:When it's Summertime and the weather is fine..."

There is LOTS to do in the Summer in Boston! We have been keeping VERY busy lately with daily outings to some of the many fun things to do in the city.

Our ward has a Summer Outing group that goes somewhere fun every Wednesday. We have done Tie Dying, gone to this really fun local park with a playground, sandpit and splash pad, and to Walden Pond.

Thursdays we go with our new friends Becky and her kids Dylan (who is 4) and Avery (who is 6 months) to the Library for story time and then pick out new Library books to read for the summer reading program. Thatcher loves coloring in his little book so that he can get a prize from the Librarian when we go. After Library time we walk to McDonald's for lunch. Thatcher and Dylan get along really well. Dylan lives upstairs from us and Dylan's Dad, Doug, is Todd's TA. We see them often and they are really fun friends.

Yesterday we went with the LFM SO group to a famous spot in the Boston Commons, the Frog Pond. It is a huge 6 inch deep wading pool that was packed with kids and parents. In the Winter it is a ice rink, so we are for sure going to have to go back and try it out. The boys love water and it was a nice relief from the heat and humidity we have been having lately.

It is great to have so much to do, and to enjoy all the fun Summer activities while they last.

The Splash pad at Dana Park

Thatcher didn't waste any time, he jumped right in.



Taggy on the other hand was a little put off by the cold sprinklers.

The only picture I got at Walden Pond. Thoreau would turn in his grave if he saw all this nonsense at his peaceful, tranquil, pond.

Thatcher and Taggy running into the Frog Pond. They were

ready for some relief from the heat!

Our little froggy in the Frog Pond.

Trying to immerse himself in water.

The moms of the SO group.

Brotherly love.

Knock Knock...

The boys are going through a phase of LOVING knock knock jokes. It is so cute and funny. The way Taggy says "knock knock" cracks us up!

Memories

I saw this "tag" game on a old friend's blog. You don't have to join in, but I thought it sounded like fun.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Hot Summer Days

What is better than sharing an otter pop on a hot, humid, Boston summer day?

4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone! We had a great holiday weekend visiting my parents and David in Rhode Island. It was a much needed getaway, and we enjoyed the peace and tranquility of the suburbs and a small town 4th. On the 4th we all went to WALL-E which was just okay. The boys did absolutely great, it was the movie that was a downer I thought. Pixar, you need to step it up my friends. First Ratatoowee and now this nonsense with very liberal undertones? Where have all the Toy Stories and Incredibles' gone? Anyway, after WALL-E we packed up and went to a park for the Fireworks show. We met several of the ward members there and had a picnic dinner and watched the AWESOME Firework show. There must have been 30 minutes of Fireworks and the boys did really good. Taggy was okay as long as my Dad was holding his ears, he didn't like the noise, and Thatcher was amazed for about 5 minutes and then asked "when are we going home". All around it was a fun weekend! We are very grateful for this beautiful country where we have the freedoms we enjoy.

The boys with their "Happy 4th of July" t-shirts.

Thatcher being silly.

Dave is too cool for the 4th of July.

Grandpa and Taggy with Taggy's "magic glasses"!

Grandma and Grandpa striking a Independence Day Pose!

This little video is Taggy showing us what the Fireworks were going to go "BOOM"!


Thatcher and Daddy watching the fireworks, with Todd wearing the infamous "magic glasses"!

Success! Two tired happy boys.

Best Buddies, Best Enemies...Best Brothers

Thatcher and Tagg have gotten to the point where they have a serious love/hate relationship. They are either fighting, wrestling, stealing toys from one another or on the other hand hugging, giggling, and now are in cahoots teaming up against me and getting into mischief. I will break up a fight, where both boys are SCREAMING at the top of their lungs, send Thatcher to his room for hitting Tagg and immediately after he stops crying, Taggy will run back into the room to find Thatcher. It is frustrating and very adorable at the same time.


This morning while I was getting ready I heard both of them run into the back room giggling and whispering. When I went in, I found that Thatcher had stolen the camera and was taking a photo shoot. From that time on whenever my back was turned one would try to steal the camera, and when I would turn around or grab the camera from one of them, the other would giggle. Enough to drive me insane. Thank heavens I don't have twins.

After discovering that Tagg didn't like the bubbles pointed at him, Thatcher chased him around with the bubble machine laughing.
Poor Tagg, don't worry, he can hold his own with Thatcher.

Last night when I checked on the boys they were sleeping like this...

Taggy can now climb out of his crib (the dreaded day for parents with toddlers) and all he wants to do it climb into bed with Thatcher. At nap time yesterday I 'caught' Thatcher laying next to Tagg in bed reading to him. When I walked in they covered their heads with the blanket laughing. I love these boys!

Summer Time Fun!

On Saturday Todd hosted a BBQ for some of his classmates in the LFM program. It was a good turn out, and Todd did a good job of cooking all the burgers, and playing host. I bought this kiddie pool for our boys and the other kids to have a blast with at the BBQ. While it was a big hit, I must say that our kids are OBSESSED with water. Sometimes to the point where it becomes a wee problem. I guess that is in there genes though, since both Todd and I were swimmers. I can't wait to enroll them in some swimming classes next month!

