BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS & FINALE WEEK

This morning I was woken by my little lovebug's kisses. He said, "Let me in with you Mommy. It's so cold and your so warm and comfortable and cute". Only through the eyes of my child, could I be cute in the morning these days. He really is all I need to get out of bed every day. He is better than any cup of coffee or the sun shining through the windows.

Today his tactics were while jumping on my bed with me in it and yelling "I KNOW!! LETS DO BEDKNOBS!!

Next thing you know he is saying magical words and first stop - DISNEY WORLD!!

• Mommy, I don't know how elephant's fly!! Look at Dumbo with Lumpy!! (Heffalump from Winnie the Pooh) Mickey is here!! Mommy!!! Say Hello to Micky!! I said "Honey, You know Mommy doesn't like mice"... He said "HE"S FRIENDLY!!" I then told him the only mice I ever liked were Cinderella's. Next thing you know...BAM! There in my bed!! And coming out of the cracks they live in the walls. He held little Gus in his hand while I petted his fur. He took him off the bed and put him on the table and then said "He's such a chubby little guy". I said "Do you know who Mommy has always wanted to meet ever since she was a little girl?" He said "Buzz Lightyear". I said, "CINDERELLA!!" BAM!! Cinderella was there with me in bed. I told her how I always wanted to have tea with her.
• Next stop!! Mommy!! HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO NOGGIN? We then had visits by Franklin, Moose A Moose, Upside Down Guys, Little Bear, Dora....
• Finally last stop PBS...Again, we had visits from The Tree Sloth and Monkeys from It's A Big World. They were in our trees outside the window. I said "Ok, Mommy has to get up and go downstairs now".

We walked downstairs with Clifford The Big Red Dog and Emily Elizabeth. Matthew is continuing his game downstairs giving Clifford one of his bowling balls as a bone. I told him he is so thoughtful.

Over the weekend, we were in a cleaning out mood. For the first time in 17 years, Eric let go of some of his clothes for the Salvation Army. I was almost in tears with joy, I knew that if I held out long enough, he would come around. We cleaned out our closet and put away some winter items and really made alot of room in there that was hidden for the last few months.

Matthew offered some of his baby toys to his little 2 year old neighbor down the street. Yesterday we visited with her while he opened every toy, book and puzzle to show her how they worked. I am so proud of this new side of him that I knew also would come someday. I never wanted to push giving away his toys until he understood and had it in him, to give. To see the excitement in someone else's face and just the joy of giving in itself. He did it all with love and happiness. The only cranky moment was when it came time to come home. He is so sweet and thoughtful and I'm proud that these attributes are now coming out of him.

I am making my blogging less these days because we are so busy. Either getting the house ready for the nice weather or out today playing at the playground. We are just so happy that WINTER is gone!!! I'm not afraid to type it.....it's not coming back! At least not for a few more months.

Finally, I just wanted to say!! Hooray for FINALE WEEK!!! I am tired of being tied to the TV at night. I don't mind if it is my choice, but when I am addicted and can't stop until that final week, I don't like that. Last night on The Bachelor, Officer and A Gentleman...I was torn between the two women he would choose and knew whoever didn't survive was going to be heartbroken. It was so emotional and I wound up crying with Bevin as she drove away in the limo. But then so happy when Tessa wound up getting him. I was really rooting for her all along, until recently when Bevin went to Hawaii. Anyway, alls well that ends well. And himself a PA boy!!! Not too shabby!!

Tonight!! AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so upset last week to see Melinda go!! I watched American Idol Extra on Reality Remix to watch her exit interview and she is always so gracious. I really am excited that she got this far and can't wait for her album to come out.

Now!!! GO JORDIN SPARKS!!!!

And then that's it!!! I don't get hooked again until next January. I am hoping one of these years though to get a Tivo or something to tape it down so I don't have to be so bound to it.

That's it for now...playground calling!

FANTASY FRIDAY - SUNNY WARM SUMMER DAYS FISHING ON THE LAKE

Well, I know I said this before, but THIS WILL BE A SHORT ONE!

Matthew, for the last few weeks, has been hanging on me. You know that I love him and that he can hang on me anytime, but sometimes...it does get to me. Like it is now 5 pm, he is sick of the rain, sick of having allergies for over a week now. He even said to me today "Hey Mom! Do you want to go take a nap?" He never asks me. He was up early so I knew he is beyond arts and crafts, playing with toys or watching any more shows. Earlier in the week we did our teddy bear picnic on the rug.

