Some things last a long time

Hello, is anyone there? Sorry for our silence, it's been another sicky winter. Arlo had pneumonia and then he had Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Add in the new seasons of Downton Abbey and Portlandia, and you can see how I've had no time to blog.


Crappy immune systems aside, these babies are the best. Being close in age means they enjoy playing together. Being close in age also means they fight A LOT. A daily conversation: "Why is everyone crying?" Sadie- "Well, Arlo bit me!" "So why is Arlo crying?" "Well, then I accidentally hit him..."

The kids also got new matching twin beds. So I guess they aren't babies at all. Here is their little room:


Hey, I also got a haircut! (I mean, its a little out of control how exciting my life has been. Twin beds, haircuts...):

Here I am making Marshall take pictures with me in the kitchen while he chats on the phone with Brendan. They were talking about the show New Girl, if you are wondering. For reals.

Don't feel sad for me, things are going to get fun soon. My birthday is in a week ("twenty NINE!"- you have to say it like Schmidt from New Girl), our anniversary is the week after that, and then hopefully soon after that it will be warm outside and small people stop getting sick every weekend.

Don't stop loving us, I will post more regularly from now on!

2011 in Pictures (from my iphone)

Here are some of my favorite pictures and moments of 2011, taken from my phone. It's lazy, yes, but at least its something!

when I had a princess and a bride in my house (and Arlo wasn't 2 yet and still such a nice child)

that time Sadie wore my tank top as a dress over her pajamas with heels and a blonde wig and King was sleeping in the linen closet

pretty much anytime we went for walks around our old neighborhood

that time Sadie picked all of the inchworms off of our trampoline and put them all over her body

that time Sadie took a picture of Arlo and me watching TV, with Arlo's hand down my shirt and her little feet in the picture

when we finally sold our house and had our last meal at 77 Track Road

when Sadie became a Kindergartener

when Sadie was Jesus

Arlo being Arlo. Way more "boy" than I could ever have imagined in a son, but that boy has me wrapped around his finger!

Like probably most people, 2011 was equal parts awesome and hard. There were no fancy vacations (although our Storyland trip was perfect) but looking through my year of pictures on my phone, I realized, wow we spend a LOT of time together. And that's what its all about! Reflecting on the year, I think that most days were lived with the best of intentions (regardless of how they turned out) and some of the challenges we faced (and continue facing) are helping us grow stronger together as a family.

On New Year's Day morning, Marshall and I listed our 3 goals for 2012: 1. say goodbye to Arlo's chupa 2. Potty train Arlo and 3. Find and buy our new Woburn house.

Happy New Year!

ipads and dinosaurs: thanksgiving 2011

This year's Thanksgiving was saved by the ipad and the discovery of dinosaur tracks in Connecticut.

Entertain cranky/tired/sick kids with your ipad while trying to eat a turkey dinner with one hand!

Also, are you and your small children (who wake up so early) guests in a house full of humans who wake up at a normal hour? Keep those little ones quiet for a little while longer with your ipad! Note this year's Christmas jammies. Adorbs.


If you find yourself traveling through Connecticut and need to get out of the car and give the kids a chance to run around for a few hours, stop by the Dinosaur State Park! You can see real dinosaur tracks preserved and explore some pretty walking trails.



I am thankful for (in addition to the ipad and dinosaurs) 24 hour CVS, public education, a job I really enjoy (both the one I get paid for and the one that I don't), and of course, our friends and family.

happy thanksgiving!!

When I transform into Sandy Claws

Thanks to She & Him's new Christmas album, the transformation occurred early this year. One of my favorite parts of being a mom is getting to be Santa! When our kids stop believing, a small part of me will die inside. I'm super excited to give them their presents this year (Leappad! Handy Manny Construction Laptop! Mermaid costume! Thomas and Friends train track/pirate ship!)



Sadie took her picture with Santa Bob at Spence Farm- Arlo wanted nothing to do with him this year. But when he saw this picture last night he was super jeals. So I guess we still have to make our annual visit to see our buddy Woburn Mall Santa, maybe Arlo will allow himself to be photographed on or near Santa.

Here are some ideas for you in case you are wondering what to get me this year: http://pinterest.com/traceyw/my-wishlist/. Also add "a new house" to that wishlist. Thanks!

This is for Brendan

This is for Brendan who keeps asking me in all seriousness why I don't blob anymore. Hi, Brendan! I'm back.

I would say my lack of blogging was due to:
1. Having two crazy kids who keep us very busy
2. The effort involved in selling our house and then moving our family of 4 into a temporary living situation
3. Having a broken camera since July (this actually is about 95% of the real reason for not blogging)

Anyways, good news, Marshall bought me a new camera. I love it and so glad to be taking pictures again! The day after I got my new camera, I had Sadie pose for some pictures. Enjoy.

Just taking pictures of myself in the bathroom with my new camera, totally normal.

I promise to be a better blogger. Bye!

Lock your lips and throw away the key

So, then we moved out of our house and Sadie started Kindergarten. So many things have changed, and yet everything is still the same. Kids are so adaptable, it's amazing. I wish I could handle transitions as well as they can. Sadie loves kindergarten and has started repeating those corny teacher phrases, like the one in this post's title. This morning I was already cranky and stressed and did not want to have to find a place to park and take Arlo in and out of the car (as I've been doing for the past few school days) to walk Sadie to the school door, so I live parked directly in front of the door and stood next to the car and tried to get Sadie to simply walk herself the 2 feet to the door but she absolutely would not. She did not want to go by herself. And all I could think about with each passing moment was that it was just going to be more stressful trying to get Arlo off to school (he screamed from the minute we pulled into the parking lot and I left him screaming in a teacher's arms, in case you wondering) and which would mean I was just going to be that much later for work. I was so frustrated, there was so space in my brain to think through why Sadie was feeling anxious about walking to the door alone, instead I said something horrible to her and she cried and finally went inside. I truly couldn't feel worse about anything. How will I make it up to her, besides asking for her forgiveness and showering her with love and patience? I have been repeating this quote, to myself and to Marshall, over and over ever since I heard it- ""Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; You are raising a human being." Sad that we have to remind ourselves of this, but sometimes it is so frustrating to be parenting when you have a strict schedule to maintain. Even though I know perfectly well a small child does not give a hoot about my schedule.

I promise that life is good here at Team Boo though, our closing went very smoothly, and we are so grateful to Maura and Dennis for letting us stay with them until we find a new home. The kids are having a blast and we have doing lots of fun things together and have lots more fun activities planned.



In conclusion, I promise to work harder to be more patient and when I am about to lose my cool, I will lock my lips and throw away the key.

Home is wherever I'm with you

We have been super busy loving up Summer. Including but not limited to: going to the beach, eating lots of ice cream, taking lots of after dinner walks, visiting Nana on the Cape, getting ear infections (Arlo), checking out the Ecotarium, and selling our house. We will be spending August packing up and saying goodbye to our little red house. I have already cried a little but we are really excited to start Team Boo: Woburn Edition. We'll be even closer to all of our favorite people!

Please send any unwanted boxes our way. Have a nice life, Reading!