Thanksgiving, Part 1

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I know, I know it's a little late...but it's been an awfully busy week for us so I'm just settling down to catch everyone up on the latest and greatest in our house. Well, if you read my last post you know that my brother Dave was coming down to Virginia with his family for the holiday. Owen and Mason were so excited since they were going to have three of their cousins here to visit. Lisamarie is 8, Sienna is 3 and Tavian is 1. Sienna and Owen are only a month apart and Tavian and Mason are just a day so it was great for them all to have a buddy. Then of course Lili fits in with everyone and makes herself the life of the party. We wanted to give them the opportunity to see some of the sights in the city as well as relax around the house so we managed to do a little of each.

We made a trip into DC to see some of the monuments and check out the Air and Space Museum. We got into the city late due to traffic so we tried to see as much as we could while there. The kids loved exploring the interactive exhibits and the planes you can actually get inside. I think that all of the kids favorite part about this whole day was riding on the Metro, the railway system in DC. The three big kids got to sit together in the seats and loved how fast and wild the ride was. If you've been on the T in Boston it's the same thing and when you're little like the are, all that jerking around can be somewhat of a rollercoaster effect...whatever the case may be, they loved it! By the end of the night we were all exhausted and happy to be heading home to bed!

Waiting for the Metro

 Sienna became a Pilot

 A view from upstairs

Ready for bed!

Eric promised Lili that she could see the White House before she went back to Massachusetts and since we didn't get to check it out while in the city, Uncle had to pull some strings and make it happen. Friday night we went to dinner and when we came back, Eric planned to take Lili and Steph, her Mom to make a special trip to the White House. They headed out around 9pm, way past Lisamarie's bedtime and she couldn't have been more excited. They drove in and saw the sights and Uncle got to keep his promise. He even got to surprise Steph with a stop just for her as she had been looking forward to seeing the Lincoln Memorial which we didn't go to either. They got to go check that out as well as visit some other memorials that were in that area. The girls were so happy and got lots of pictures for Lili to show off back at school. Here's a few of the stops they made along the way...

 Lisamarie at the White House

 Lisamarie at the Treasury 

Lisamarie at the Lincoln Memorial

There are so many fun and exciting things to do in this part of the country and if you've never taken the opportunity to check them out, you should! It is such a fun time for people of all ages to learn about the history of our country and take in all the sights around you. I feel pretty lucky to be living right outside all of this and hope to be able to experience it with our boys as much as possible. I also highly recommend checking out some of the monuments and memorials at night as there are hardly any people around and they're absolutely beautiful when they're all lit up. Stay tuned for more pictures and to hear about our Thanksgiving with the Persuitte Family! You don't wanna miss these turkey hats!!!

Couch Bound

And the new week begins! Thankkkk goodness!! Since I hadn't posted last week, that means most of you don't know what an absolutely boring and drawn out week we really had. Allow me to enlighten you...

We got back from Mass and then Eric immediately had to be back to work to make up for the lost time and to get things rolling at the gym again.  We started out Monday planning to get back to our gym routine,visit our new playground and maybe meet up with some friends. However, I realized around lunchtime that the boys had doctors appointments coming up and when I saw the date I found out the appointments were about 2 hours later. Luckily we noticed in time and were able to make it to the office so Owen could have his 3yr checkup and Mason could have his followup with a second set of shots he needed. Owen was really nervous and kept asking if he was going to need any shots too. I knew he would, but just explained that they might but that we'd have to wait and see what the doctor said. He went through his checkup like a real champ and impressed those nurses and doctors like only Owen could. He is such a little ham and full of so many cute and interesting little things to tell everyone...they just loved him. Finally things started to wrap up and the nurses and I secretly planned to have Owen get the shots first so that he didn't see Mase get them and freak out before we had the chance to give him his. Owen got a flu spray up his nose and 2 shots in his left thigh. He screamed and cried for just a couple minutes but sucked it up quickly so that we could move on to Mason. Masie got 3 shots in one leg and reacted about the same. They were both happy to be heading out of there and with stickers to show their bravery.

As soon as we started walking out of the patient room I noticed that Owen was limping a bit but thought that he was just babying it since it might be sore. Once we got home he asked me to carry him because he couldn't walk on his leg. I played along for a while getting him into some comfy jammies and tucked him into bed for a nap. Once he woke up he was just as dramatic as ever and I even sent Eric a text message telling him that the Emmy for best performance in a daytime drama went to Owen. Well, I was kicking myself come Wednesday because after continuing to fight me over walking and complaining about every little thing that even came within 3 feet of his leg, I decided to check out the wound again. I looked at his thigh and saw that the shots were red all around a pretty good area of his thigh and it was swollen in that area as well. I called the doctor and they said it sounded like a localized reaction of some sort and to baby it, as well as give motrin, warm compresses and baths. Here I was yelling at my son to get his butt out of bed and take himself to the potty all the while he's got a bad reaction to some shots and can't walk...awful mother I am! But, then again how was I to know it was anything more than a bad case of the "poor me" scenario we often hear from our guys...if you're a male, skip over that part! After a long week of doing absolutely nothing, once Friday came along he was back on his feet and out running around.

