138/365

Quinn likes to be independent.  He's a big fan of getting his own water into his water bottle.  The downside is that it doesn't really hold his attention all that well while he's waiting for it to fill.  We usually end up with a nice puddle of water under the water cooler and Quinn soaking wet.  I caught him today as he was realizing that he over filled.  He's getting smarter though...He's starting to drink it before he moves it from the holder!

137/365

So much rain and busy weekends isn't leaving our yard in the best shape.  It truly looks as if we are growing a dandelion field.  And doing a great job of it too.  My little friend here hopped from plant to plant trying to help me out.  It didn't really help, but he was cute doing it!

136/365

Murphy dog is very easily annoyed.  This cat likes to see just how far he can push Murphy.  He will sit on these rocks during the week and just stare into the house.  I watched him go from the rocks, to the play set, just kinda watching.  Poor Murphy!!

127/365

Mother's Day is a rough day for me.  Even though it's been 9 years, I think losing my mom so close to Mother's Day just really makes it harder to heal.  I'm not sure I'll ever heal, but each year, the joy that my kids bring into my life makes it a bit more manageable. 
This year we decided to take a trip to Quabbin and tour the grounds.  It was a great day for a hike and we loved everything about the area.  After we hit the inlaws for dinner.  Just a perfect day.  My gift doesn't arrive until next Sunday, the kids are getting portraits done at a new studio.  I can't wait!  Hopefully someone other than me will get the kids to all look at the same time with smiles!

124/365

Ahhh last day here.  Leaving and heading back to reality isn't fun at all.  I've already started the countdown to next year.   Less than a year to go.  See you real soon Mickey!!

123/365

Getting the kids out of the pool is turning into a big issue.  The weather has been in the high 80's all week with not a cloud or rain drop in the sky.  I think we all decided that next year, we'll be doing a park free vacation.  There's so many things around that the kids want to try, but after spending the prices for the tickets, its hard to see it all. 

122/365

The boys hit the links today so that left Loren, Quinn and Memere and I to our own devices at Epcot.  We tried new restaurants, new rides and really enjoyed the butterfly exhibits.  Loren decided to try face painting and was a beautiful water fairy for the remainder of the day!

121/365

Today was a hard day to choose which picture to use.  SO many good ones.  But I think this one just sums it all up.  I think that the only thing that beats taking the kids to Disney is sharing that trip with our families.  This year, Brooke got married and we had a ton of family that we adored spending our time with.  Brooke made a stunning bride and her dance with her father brought tears to all of our eyes.

120/365

This year at Disney we are staying at the Bay Lake Tower Resort(BLT).  Shawn has been dying to stay here since it opened a few years ago, but I wasn't that into it.  I'm glad that he talked me into it though.  This place is gorgeous.  So far we have really loved the pool, the view from our great room and of course the Top of the World bar.  The weather is just as perfect as the Resort.  GORGEOUS!

119/365

Yeah I know..I had a few days of skipping.  As the weather warms up and life goes outside the house, I'm finding it very hard to keep up with the blog!! 


Today we hit Florida.  Sunshine, warm weather and palm trees.  WOOT for vacation!!

114/365

This was my first year having Easter here with the Skelly side of our family.  NOTHING went according to my plan, but it did end up being one of the better holidays that we have had recently. It was just an overall fantastic day.  A quick walk with our crew in the am, a good meal, an Easter Egg Hunt for the kiddos.  Just a really good family day!

113/365

And the finished product.  Lots of bright colored eggs.  We learned our lesson this year though.  I bought this really cool kit that had glitter.  Yeah...didn't work so well!

112/365

It's Easter Egg time.  Such a pain too.  No one really eats eggs here unless they are scrambled with bacon.  So every year, I buy a ton of white eggs, we usually only buy brown local, we color them and then I throw them out.  Such a waste.  But the kiddos enjoy it.

111/365

Me and my girl.  Nothing alike. 

