That wall

Around 2012 we joined a swim and tennis club and introduced the kids to a summer swim team. I was walking in one day with Laura and she noticed a bunch of names on the wall with times next to them. She asked me and I had to explain to her that these were the records of the best times from the people that have swam there, from the girls side, most were from the early 90's. She tells me then that she is going to be on the wall one day. I tell her to go for it. I remember this like it was yesterday....The records have stood there for quite some time and what could be the chances of her breaking any of those long standing records......this went up on the wall today

*To opdate, 13 year old Laura has broken three of the five 14 and under records this summer.  

Summer baseball with Jackie

I could sit and watch him all day....He's so fun to watch.  His team was in a tourney last week and they came in second...with trophy.  He's playing really well and takes it so seriously.  He knows the game and where to go when the play is happening.  Its from watching the hundreds of red sox games, he asks questions about different scenarios as they happen.  They are good questions.  He's a great kid.  We brought him to Laura's softball game the other night and i swear, he didnt stop talking the whole time we were there....Thats just Jack!!!

Swimming weekend for Laura

Saturday morning we got up extra early and headed on out to try and qualify for the Bay State games.  They are the local Olympics and its quite a big deal to be able to qualify for them.  Laura would have to compete against kids from all around the state and she didn't really know how she would do. She is 13 years old and her division is the 13 to 15 year old group, so she had to really shake things up...okay, I'm setting you up for excuses if we don't qualify.... She entered into four events and was hoping to qualify in one event.  It was really awesome how pumped up she was for it.  She has been recovering from a double concussion so her practice time had been limited because she had to take some time off...Those flip turns are tough to do with concussions and we wanted her to feel much better before she got back into it...Well, she's been back into it alright......still not at 100 percent, she surprised even herself when she qualified in all four events that she entered into......The fire in that gal !!!
The very next day we were up early once again and heading out to MIT for another swim meet.  She doesn't complain about it and loves her swimming.  Its a big girls pool.  This time Catherine and Nana joined us with Auntie Kara who was there with Emily competing also.  Lots of fun....

Laura showed me some app on her phone where we can do this sort of thing, lest you think I've turned into another sort of animal.

I am constantly opening my phone and finding all kinds of Catherine and Jack selfies....Its good to know she finishes all the drinks I buy her anyway.
The picture below is the MIT pool....Its a long 50 meter long course pool....its the big time baby....I cant wait till we go swimming at the Harvard pool next month.....well, we huh.  The only way I'll go swimming there is if I fall in the pool....Lets not count that out though.

Smiles, smiles and smiles from Emily and Laura.  So fun to watch these gals compete.  They love swimming and that makes it so much easier to sit around all day for!!!



James is now among the working class

     Jimmy is now working, his very first job.  He's working maintenance at the swim and tennis club.  Within the first half hour he was cleaning vomit from around the pool deck.....If you could see me typing this, I'm giggling like a school girl.  I got no less than ten texts from him about how horrible it was.....Oh goodness!!!  His second day on the job was a lot better than the first he says.  No pukers anyway!!  The other morning all the kids were awake by 6:30 am and were in my bed.  It was awesome, all we (including Jimmy) did was laugh and laugh about Jimmy's unfortunate day on the job.  We were calling him the regurgitating engineer....okay, that was me calling him that but we laughed and laughed.  How fun was it to have them all on the bed for the morning. 

My favorite gift each Father's Day

Every year I get my favorite gift, the T-shirt with all the kids hand prints on it.  Its better and better every year.  This was a really good idea and I love, love, love it every year.  Their little hands are getting bigger all the time.....They are awesome!!

My Father's Day gift

I understand that it doesn't look too appetizing...but how can you do hot dogs wrong.      A hot dog toaster...love it.  I opened it up qand knew it had found its rightful home.  Its got to be made in China so it might not last too long so i'll enjoy it while it still works....but I love it!!!!  I know, I'm very easy to please.  The buns are supposed to be the curvy kind and I had the square kind so they kind of caught on fire....how can something KIND OF catch on fire....but when it comes to cooking and me, its not so hard.  but the HOP dogs tasted real good, especially smothered in ketchup and accompanied by Saratoga potato chips.  Amen!

Daddy's Day

Take a step back and see the little people, they might be young, but there the ones, that make the biggggg people big.

   One thing that i knew i always wanted to be. the cop thing could have come and gone,but it wasnt a necessity....but there is still nothing better than to hear a little person call me daddy

Blue Mass

The Knights of Columbus had a BLUE MASS for police, fire and EMTs.  Between all of the sports we ended up with Laura to be the lucky one... She was great

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Field Day for Jackie

Ahhh once again it was a hot one for the field day.  This year I got to do the rubber chicken run.  For all the grades, i had to show, and judge, each kid to run forward with a rubber chicken between their legs and then they had to drop it in a circle about 15 yards straight ahead after hopping with it.  Jack would later tell me that he and his friends were talking about how it was inappropriate to do such a thing.  I have learned that nothing good can come from follow up questions so i left it alone.....Still so cute though...

Riding bikes to school day

     Its the Annual Ride the bike to school day around the house.  The only problem is, Jack is the only one left in elementary school....Jack has been reminding me for quite some time about this day as he does every year.  Its a fun day.  We ride and its perfect that the bus comes flying past us at some point during our ride, just as it has every year since Jimmy was a young tike.  Jack complains about his bucket hurts him so i'll have to get him a new seat.  The term 'bucket' is from the neighborhood pro, Mr Ring, so I didn't think that one up on my own.  So after waiting around the requisite time at home I went and picked him up from school too.  He was so cool getting on that bike for the trip home.  He's still so much fun to hang around with....summers almost here !!!

The next to last day of school, Jackie got the thrill of having Jimmy walk him to school with me because he got to go to school late, due to a final exam.  It was great for Jackie to have Jimmy join us for our football throws.  Jimmy has to remain cool but I think he enjoys it as much as Jack does.  He takes a lot of the credit when he sees how good Jack does in baseball....as he should!!!

Saturday afternoon

     My little softball gals wanted to go to the high school field to get some batting and pitching in.  Laura, being the intense one that she is, does not want to be one-dimensional in a couple of years when she goes to high school, so she wants me to practice different field positions besides catcher.  Catherine wanted to practice up on her pitching too.  So we went in the batting cage and then onto the field for this beautiful Saturday.  They are very cool to hang out with.

Some new family members

    I'm hoping that this works.  One day we noticed a nest out the front window and shortly thereafter little beaks were peaking out of it.  The mommy and daddy keep returning to it to feed the little ones and they are getting very big.  Its pretty neat to watch all the goings on.