Thatcher's favorite part was covering the sprinkler with his mouth and choking himself. He is a nut case.

Notice the little girl in the back, she wasn't dressed for the kiddie pool, but obviously didn't care.

Boston Children's Museum

Yesterday we went to the children's museum. It is probably the best children's museum I have been to. Thatcher and Tagg LOVED it. We took the T and the boys loved going on the subway probably just as much as going to the museum! It was 90 degrees yesterday with probably 100 % humidity. It was hot. After living in Tucson, Todd didn't believe me that Boston could get very hot, but yesterday made him a believer! We had a great day together as a family before Todd starts his vigorous schedule on Monday.

All of us infront of the Boston Skyline

The boys painting.

Playing with the boats and the water.

Thatcher didn't want to stop running from exhibit to exhibit long enough to take this picture!

Playing in Arthur's kitchen.

Daddy living his glory days with the boys.

It was really cute to see how fascinated they boys were by a lot of the exhibits.

Eating ice cream and watching the Seagulls.

We Made It!

It has been 1 week since we have been living in Cambridge, and we survived! :) We moved in to our temporary apartment last Saturday and have been adjusting to city life this week.

We went to church in our new ward, which meets in an old building that has been remodeled. It seems to be a good ward with lots of young families. Thatcher and Taggart are in separate nurseries, divided according to age. There are lots of little boys Thatchers age in this ward, which will be nice for him. Taggy looks like he will have lots of little girl friends, which is okay cause he has his big brother to rough him up enough at home.

We are living in this apartment until next week when we move into our assigned apartment by MIT. We are living in Westgate Family Housing, and it is wonderful to have a HUGE playground steps away from our front door. It seems to have a great family community feel, and ever Friday night everyone grabs their own meat and there is a huge BBQ. There are four other LDS families living here for the summer that we know of, there might be more, we don't know yet. I think we will really enjoy it here. I cannot wait to get our stuff out of storage and make our apartment our home.

I ordered grocery's this week from an online grocery delivery service they have here called Peapod. This will be a LIFE saver here!!! I ordered them one day, the next day there were delivered right to my kitchen table. No hauling two screaming kids to the store, no climbing the stairs with bags of grocery's, what a great idea! I also found another life savor this week, it is called Super Suppers. You really need to check out the website. I went and in two hours made enough dinners to last us the whole month. We don't have a dishwasher (well we do, it is me!) and so this wonderful! I just take the food out of the freezer at lunch to defrost, then cook it, and throw everything away. We don't have a washer or dyer in the apartment so every Wednesday I plan on going down to my parents house and doing laundry there. It is also nice because my Mom watches the boys while I attend my Wilton Cake class, which I love. It is a fun hobby, and it gives me some time out by myself.

Todd is loving school and just finished the first week. He hasn't had any real work yet, just a bunch of leadership activities. The real load comes this up coming Monday. He is really liking his class of 48 students, and after this week he feels like he has gotten to know quite a few pretty well. He is in a team of four for the summer, and from what I hear life is about to get very busy for him.

I have been busy planning activities and outings for my two active little monkeys. I am going to put up flyer's and see if anyone wants to start doing Joy School with me in the Fall cause Preschool here cost about 700 bucks a month! I am starting a playgroup/lunch date with other moms from Todd's LFM program on Tuesday and we are going to the Library on Thursday's for story and music time. For those days that we do just hang out, Thatcher and Tagg are LOVING teasing, wrestling, fighting, and playing with each other. Brothers. It is a fun stage they are going through.

You've got to see this!

I am sorry but when I saw this I laughed my head off. You have to be famillar with Suze Orman. I personally cannot watch her real show without laughing, she is full of it! This is the funniest parody I have seen on SNL in a long time. I love Kristen Wiig, the actress that plays her and Penelope. Hillarious.

KNOCK OUT!!!!

All I have to say is, HOLY CRAP, THIS KID CAN SING! I literally cried tonight (pathetic, I know! ) watching David Archuleta sing his heart out! In the David vs. David match, David Archuleta clearly WON! I cannot wait to see the finale tomorrow night!

Who are all of these kids, and why are they calling me Mom?

Happy Mothers Day!

I am grateful for my mother and her love and support throughout my whole life. I truly appreciate all she did and does for my brothers and I. I am constantly learning from her example. I love to be Thatcher and Taggart's mom, they are two of my greatest blessings, and I never knew you could love two rambunctious little boys as much as I love them. I hope everyone has a restful and wonderful Mothers Day!

Yippy!

Congrats to my brother Jonathan and his fiance Rebecca who got "officially" engaged last night! We are so excited for them and I cannot wait to have a sister in law! We have been out numbered for far too long! It has been really great getting to know Rebecca these past couple days and Jon and Rebecca make such a cute couple. My boys absolutely adore her, and so she is going to make such a great Aunt! They are getting married August 23 in the SLC temple, and we are excited for their big day. Yay!

