daddy that he picked it out for him when we found out we were having a "Charlies William." He loves to explore and learn how to do things from mommy & daddy but he would really like to do it himself. He is soooo stubborn, and smart. I can't believe in about 2 months he will be 4. Where did my baby go? Will you make us so proud.

Till next time,

~Andi

Christmas Day (yup, I know finally!)

2011-01-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas day we had a blast!! I enjoyed having some special time with the boys in the morning and Charlie and I cooked our first turkey for 16 people! We definitely had a very full house. It was nice though, I really enjoy having the family together even if some would say we are dysfunctional...hey I mean aren't we all?

William tearing through his presents :-)

Henry reading a new Dinosaur book with daddy...

OOoo new blocks...

The Leapster...this toy has been one of the best and worst :-)

William was so happy to have Woody, Jesse, AND Bullseye...

Henry's very own CD player

William, David, Uncle Wiggly, Tasha, & Geoff

Kitty, & My Momma - Kathi

David showing off what he picked on his turn during the yankee swap.

Mom is switching gifts...

Josh - My brother, and Nick - My brother with Kitty checking out their gifts..

Brad, and David....at least I think it's David...he looks a little funny ;-)

Liz & Emily checking out their new game, looks like William wants in!

Karen and her girls...playing with their new art stuff.

There were a lot of other family here as well, My Aunt Kim, Uncle Scott, Sarah, Nana, and Ethan...but for some reason they must have been camera shy :-) If anyone has any photos that I can add that would be great. We enjoyed having EVERYONE there. Thanks again for joining us in our home.

Till Next Time,

~Andrea

A little late, but not on purpose...

2011-01-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

So some of you may have noticed I am missing some Christmas photos. I haven't found two minutes to post about Christmas Day or Christmas Eve!!! Well here it goes.

Christmas Eve was wonderful! We had a very laid back evening with Grammie, Bumpa, Uncle Chris, and Auntie Monica. We enjoyed some Chinese food, opening presents, and making Christmas cookies. Boowfie the elf even delivered a letter and special present to the boys.

Auntie helping William read the tags on the presents.

Bumpa, Grammie, & Brady watching the fun!

He's a monkey...he even requests to be held like this!

William enjoying his new pirate ship from Uncle Chris

Boowfie the Elf brought us a special letter from Santa!

Santa gave Will & Henry a special key to hang on the door so he can come in and fill their stockings. William was nervous because we didn't have a wood stove or fire place.

William hanging the key on the door..

Time to make Santa some cookies...

William perfecting his sugar cookie dough ball...

MMmmm...

William & Henry got special matching Jammies for Christmas Eve!

The Night Before Christmas...

Cookies & Milk for Santa

Santa's filled our living room....so peaceful...

I'll post in a separate post for Christmas Day..

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Boston Children's Museum

2011-01-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

The Votes Are In!

2011-01-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

And the winning name is....

Till Next Time,

~Andrea

New Addition

2011-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce we have a new addition to our family, Roxie or Zoie. We are still voting on the name, it seems to be leaning toward Roxie however. Charlie has been wanting another dog, and the Cocheco Valley Humane Society had a lot of extra Labrador Mixes brought up from the south. Charlie picked a few he liked, and we are now the proud owners of this little pup....

Smiling for the camera....

Relaxing on the floor watching crazy Brady...

She is

sweet,

quiet,

snuggly,

loving,

gentle,

happy,

curious....

and that's all we've found out in 1 day :-)

She's amazing..

Daddy loving his pups :-)

I'll let you know on a definite name as soon as we figure it out!

Until Next Time

~Andrea

Something I've been thinking about...

2011-01-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

So we want the boys to share a room probably starting in the summer/fall time frame. They love playing in William's room together. Who wouldn't with the chalk board wall and tons of space. I have been looking around for ideas of what I could do to make the best use of space. I saw this post by Design Dazzle on Built In Beds that made me think about some wasted space. We live in a cape, so Will's room has a slanted roof and eve space. I want to make 2 built in book cases and 2 sets of 3-4 drawers depending on what would fit. Unfortunately we will have to move the chalk board wall as that is the wall that is currently painted out for that fun activity. I love his room....here are some pictures...

I have also decided to host a playgroup on Valentine's Day for my Mom's group BAM. I am so excited. Design Dazzle has also helped me some ideas from a post last year Get Ready for Valentines lot's of creative ways to decorate :-). On a final note, I also found one more thing today as I am procrastinating from all of to do list items...again from the wonderful Design Dazzle Blog...