110/3665

We have a beautiful rock wall that lines the back of our house.  Moss grows on it in Spring and it looks so cool.  Before I hosed it down and cleaned it off this year, I thought I'd get one good pic of the moss.

109/365

I love watching Colin at practice.  He is such a good hitter.  His form is awesome.  If only we could get him to pay attention in the field!  I'm so afraid that one of these days he's going to get a ball in the head.  Then again, he'd probably pay attention from that point on!

108/365

The beds are up and being used!  The boys are officially roommates now.  They really do enjoy it.  I thought Colin would have a harder time with it, but I think he likes having someone there at night too.  I'm finding that they are forming a better bond too.  (which leads to more trouble, but I'll take that as well)

107/365

If you go back to Jan/Feb and you'll see me whining about the snow and how hard it is to take pictures when there is nothing but SNOW.  Well...its nothing but RAIN now :) 
But I did find a pretty cool Moon mid day. 

106/365

Oh dear!  When we moved in, we loved our deck.  After our fourth year in our house, we noticed that some of the deck wasn't doing so well.  That's when we discovered that they didn't use wood that was pretreated, nor was any treatment used on it after.  We live in a very wet area, with streams in the woods.  Lots of wet on untreated wood, and you have me falling through the deck in my heels!   The picture here shows the deck coming down.  We will be putting in a patio by summer.  We thought we'd be done much quicker, but the New England spring just isn't helping us.  Too much rain!

105/365

I know that temper tantrums are not supposed to be cute, but really, this face! 

104/365

My baby girl turned 9 today.  Not quite sure where all the time has gone.  Every year she becomes a bit more amazing.  She grows so much, emotionally and physically, that she barely resembles the baby girl that was first placed in my arms.  All those years of praying for a baby, I wouldn't change a bit of it because in the end, I got her.

103/365

I usually kill everything I try to grow.  A few years ago I got the great idea to plant the daffodils that I received from previous ACS fundraisers after they died.  Somehow...they come up every year.  I think it's Mom getting me back on taking the flowers to her every year..you know..getting the last laugh!

102/365

Shawn's being spoiled this golf season.  Rightfully so..he deserves it.  New irons from his parents, new shoes from his bestest wife.  Tonight he was in the front yard giving golf lessons to our three kids and the kid next door.  It was like walking through a land mine.  Clubs and balls everywhere. 

101/365

Today started out pretty rough, so after dinner, we all headed out to enjoy the fresh air and warm weather.  We did bubbles(very cool pic today!), golf and baseball.  Poor Quinn.  Allergic reaction on Saturday that he's still dealing with, the teeth that are hanging on by a thread and now his sister hits him in the head with a line drive off of a golf ball.  I'm thinking about bubble wrap for him.

100/365

Today was a lot of work, emotion and blood!  We were up early and out doing tons of yard work and getting our deck torn down to get ready for the new patio.  About noon, Quinn decided that we didn't have enough excitement and tried to knock out two teeth. After a quick trip to the ER, this is where I found the boy.  It amazes me that until him, I had never seen the inside of an ER with any of my kids.  Since I've had him, its been four visits in four years. 

99/365

Today was Loren's birthday party for her friends.  She was so excited and it really went so well.  When it was all calm again in our house, she came up to me and sat on my lap.  Not something you'd normally see her cool self doing.  She thanked me for all of my hard work, told me that it was the best day ever, because of all I did for her and gave me a big kiss.  Yeah...for words like that..I'd do anything for you kid.

98/365

So I love to cook, and the food is good.  But when it comes to decorating, yeah...it's better if I let the pro's do it.  Loren had an idea for her cake, and I wasn't able to find anyone to make it for me on a short notice.  So I attempted it myself.  Granted, its not Cake Boss quality, but for me, I think its pretty good.  I hope to God to never see a Zebra again.

