Shea's

Ben's First Day of Preschool

2011-01-05T14:31:00.000-05:00

Corey and Adam

2010-12-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

Kevin's brother, Ed (minus little Ed!)and his family were up from CT for a hockey tournament. It was great to see them and I think Ben is an official hockey fan!!! He talked about hockey for weeks to come and is still asking for us to get him ice skates!! Watch out!

My parents came out to the first game.

Adam(#3)

Corey (#23)

Best. Christmas. Ever!!!

2010-12-25T20:12:00.003-05:00

Riley has labeled this our "Best Christmas Ever!" and I have to agree~but aren't they all great!?!?!? The kids gave us lots of hugs and "thank you's" throughout the morning!! It was a great day, even mommy had a few surprises under the tree!!!! I must have been a very good girl this year!! Our biggest surprise for the kids were 2 new kittens~Kramer and George! They are adorable. Ben and I are still getting used to them! I feel like a nervous first time mom all over again~are they eating enough, they haven't gone to the bathroom lately, are they sleeping too much, etc. They are so cute though. They ventured upstairs and after quite a bit of looking, we finally found them in Riley's stuffy drawer under her bed! It was like E.T. We opened the drawer and there they were looking up at us among all the stuffed animals! We were hysterical.

White Christmas

2010-12-23T20:08:00.000-05:00

We got a little snow today that will hopefully hold on for Christmas! The kids were so excited to get outside and play!! They busted out the sleds and had a blast.

Ben giving Riley a big push!!!

Cousins

2010-12-18T20:03:00.000-05:00

We finally got an updated picture of the 4 Leary cousins!!! I can't believe Dillon is a senior in high school. I feel like he was just Ben's age yesterday! Paige has started middle school~6th grade!!! She's a grown woman!

SNOW!!!

2010-12-04T08:02:00.003-05:00

The kids are a little excited about the snow they woke up to today! We only have a dusting, but they were out in their pajama's and boots to check it out at 7am. I'm glad someone is excited about the snow!

Ben Found the Camera

2010-12-02T08:10:00.002-05:00

Ben has loved using the camera lately to take pictures of his stuff, Riley's stuff, people, our Elf Fred, just about anything and everything. Here is some of his work:

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

Apple Picking

2010-09-20T16:32:00.000-04:00

We went apple picking at McDougals'. We love it there. They have a little place to feed the animals, the have yummy apples and yummier cider donuts!!! They are SOO good. We picked a ton of apples and it was a beautiful day!

Lemonade Stand

2010-09-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

We got home from camping and they wanted to do a lemonade stand. So a lemonade stand, they did. Needless to say, there were no lines forming for the lemonade. I bought a cup, Kevin

bought a couple cups and our neighbor bought a cup plus tip (thanks George!).

Labor Day at Vacationland

2010-09-05T15:56:00.001-04:00

We spent Labor Day camping at Vacationland Campground. This is one of our new favorite campgrounds. The kids had a blast, we went to a dance on Saturday night and we visited Nan & Papa for some Lobsters on Sunday! It was fantastic.

Riley and her favorite ducks. Those ducks were well fed that weekend!

View of the docks from our site

View of our site from the docks

Riley dancing at the rec hall dance!

First Day of School

2010-09-01T18:32:00.003-04:00

Riley entered 1st grade today! She was so excited to start and when she got off the bus (ice pop in hand from the bus driver) she said 1st grade is "awesome". I'll take it! Awesome works for me. I'm hopeful Day 2 goes as well!

So Sorry

2010-08-26T09:24:00.004-04:00

OK, I apologize. I promise I am going to work to update the blog this week. I know, I've been lazy and disappointed hundreds (well, maybe 10~12 people) with my lack of posts! I will work hard to get up to date soon. Please be patient and soon new and somewhat exciting posts will follow! Thanks for your patience.

Happy Birthday Poppy (and Nan too!!!!)

2010-08-06T13:59:00.001-04:00

We started our trek to OBX today with a stop in CT for some family time and fun! We celebrated Poppy's birthday and it was so great to see everyone!!! The kids had a blast, as always, at Auntie Robin's swimming, running around and just hanging with Kenzie!!! It's also my mom's birthday today! Yes, Kevin's dad and my mom have the same birthday!!!! Happy birthday mom!!!!

Some Camping Fun

2010-07-18T22:03:00.002-04:00

We did some camping at Acres of Wildlife this weekend. We love the campground and there were a ton of things for the kids to do!!! Another great camping adventure!!!