This is a Family Tree painted on the wall. For those of you who have been over to visit our new home, understand that we have a downstairs 1/2 bath - laundry combo off of our Den. I would love to paint a tree on that wall and have its branches drape over the door. Then add photos of all the family.

Well that is all for today, I suppose I should begin my lesson plan...laundry, paint the book case, and clean the den. I will continue to think of new ways to make this home "Ours" :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Special Night

2011-01-12T18:24:00.000-08:00

Who melts my heart? Makes me believe that you can love someone no matter what, where, when, how...or any other circumstance...

These two...

We had a special night we took the boys outside to explore the snow in the quiet dark of night. They loved it! It was special to help them trudge through a foot of snow, feel it, smell it, and enjoy being a kid. William wanted to make a bed outside! Love them...

He went down before we cleared the snow off...he loved it.

He loves how fast he went down..

and down he goes...

That's supposed to be our picnic table...

Love them...so so so much.

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Christmas Letter

2011-01-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how quickly the holidays passed, and how busy we were. I didn't even have time to post some of our fun!! Here is our 2010 Christmas Letter...

December 2010

Dear Family & Friends,

This year has been especially busy for us. We have been blessed with many good things and have worked through harder times with courage and strength from our family and friends. We are very grateful to everyone and are looking forward to beginning another year.

Charlie began a new job in Cambridge MA, this past February. He loves it, although at times he wouldn’t mind flying into work! The traffic can be terrible but with the job he has he says it doesn’t bother him as much. Recently he’s been working on the possibility of having a 4 day work week. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Andrea began grad school in March. Each semester she’s had at least two classes. She enjoys it, and wishes she was working in a school. Staying home with the boys has been a so much fun watching them grow and change each day. It is not bad only having to walk down the stairs for her commute to work.

William has grown SO much this year. He started preschool in September at Jack and Jill Preschool. He loves it there. Ms Tammy his teacher is wonderful and does a great job helping him use his words when he gets upset. Recently he brought home a progress report. It had a column with “I can do by myself” and “I need help” at the top. He got a lot of check pluses in the “I can do by myself” column! He’s become so big.

Henry has grown and changed by leaps and bounds. He is walking. He can say “Mommy, Dada, Brother, Kitty, and Dog.” Recently he’s begun pointing to everything. He’s also done a great job with his gross motor and fine motor skills. He loves building with blocks and climbing everything. He has quite the personality already. He loves joking, and being funny. Henry also LOVES to clean. He’s very smart and understands everything that goes on. He doesn’t miss a beat. We’re hoping for more words in the upcoming year.

Our biggest adventure this year was finally purchasing a home. We love it and couldn’t be happier that we took on this investment. It’s already been a lot of work, but we love every minute of it. We hope the New Year brings a lot of fun times here with our friends and family.

From our home to yours, we wish you….

A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love The Bancrofts

Windy Ridge

2010-12-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Demeritt Christmas this year was at Windy Ridge after a very nice Chinese Buffet Dinner at the Red Apple. The boys had fun and we enjoyed the time with family. It was nice to get together and spend some time with each other during this very busy season. The boys enjoyed seeing all of Aunt Chriss and Uncle Phil's animals. They also enjoyed spending time with Mychala and Brianna!! Aunt Chriss was funny, she helped William find the "Pickle" to which after she awarded him a crisp $10 bill. He thought he was the richest person in the room!

Till Next Time!

Merry Christmas,

~Andrea

Christmas Recital

2010-12-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

This year, I was fortunate enough to have William take dance lessons. He loved it! Being the only option for a 3 year old to get rid of energy we jumped on the chance! He did great. Loved the music and the mirrors. There was another little boy in the class but he was more interested in running around. William did great he paid attention to Stevi his teacher and learned the dances.

However even though he knew the dances he like the rest of the class forgot everything once they hit the stage! They were so cute. I am proud of him for participating and not giving up or getting nervous. It also helped that one of his friends from school was also in his class.

I like William also took some classes, four to be exact. Yup, that's right I took on a lot. I learned my lesson I'm too old to keep up with the young ladies. I will continue dancing but certainly not that many classes.

Henry did an amazing job that day. He didn't have a nap because the Elks party was earlier in the day. He loved the music and only had a hard time during the intermission. Thanks my Baby Blue Eyes for a great day!

The girls and I tapping away. It was a fun number, so fast!
(I'm third from the left)

My Little Rudolph looking in the audience for his daddy...you can see he took his blinking nose off and his antlers. He said they were itchy.