97/365

Today was gorgeous!  We were able to get outside for some play time and some yard work.  The kids have been loving the tree in the front yard for climbing and Loren was right back up there today.  It kills me to see her being a bit on the wild side and leaving the Girly Girl in the house.  I love this side of her!

96/365

It's that time of year again...Basball Season.  Colin will move up from Tee Ball to Coach Pitch.  He just loves everything about baseball.  This year, he's on the Blue Jays and he's super thrilled to have his best buds, Colby & Patrick on his team.  I'm not so sure how his coaches will about these three being cohorts on the field :)

95/365

Loren's 9th Birthday party will be the second time we had a bunch of friends for a birthday.  I'm not the kind of mom that is very creative and loves having tons of kids around.  Don't get me wrong, I love my crew, but there's so much crazy on a typical Skelly Day, that it's enough for me.
But I told the kids' that this year, they can do it up.  Loren chose a Pajama Party with  hot pink/zebra theme.  There's not a whole lot of decorations out there so I'm doing a lot of it myself.  My uncrafty self.  I started on the goodie bags today.  They are almost done.  But they are pretty cute if I say so myself!

94/365

Sabrina asked me to take the pictures for her candles for her wedding favors.  So I played around with her ring too.  It took her awhile to get to this point in her life, but she looks so happy.  I love to see her shine bright with wedding and baby plans.  Just like her ring did for me in the sunshine!

93/365

Sunday mornings, we all gather around with our coffee, juice and whatever I happen to whip up in the kitchen.  The family favorite is Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.  It's pretty funny to watch them keep running to see if they are done.  They practically drool.

92/365

Is there anything better than bright happy flowers on the table?  I'd mention that Spring may be coming, but the snow coming up on Monday says otherwise.
I'm pretty much ready to head South!

91/365

Every year we do a countdown for our annual Disney trip.  We start with about 30 days to go and every year I try to make it bright and fun for the kids.  This year's, is pretty darn cute if I say so myself.  It passes the days quicker and gives everyone a reason to jump out of bed and watch the numbers lower.  It won't be much longer now!

90/365

Lazy cat finds sun anywhere.  Good thing too...seems as if our Aprils Fools Day joke is 6-12 inches of snow predicted.  UGH. ENOUGH!

89/365

There's something I find soothing in a Celtic Cross.  I just ordered one for Lilliana for her Christening that is coming up.  I won't be there as her Godmother for the actual event, but I did want her to know that my heart and prayers will always be with her.

88/365

Meet Alley Cat.  Alley has had a very long life.  I think Alley came into my life when I was about 11 or so.  When no one else loved me, Alley did.  When I said goodbye to PA and hello to MA, Alley was there.  He was soft and giving when I cried my first tears over a boy.  He was holding my hand with his paw when I moved out for the first time.  He was thrown to the floor (and later to a box) when my husband booted him out of bed after being married for six months.  He reappeared to hold on to when I say goodbye to my mom.  And he's here now, in Colin's bed..giving him the same comfort through the years that he has given me.  I admit it, I sneak in a hug from time to time.  Alley still has the power to heal my broken hearts.

87/365

My girl.  Sometimes I just catch a moment with her where I want to freeze time.  There's so much ahead in her life, and I just want her to know that I'm hanging on with her just as hard as I can.  I think losing my mom so young, makes me want to hold on tight to her.  I want to be here for her life.  All of it.  No early exits.

86/365

Quinn is the only one left for me to enjoy tub time with.  The other two are all done with the toys and the bubbles.  It's a shower, quick in and quick out.  So when it comes time to dunk Quinn in the tub, I like to watch him get bubbles everywhere and just have a blast.  Uncle Phil got him a kickin' Hot Wheels tub toy for his birthday.  This causes all sorts of Pruning and Purpling for Quinn now.  There is just no getting him out of the tub until the water is too cold for him to stand it.

85/365

Quinn has two stuffies that are his favorite.  A lion that cries and can be feed, which he named "Mousey" and a Giraffe that he has named "Cow".  I'm afraid of what he's going to name his kids.