More Images from July 4th Weekend...

2010-07-07T22:11:00.001-04:00

On our way up to camp, we stopped at Gray's Animal Farm...

Camping at Camp

2010-07-05T19:50:00.001-04:00

For 4th of July weekend we hooked up the camper and headed to my parents place in Otisfield. Actually, my parents took the camper up a couple days early and we stopped at Gray's Animal Farm on the way to their place on Friday.The kids had a lot of fun at the animal farm. Ben wanted to just hang out with the bears the whole time, but we made it through the park and saw lots of wild Maine animals. We left there and went to my parents that afternoon. My parents, my brother's family, my aunt and uncle, and 3 cousins + their families were all there. It was a ton of fun and great weather. Ben got bit by something on his eye, so of course he was all puffed up for a day, but that didn't stop him. We spent the days at the beach and the evenings by the fire. We went to the Otisfield parade which is always one of my favorites! It was nice to have us all there and we're excited for it again at the end of July for Casco Days!!!Ben doing one of his favorite things...playing with water!!!

Ben waiting for the parade

The kids at the parade

Ben's puffy eye

Bathing Beauty

Ben loving the water!!!

Chicago Dogs TBall

2010-06-24T19:45:00.001-04:00

Riley's TBall team met at Chicago Dogs after our last game to have a few "Dogs" and hand out trophies. Her team finished 0~0~8!!! That's no wins, no losses, 8 ties! I'm not sure baseball is her favorite sport!!!! She liked socializing with her friends on the other teams when they would be on the base she was playing, but other than that, it's not really her thing, yet.

Beach Evening

2010-06-21T19:41:00.000-04:00

Riley's not sleeping, but this is the only picture I got of the 2 kids together while on our walk on the beach the other night. I love being so close to the beach!

Point Sebago

2010-06-19T19:34:00.001-04:00

The Giesecke's joined us for some camping Point Sebago style! It was our 2nd annual trip to P.S. with them and this year was just as fun as the last! The kids had a blast playing, walking to the bathroom by themselves and just hanging out. Kayla and Riley reminded Susan and I of our days camping when we were younger. We had lots of laughs, as always, and can't wait for our next camping adventure together.

My How They Grow

2010-06-17T21:08:00.001-04:00

Today was Riley's last day of school. I took a picture to compare to the first day of school. She has grown so much over the year! On the first day of school, she was a young 5 year old and now she is a kindergarten graduate and confident 6 year old!!

Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack

2010-06-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

Ben was right into watching Riley and Anna Claire sing Miss Mary Mack!!!

Yo Yo Yo Homey!!

2010-06-08T21:05:00.000-04:00

Ben showing off his new style...

Happy Birthday Riley

2010-06-07T19:47:00.005-04:00

Riley started her special day with breakfast in bed. Instead of coffee and the newspaper (like mom & dad get on their birthdays), she asked for juice and a book. While she sipped her juice and read her book, we prepared the main course...scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, and a donut from the Cookie Jar. After breakfast she opened presents.

She closed her eyes (so did Ben) for the big surprise at the end~her bike!!!

We then headed to the Bounce Zone for some fun! The kids had lots of fun bouncing all around and eating lots of cake & pizza!

Then...Nan, Papa,Jeff & Paige came over for MORE cake and presents!!! What a day! We all had fun and were exhausted by the end of the day!

Kayla's Party

2010-06-04T18:33:00.002-04:00

This afternoon Riley went over to her cousin Kayla's house for a birthday party. Kayla turns 6 the day after Riley!!! As Riley made Kayla's card today, she asked "how do you spell 'believe'?" "B~E~L~I~E~V~E", she then repeated it back to me..."B" "E as in egg" "L" "I" "another E as in egg" "V as in vinegar" "and another E as in egg". I then asked what her card said...I needed to know why she needed to spell BELIEVE. "Happy Birthday Kayla. Your 6 now, hard to believe!" Too Funny! She makes me smile!

I had wondered how Riley would do being the only "outsider". The other girls were classmates or neighbors of Kayla's and knew each other. Well needless to say, Riley did fine. They all came running out to greet her as we got out of the car. She was all smiles and left me & Ben in the dust! She had a blast at the party, of course and didn't want to leave, but as she said her goodbyes to Kayla, she gave her a big hug. It was too cute!!! They stood there hugging and smiling for minutes!!!