Big smiles as he struts his stuff across the stage as the Shepherd for several small sheep.

"Go Tell It On the Mountain" was the song for this number.

Till Next Time,

Merry Christmas!

~Andrea

Elks Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-28T17:38:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate to attend several Christmas parties this year. My Poppop & Mimi signed the boys up for the annual Elks Lodge Christmas party. The boys had a lot of fun, there were clowns who did face paint and made balloon animals, hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch with cake and ice cream for dessert. While the kids waited for Santa the DJ played a ton of different dances, Limbo, Chicken Dance, Electric Slide, and Locomotion. William had a lot of fun, one of his buddies Tanner was there also. The two of them had fun participating in the activities. William was called up to receive a present from Santa he was so excited. Henry not so much, Charlie did all he could to carry him over and receive the present. Over all it was a great time, and I'm sure if possible Henry will have another chance next year and do great!

Till Next Time!

Merry Christmas..

~Andrea

Riley Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-28T17:16:00.000-08:00

Every year we go to the Riley Christmas Party. It's a load of fun, games, drinks, conversation, and AMAZING food. This year there was a very special treat! Santa came to see all of the kids. I think this was one of the first years in a long time there was a good amount of young children. It was awesome to see them all play with each other. Many will only know of each other because of this party. Such a great tradition, and great memories being made. Thanks so much to Jim and Hester for making such a great time for everyone.

Till Next Time!

Merry Christmas!

~Andrea

Christmas at Jack & Jill

2010-12-25T17:32:00.000-08:00

William's preschool had a Christmas celebration this year. All of the parents and close relatives were invited. The kids sang various songs they worked on with their teachers, including We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells, Rudolph, Clap-Stomp-Jump-Turn Around if you like Christmas, as well as a few poems. Finally this children gave their parents a gift they had been working on! William made us a Gingerbread Man as well as a card that he wrote his name in for the very first time. I was so proud of him!! We are so blessed to have such a smart and happy little boy!!

Till Next Time!

Merry Christmas!

~Andrea

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

One tradition I wanted to begin this year for my boys was to make Christmas Cookies with their cousins. This year we invited William & Henry's cousin Evan over. William was so excited and had a hard time waiting for this special day. The boys enjoyed rolling out the cookie dough and cutting out lots of different shapes (gingerbread & sugar cookies). Then they enjoyed some of Charlie's yummy grilled cheese sandwiches with applesauce. After lunch and a Christmas Movie it was time to decorate sugar cookies. The boys really enjoyed this part, especially sneaking some yummy bites here and there! The night was topped off with pasta for dinner and a boys night in watching Madagascar 2, while playing with Trio Blocks and K'nex! This will definitely be a tradition we carry on throughout the years. Next year we are even going to try real gingerbread houses!

Till Next Time
Merry Christmas
~Andrea

The December Scramble

2010-12-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

We are fortunate enough to have a lot of family and friends, however this makes for a very busy December. Our Christmas shopping is done, presents are being wrapped and we've been to a few Christmas parties already. I can't believe Christmas is only 5 days away! The boys are certainly excited, William knows exactly what is happening and Henry is running off the excitement from his brother. We have successfully decked the halls and this is by far my most favorite Christmas. I don't know if it's because we are in our own home...or if it is because William and Henry are loving every bit of it this year. Now that I am thinking about this, it has to be the combination of everything. If it would only snow Christmas Eve, that would be my cherry on top!

As promised here are some photos of our special Saturday decorating our tree. The boys had a blast and it was so much fun watching them get so excited. We also have a visitor this month. Santa sent us a special elf that William named "Boowfie" pronounced Boo - f - e. William said the elf needed a "w" like him.

Till Next Time

Merry Christmas...

~Andrea

Bringing the family together

2010-11-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

I follow a few different "crafty" blogs, and today I found an amazing idea by Pink & Green Mama. She made a Homemade Family Advent Calendar. The calendar counts down the days to Christmas by stopping and doing something together as a family. This seems like an absolutely amazing tradition, one that can adapt for any ages. I think I am going to pull out my craft totes and have some fun :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

LL Bean

2010-11-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

We took our first family trip to LL Bean in Freeport ME. I've been a ton of times, however Charlie and my boys have NEVER been. It was so much fun to go up there and explore. We didn't buy a ton, but there was a lot to do. We did spoil the boys with some "Moose Munch," Stuffed doggies, an author signed book, hats & mittens. It was nice to hang out with family and enjoy each other, my Christmas shopping is done so we weren't stressed to buy anything at all. We ended our trip with a trip to the Muddy Rudder. So delicious, William enjoyed spending time with his Aunts (Hester, Mary, & Hoa) and Uncle (Jimmy). Both boys fell fast asleep on the way home, we followed our Garmin and took a different way home, it was a gorgeous drive and it even started to snow! We finished up the day by putting the boys down for a nap, and trekking through the woods to pick out a very "natural" Christmas tree...I can't wait to post pics of that. Until then here are some photos from LL Bean.