I am so happy to be done with this week where we were pretty much couch bound and going stir crazy to say the least. Looking forward to tomorrow and getting into our routine again...starting the week off by getting back to the gym and preparing for our big Thanksgiving visit from family coming into town. My brother Dave and his family are coming for the holiday. Owen is so excited that his Auntie Steph and Uncle are coming to see him along with cousins Lili, Sienna and Tavian...and their pug Tony of course. It's going to be a fun week!! Hope you're all enjoying preparing for your own Thanksgivings too!
 Until next time...

 Owen working on an art project with the leaves we found outside

My happy little boy Mason

My blog is just my blog.

In case you haven't noticed, I've taken the week off from blogging...and I have no doubt that you've noticed since I'm sure you've all been checking back daily in hopes that I've posted something new right?? Wink, Wink! Well, I didn't intentionally stop blogging, it just sort of happened. As you can tell from my last post I got somewhat of a writers block situation....and you might say that it just didn't go away. I'm not sure that it was even writers block to tell ya the truth because honestly, it's not very often that I run out of things to talk about. I had a conversation with my mother about this yesterday and realized that it was the pressure that was getting to me. Do you believe it?? The pressure of this insignificant little hole in the wall blog that is for no such purpose other than to document the life of my oh so sweet little family. And that's what I finally came to realize...that my blogs purpose is just that. I think I stacked myself up to have so much in depth and profound wisdom that should be offered up to the world and yet I wasn't really sure where to begin. At the same time...when I tried to begin to write about something I thought was a bit more interesting, I felt as if it were so unimportant that nobody would really care to read it. Imagine that, nobody would want to read something I wrote? Hard to believe I know...but I can guarantee I'm not the first person who set themselves up with too high expectations and got cold feet in turn...kinda like stage fright. But I hate that I let myself sabotage the experience, especially when it comes to something that is supposed to be a fun little hobby as simple as writing.

But, the good news is - It only lasted for a week and now I think I'm out of my funk. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm blogging because I want to. Because I want to open our lives up to our family and friends, because I enjoy writing and a huge part of it is honestly because I am actually happy to have something to call my own. Yes, it's about my family and our lives...but it's MY blog. I do the writing and I write when I want, about what I want, and whether people like it or not. I don't do it because my kids need me to or because I think it will make me a good wife...I don't do it because I'm trying to please someone or want to appear to have it all together...it is completely for me. Well, and for those of you who follow along of course. The truth is, I'm a stay at home mom to two small boys and a wife to a husband who works his butt off, a lot, so that he can support our family and allow me to stay home with our children. Now if you're having trouble putting two and two together that means that I don't get a whole lot of anything for myself...I don't even remember the last time I peed with the door shut or slept without a third or fourth little monster kicking me all night, fifth if you count the dog. Life is crazy and I love it, but if you've ever had children or can understand a little piece of what I'm telling you, you will know the importance of having something to call your own. And that's just what my blog is...mine. I really love the process or having meaningful experiences and telling those stories and then when putting it all into words to share with others it just brings a whole new life to it all. I get to relive the good times and sometimes the bad, and let others in on a very special piece of who I am and what's important to me...pretty cathartic I suppose. 

I hope to continue to blog regularly as I really do enjoy it. Tonight, Eric was home and I even asked him if he'd mind if I went upstairs to our bedroom so I could blog by myself. "What? Why?" he asked. And since Owen was still awake I told him that it's just difficult for me to gather my thoughts when I have distractions so I wanted to take a few to write in our bedroom. He didn't mind so here I am lying in bed, alone, in the peace and quiet...did I mention alone??? Well, if that doesn't get me to blog more often than I don't know what will!! It's almost as good as going to the gym and leaving the kids in childcare!! hahaha just kidding...kinda. But in all seriousness, I hope you'll continue to follow along and share all our experiences with us as I write about them. I love knowing that people are interested in what I have to say and that someone cares to take time out of their own busy lives to step into ours for a moment...people are reading this right?? Anways, if you are out there... I appreciate you! 

Lesson for today - Stop setting yourself up to fail. No need to give yourself unreal expectations that will only bring you down...Sometimes things need to be simply what they are. Which is why I'm happy to announce that my blog is just my blog.

Until next time...

To blog or not to blog?