Sue, thanks for a great party. Riley loved it, Ben has been playing with his balloon all evening, and thank Chris for my coffee, Mickey~style!!! Send pictures if you load them onto your computer!!

Up To Date

2010-06-03T06:26:00.002-04:00

For all of you who have commented/sent emails/called....I'm finally up to date with my blogging~yeah me!!! I will try harder to keep up with it, but I got a little overwhelmed with the weeks worth of Disney photos/blogs I had to write! Sorry for my slacking...

Camping with the PopUp~Take One

2010-05-31T18:16:00.000-04:00

We used our PopUp camper for the first time this weekend! It was a blast. The kids loved it, Ben didn't have too many accidents, Riley rode her bike around like crazy! My parents came up for a cookout on Saturday afternoon, we went to "downtown" Naples Sunday morning for some minigolf before the sun got hot. It was the first time we had been to this campground and we really liked it. We're already signed up for the same site next year! Kevin and I had lots of laughs and are looking forward to our next camping adventure~Point Sebago with the Gieseckes!!!!

Connecticut Trip

2010-05-23T18:13:00.000-04:00

We were in Connecticut all weekend for Kevin's niece's confirmation. We had a blast. It was great to see everyone!!! The only unfortunate thing is, I didn't take one picture. I'll have to ask around for someone to email me some pictures! Thanks Robin & Billy for having us again~the best hospitality in Woodbridge!!!!! We loved seeing you guys, Riley had a blast with Kenzie (she slept like a rock the next 2 nights!!!!!). See you soon.

Some Light Reading

2010-05-20T06:05:00.000-04:00

I came into our bedroom the other morning and this is what I saw...

Ben catching up on some light reading!!!

Trip to Beal's

2010-05-18T06:09:00.000-04:00

We finally made it down to Beal's Ice Cream. It opened while we were in Florida and when we got home, it was freezing here so there was no trips to the ice cream shop!!! We finally made it down there this past weekend.

Getting Ready for Camping!

2010-05-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

We are heading out on Memorial Day weekend for our first camping trip with the pop~up. Kev and I set it up and washed it down today. We also found out the people who owned the camper before us, have a dog...Ben is highly allergic to dogs!! Poor Ben was playing in the camper and broke out in hives. We have to wash and vacuum all the cushions!!!! Hopefully that helps.

Riley's Art Show

2010-05-10T21:24:00.001-04:00

Riley had her first art show for school this week. Every student in the Scarborough school system has at least one piece on display!!! It was a great show and Riley did a great "City Print".

Flight Home

2010-05-08T21:22:00.000-04:00

Riley and Ben did great on the plane rides. Ben slept the majority of the time both ways!!!

Random Hotel Room Pics!!!!

2010-05-08T20:49:00.001-04:00

The remnants of Kev's sunglasses.

My Favorite Duck and Beautiful Daisy Princess

2010-05-07T20:35:00.002-04:00

The kids got their faces painted. Riley looked beautiful as a Daisy Princess and Ben was hysterical!!! He wanted Donald Duck!

Our Last Day in the Park

2010-05-07T20:30:00.001-04:00

This was our last day in the park and we made the most of it. We saw lots of characters, went on lots of rides and had lots of fun!!!!

A Little Relaxing Today

2010-05-06T19:51:00.001-04:00

Relaxing is probably an overstatement, but by Disney standards we had a fairly relaxing day! We went to Epcot this morning for a few hours and then came back to the hotel for some pool time, craft fun and exploring. We had a late dinner in the Wilderness Lodge at Whispering Canyon. It was lots of fun, but Ben was tired tonight. He's going on 3~4 days with no naps and lots of walking, swimming and staying up late!! He's a trooper!

The kids rode little horsies around the restaurant every hour! Very Cute.

Back To The Magic Kingdom

2010-05-05T19:43:00.003-04:00

After breakfast we headed back to the Magic Kingdom until mid~afternoon. Kevin and I then headed out for the night. We had a couple pints at the Rose & Crown in England, then dinner in France and finished up the night at Jellyrolls (piano bar) on the Boardwalk.

Papa Catching Up on a Few Zzzzz's

2010-05-05T19:39:00.000-04:00

Papa took the opportunity to sneak in a quick nap while we were on It's a Small World. I can't say that I blame him! The ride can be a bit boring, but it's a classic!!