Henry hanging out :-) He's so laid back sometimes :-)

William playing in the tiny crooked houses.

Uncle Jimmy wondering if this would work for another boat house :-)

Hi Mom... :-)

Whoa!! That boot is HUGE!

Family photo :-)

William & Daddy checking out the fish in the "bubble"

We let William walk like a "big boy" he loved it...and it tuckered him out!

Um, mom....is this a deer?

Mom, what happened to those animals??

Henry's checking out the HUGE Moose!

I love this shot, Henry wants so much to know everything about his big brother... :-) So cute..

Checking out the Moose some more...

Moose Munch Chocolate Cheese Face :-)

One last time in the crooked school house!

He was Uncle Jimmy's Pal for the day...heading back to the car.

Henry with his new puppy...

William with his new puppy, a bucket of cars...singing to some Christmas Music :-)

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

Random photos for enjoyment :-)

2010-11-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't been posting photos regularly of the new house. I'm sorry. I don't want to post until things are the way I want them!! The kitchen and dining room have made the cut :-) There are also some pictures of the boys. Enjoy.... and I'm sorry I'll keep up more with this!!

The way the house works William can run circles between the kitchen, dining room, living room, and den...I caught him on one of the laps :-) Such a cutie!

I'm not sure what's going on, I only hope he's not teaching him too many tricks :-)

This one, he was telling Henry he's going to read to him.

Helping daddy put together the bar stools :-)

Enjoying the bar stools, and some yummy snacks :-)

Dining Room

Kitchen view 1

Kitchen view 2

Well that's all for tonight :-)

I'm sure there will be more this weekend!!

Again enjoy your Thanksgiving....we all really have a lot to be thankful for, snuggle your loved ones.

Till Next Time

~Andrea

And Thanksgiving Weekend Begins...

2010-11-24T16:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight the boys helped me make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!! Yum Yum....I love having the Island and the Bar Stools. However I think pendant lighting will be on the list for a add on during the upcoming year...we had to have the dining room lights on and the kitchen lights on for good lighting...so much extra energy!! :-) However, I am thankful to be sharing one of our first Thanksgivings in our new home :-)

Stirring with Mommy...

Henry feels left out...

Henry's turn :-)

Mmmm That cookie was good...

No Mom, I will not share the last bite :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Till next time...

~Andrea

Fragle Rock

2010-11-22T06:10:00.000-08:00

Henry Loves dancing to Fragle Rock!! I found a new station called "HUB" it plays old school shows :-) Enjoy the video!

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

Sneak Peek

2010-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peek into our family photo session. We'll have many more photos to choose from and I am so excited to see how they came out. Tracy Thompson came out to our house and took a bunch of photos. She was amazing with the boys, very patient. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to be photographed in the comfort of their own home, or anywhere they can imagine...even the beach!!

On a final note, I wanted to mention that I am so very thankful for my husband and family. This week one of my closest friends lost her step father... they were close and he meant the world to the family. She has two young boys who are now trying to figure out what all of this means. Life is so precious, and if I didn't know it before, I am reminded again of how important my minutes are, and to spend them with my family instead of worrying about the little things, like why that darn sock was left in the middle of the room or why again I have to flush the toilet for someone else. I'm doing that because someone is there, and I am doing it because I LOVE them...God gave me the greatest gift, and it's my job to cherish it.

God Bless...

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Things are coming along...

2010-11-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

The boys rooms' are completely put together. Probably the only two rooms that I am completely happy with, the others are all a work in progress as I figure out where things go and how I will hang pictures and decorations. Here's a sneak peak :-) Enjoy!

Henry's room, part of the picture is a little blurry because the camera had been in the car cold.

All of William's old toys have made it into Henry's room...the funny part, he's not as interested in playing with them. He'd rather climb and get into things he's not supposed to!! Completely different then his brother!

I Love the blue walls :-)

Preparing the chalk board wall. You have to rub chalk all over it, then wipe it off and presto chango, it's ready to be a chalk board wall!