Where we have been...

It has been almost one month since I have blogged last...YIKES! We are still alive and doing very well, but we do not have our camera with us here in Rhode Island and life is pretty much in limbo land right now, so there has not been much to blog about. I cannot believe that we have been here for one month, and we have two and a half weeks to go before Todd joins us. Time has gone by really slow! Here are a few things that are keeping us busy!



Every day the boys and I (when weather permits) pack up the stroller and go for a four mile walk. It has been really good for a number of reasons, and what started out as a desperate attempt to get two active kiddos out of the house has turned into something I really look forward too. We walk two miles one way to a little playground and the boys play for about a half hour and then we walk back. During the walk I either listen to my ipod or talk to Todd (I LOVE my new blue tooth, a definate MUST for phone talkers!) The daily walks have been great exersise and it has been great to get outside in this beautiful spring weather.

I am taking a Wilton cake decorating class on Wednesday nights and it is a blast! I really like it and I am hoping to get good enough to do wedding cakes for a little extra money on the side. One of the best things about my class is sitting and listening to my instuctor speak with a thick Rhode Island accent. Whenever I come home I have to readjust my ears to the accent around here. Last night she was talking about almond extract and was pronouncing almond ALmend, saying Al like you would a guys name.

I have also been doing this while I have been here. Let me tell you, this workout kicks my bum! It is really hard, but really fun. It has great music to it, so it is almost like my own private little dance party every night. It is great to kickbox when you have had a day fighting toddlers to get them in the car, eat, take naps, pick up toys, ect ect ect.

And yes I have been enjoying the last couple weeks that I have access to a DVR...

Bring it home David, it is in the bag...

Three words...twice. Best. Show. Ever. AND What. the. freak?! I cannot handle these future flashes anymore!

So pretty much that is what we have been doing over the last month. Right now my brother and his soon to be fiance ;) (more on that later this weekend!) are here this week with us and it has been really fun having a full house. We miss Todd and we are excited for him to make the drive from Tucson to Rhode Island and be reunited on the 24th. We are VERY excited and anxious to move to Boston and get this party started!

This is really funny. I love this new girl on SNL. Everything I have seen her do is hillarious. We all know people like this.

Welcome Back....

It has been too long. We missed you.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."

Well we made it! Last week was Todd's MIT LFM Open House. We drove from my parents house to Quincy Ma, and grabbed the T there (the local subway system). It was a two day long orientation of sorts. Several times I was on the verge of tears, but we got through it! We are really excited for this new adventure, but it definitely is a change of life for us. It was really great to go to the campus and see where we will be for the next two years. It is a interesting campus, where there aren't any real bounders so to speak, it just looks like part of the city. During the Open House they had several activities planned for the SO's (significant others) of the students and I got to meet several of the wives of the class of 09. It was really nice to get a lot of questions answered from girls who knew first hand. Basically in a nut shell they told us to get ready to be a single parent for two years, not a shocker to hear, but it still is a big pill to swallow. I met some of the other wives of the class of 2010 and there are a couple other stay at home moms, and one funny thing is all of us have boys. We have already talked about starting a playgroup, and I offered the idea about doing a playgroup/lunch date every week like we did in Tucson, so I am carrying that tradition to the east coast! We got to tour our prospective residencies Westgate and Eastgate, (if you want to see where we will be living click on the words and look at the pictures and floor plans) both are on campus housing. We are going to have to sublet an apartment for the summer at either one of these places and then we will find out in May where we will be living for the Fall and Spring semesters. Overall it was good to go and see what life will be like for the next two years. It will be interesting living in the city with two kids to say the least. I am sure I will have many crazy/ funny stories and adventures so keep posted as I fumble my way through this! Today Todd goes back to Tucson to move us out of our house, finish work, and tie up loose ends. The boys and I will stay here in Rhode Island until we meet back up at the end of May and make the big move to Cambridge!

"....when you believe."

We rented our house today!!! We are really excited and relieved to have this done and we are grateful we found a nice family to lease our home for two years. Ever since we decided to apply to MIT we felt a little worried and scared about all the many details that it involved, from getting accepted, selling or renting our house, to finding housing when we arrive in Cambridge. Everything has been falling into place and it is really neat to sit back and watch miracles happen. Todd and I have a strong testimony of miracles, and we are grateful for the little and big miracles that we have witnessed in our lives lately.
Since our house is now rented the boys and I will be technically moving this Wednesday. We will be staying with my parents in Rhode Island until the end of May when Todd will meet up with us. Todd will be busy finalizing details here in Tucson and working.
We have really enjoyed our time here in Tucson. I have made some wonderful friends, who I love very much. We have loved our ward (which just split today!) and the memories that we have made here. Thatcher has some sweet little friends here, and I know it will be sad for him to leave them. We hope that we can all keep in touch and stay connected, good thing there is blogging, that is all I have to say!
So the next couple days will be busy busy busy with packing and goodbyes and then it is a start to a brand new adventure!