We need sun and warmth. We need it everyday and if not everyday then at least 28 out of 30 days a month.

I am going to start planning some vacation stuff for us as a family to at least keep us focused on the season at hand. (It feels like 40 degrees today and it is May 18th) We need a fun place to plan to go to within reason (not Disneyland-that's for February). Some place we can all have a good time at that caters to each member of the family. Any Suggestions? Somewhere close to MA?

I'm really leaning toward camping. I've only been once and as you can tell if you look at my sidebar...I really want to go again. Although I really would love to get a cheap pop up because I know this is something once we do it, that we are going to love. If we can't get a pop -up then, I want to rent a cabin in the woods or buy a good size tent for our first family ventures. I don't want another year to go by, without the memory being made.

In the meantime, the pic above is just a little something to keep us all focused that yes, summer is here...and some fishing on the lake (another thing Mommy misses) is in our reach. Daddy got to go fishing earlier this week and the only reason I'm letting you all know is because I never in my wildest dreams imagined he still had it in him, to pull out another whopper of a fishing story. I thought those days were done. In the past he would tell stories and I could nod and smile, because I was there with him...so the description of the fish THAT BIG was really the description of the fish...that big. He is that way in all of his stories. Anyway that is part of his fisherman essence. And all of his stories were true....I was there or maybe I would be on the shore with the camera or he would bring the camera. It is just his way of describing it is LARGER than life.

I hope he doesn't mind me sharing his story. He might want to start a fisherman's blog. He can always just link back to me.

Tuesday night Matthew fell asleep before 7:30. Extremely rare in this house and so I said looking at the beautiful weather and the calmness of the lake "Why don't you go out?" His birthday was the next day so I thought it was fitting for him to start enjoying it, since he has to work during the day. About 2 hours later, he comes home and tells me:

• You wouldn't believe it! I was on the other side of the islands and I casted and got my hook tangled on a log in the water. He had let the line out a lot more than usual for the narrow area of water between the islands that he was in. He got the line all tangled and wrapped under the boat and now hooked on this log in the water. He sat fidgeting and trying to at least get some of the knots now in his line...just untangling, unwrapping, la di da... once he got the line unhooked from the log, he started reeling when...HE HAD A MONSTER!!! Him sitting in the canoe, line wrapped under the canoe all tangled onto a log, and then zap!!!! HE SAID "IT WAS THE BIGGEST ONE I'VE EVER CAUGHT IN THE LAKE" HE WAS AT LEAST UP TO MY KNEE CAP".

I said "Did you keep him?" He said "No". He is a sports fisherman and is very active in catch and release. I said, if he was even bigger than the general you caught last year, maybe we should mount one, one of these days? He just looked at me like I had two heads. I mean in our basement, our sportsman lodge someday. hehe

Last night while eating his birthday cake, he was trying to tell Matthew about his catch. Matthew said, "I CAUGHT ONE TOO DADDY DOWN BY THE DOCK!!"

Eric, brought down a notch, said How Big was it? Matthew said, HOLDING HIS HANDS OUT ARM LENGTH'S ON EITHER SIDE REACHED HIS UPPER BODY UP IN THE AIR AND YELLED....THIS BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not making this up....apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And fisherman essence is in there too!

Remember When Wednesday on Thursday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!

Babe,

Don't think of your age, think of your accomplishments. Without you there wouldn't be Matthew. That's something to celebrate !!

It's funny because as I'm typing this one of Matthew's shows is singing a Happy Birthday song!!

I just wanted to say that you might feel like you don't want today to come, but it comes anyway. One thing that remains is your son...his heartbeat is yours, his unbelievable image of you is watching you in a mirror.

I love watching both of you everyday, as you both discover more about each other.

My fisherman - He Is Your Best Catch...

Enjoy your day and as soon as the rain stops, I'm giving you the day off. I just want you to know that I'm aging with you so if you look at it that way, I'm still that 18 year old goofball in my brain..so that would make you still 24.

Have a wonderful day and tonight I'm making you a roast and Shaws is making you a cake (since Matthew already told you).