William chose dinosaurs to be his room theme :-)

More of his room...

William's tree...the previous owners painted it for their daughter. He loved it and wanted to keep it.

Most of Will's toys are stored in the closet on shelves. His room is quite spacious!

More pictures will come as we continue our journey in making this home "ours." Today on the agenda is yard work, and we have a photographer coming here to take our picture!!

Till Next Time,

~Andrea

A day for the record books...

2010-11-05T20:06:00.000-07:00

So today started off great! We moved into our new home, it's so nice to know that the roots are planted firmly on the ground. Never a better feeling, however nothing can put a damper on a high, as having both your children need to head to the Emergency Room in one day.

I took both boys over to my cousins to give them a break for a little bit, and they love it there. We go there a lot and the boys do great. William loves to watch a movie on the flat screen and Henry enjoys chasing the animals. Today though he chased the dog and tripped right into the fireplace...Trip #1 to the hospital, he was a trooper and they just glued the cut shut. On my way to pick up William I receive a call, he had fallen backward and hit his head on the corner of the wall/molding...Trip #2 the the ER, and 3 staples later my VERY brave little boy was snuggled in my arms on the way to the van so he could go and explore his new room. I mean what are the odds?? I am so thankful that everything worked out ok, and that they are healthy little boys. Both of them were troopers and took the afternoon and night in stride. We got a lot of Williams room unpacked...he's loving the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. Henry fell fast asleep without a worry in the world.

Overall a lesson learned...you never know what is going to happen, and anything can happen even if you plan differently. We are so happy to be in our new house. We ate McDonald's at the kitchen table tonight, and William said, "Hey mom!?, this is our first dinner family at the table in the new house!" I smiled and said "Yes it is how does that make you feel?" He replied, "Happy" :-) Now that is the reason for happiness!!

Pictures to come soon of the new place! Stay posted! :-)

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

I voted for these two

2010-11-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Today's the Day!

2010-10-29T05:54:00.001-07:00

So the countdown is officially OVER! Today we sign on all those dotted lines :-) Fingers crossed everything goes off without a hitch!

Till next time,
~Andrea

a winding road of life.....

2010-10-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

One thing is for sure, Charlie and I have had a very busy and changing life. Always being there for each other and holding on to what makes our family special is what has carried us along the way. Many changes have occurred throughout our almost 10 years together and 5 years married. Some of it a part of the plan while others not so much. Take for example this house we are living in currently. It's a beautiful home, large rooms, tons of storage. However since we have moved in we have found some things that make it hard for us to feel that this could be our home for awhile. The biggest issue, our neighbor...he's a nice man who doesn't pay his bills. The state is currently trying to get him to leave his home because it was foreclosed on. Well he hasn't moved yet. Not knowing who will be sharing our adjoining side makes us extremely nervous especially with the boys. The other issue, taxes on this home are $6000+ for just our side. That's crazy there are several single family homes that have similar features/space with their own property and a two car garage for less than $4000 in taxes in our town. Financially we don't think it's a good move to purchase this place, or that the resale will be as good as a single family home. In short, this place doesn't seem to fit. I know I know, we aren't going to find a place that has everything we want....or a place that has no flaws...but we've thought about this a lot. Ok - ok, now I hear the groans of "you're moving again!?" Trust me, not our idea of a good time either. I've grown up with religion as an important part of my life. I believe there is a God out there, and that he helps those who help others first and then work to make themselves and their family the best it can be. There is nothing that doesn't come at a price; you need to work hard. We were able to obtain a pre-approval letter for a mortgage - a fixed FHA loan with a percentage rate around 4.5% (this isn't definite yet as we haven't signed any loan papers). We also learned that FHA wouldn't approve us for a loan on this home. So that was another final confirmation that this place would not be perfect. Since we were "Renting with the option to buy" we weren't held into a purchase contract on this condo. So we began looking at homes with a realtor we've known for awhile and is well known in the community for being a good at what she does. After reviewing several houses, being as nit-picky as ever - and trust me we looked at some nice houses! None of them seemed to have what we were looking for or enough on our "we need this" list. We went to see one in a small neighborhood close to commuter routes with no outlets so people wouldn't just drive through. As we walked in the red door of this 3 bedroom 2.5 bath Cape we instantly new we were home and we could set down anchor. Neither of us wanted to see any more homes. The wall colors, layout all seemed to mesh with who Charlie and I are. There was a big back yard for the kids to play in with a small fire pit for roasting marshmallows :-). We moved forward by putting in an offer on the house. Within 24 hours our offer was accepted and we were under contract the sellers were motivated and wanted to close in 30 days. Immediately we had a house inspection, everything was great except for part of the roof and a rain shield for the vent on the boiler/furnace to the outside. The seller said those were fixed and signed the addendum. The roof was fixed the next week as was the furnace rain shield. Then it was time to wait for the bank. On Friday October 8th we got confirmation that the bank accepted our loan application, and that they just needed a bit more from us to complete the transaction. We close in 12 days on Friday October 29th. Today the seller let us bring the boys over to explore the house for as long as we needed to. We got a few pictures that I will add at the end of this post. After so long of not knowing where we belonged where we wanted to be, we found it. We know it's a great fit, and Charlie will be able to work 4 days a week. We are so blessed to have all of our friends and family support us on our journey. We love the winding road we've taken so far and have learned so much. I don't think I would change anything it's made us stronger people for it, and it's made our family & relationship stronger too. Thanks so much, God Bless you, and God Bless OUR HOME :-)

