this kid tugs...

he tugs on my hair

but really, he tugs on my heartstrings

this is hard to capture with the camera, by myself, but this will do.

you can get the idea.

will does this thing- only with girls (kris, terri and me) where he'll pull you as close as humanly possible, using whatever means possible--- ears, neck, ponytail, wispys. anything he can get his little hands on and PULL... and pull until he has his big sloppy open mouth pressed right up against your cheek.

wet. gummy. will-kisses.

yes, i've lost a lot of hair

but i have enough to spare

yes, it hurts {he's getting stronger} but its sooo worth it!!

today he was extra CUTE though. last week uncle danny babysat because krissy had to be at work earlier than usual. so we haven't seen eachother since last saturday. and apparently he missed me as much as i missed him!

he'd sit and play and laugh. all the regular stuff. and it wasn't that he was needy. but if he got anywhere near me, he just couldn't get close enough. he'd pull on my dress or my hair and pull himself up so he could grab at my neck or just hug me tight.

a good, tight squeeze.

love ya buddy!!

kris put him in his Lazy Frog onesie.

fashion a la uncle danny

rarely does that result in something

THIS

CUTE! :)

of course we had to get in some snapping!

i swear, i walk in the room

and he starts snapping

its pavlovian!

its hysterical

and the classic grab for the camera
going to have to get you your own soon, i think ;)



























and that was enough for one afternoon

but neither of us was ready to say good-bye
i know i won't see will next week
so i didn't want to put him down
but finally my practically won over
and i handed him back to matt

but he didn't want to go!!
tugging
at
the
heartstrings

he finally gave in.
{happy to see matt of course-
that wasn't the problem}
i got my coat on
kissed will good bye
and he had arms outstretched

oh this kids steals my heart
love you little man
see you when i get back from florida

i've been inspired

by ali edwards

again - she rocks

she posted on her blog this mini album and 'supply kit' that she's bringing with her on her family vacation.

talk about perfect timing.

i have some acrylic at home waiting to be cut up. i'm packing myself a little kit and bringing it to FL. very excited for this!!

thanks ali!

The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.

- Leo Buscaglia

5 days until Florida

and by the end of this week i'm going to need a vacation

tomorrow- training w/ steve at 5:15, food shopping

tuesday- babysitting will :)wednesday- gym (hopefully training w/ steve), 7:00 cut and color {thank goodness erika comes to my house otherwise i'd be in tough shape}

thursday- gym, packing and errands. then going into work late--- working til around 11p

friday- driving into work w/ mom and dad at 6am. work until noon ish. fly out at 2:40

well that's the upcoming 5 days. now let's go back.

friday

-1st day off from the gym all week

came right home

and brought far too much laundry to the laundromat

did that and ran errands in between

home around 8:30

dan was already sound asleep

what an exciting life we lead

(I wasn't far behind him)

saturday
- i met kim at the gym at 9:30 for a step class
we're both still SO out of shape
it was brutal.
and yet still we did back and abs afterwards
so that was impressive
pushing through the pain
and fatigue
hoping it pays off at the weigh-in on tuesday

went to kohls on the way home
got the steal of the century
2 dresses
2 pairs of sneakers
1 top
12 pair of socks
beach hat
for $150 (plus $30 back in Kohls cash that I can use this week)
SCORE!!!!!!!!

came home and CLEANED
put away the laundry
got dressed for dinner
5:30 at Spazio's
for Mike Jolls' 35th birthday dinner
(early)
then back to maureen's for drinks

today's easter sunday.

went to ree ree's house for dinner

and a surprise baby shower

for jeff and melissa

this is the kids table

i sat at the end

jeff and melissa

megan and evan

somehow melissa lassonde

made the cut for the adult table

mom finally finished jeff's baby book

it had been started

but she got around to putting the rest of the stats

and pictures of him

from when he was little.

it came out great

a really nice shot of jeff nana and melissa

ok that's the weekend recap.