Love

Your wife and mother of your best catch

A Brief and Comical Glimpse into My Wonderful Weekend

We had a really nice weekend. It all started on Friday night when Twinsmom and I got together for a few hours of ice cream and Walmart.

It's always nice when we get the chance to get out. She is such a warm hearted kind hearted person and I am very lucky to have her for a friend. It's amazing that she puts up with me and doesn't give up. I think that's also why I like her so much. She takes my good and bad and that's what real friends are. We became friends when Matthew was 11 months old and her twins were 13 months old. We kept bumping into each other through playgroups, online coincidences where we join the same group and find each other again, and then to find out that her girls were conceived via the same reproductive endocrinologist that I used when we were going through IVF. She only lives 5 minutes away. What are the chances? We were meant to meet. I always feel so good after our time together, like my heart is at peace just because there is someone near who is there for me. I hope she knows she can always depend on me too.

Anyway, that was my wonderful start to my weekend. On Saturday we had decided to buy some granite blocks for stairs coming off of our porch and so we went and got those from a guy up near New Hampshire. It wound up being a blessing because we had a 5th birthday party for Eric's bosses son in New Hampshire at an awesome Science museum (see some of the pics in my flickr). We got there late so we only had a chance to see two floors out of five, but they were just enough for Matthew. I didn't get any pictures of an awesome Lego exhibit they had. I had never seen anything like it. A whole Mill village from early 1900 era with probably 20 mill factories, Victorian homes, bridges with horse and carriages, parades and carnivals of a roller coaster, Ferris wheel and and carousel all made out beautifully of Lego's! All enclosed in a casing so little fingers couldn't get to it. I can't even imagine the patience and determination put into something like that. We get tired just trying to do a tower...alright, not really. I'm not that bad. We do a little more than towers, but Eric built Matthew a colonial home that came out awesome. I think Daddies are just better builders than Mom's. At least this one.

Then after driving the whole way home from NH, Eric agreed to take Matthew for his favorite Fried Clams. We went to this wonderful drive-in type place that I love where they come out to the car if you leave your lights on and beep. I always love going to this place. It is right near a drive-in too that someday I am praying when Shrek 3 is in there, we can take Matthew. The whole town reminds me of PA.

On Saturday night when getting ready to fall asleep, Matthew said "Mommy!! Tomorrow is Mother's Day!!!! And were going to have a party and invite all your friends and have cake!!!" I said "Don't give Daddy's secrets away".

Yesterday morning when I woke up he told Daddy he had to nibble me (on the ear) for Mother's Day. He said we needed a family nibble and a family hug!!! I looked at Eric with tears in my eyes and just said "THANK YOU". He said "For what?"... I said "Matthew". He really is the best gift I could ever get for mother's day.

When I came downstairs, Matthew with Eric's help, made me a card and later picked me a purple crocus, a dandelion and bunch of green leaves from our lilac tree that doesn't bloom. I put them in my kitchen window and told Matthew that Mommy is going to keep them forever. I told Eric "Who knows maybe they will start to miraculously bud in the glass?" We don't have our hopes up for that one.

Eric gave me the nice gift (like last year) of choosing what I wanted to do for the day. I told him a few years ago, that as long as we are doing something together that I'm happy. Last year it was the 4th day in a row of torrential downpours so we wound up spending it in the house. I was online on Saturday and saw how in Boston they do the traditional Make Way For The Ducklings Parade on the common. I thought it would be wonderful to make that parade at noon and then Mommy and Matthew ride on the swan boats and Daddy could get a picture. I also mentioned that I hadn't had lobster in more than 5 years so I wanted a lobster too. I didn't care if it was bought at the local supermarket, but I wanted one. I was in a hurry to leave so I just threw on a pair of jeans with slide on sneakers and a little blue jacket over a red shirt, painted my nails red and thought I was good enough for just me and him in the swan boat? Right...I also didn't match with my purple little nine west bag...so out of it fashion wise...but I din't care we were going to just go on these swan boats right? Who'd see me? We got a late start and we didn't really prepare with calling restaurants that didn't need reservations so we basically drove around a few towns before I finally said "Hey, we are going into Boston anyway...what better place to get a lobster than Boston?" Other than Maine, of course.

On the way in, I looked down at my nails that were all smeared for some reason from helping Matthew into the car or toweling him off after his shower and I didn't bring anything with me. Nice start to my nice try to make mommy look good.