Our New home on October 29th 2010

Welcome!!!

Lucky Number 7

William is playing in the leaves in the front yard...all woods across the street :-)

My Orange tree SOOO pretty!

Come on, let's go inside!

Stopping to smell the pretty flowers...

I Love fall :-)

Front door and entry way, with a big coat closet!

Family room, the door in the picture heads to the garage.

Kitchen, the same door you see in the way back is that garage door (for perspective).

Dining room, the seller left some toys out for the boys to play with.

Living room.

1/2 bath & Laundry room combo on main living floor.

Going up.... "Come on guys, I wanna find my room!"

Hallway view from Master Bedroom. Henry's room is straight ahead, bathroom to the right, and Will's room to the left.

Hallway view from Henry's room.

Boys bathroom...it'll soon be Monsterfied... :-)

Henry's room...

Master Bath - Shower

Master Bath again.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom...

Finally William's room :-) ---- Yes we're keeping the tree...

William's room again...

Clouds and glow in the dark stars on the ceiling :-)

I'm thinking of doing a chalk board wall on that wall next to his closet.

Back yard..

Where the white chairs are is the fire pit! :-)

Sitting on our deck :-)

Our agent Heidi and William :-)

We've found home....

Till Next Time,

~Andrea

91 Days until Christmas!

2010-09-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

So I found this awesome website! It's called 100 days till Christmas. It's amazing, I get daily emails highlighting a task that needs to be done for the Christmas holiday. It's nice because it gets you all set to be able to enjoy December without a lot of running around :-) Here's the link to check it out...

Visit 100 Days to Christmas

Jack & Jill

2010-09-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

William is attending Jack & Jill Preschool this year. He's in the 3-year old program which runs two days a week Tuesday & Thursdays 8:45am - 11:15am. He loves it! We had to bring in a photo for him to put in his cubby at school. He did a great job with his photo shoot. We got to meet his teacher a week before school started at his school's open house. Her name is Ms. Tammie and she's great, she runs a tight ship! Just what he needs :-). He's almost completed his 2nd week of school! Here are some photos throughout the process of getting ready, visiting, and then attending!

Posing for his Preschool Cubby Photo -- With the wonderful Photographer "Mom"

Such a ham bone!

Trying something new...

This is the one he chose to hang up in his cubby...

William's Cubby

William's Classroom

Another one of William's Classsroom

William found an apple with his name on it!

Mommy there's an 'A' and a number '1'

He's exploring some more...

The Daily Calendar

Playing with Matching Donuts, and Magnetic Letters

Reading Nook

Upper play area...

Lower play level.....

Imagination Area....this month it's a grocery store!

Art Area....And the music area is to the left...

Checking out the mailbox as we leave open house...

First Day of School outfit...

He was ok until he saw a little girl crying...I think he was wondering why she was upset?

This is supposed to be fun right?

Waiting his turn to go inside...

Hanging up his back pack.

Found his seat and name tag. The seats switch each day, this helps them make friends, and learn their names!

He found some Toy Story figures! :-)

This is a paint smock, I made out of hand towels for his preschool.

He loves it :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Story Land

2010-09-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

I asked Charlie what he wanted for his birthday this year. He told me he's like a family day, and that maybe we could go to Story Land. So Aug 22nd we packed the boys up and headed up to Jackson. It ended up being overcast and cooler, but it worked out great! There weren't a lot of people, so no real long lines, and the boys didn't get overheated by the sun. We spent most of the day there and ALL of the boys had a blast. I did too! It was a very nice family day.

