The Marvelous Adventures of The Meehan Boys: There's no whining in street hockey....

Happy Sunday! First a little housekeeping. I forgot to mention a few things in the last post that added some sunshine to our lives.

1.Auntie Cait (Tom's sister), graduated from her basic military training program on Friday April 6th. We are very, very proud of her. We got the opportunity to have a Skype date with her (the first time since she left in February), Gramma, Poppa and Dan (they all travelled to TX to attend the graduation) on Friday afternoon. She looks great and it was so nice to see her face and hear her voice. I have tried to be good about sending something in the mail-a card, a letter, a picture made by the boys, each week to keep her spirits up. She has since left Lacklund Airforce Base and is now at Fort Sam in Houston for her medic training. For this part she is allowed her cell phone and computer so we have been able to send some texts back and forth and I even sent her a video of Will walking! Again, we are so proud of all that she has accomplished so far and look forward to hearing more about her adventures in Texas!

2. Our good friends welcomed their second baby, Kayla Anne on April 7th. She weighed in at 9lbs, 10oz! Congratulations to Camilla, Jason and big brother Tyler. We can't wait to meet her!

3. Lastly, in the days leading up to Easter, we found 4 baby bunnies and a mother bunny in a nest by the side of our house. Jack and Bella (our neighbor), checked on them each morning and brought them carrots to eat. Jack was convinced that this was in fact THE EASTER BUNNY and her babies. Mother Bunny took her babies into a ~~safer~~ cozier home in the bushes at the back edge of our yard, leaving the carrots untouched. We have seen Mother Bunny a few times, eating from the numerous patches of clover spread through our yard, but no baby bunny sightings again.

Jack has found a new little passion. Over the past week, the older boys (ages 7-10) that live next door, have been coming out in the afternoon and playing a little street hockey. Jack was immediately drawn to them. He ran to the sandbox and retrieved a Boston Bruins floor hockey stick and joined right in. Although the stick was a little short for him, he wanted to be a part of the game. The older boys welcomed him into their game (none of them have ever played ice hockey), passed the puck to him and cheered for him when he would score. It was very sweet to watch. At Jack's first birthday, he received a floor hockey set from his Uncle Brendan. The net has been hanging in our garage and as I took it down, all the boys excitement grew. They pushed the cones away that had been the previous 'goal' and set up the 'real' net. Tom and I decided that we should find him his own street hockey stick, so that he didn't have to play hunched over at the waist. Although it was hard to find, I finally came across a street hockey set with an adjustable stick and a net. It is the perfect size for Jack. The boys were now even more excited to have 2 nets to play with. They could now set up a 'real' game. Even though they might just be using Jack for his equipment, they do take the time to include him too, so I think it is win-win. My brothers will be so proud!

This past week wasn't all fun. In fact, there were moments that I thought I would lose my mind. I love our boys dearly. I love being home with them all day. But they found my buttons and they pushed and pushed. This is the recap-

There was a fall with a scrapped knee (you would have thought the leg could not be saved) that resulted in a long, drawn out chorus of whining and crying. There was a lot of whining. There was a lot of mischief. Dumping out ALL the toys in the playroom while staring me down, laughing and saying "Look at this big mess I am making." The cabinets were emptied of all their belongings-tupperware, sippy cups and parts, plates, bowls, water bottles, the list goes on an on. The floor got peed on twice. A pair of undies, in a show of excitement, were sent soaring through the air and landed with a plunk into a toilet full of pee. This was brought to my attention as they were plucked from the water and carried dripping through the whole first floor. GROSS. Oh little boys! By Thursday night I had had enough. When Tom came home from work, we ate dinner and I told him-"I need to leave, I need to get out of this house." He chuckled and sent me on my way. I took a few hours to myself at TJ MAXX and recharged my batteries. I listened to music loudly in the car. I enjoyed the silence that comes with shopping alone. We made it to Friday, to the weekend, to some extra hands to help with the chaos.

I chatted with my neighbor Hope yesterday. She asked me how my week was. I would normally leave it as a friendly, vague chat and say-"oh it was just fine." Something in me told me she might understand what I just went through and I said- "It was rough. I am glad it is over" She shook her head in that knowing way. She wisely told me-"It is just a season and it will pass. Another will be waiting to come in next, but it will pass." She should know. Her house is very full with a 12 year old, 10 year old twins, a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn. Who am I to complain? At first I thought, she is going to think I'm crazy. How can my days be so hard to manage, I ONLY have 2 kids? Again, she gave me some of her wisdom. She told me that at least she has older kids to help her out. I am on my own during the day. She knows that the stage we are in is a tough one. She reminded me that she was there for me if I ever needed to talk. It was a nice feeling.

Onto other things, Will started walking-really walking, EVERYWHERE. This is great and wonderful news for our little boy. Just when I thought he was going to keep on crawling and hold out on us he started walking. One morning as I got breakfast ready, I saw him let go of the couch and move on to the chair. As the day went on, he went further and further alone. Now he is choosing walking as his primary mode of transportation. I am amazed. Where did my little baby go? He toddles around, stops, picks up a toy and moves on. He walked into the playroom the other day, saw a goldfish cracker, stopped, squatted, picked it up, stood and took a few steps to another and another. All the while keeping his balance! Yay to Will. Unfortunately he has acquired my clumsy gene and the bruises on his head and body are increasing day by day. The forehead is a mess. Just as one heals and turns yello, another is born. He fell INTO the tupperware cabinet last night and bruised his leg. He took a digger into the bottom of a wooden chair and secured a nice egg on his forehead. He has a bruise on his cheek from the window sill. Poor little guy. I remember Jack being the same way.

So another week begins. As I said, I am happy to leave last week behind. I hope to hear less whining and have more fun this week. I am starting my job search so fingers crossed that something comes my way that will be great.

Lastly, here are the pictures of some of my sewing projects that I promised.