Double Digits!

Our biggest baby boy turned 10 this week. Double digits! Who gave him permission to grow up? To celebrate, we hosted a Capture the Flag party! His closest friends came for dinner and a giant game with dad as the fearless leader. Fun times!





J's favorite Yankee player shares his middle name. So does his grandpa! See the candy? Yeah. So did M. And she snuck it ate it when J was sleeping the next morning.

For the boy who aspires to be a park ranger...

Hey, J...can you stay 10 a little longer than you stayed 9? Please?

My Beautiful Daughter

Here's a picture of M. hamming it up at her brother's baseball game. What a cutie!

My Beautiful Wife

Last week we went down to NYC so that J. could see a specialist for her heart. My brother and sister-in-law came up to watch the kiddos so we made a mini-day of it, stopping for dinner on the way home.

Here's a picture of J. while eating our lunch. (New York Pizza: mmmmmm!) We found a little stone wall outside an apartment building to enjoy a few moments together.

Repairs

We posted this week about our appliance meltdown. The good news is that R will be able to fix the fridge - for now - with about 1 1/2 hours of his time. It's a lovely problem "common with this model".

The dryer needs a new fuse and a new door. The over $200 bill is bad enough, but no dryer for a week is WORSE. :-)

The plumber last week charged $250. "I don't even GET anything for it. Don't you have a big clog you can give me?"

We've decided to pretend the lawnmower and weedwacker are fine for the moment. That is, until the grass grows.

BECAUSE

this week, the car is dying. We knew it was coming. We've been saving, but we're not ready to purchase yet. Another year would've helped a lot. But you know, it's just not professional for the pastor to get out of his car through its window. Yeah, and the ability to steer and brake are kind of crucial, too.

On weeks like this you've just got to laugh! What else can you do?!

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gray day in New England = time to try a new recipe!

M loves to bake with Mom and is game for anything that involves chocolate chips!

Hmmm.....They look different, but MAYBE they'll be ok.

We have a Winner!

J's First Spring Concert

Last night, we enjoyed J's first spring concert. He played his bass with the 4th grade orchestra and then we listened as the 4th and 5th grade mass choir sang some great songs finishing with the old Happy Days theme song. Very cute!

Smelling Sweet

So this morning, J was making his lunch. He's been told he brings "the healthiest lunch in school" and he's proud of it. He's been going all out. This morning, he was making a spinach salad. Delicious! Apparently, he decided to slice red onions for it. Little M came in and I could SMELL her before I saw her sweet little face.

"Mama, I wike onions!"

She is extremely proud of herself when she tries new foods and likes them.

She had eaten MANY while J was preparing his feast. Even mounds of cinnamon toothpaste couldn't help that girl this morning. Her poor preschool teachers today!

Is it seriously possible?

Can a weed wacker, a lawnmower, a fridge, and a dryer all need to be fixed on the same weekend? SERIOUSLY?!