Breakfast at the Contemporary

2010-05-05T19:26:00.000-04:00

We did the Chef Mickey breakfast at the Contemporary on Wednesday morning with my parents. It was a great time and the kids got to see lots of characters up close!!!

MGM & EPCOT

2010-05-04T19:08:00.003-04:00

One of our favorite days...we spent the morning at MGM, the afternoon at the pool and dinner at Teppan Edo in Japan. Riley loved the meal, loved the chopsticks (she used them the WHOLE dinner!!), and loved the surprise cake at the end!!!

Fun Around The Hotel

2010-05-04T10:41:00.001-04:00

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and there were a ton of things to do right there at the resort. The kids earned beads by finding different habitats around the property, they played African music with some of the cast members who taught them about the animals of Africa and they had a nightly parade through the lobby with drums and music that the kids participated in! It was great. Every afternoon there was a craft for the kids~decorate a ducky for the duck races, make a puppet, etc.

Nightly Parade

Ben and Nan enjoying the scenery and animals at the resort!

Animals Around Our Hotel

2010-05-03T20:06:00.000-04:00

There were zebras, antelope, giraffe, wilderbeasts, flamigos and water buffalo roaming the property at our hotel!!! It was great!!!

Animal Kingdom

2010-05-03T19:36:00.002-04:00

We spent the day at the Animal Kingdom today. The kids loved the safari. I think Riley took a whole disposable camera worth of pictures on that ride! As you can see by the final picture, Ben REALLY liked his dessert~chocolate mousse with chocolate syrup!!!!

Other Random First Day Pics

2010-05-02T23:03:00.000-04:00

Magic Kingdom

2010-05-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

We headed to Magic Kingdom our first full day at Disney. Dumbo, the Carousel, and the Tea Cups were first on our list! It was a great day. We spent the morning and early afternoon at the park, then we headed back to the hotel for some pool time, and then it was off to Epcot for dinner at CANADA (one of our favorites!!!!) It was delicious as always~filet with mushroom risotto!!!!

Disney Day 1

2010-05-01T22:52:00.000-04:00

We had an uneventful flight down~Ben slept, Riley listened to Radio Disney. We boarded the Magical Express to Disney around 4:30pm and arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge around 5:30pm. It was a breeze. We were out exploring the hotel, eating dinner and looking at the animals by 6pm!!!!

Riley making her Mickey ears on the bus ride to the hotel!

Riley's Doing Great!

2010-04-30T19:15:00.000-04:00

Riley started TBall tonight. She did great and had a lot of fun!!!

Ben Riding His Bike

2010-04-29T07:12:00.000-04:00

Ben has watched the video of Riley riding her bike over and over and over and over. Yesterday he decided he wanted me to take a video of him riding his bike like Riley!

Riley's Riding Like a Champ!

2010-04-19T13:31:00.004-04:00

Riley is riding her bike like crazy now! She's doing great.

Pizza on a Rainy Night

2010-04-18T20:27:00.004-04:00

We started the day with Chris (the window guy) and his brother coming and working on the windows bright and early. They cranked them out and finished installing all the windows by days end. The windows look great and we are so thrilled with them. For dinner we invited the Strouse's and Norfleet's over for pizza. It was a great night, lots of fun and the kids played great. Ben even ventured off with the kids for most of the night~we may hire Julia (she's 3) to come and play with Ben more often. She was great with him and he loved playing with her!!!

The kids couldn't get enough of watching Chris install the windows. Ben would yell "guy" every time Chris walked by. It was so funny!

And last, but not least, Kate pulled out Madeline's top tooth. It was very loose and getting looser with each bite of pizza...so out it came!!!

Happy Birthday Kevin

2010-04-16T19:59:00.001-04:00

What a nice day...we left early this morning and went up to Freeport shopping. For lunch, we hit our favorite Freeport brewpub~Gritty's and had a delicious lunch. When we got home mid~afternoon, Chris, the window guy was here putting in more windows. Yippee!

The kids and I usually make the birthday cakes, but Kevin requested this yummy one from Hannaford's (I'm not offended, actually relieved!). It was delicious and was just the right size for the four of us to enjoy all weekend long!

Riley's Concert

2010-04-14T11:06:00.004-04:00

Riley had her first music concert tonight! She was so excited to "be on stage"~you know,being the aspiring rock star that she is!!! We had a slight mishap on the way to the show. She picked her upper lip and it started bleeding, but the show must go on! It was great. The kids were adorable and did a great job!