We went to this restaurant so out of the way that I don't know how people know it is there. Right on the waterfront. It is called The No Name Restaurant. We had views of Logan and planes landing, boats in the harbor, seagulls and other birds. Matthew was in his glory! I got my lobster. Matthew couldn't get over the guy putting a bib on me. I never wore one before but I envisioned making a mess since I am so out of practice so I kept it on. Never again. Those pics are also going to be deleted from my camera. Matthew said "Why you wearing a bib Mommy? Your a big girl!?!?"

We left the restaurant and then went to find parking for Boston Common. Well everyone and there mother (literally) were in town. We found parking 12 blocks away a block away from Newbury Street. We decided to stop at Ben & Jerry's on Newbury Street before starting our trek to the common. As soon as I started walking, I started feeling my old insecurities popping there ugly head. I'm wearing this...on Newbury Street??!?!!?!? Women were walking past me with the latest trends in sandals, manicured toes and dresses with gorgeous bags and hair and nails done....and not to mention all beautiful young tan women... I felt so disgusting. I joked with Eric while we were sitting at B & J's. He was taking advantage of his very discreetly using his sunglasses to watch the pretty girls. I mentioned it to him and he said..that's right. He was enjoying every bit of it. I then joked saying "Matthew, How about Mommy leave you with Daddy for an hour" I told Eric "I'll come back like Julia Roberts without the long hair, but nice dress, nails done and shoes". But that wasn't in the plan. Another day. Eric used to take me into Boston before we had Matthew for my birthday countless times, letting me go nuts to an extent acting like Julia Roberts. That used to be one of my favorite kind of gifts and he enjoyed watching me transform from mishapped beauty to a more put together one.

So, feeling insecure like I wanted to just disappear really quick down this long stretch of street to the common or maybe even go to the next block and head up, we walked up anyway. A few blocks down, I'm approaching these two girls on the corner with cute little black skirts and jackets on with tan legs and long hair...and on the one girls back I thought I saw the word POLICE. I thought must be some new uniform for the meter maids in Boston now? Just as I was thinking that...I saw the word above POLICE..FASHION POLICE.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I being the idiot I am, broke into hysterics to the girl and said "Oh, that is so cute!!" She looked at me and said "It doesn't cost that much to look good"...I said "DON'T BLAME ME, IT'S ALL HIS FAULT THAT I LOOK LIKE THIS..AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED I DON'T SPEND ENOUGH ON ME." Eric, mortified ran to the next block with Matthew. I said "Well, do I at least get a coupon to help me look better?" The whole time I am standing there I am waiting for the television cameras to come out and say I'm on one of those shows. I really thought they were really there. She reached into her bag and handed me what I thought was a coupon and wished me a Happy Mother's Day. I ran to catch up with Eric and reached into my purse to show him all the while laughing hysterically because I had already felt so insecure. She didn't give me a coupon!!! IT WAS A FASHION VIOLATION.......................

THAT'S IT...........................

I'M OUT OF THE CLOSET AND AM NOW FASHIONABLY DESPICABLE.................

I DO NEED HELP AND I REALLY COULD HAVE USED A COUPON.

The really horrible thing on top of it was that it wasn't a coupon, but you have to use your fashion violation as a entry to a $5K gift cards towards Marshalls. That means you have to walk into Marshalls and admit to it first....

No thanks...I'll just tell the whole world on my blog.

Before I forget to mention by the time my little guy was ready to go on the swan boats, they had closed them....

More tomorrow, but that basically was most of my wonderful weekend...

Bottom line...Matthew is my gift.

MOMMY AND MATTHEW HAVING ICE CREAM AT BEN AND JERRY'S ON NEWBURY STREET MOTHER'S DAY 2007

MOMMY AND MATTHEW HAVING ICE CREAM AT BEN AND JERRY'S ON NEWBURY STREET MOTHER'S DAY 2007
Originally uploaded by Matthewsmom.

Well it's been a long day and I'm just going to post this one little blog for tonight.

I had the most beautiful Mother's Day with my most beautiful gift from God in Boston today.

I will tell you more about it tomorrow...but for now if you want to see more, check out my new pictures I posted on my Flickr on the right side of the page...Enjoy and Good Night!!!