William hated all of the "fake people" he said they shouldn't move their eyes if they aren't real.

Mommy coaxed him along on the tree fort, he was still unsure about this area because of the "fake people"

He loved the pumpkin! He played in the on 3 different occasions, that lasted about 20min each!

Mom, look it's my size!

Ooo a Castle Mommy!

Merry - Go - Round :-) This was a lot of fun!

Henry enjoyed it too!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

He loved the crazy laboratory..daddy did too, especially shooting the balls out of cannons!

Henry wasn't so sure at first...

But.... then he warmed up :-)

Henry got to go on this ride too..the Balloon Ride Ferris Wheel

Waiting in line with his daddy...

The wait was worth it! He loved this ride!

William at Story Land August 22nd 2010

Tired Boys...

He loved driving the cars. Although, I have to tell you he was disappointed he couldn't drive the pink car!

Before we left he decided he wanted to try out the tea cups... He loved them!

He's late, He's late, for a very important date!! :-)

On our way out, he decided he really did want to try the tree out :-)

Nice Job Buddy!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Dinner at the Beach

2010-09-20T10:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Becky was headed to the beach because her son had karate class in York for the night. So we decided to join her and have some dinner. The boys had a blast. The best part was when William said, "Mom, that was the best dinner ever. I loved playing at the beach at night."

Logan, Tanner, William, & Henry playing in the mud!

Enjoying the mud, and freedom.

Covered from head to toe.

Dinner time :-)

Let the exploring begin :-)

He loves running through the waves.

He can tackle to world...

Playing with Daddy in the water.

One of my favorites...

another favorite <3

My Boys <3

Mommy & Henry

Snuggly

Beautiful

End of a fantastic night...

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Jackson's Landing

2010-09-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

I found this amazing playground in Durham. It's called Jackson's Landing. It's clean and shady, there are picnic tables and walking trails. It's awesome. Here are some of our pictures from a very fun day! :-)

The playground, towards the back is one more for younger children.

Setting up our picnic spot. Hi Henry!

William's playing already!! He loves the bridges. Check out the shades!

Eating Lunch, and yes that's a cold grilled cheese with pepperoni! His absolute favorite!

Logan & Tanner joined us for some fun too! They are eating silly sandwiches!

Watermelon Face :-) LOVE IT!

Passed Out --- This is the life!

Back to playing, he did awesome on this bridge!

and....he's awake :-) He had a blast playing!

Wood Chips are good...Mommy kept taking them from me though.

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Bedtime Fort

2010-09-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

We promised William since the beginning of the summer he could build a tent in his bedroom and sleep in it. Well we finally got around to it the end of July. He had a blast and did a great job sleeping in it. We told him it was a special summer treat!

Look at my cool tent Mom!

Snug as a bug in a rug!

A bedtime story...He's so engaged :-)

Is it bad I can't remember what was funny...but at least we both enjoyed it!

Thanks Mom that was a very good story!

Sound asleep. Shhhh...

Till Next Time!

~Andrea

Happy 1st Birthday Henry!

2010-09-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Our little man turned 1 July 10th. He's such a peanut, and his personality is growing so much. The little bugger crawls everywhere and climbs on everything. It's been such a treat to see him change this past year. Here are some pictures from his birthday party!! Enjoy...

We had a packed house! It was nice to be in the new place with lot's of space, seems like we still need more!

Eating some lunch. He's using the birthday bib William wore for his 1st birthday!

Look mom, I have a blue balloon...

I'm the Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday Dear Henry, Happy Birthday to You!

William showed his brother what to do.. :-)

Hmm....feels funny...

Ok, I'll try this...here I go...

Delicious Mom!

Auntie Monica is helping me clean up, I had cupcake everywhere!

Ok so clean up was a bigger job than expected...I had it in my ear, nose, and toes!!

Mommy and Daddy decided to save presents until after my nap. I was getting cranky. I am sorry everyone missed me open my presents. I really did enjoy it! Thanks for the wonderful gifts!

(BTW Mommy, had thank you notes for you....she just keeps forgetting to mail them!)

Looking over the sea of packages...he loved the paper and bags!

Where's the birthday boy?

Happy Birthday to our little Henry, you are so special to us!!

We love you so much, Love Mommy & Daddy

Till Next Time

~Andrea

4th of July

2010-09-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time working at the campground, but the boys enjoyed lazy days at the lake!! I was lucky to have them join me Saturday night for fireworks at the campground. That was a beautiful show! William and Henry enjoyed spending sometime with their cousins. It was great for them to get to know their cousins since they live so far away. Enjoy the photos!