still can't believe that this time next week i'll be in florida

then i'll be back

all tanned

and ready for elaine and eric's wedding!!! :)

life's good

spring's coming

its light until after 7p

sox opening day is the week i get home

i could keep going

but i have to get to bed

nighty night

a burst of creativity

saturday night.

dan was at eric's bachelor party

had the whole place to myself

some scrapbooking

and a mint skinny cow ice cream sandwich

perfect evening!

life is good

and it just feels extra good right now
not quite sure why
but I'm not stopping
to question it

be fit is going well
I enjoy working out
pushing myself
feeling the sweat
feeling my sore muscles
{ok that's not the fun part}
feeling my waist start to shrink
a little at a time

willy and I played together
on Saturday
he ate
he napped
he did the head-bob
the fake cough
the wet gummy kisses
the hug where he grabs my wispies
all the typical right-now-will things
that I love

also let him get his hands on

the victoria secret catalog

he doesn't quite get it

oh well.

then kris and I went to see the appliances
so shiny and new
I love them
can't wait to fill the fridge
and try out the oven
even better- stinger followed me inside
she's home
sweet as ever
playing with me
and will
{so good with him
even though he was pulling her hair out
and grabbing her ears}
I know I don't see the kitties often
but I have such a soft spot for them

Sunday
st. patrick's day parade
in southie
at mike and cheryl's
it was tough not devouring all of their
yummy yummy food
but I was reasonably good
which is an accomplishment in and of itself
had a few beers
actually went outside and watched the parade
got a little silly ----- here we are -->

so yep.
that's all.
life's good :)

the quest for fitness

moves ever forward.

took a 'cardio jam' class last night
kinda like step aerobics
{without the step}
it was great
forgot how much i love learning those stupid routines
challenging myself
to remember to go right half the time
and left the other half
jumping around like crazy

still very much out of shape
but the path back to the shape i used to be in
seems a little more well lit these days

loving be fit
our team won the 'award'
for most food logs submitted
next week i bet we'll win a bunch more
lots of motivation!!

tonight kim and i are meeting
steve
for personal training
goodbye muscles!

young master williard

tuesday

march 11

babysitting this cute little dude

whom christine loving referred to as young master williard

that fits :)

he's getting so big

i can't stop saying that

he can sit up on his own longerlaugh
talk up a storm... not many real words

but its funny all the same

gotta reach for everything

gimme that camera auntie jen

isn't that the smiliest face you ever saw?!

puzzled.

that's what this face looks like to me.

monkeying around

toys

toys

toys

you're so good at sharing! :)

its been fun little guy

see you on saturday

thanks for letting me play with you! :)

Be Fit

As of today Monday 3/3 I started this program through MGH called Be Fit. Its a 10-week program focused on helping participants, "Be Fit, Eat Right and Live Healthy." I'm on a team of about 25 people and we compete with 5 other team for different 'awards' (which are just bragging rights) in these categories:-most food logs submitted-most steps taken (have to wear a pedometer)-most exercise points earned- highest percentage of weight loss for the team.

Each participant signs a letter pledging to attend a 30-minute group meeting, team weigh-in and group rally on a weekly basis. Additional commitments include following healthy eating habits outlined in the group meetings and performing no less than 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days per week. To help reinforce the commitment, participants are given passes to the health club and a complimentary Be Fit meal from the cafeteria each week. (and free personal training and meetings w/ nutritionists).

They do an assessment at the beginning and end of the 10 weeks:-height, weight, body fat, BMI, blood pressure, resting heart rate, waist and hip measurements, and blood work for Cholesterol, Glucose, and C-Reactive Protein.