Riley tending to her bloody lip on the ride to the concert.

Our Bike Ride to BP School

2010-04-11T19:54:00.001-04:00

We went over to Riley's school today. Riley rode her bike the whole way. She's doing really well. It was just a matter of getting her on the bike. She wasn't showing much interest, but I think now that she's got the hang of it, she'll want to ride it more.

I Think We're Still In April, Aren't We???

2010-04-07T19:52:00.003-04:00

It was 84 degrees today!! April 7th and 84 degrees~3rd hottest day in April EVER!!!! Ben and I hung out and played with water most of the afternoon. He was the gardener and made sure all the flowers and plants had water. (Doesn't it seem weird to be worrying about the plants and flowers on April 7th?) By the end, he was just watering himself, me, his buggy, whatever he could find. He decided to take a little dip in his bucket...too funny!!!

Easter Sunday with a Twist!

2010-04-04T17:57:00.002-04:00

We woke up this morning not all feeling well, so we decided to lay low for the day. The kids had a blast hunting for eggs. Riley was really good at helping Ben find his!!! By late morning, it was so beautiful we went down to the beach for a walk and get some fresh air. It was a perfect 10. On the way home, we decided to order lobsters for dinner. Nothing like a lobster for Easter dinner instead of ham!! Yummy. We ended the day with a trip to Dairy Corner!!! What a treat...spring is really here!!!

Riley's friend from her class was at the beach so we hung out with them for awhile!

A little picnic lunch in the driveway

Riley and I hangin' out on the deck!!

The Bunny Came Early

2010-04-03T20:34:00.000-04:00

The weekend started off with a trip to the doctor's for Ben. He developed a bad cough over the last day so we didn't want to risk it with his previous pneumonia/asthma. Come to find out, he has croup and an ear infection. The poor kid can't catch a break. He and Kevin went home after the doctors and I went over to the Strouse's for an Easter Egg hunt/brunch. Riley hitched a ride with the Norfleets, while we went to the doctors! Thanks guys! Riley and I had a blast!! Thanks Stephanie and Dave...we're hoping this becomes an annual event!!!!

Riley found her "golden egg"

The future Adam Lambert...

One of my favorites...Julia and I!!!

Timber!!!

2010-03-31T20:49:00.003-04:00

The guys came today to take down a tree out front, as well as prune the other ones. Ben was in his glory. He watched them all morning long. I barely could get him to eat lunch.

Maine Maple Sunday ~ on Saturday!!!

2010-03-27T20:32:00.000-04:00

We headed out this morning to Harris Farm in Dayton for Maine Maple Sunday...they've expanded Maine Maple Sunday to include Saturday too!! We checked out the cows, played with some hay, and then ventured over to the sugarshack where we learned about the process of making maple syrup. Did you know that 40 gallons of sap is boiled down to make 1 gallon of maple syrup...interesting, huh? We chowed down some "maple" donuts~delicious!

YUMM~O!!!!!!!!

2010-03-26T20:27:00.001-04:00

Our favorite day of the year has arrived....Ken's Place is open! Kev, the kids and I went for opening night dinner and it was just as good as we remember!!!! I devoured my clamcakes and probably could have had another,but I restrained myself! I'm sure we'll be back there soon!

Riley's Announcement

2010-03-25T11:50:00.005-04:00

Riley's teacher sent me a picture of Riley in class today. She had written the announcement on the class whiteboard all by herself. She didn't get any help from the teacher, she needed to sound out all the words and write the announcement. She did great and we're super proud!

"Dear Boys & Girls, We may have music. We have early release today. It is going to be sunny today. It is Thursday."

Beach Time!!!

2010-03-22T21:08:00.004-04:00

Ben and I headed down to the beach on Thursday for a little digging and fun. It was a beautiful day and Ben had fun playing in the sand, but he wasn't too fond of the loud waves. I think he just needs to get used to it again. He was warming up by the time we left!!!! We also had some company while we were there...horses!!! It was so interesting to watch. They rolled in the sand like dogs. AMAZING!!!!!

Oh What a Day!!!