84/365

Is there anything better on a Friday morning than the smell of coffee being brewed for you?  I love my Keurig.

83/365

Bubble Juice!  At least that's what Quinn calls it!  It seems we go through 100 bottles of this stuff a season.  Thank goodness its only a $1 a bottle!

82/365

WOOHOO!  We got in!  I'm beyond excited that the kiddos will not being going to public school next year.  I think that everything St. Mary's has to offer will be just what the three kids will need to have a complete education.  No nonsense about bad schools, or silly MCAS scores.  I just have to talk my clothes diva into thinking Plaid is way cool.

81/365

Quinn has been working on some PreSchool/Kinder workbooks.  I love watching his little mind work.  He amazes me with how well he knows his letter and just how well he writes his name already.  I can't wait to see him take off in PreSchool next year!

80/365

Today Loren learned the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.  We have been having issues with her being "sick" pretty much every Monday.  Today, was no exception.  She kept saying she didn't feel well, I kept telling her that she was going to school.  Something made me stop and check her out, I think it was the pink in her cheeks.  She was burning up with fever.  A quick trip to the Dr. showed Strep, her second time since Christmas.  Poor Bug.  Next time she tries faking though, I'm pretty sure she'll think twice.  And mom learned that she will always check the temp before dismissing any illness!

79/365

I'm amazed and just how fat the wildlife at our house have gotten over the window.  I swear our squirrels look like small cats.  They are not as fast as they were in the fall either.  I wonder if they look at us humans and think the same thing :)

78/365

What a gorgeous day.  Spring is finally making itself known, and the snow is almost all gone.  The kids are really enjoying these days outside and I'm enjoying the quiet of an empty house!  Soccer, skooters, baseballs, are all out in full force.

77/365

So apparently we're about to have a SUPERMOON.  Biggest full moon in 18 years.  It's amazing to me just how big the moon looked tonight.  It was seriously huge.  Now, my moon taking skills are not getting any better, I'm pretty sure I need a tripod to make it at least respectable, but I do like this picture.  Here's some facts from Yahoo! -

Thanks to a fluke of orbital mechanics that brings the moon closer to Earth than that it has been in more than 18 years, the biggest full moon of 2011 will occur on Saturday, leading some observers to dub it a "supermoon."
On Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the moon will arrive at its closest point to the Earth in 2011:  a distance of 221,565 miles (356,575 kilometers) away. And only 50 minutes earlier, the moon will officially be full.

76/365

With all the flooding that was happening with our basement, I made an offhanded comment about my wedding dress and my mom's that were hanging down in storage, but thankfully away from the area where the water was.  My coworker mentioned I should bring both dresses up, to keep the dresses from molding due to all the humidity.  Both dresses were sealed, but unfortunately, my mom's dress was never treated and was just in a plastic garment bag.  When I saw the mold, my heart sank.  I also knew I had to open my own dress, and I wasn't quite ready to see the damage that it could have had.
I was lucky.  My dress looks just the way it did 13 years ago when we were married.  The bottom was a bit damp, but I have it hanging in our room and am taking it back to the cleaners to reseal it.  This time, though, it will stay in Loren's cedar chest. 
I admit, I tried it on again.  I guess you can say that a lot more has changed since I was 22, more than just my maturity level!!

75/365

I'm about to be an Auntie again!  I'm so excited for Sabrina and I know that my mom would be sharing in the excitement of Kathy's first grandchild with her.  As I was shopping this week, I happened to run(literally..maybe the boys do get it from me??) into a rack of baby clothes.  I saw a neutral onesie.  Covered from head to toe in Frogs.  Now my mom was known for her rather unusual obsession of frogs.  Her collection is something that most would have feared.  So when I saw this outfit I just knew that it was something that my Mom would've picked up for Sabrina's baby shower.  And it was on sale.  It was totally a sign from above!