To blog or not to blog? .....That is the question. And if you're reading this it means I posted it so we all know the answer now. This is my last attempt at writing tonight and I don't think it's going to end up being anything worth writing home about so don't get your hopes up! ..actually I guess in a way this is like writing home so forget that part, you get the point. Well, the truth is I have already written more than one post on this very same page only to get halfway through and delete them. What is my problem?!? I just can't seem to get in the swing of it tonight....it seems I've lost my mojo! haha But really, I have! Don't people call that writers block? Yup, that's what I've got is writers block. I sat here contemplating whether or not to blog because I didn't have too much on my mind and wasn't sure what to write about. I guess I should have stopped there because here I am writing about absolutely nothing, blogging about not blogging. How interesting is that?

I started out telling you about my day. But then I realized that I didn't have a very eventful day. We had our morning coffee and spent some time with the boys and then decided to tackle a few cleaning projects we'd been procrastinating on. Then Eric had to head off to work for a while so I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and playing referee for my very active children and dog. Oh, and I did have a great phone conversation with a very good friend whom I've recently began catching up with again -  Hi Christy!! You're famous now! :) Then it was on to dinner and baths before winding down for bed....exciting?? See, told ya it was nothing to brag about!

Then after deleting that post I moved on to write about how important good friends can be and how lucky I feel to have friendships that have lasted so long and can pick up right where they left off - hence the Christy call that sparked this topic. But, after a while it just seemed very cliche and I decided to delete that one too...you're welcome for not boring you..although someday I will tell you how much I love my girlfriends because I really do think they're just fabulous!

Which leads me to my last and final attempt at blogging tonight, this very one you're reading right now. If you're just tuning in to The Laundry Room, I'm usually not so boring and don't ramble quite so much...ok, not true...I ramble a lot. But, that's what makes me a good story teller! So, there you have it...my very unexciting, very poorly executed, and not so interesting blog. Please forgive me and don't boycott this site for the lack of content tonight...like I said, writers block people!! Maybe I'll drink some tea before writing tomorrow, or go for a run...isn't that what people recommend when you're in a funk? Or maybe we'll just have a little bit more of an exciting day so I'll have something to share! Thanks for coming by anyways, and if you actually read this whole thing through - You're either my mother, or a true fan of my work...Maybe next time I'll choose not to blog ;)

PS. I had every intention of deleting this post as well...however my husband really liked it and compared it to Seinfeld...he says it's a show about nothing, and my post was about nothing...Well, Eric...this post is for you babe!!

Family Park Day

Recently I came across this great park that the boys and I went to. I heard about it through a local Moms group that I joined after moving down to Virginia. They scheduled one of their meetups there for a walk with our strollers followed by some running around at the playground. We went and had such a fun time. Lots of Moms showed up and we all headed out on the path with our babies in tow and then brought them over to the playground to stretch their legs too. It is a really cool place with about five different play areas, tons of slides, and swings for both big kids and babies. I was even more pleased to find it since I've had a difficult time finding a spot that's age appropriate for both Owen and Mason and this one seems to fit them perfectly! The walking trail is almost 2 miles which is just enough time to let the boys enjoy the walk without pushing any limits of being strapped in a carriage for too long...and honestly, it's probably a perfect distance for a Mom pushing two very big boys in a double stroller up and around some twisty little hills! The trail winds through the woods and along this cute little pond with a fountain in the middle that we even saw some ducks swimming in during our first visit there. We enjoyed this place so much that we decided we needed to share it with Daddy too!

After Eric came home from work today we packed up and headed out to show off our new little spot. Owen was so excited and insisted that we all run from the parking lot so we followed along and hit the pavement. Once we got to the playground I ventured off with Owen to run wild and race down the slides while Daddy and Mason checked out the swings. Mase loves to be pushed and makes it clear when he's not ready to get out. If you ask and reach out for him too soon, he grips the chains tighter and starts to make noises which I'm sure is his way of saying we better not touch him. Owen can't get enough of chasing eachother around and seeing who can get to the bottom of the slide first. After exploring all the different parts of the playground, we crossed the parking lot to show Daddy where we walk and look for ducks. Although there were no ducks today, Daddy managed to find a neat spot near the water where they could sneak down and throw rocks and sticks. Mason and I decided to hang back and soak up the views while the two of them spent some time together.

Once the sun began to go down and a chill came along we started to head back even though Owen was a little disappointed that our trip was ending. We promised to come back soon and that he could have hot chocolate once we got home which made parting much easier on everyone. What a wonderful day we got to have together, sometimes just spending time enjoying the little things in life makes you appreciate how truly blessed we really are. I have a great husband who has been taking the time to thank me daily for being his wife and I have two amazing little boys who are so full of love and joy that it is contagious just looking at them! Thank God for my happy little family for I would be lost without them! Here's some pictures we took throughout the afternoon. I finally got a new camera this week so no more snapping pix with the cell phone...Yay, Thanks hubby!!