2010-03-20T20:13:00.008-04:00

This is the day we look forward to all winter. A rare 70 degrees in March is heaven! We started the morning out trying something new~Letterboxing. I heard about this from a friend I used to work with at Connecticut Magazine. We went online, found a box location in Scarborough, got our clues and were off to the Eastern Trail. We followed the clues to a path in the woods off the main trail. We followed the path to a certain tree and VOILA...there was the box we were looking for!
It was a ton of fun so we decided to try and find a few other boxes around town. Our second "mission" was a dud...no box. We weren't sure it would still be there, because it was planted back in 2006. Our third spot was a cemetary right here in Scarborough where my father's grandmother is buried. Success!!! We found the box! It was a great little adventure for the kids and Riley was so thrilled when we found the boxes (and bummed when we didn't find a box)! We got home, had lunch and headed right back outside. We didn't want to miss a minute of this beautiful weather. We rode bikes to the park, played at the playground, played soccer & tball, Riley, Ben and a friend washed my car~we did it all!!!! The day was topped off with steak on the grill and chocolate shakes for dessert!!! Oh what a day!!!

Riley and Ben finding the first box. You can see the blue lid above Ben's head to the right.

Kev checking out the contents of the box

Riley finding the box at the 3rd location

Ben's Newest Accessory

2010-03-16T20:44:00.002-04:00

Ben got a cold on Sunday afternoon. By this morning, after 2 rough nights of sleep, he had a pretty bad cough. We got in to see the doctor this afternoon and Ben is now on the road to recovery. The doctor immediately put Ben on a nebulizer for a dose of medicine that would help him with his breathing. His lungs were extremely tight. He responded well to his first treatment, so the doctor decided to put him back on for a second treatment.

Here are a few pics of Ben on the nebulizer at home. He'll do this 3x a day for a week. Our poor little guy...

The Next Bobby Flay

2010-03-15T11:10:00.003-04:00

This morning Ben has been obsessed with the microwave. He likes to push the button to open the door, close the door and then re~open it! So I looked over at one point and he had gathered his boots from the entryway and decided to put them in the microwave. Who's coming over for dinner? Ben's cooking!!!

Our Well Balanced Little Boy

2010-03-10T20:56:00.002-05:00

One night Cinderella, the next Police Officer Ben!

His face as Cinderella is priceless. I'm thinking he's more comfortable as Police Officer Ben!!!

Mickey Mouse!

2010-03-09T20:45:00.001-05:00

In honor of our upcoming trip (ok, it's 2 months away, but whatever!!!), I made Mickey Mouse pancakes for dinner last night. The kids loved them, but Riley was a little annoyed that Ben was sitting so close to her, so she pouted. In turn, Ben decided to fold his arms like his sister and pout too~except with a smile on his face!!!!

This is the face of a boy who is up to something!!!!!

Spring, Spring, Spring!!!

2010-03-08T13:19:00.003-05:00

I love weekends like this! Sunny with temperatures in the mid 50's!!!! Absolutely beautiful spring weekend. We have been so lucky this winter, I hate to jinx it and say spring is here because we could still get a big storm. We worked out in the yard most of the day Saturday and then on Sunday we went to the Audobon Center in Falmouth and walked the trails followed by lunch at Flatbreads! Great day!

Riley with her new earrings...made of pizza dough!!! Beautiful!!!

Winter? What Winter????

2010-03-02T08:58:00.006-05:00

Here's a little perspective on how mild this winter has been compared to last winter. Both pictures were taken on March 2nd, the first 2009 and the second just this morning!!!

And this is just a cute one of the kids at the bus stop today!!!

Getting Ready for T~Ball!!

2010-02-28T20:47:00.002-05:00

Plenty of Parking at the Beach Today!!!

2010-02-28T20:17:00.003-05:00

Kevin, the kids, and I headed over to Scarborough Beach State Park for a walk and to check out the surf. The waves were crazy big with a few surfers braving the cold water! Lots of driftwood, broken lobster traps and litter was washed up during the last storm. Riley decided that we should pick up the litter so the fish and birds are safe~~my little environmentalist!!!! Makin' me proud!

You can see the surfer to the far left in the picture above

He's So Sweet!!!

2010-02-28T20:06:00.005-05:00

Ben was taking care of this little baby doll this morning...what a sweet little guy!!!!

And The Party Continues...

2010-02-22T20:40:00.001-05:00

For a kid who we thought wasn't going to have much of a birthday party, Ben has really made out like a bandit. He celebrated with Brady & Kayla the morning of his birthday, he had pizza & cupcakes with Jeff & Paige the evening of his birthday and Saturday we celebrated again with the Norfleets and Strouses! Riley is the first to point out that he got THREE birthday parties!! We were lucky enough to grill hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken OUTSIDE!!!! When you think of February birthday parties, you don't usually think cookout!!! Anyway, it was a great night and Ben had lots of fun!!!!