Cousins playing in the sand.

Henry enjoying himself digging in the sand.

Very excited!

Uncle Jimmy & Little Erin walk Henry over for a snack :-)

Silly glasses....

Silly Daddy!

Mommy's home from work! Finally :-)

Lunch at the lake YUM!

Cool Dude

Sound Canceling head phones for the fireworks!

Cousins (Henry, Erin, William, Fiona, & Paul)

Little Erin loving the babies! (Jill/Fiona - Erin/Henry)

William gives Fiona a hug - So sweet!

Uncle Jimmy snuggling Henry making him giggle...

Napping at the beach!

Shhhh!

Little Fishy!

Mommy & Fiona

Paul, he looks like he's on a mission!

Uncle Jesse playing with Henry

Peaceful Sunset

Happy 4th of July Everyone!! :-)

(I have about 200 more pictures for this day! These were just some of our favorites. I hope you enjoyed them!)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Fishing, Carnival, Camping...OH MY!

2010-09-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

We took one weekend to have a bunch of fun at the campground where I work. There was a Kid's Fishing Derby, and a Kid's Carnival all in the same weekend. William enjoyed all of the activities, especially our tent and camp fire. The best part though, was watching him receive and experience his first trophy ever!

His first fish ever! Great Job William!

Special Time fishing with Daddy <3

Henry watching near by in the shade of his stroller!

Dad, maybe there is a fish over there? All we are catching is worms!

Waiting patiently, not an easy task for a 3 year old!

Playing with his dump truck, he's learned a lot from his brother!

My Boy <3

Another Sun Fish!

Shhh...Mommy wasn't fishing :-)...I loved it! I can't believe it was my first time!

Nothing better than Cotton Candy at a Carnival! Thanks Uncle Scott!

Enjoying some Cotton Candy with his cousin Evan.

YUM!

"WANTED"....my preference however is Alive :-)

William and Sarah - Nice Clown Hair!

Daddy had too much fun with this...you'll see why in the next picture...

HI WILLIAM!

William's 1st Trophy! Go WILL!

The cousins show off their trophy's together!

One of my favorite photos from the weekend.

Sleeping with his trophy...content from a long day.

Henry's first night in a tent! Shhh...sleep good Henny Benny!

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Time to Catch Up..

2010-09-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

It's been such a busy summer! We moved into a new home the end of May, and are continuing to LOVE it. William and Henry enjoy have spacious rooms and Mommy & Daddy love having a grown-ups bathroom. This summer, we've conquered a lot on our family to do list.

We've been camping
We went to story land
We went to the Hampton Beach Sand Castle Contest
We went to the beach
We went to many different parks
We experienced thunderstorms
We went on several play-dates
We got a new swing set
Henry began wearing cloth diapers
Henry started walking
We toured preschools for William to go to
Henry turned 1
We went to a few birthday parties
We went to bon fires at Nana's
We had a blast at 4th of July
We had Ice Cream for dinner
Mommy had a dance recital in the park
We went to a summer block party
Went Fishing
William made his first blanket tent to sleep in
A new baby cousin was born

This summer has blown by so fast I've missed out on posting some amazing pictures. I will be posting a bunch of new entries so that you can see all of our fun adventures. Unfortunately I don't have pictures from EVERY event, but I will do my best to capture our summer in a nut shell.

Now that fall is approaching we've already been apple picking the apples have ripened a good two weeks earlier than normal here in NH it's been crazy! We've also gone to William's Open House at his preschool, and he starts his program tomorrow! He's also in a movement class, and hopefully will do a preschool soccer program in October. So many fun things coming in our future!!

Daddy is driving to Cambridge for work daily. He's such a trooper. I am currently enrolled in a M.ed. Program at FPU. I have completed 5 courses, and have maintained a 4.0!

Good-Bye Summer...and Welcome Fall! Nothing is better than cool crisp air, jeans & a sweatshirt, apples, spice, fall colors!! Mmm I can't wait :-)

Till Next Time

~Andrea

Henry climbed on the couch.3GP

2010-08-29T16:17:00.000-07:00

look mom I can climb it.3GP

2010-08-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

will swim lessons 7-12-10.3GP

2010-08-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Henry Playing w~ball.3GP

2010-08-21T17:22:00.000-07:00

first nectarine.3GP

2010-08-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

walking.3GP

2010-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Best brother ever.3GP

2010-08-19T06:52:00.000-07:00