Friday Night Sans Children

Last week Mike wanted to go out after work to have a few beers with some co-workers in order to toast to a buddy that was moving to California. When he asked about it, I of course said that would be fine.... me and the kids would hold down the fort at home without Daddy. Little did Mike know I was just banking up some time so that I could ask to do the same thing on Friday. One of my coworker friends got a great job at Mass General Hospital and will be leaving us after next week, so we all went down to the Columbus Street Cafe after work to have a few drinks and relax. Although I'll miss my friend that's moving on to a new job, I was SUPER excited all day to have the opportunity to go out after work rather than rush home to get dinner ready and go through all our evening activities! Is my life sad or what, haha!

We had a really great time hanging out, and Mike sent me little updates on the phone of goings on at home. One was this super cute picture of Zoë and Vince sharing a crib. I was the proud mommy and of course immediately showed the picture to everyone at the bar with me.....

Halloween: The Big Day Finally Arrived

It seems like we've waited months for this weekend!

Getting the pumpkins ready

Before Vince got his costume, I kept talking up what he was going to be for Halloween, and making sure to remind him that the hat part of the costume was the most important part. This was to ensure that when he finally received his Cat in the Hat outfit, he would be EXCITED about wearing the hat instead of REFUSING to wear it. Well, I talked it up so much that we had no problem with Vince wearing the hat (whew!). He proudly wore it all over the house, and wanted it on whenever he would watch the Cat in the Hat cartoon.

We did the same thing when we talked about trick or treating on Halloween night. We described to him the excitement of going from house to house with a bag; what he would need to say, what he would get, and how he needed to make sure to say 'thank you'. Well, by the time Halloween night came around, we opened that front door to go trick or treating and Vince stormed out the door (along with his buddies) screaming 'trick or treat' over and over again.... heading down the street like banshees. He would be saying trick or treat before we would even get up to the doors of our neighbors houses! Getting candy thrown into a bag that you are holding is a pretty big motivator for toddlers I would say. We plugged down the streets of our neighborhood, herding our little ones from house to house and making sure they always said thank you. It was a great Halloween!

Getting out the door

Trick or Treat!

Hey, where did that candy go!?

Meanwhile, our little ladybug slept comfortably and couldn't care less about getting candy

Vince pushed on for about an hour, and then we headed back to the house to re-group (aka: start eating the loot).

Adam and Vince, happy with their lollipops

We chilled out the rest of the night at home, having the kids give away candy to trick or treaters coming to our house. We repeated our tradition of offering warm spiced wine for the parents of our trick or treaters, and at one point a parent said "oh yes! I was trying to remember which house gave the wine last year!"..... needless to say, between taking a few sips here and there ourselves and giving it away to parents, we didn't have any left over wine! Yes, it was a fun Halloween. Now I just need to gather all of Vince's candy and our leftover candy and take it to work tomorrow before I eat it all.

Weekend in CT

Last weekend we packed up the car and headed to CT to spend the weekend with Mike's cousin Dan and his wife Jaymie. They enticed us by promising to take care of the kids while we could go out and have some alone time, and when we got there they treated us like we were VIP guests! Jaymie and Dan are great hosts, and we really didn't need to be coaxed into a visit, but I have to say it was REALLY nice getting to use their spa size bath tub... complete with jets and all.

Vince got to "play" with his cousins Zach and Lexi. I put play in quotations because he mainly just whined/screamed and tried to hoard all the trains from Zach's table the whole time.
It was pretty frustrating. I'd say he is getting a little better about the whole sharing thing, but it's still a challenge for us. He got his share of time outs that's for sure. Jaymie is going to invite Vince back for a 'Brino bootcamp'...to shape him up!

The cousins having some Playdoh time

Vince and Zoë ride the laundry basket together

We also spent some time visiting Aunt Ninucci, she was so happy to see Vince and meet Zoë. Apparently when Dan told her we were coming over to visit, she didn't know who it was and kept saying no, that she didn't want any visitors. After several re-explanations, she finally figured out who was coming with their babies and then she was all excited. It was at her house that Mike's Uncle Tony took a look at Vince and then says "oh, it's a German baby" (guess he was hoping for more Italian?! haha!)

Mike with Vince and Zoë, Aunt Ninucci, and Zach

Pumpkin Patch Weekend

Last weekend we had a great time at Smolak Farms with our friends the Ottavianos and Keatings, and Vince was able to wear his Cat in the Hat costume yet again. This time he was even able to trick or treat on a hayride!

First stop, the farm store for some cider doughnuts and pumpkin cookies. Not the ideal breakfast for a 2 year old, but a treat for our weekend

OK, now time to get to work and find pumpkins!!

Zoë chose to take a snooze in the stroller and let her brother pick her pumpkin out

Vince slowly transforming into the Cat in the Hat

Time to load up the pumpkins!!

Wait a minute... why did Mom and Dad load me and Zoë up with the pumpkins too! What? I'm supposed to hold my little sister? (That would require touching her and Vince wasn't interested at that moment)

The ever difficult to get 'family picture'

Ok, time for the Trick or Treat Hayride!! We made sure to be the first ones on the hayride

Vince is ready to barter his bus for some candy!

The hayride made stops along the apple orchard where characters were dressed up in costume, giving candy to the kids on the hayride. It only took a few times and the kids figured out to hold their bags out and they would get some candy! Vince's buddy Aaron was giving his candy to the characters at first, what a nice little guy!! It didn't take him long to realize it was supposed to be the other way around

Exploring Around Boston

We celebrated Mike's birthday the weekend of October 1st, and he wanted a kid free day to explore the John Adams Historical Park. It's right next to us in the town of Quincy, but I learned that it all used to be called Braintree. When you visit the park and museum, it says that John Adams was born in Braintree. So take that Quincy!

It was DEFINITELY no place to take a toddler and 3 month old, I wouldn't recommend it. The tour gives you the opportunity to go inside the house where John Adams was born and grew up, and as you walk through you listen to stories of John Adams father and how he came over from England very poor and how he built himself up as a cobbler.

Below is the birth place of our second US President John Adams (you can't take any pictures inside the house), his father purchased this house because it was next to the main road up to Boston.... and he could get business selling and repairing shoes. Later he became a tax collector, and farmer, among other trades.

Birth place of our 6th US President John Quincy Adams, this house is right next door to where John Adams was born. Both houses still standing, and renovated to look as it did in the 1700's.

Below is the Peacefield House, also called The Old House, built in 1731, it became the residence of the Adams family for four generations from 1788 to 1927. It was home to Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams; First Ladies Abigail and Louisa Catherine Adams; Civil War Minister to Great Britain Charles Francis Adams; and literary historians Henry and Brooks Adams.

Mike has been on this tour before, and ever since I've lived here in Boston, he's told me about how you can tour this house and see all the original furniture/utensils/household items that were used by the Adams Families. In particular, he always talked about "The Chair".... the chair that John Adams passed away in. It's still in the same room, in the same place that it has been since he passed away in it on Independence Day in 1826. As he lay passing away, he muttered the words "Thomas Jefferson survives"... little did he know that just a few hours earlier Thomas Jefferson had passed away in his Virginia home..... both architects of the document that gave birth to this Nation dead, 50 years to the day from the birth of the country they founded.