Check out the HUGE cookie Kate made for Ben!!!! Yumm~O!

The cookie was a big hit!!!

Two Today!!!!

2010-02-18T21:40:00.000-05:00

Little Baby Ben turned two today and officially became "Big Boy Ben"!!! He had a great day with lots of fun. We started out this morning by opening gifts and playing with all the fun new stuff!

Ben giving Riley a thank you hug!!!!

My cousin Susan came over with Kayla and Brady and the kids played and ate cupcakes! Tonight Jeff & Paige came over for cake and pizza. Ben loves when people sing Happy Birthday to him and he just loved being the center of attention!

2010-02-11T17:18:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken at 8:45am today...not the way I was looking to start the day!!! Ben had hijacked the tub of Aquaphor and decided to lather his face, mouth, hands with it!!! Riley yelled for me to look at Ben and I couldn't help but bust out my camera when I saw him. Thankfully he didn't eat any and his skin will be silky soft for days, but I'm keeping the ointment in a higher place from now on!!!

100 Days

2010-02-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

Riley celebrated the first 100 days of school today. Each child in her class had to do a posterboard project with 100 things on it. Riley decided to write 100 things about Blue Point School. This took some creative effort from Kev and I, but we came up with 100 words describing school, friends and learning. The final outcome was fantastic!!! She did a great job writing all 100 words and glueing them to the board! They had lots of festivities at school including necklace making, crown making and a Chinese New Year celebration through the halls!!!

Let the Chores Begin

2010-02-06T18:20:00.000-05:00

Riley has been asking to do more chores lately so this morning I had her vacuum around the woodstove. She liked it, Ben wanted to try and I got to sit back and watch. Seems like a win, win, win!

PottyTalk

2010-02-02T16:01:00.002-05:00

Riley was home sick from school today. Her friend Ava called around 4pm (which is becoming a regular thing). They spoke for awhile and then I heard Riley ask her to "stay right there" because she had to go potty. After a bit of discussion, Riley then decided to put the phone on the bathroom floor and talk (yell!) into the phone as she went potty! You can't make this stuff up. Now Riley is reading a Clifford Valentine book to Ava over the phone. Ava read her a book yesterday afternoon. Oh, how the phone calls will change down the road!!!!

Recycling the Old to Make New!!!

2010-01-25T14:45:00.002-05:00

We recycled some old pieces of crayons to make new bright multicolored ones! Fun little project for the kids!

Like Father, Like Son

2010-01-22T14:43:00.000-05:00

I came downstairs the other day to find Kevin and Ben "reading" on the couch. If you look closely, Ben's book is upside down!!!

Riley's Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

2010-01-18T07:50:00.003-05:00

Mini Me

2010-01-06T15:53:00.000-05:00

Today Riley wanted her hair done in pigtails rather then her usual ponytail (I can never get over the silly names). When I finished putting her hair up and looked at her, it brought me right back to my childhood. I wore my hair in pigtails (usually under protest) ALL THE TIME!!!! I hated the pigstails after awhile, but unfortunately when I was old enough to make my own hair decisions, I chose getting a perm...yikes. Looking back, I should have embraced the pigtails because the perm "phase" was hideous!!!!!

I can see why my mom liked me to wear pigtails...It was easy and Riley came home as cute as she was when she left for school with her hair still in tact.

New Year Snow

2010-01-04T13:52:00.000-05:00

Although the snowstorm ruined our New Year's Eve plans with the Deiboldts and Glynns, we had a great weekend of sledding and playing in the snow! Ben and Riley cannot get enough of the snow and would play outside all day if we let them.

After sledding in our front yard, we decided to go to Riley's school for a bigger hill. It was a blast! On one of the trips down, Ben acted as the plow for the sled and wasn't too thrilled about it (Riley seemed to really enjoy it!!!).

Getting on the sled...

Loving the ride!!!

Whoops! Ben got a little wet!!!

My Fashionista

2009-12-30T13:35:00.000-05:00

Riley prefers to pick out her outfits now and this is what she chose on Thursday!!! Watch out world!!!

Santa Arrived!!!

