Rules, rules, rules...

As long as I can remember, my father has corrected my grammar. It has kind of become a running joke with anyone who knows him, because he does it with those he loves! Well, this habit has been passed to me. I tend to correct people as well. I know, not nice but I try to be careful with whom I'm correcting. Anyway, I was cooking the other night and Brenden was setting the table when I reminded him to get the napkins. I think my exact words were, "Napkins Brenden." He stopped, turned to look at me and said, "Put it into a complete sentence, mom." I almost peed my pants!!!! Now this standard English bit has been passed down to yet another generation! Hilarious!!!

F-l-e-x-i-b-i-l-i-t-y

Today's word of the day is...flexibility! I have learned that weather in New England is unpredictable at best. This morning began with beautiful sunshine pouring through our windows, so we decided to head back to Castle Island for some good old fashion fun. With sand toys in tow, we drove the short drive. I watched the temperature drop a couple of degrees and the wind pick up. Understatement! The wind was so blustery that poor Annie got blown a couple of steps and promptly declared that she was going back to the car! We toughed it out for a whole 5 minutes before throwing in the flag and heading to the library. The library opens at 10am and it was 10:35am clearly good to go. Yeah well, the library had other plans! A clearly marked sign stated that it would not open until noon!!! Are you kidding me?! Brenden planted his feet and said, "I'll wait!" This is about the time that Brenden and I began our discussion on being flexible. We racked our brains and finally settled on an oil change and lunch at Boston Market. Not a very likely choice, but the oil needed to be changed and the restaurant is next door. The kids were amazing through it all and got cupcakes for desert! Being flexible allowed me to enjoy an amazing laughter filled lunch with my two beautiful children.

Potty training...Annie or me?

So, We've started the potty training process. I've decided to start earlier and go slower than I did with Brenden. Bren was easy!! I was pregnant with Ann and "going" all the time, so it was fairly easy with him. Ann is a different story! She's is stubborn and quite frankly "goes" a lot less often. Pretty difficult for me. So...we are going to start with the "predictable" times. Potty before and after nap (which she wakes up dry from...yeah!), before bath and most of the afternoon. No pressure, just a couple of M & Ms to get the job done. Nothing has really excited Annie about going on the potty UNTIL I found princess underwear in her size. Princesses do not like getting wet, so she's been doing well in the afternoon. I'll keep you posted!

Spring break, so far..

My spring break is this week and things have been going well. We've gone to the Children's Museum, the New England Aquarium and today we went to Castle Island. Nothing earth shattering, but today was the best!! We packed a picnic lunch and ate under the sun. The kids played at the park for a while. Bren found some kids to chase around until they got tired of being beat by Brenden. His ability to out-run the older kids doesn't help him make friends, but he loves to run! He decided that playing with Annie was just as much fun! WOW!
Then we walked along the beach. This is where it turned this mommy's heart into mush. Brenden talked Annie into taking off her shoes and feeling the sand and the water with her bare toes! Annie rolled up her pants and headed into baby bliss! The smiles she wore were priceless! She wandered around and then headed into the water. I wish I had my camera! First, she stood on the water's edge, then she let one toe hover over the water until she dipped on toe into the frigid water. Pure delight lit up my daughter's face! She's in love!

Wonderful morning in the Camarata household!

Easter bliss

We had a great Easter weekend!

The first thing I need to do is thank all the people who love us! Thank you Grammy for the amazing Easter basket! The kids love the stuffed ducks and now have new sleeping buddies. Thank you grandma and grandpa for the Easter goodies! Brenden and Annie love the magnifying glass and Annie loves her bunny! Thank you Lana and Alan for the Easter toys. What would we do without you? Thank you Sandy and Dad for the gifts and the yummy cookie basket! The kids loved waking and finding it all waiting for them! The Easter Bunny added Legos for both kids to the mix!

Easter weekend began with a lovely Friday at the park because the weather was a balmy 65! On Saturday it got colder and rainy so we died eggs and got Annie's hair cut (to begin the fixing stage). Brenden and I baked chocolate crinkle cookies and jello "salad" that afternoon. Nothing spectacular but a nice day together. Sunday was positively cold at 42 degrees for the church Easter egg hunt. Dinner was yummy!

Happy Easter to all!!

Animals!!

So the science teacher at my school talked me into taking on 3 more "animals"! She has kindly given me 3 newts!!! Now if you know anything about me it's that I have a real fear of amphibians. Chalk it up to frogs jumping on me at swim practice, but whatever the cause the result is always the same...FEAR and sometimes tears. Really?! Hmm, yep! Anyway, I told Troy and my scientist husband realized that I am not the person to care for them. Did you know that there is actually recipe for the water?! Needless to say that we now have a tank, the appropriate water and food for our lovely animal friends. They will be living in our home until after next week...spring break!! Troy actually let the kids hold them!!!

Sorry for the quality of the photos! I was having real difficulty watching my babies hold these things without screaming!!

Beautiful Babies!

Went hiking again on Sunday to enjoy the outdoors. My babies are getting so grown up!!

Farmer's Market

Saturday evening we rode the train downtown to the Haymarket farmer's market. We got there as things were winding down and it was the perfect time to go!! The farmers were ready to get home and were practically giving their food away!! We got everything you see plus 2 cartons of blackberries (eaten immediately) for...$11.50!!! Amazing. I went home and made stew for the week and stir fry for dinner. I am loving the farmer's market! We had so much fun walking through the throngs of people listening to the farmer's calls. Brenden was on a mission for berries of any kind and found them all!!! We will go again every Saturday til they run outta food! Find a farmer's market near you and support your community!!

AHHHHH!!!

Annie cut her own hair!! She took scissors and cut a huge chunk of her hair. She's a lefty, so her hair on the left side is now VERY thin!! Because her hair is blond and fine, you can't really tell in the pictures so you're just going to have to take my word on it!!

Lost Tooth!

Brenden's tooth has been hanging dangerously in his mouth! He's been able to push it around enough to totally gross out his mother! We've been warning him not to swallow it and be careful when eating. His tooth decided to vacate its space at 1:30am Wednesday morning!! Brenden so nicely woke me up by yelling at me while thrusting his tooth in my face. I really tried to be cheerful and excited for him, but most of you know that I don't particularly like getting woken up. A small flaw. Needless to say, the tooth fairy made her first appearance in our house with a fitting gift of Legos (they're the reason he's now missing the tooth)!

I must admit that I'm having a tough time with all the change Bren's going through! He's getting so grown up, way too fast! Very exciting but at the same time sad for me.