2009-12-25T22:46:00.001-05:00

We must have been very good this year. Santa arrived and dumped a sleighful of toys under our tree! The kids were beside themselves. They had a blast opening and playing with all the fun stuff! Kevin and I had a blast watching their eyes light up with every gift!! At one point Riley looked to the sky and thanked Fred, our Elf on the Shelf who left with Santa, for telling Santa all the things she wanted. It was a great Christmas!!!

Christmas Eve at the Shea's

2009-12-24T22:40:00.001-05:00

We had my mom's side of the family over tonight for our annual Christmas Eve celebration. It was great to see everyone and the kids are ready for Santa to arrive!!!!

Fred is Getting a Little Creative!

2009-12-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

Our Elf on the Shelf, Fred, is really getting creative with his locations. Tonight he's hiding in a stocking that hangs from our hutch!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!!!

2009-12-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

The whole family got involved making Christmas cookies this evening. Ben and I made the dough. Riley and Ben did the cut outs. Daddy monitored the oven. I frosted them and Riley decorated them. We made a ton of cookies and they are delicious!!!! Merry Christmas.

2009-12-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

So Riley's second loose tooth has really been bothering her and, in turn, bothering Kevin and I. So tonight we decided to end the craziness. After much bribery and promises, Riley finally allowed me to get my finger in there to "wiggle" it. Well, we wiggled that thing right out and she is now thrilled and feels so much better.

The smile of a true kindergartener!!!

When Ben saw me taking pictures of Riley, he of course, wanted his picture taken!

Go Spurs!

2009-12-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Riley and Kevin had another great season. The Spurs had tons of fun and learned lots of great basketball skills this season!!!

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The Rock Star and Her Guitarist

2009-12-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

Good Ole Snow Days

2009-12-09T15:05:00.000-05:00

Today was our first snow day of the season and we made the most of it. As a special treat (really she likes it), I hid Riley's lunch! This is a tradition that was handed down from my nana!!! Riley looked for her lunch around the kitchen/dining room area with a little hot & cold help from me. Today's lunch was in pots & pans cabinet!!!

After lunch we met up with the Norfleet's for some sledding, which was followed by hot cocoa!!!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

2009-12-06T21:58:00.000-05:00

The kids were so excited this morning to wake up to snow (they must have forgot the 4 hour ride home last night in the snow!!!). They were out early sliding and playing in the snow. We got our Christmas tree today, as well and they were great helpers with the decorating.

13th Annual Chatham Christmas Party

2009-12-05T21:42:00.000-05:00

We braved the weather and traveled down to Becky & Dave's house for our annual Chatham Christmas Party. As always, the glynn's outdid themselves and fun was had by everyone!!! It's amazing to see how our clan has grown.

The Stonehill Girls (minus Amy) with our future Stonehill kids!

Ben's First Official Haircut

2009-12-03T17:49:00.000-05:00

Ben had his first "real" haircut today. I've trimmed up the back and over the ears, but today we ventured to the barber!!! He did great and looks very handsome. He sat there like a big boy the whole time and at the end gave the woman a hug!!! He was so cute!

The Joys of Creating a Christmas Card!

2009-12-02T17:39:00.000-05:00

I decided last night was a good time to start thinking about a picture for the Christmas cards. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood and they were fairly clean. I didn't love the outfits, but refer to the previous sentence...all in a good mood! So I went for it...didn't turn out like I had hoped. I'll try again later, maybe!!!

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas

2009-11-29T17:20:00.001-05:00

We made our annual trek down to CT to see everyone for Thanksgiving. We had a great time!! Thanks Robin & Billy for the hospitality!! Dinner at the Meaney's was delicious, as always we ate a ton!!! On Friday we celebrated Christmas with the entire Shea Clan (minus Judi & family who were fighting the stomach bug). Riley and Ben were lucky enough to score lots of fun gifts, great clothes and yummy treats! Thanks to everyone!!!

A little game of kickball to fend off the after turkey tiredness!!

Christmas Celebration

Riley, Kenzie and Ben (before the couch diving began)

2009-11-20T15:54:00.000-05:00

Riley made a book about Nature this week and she decided to bring it to school today. I'm very proud of her, she read it to her class during storytime today!!!

My Little Helper

2009-11-20T15:52:00.000-05:00

Ben helped me crush the graham crackers for my peanut butter balls...what a good little sous chef!!!

Basketball

2009-11-17T13:08:00.000-05:00

Look at that technique....