I'm really excited about it. Before I started dating Dan I was faithful about going the the gym and I absolutely loved it. Since then I've let other things take over the priority spots in my life but I'm ready now to lose this extra weight I've gained and start feeling healthier. I think the group mentality and competitive aspect of this will really help me get there. Its great too that I've got 2 other people in my immediate office area doing it so we'll keep eachother motivated. Plus the trainer assigned to our team is Steve, who I worked with a few years ago when Waveney trained with him. He's the best trainer at the gym, so we definitely lucked out.

First Week of Be Fit Observations:

• Eating healthy has been easier than I thought, though I am still feeling hungry and finding myself needing a healthy snack between meals.
• 40 minutes on the elliptical was tough (on Wednesday). I was shaky afterwards… but on the upside, that was the first and only time all week that I got shaky
• My first training session with Steve on Thursday went well. I did squats for the first time in my life (and paid for it for the following 4 days). but it was worth it. I am so out of shape (not that that was a big surprise), but working on it feels good.
• I did the wall stretch on Friday for the first time since my dancing days and I am completely inflexible!! Ouch. Definitely something to work on.
• I walk much further each weekday than I thought- around 10,000 steps.
• I walk much less on the weekends than I thought, and I am much more inclined to eat junk on the weekend, so going to the gym is going to be a necessity to keep the momentum going over the weekend.
• I am trying to take the stairs up and down (office on the 6th floor). Going up all 6 is still tough.
• My cholesterol is higher than I expected. Eating healthier should bring that down.
• I feel less bloated and/or stuffed after lunch which feels great.

Today is our first weigh-in since the initial one! Let's hope this hard work has been paying off!

ETA: Well I lost .8lbs. Nothing to write home about but its a start. And not to make excuses but I'm also a bit skeptical only because the first time we weighed in it was first thing in the morning. Today it was after breakfast and lunch (and drinking water all day). Oh well. Either way, I'm starting to feel better so I know I'm on the right track :)

396 Clapp Road or Kitchen & Bath Showroom?

Seriously!

Dan has done such a wonderful job.

And here are some new pictures to prove it.

Starting with the kitchen--

Granite countertops were installed on Thursday. So shiny! They're beautiful. The crew also installed the sinks (which are undermounted) -- and stunning!

<-- Close-up on the hardware

The kitchen sink with faucet.

The nozzle pulls down and can be used as a sprayer.

And its pretty too :)

The sinks have all sorts of bells and whistles.

http://www.oliverisinks.com/us/index.cfm

Left: Stainless Steel Utility Tray

Right: Cutting Board (back) & Collander (front)

Bar sink in the island.

Another shiny faucet.

Shiny granite.

Love this photo!

Appliances are being delivered tomorrow!! Stay tuned for more pictures of the kitchen soon!

The Bathroom

The Vanity with new granite countertops, sinks and faucets.

Light fixtures over the vanity.

the beautiful tub

air jets

claw feet

hardware that is reminiscent of antique tubs

give me some bubble bath

a glass of wine

music piping through the speakers

a good book

not quite there yet

but SOON :)

house updates

people keep asking.

i keep forgetting.

i don't have a lot of new pictures, but i'll have more as of this weekend.

progress in the bathroom

the tub is in. its now installed- and not at this angle- its more kitty cornered. so beautiful! and its already been test driven -->

love the claw feet

love the hardware- looks old fashioned but its so clean and sleek looking

the vanity

a terrible picture

i know

i'll get a better one this weekend- and it will be ever better because the countertops have been installed and the sinks mounted!!

a cooler vantage point at least

pretty, shiny hardware

shower stall in the background

here's an old picture of the shower -->

before the glass panel

before the shower fixtures were installed

before the paint on the walls around it

updates after this weekend:

kitchen countertops & sinks

bathroom countertop

tub with fixtures

shower with fixtures

stay tuned!

cuter than ever

I know I know! I take far too many pictures of this child, but hey, with a face like this, who can resist?! Apparently not me.

This was Tuesday 2-26-08.

Just another Tuesday of babysitting, and catching these cute activities on 'film.'




























He still gets so excited when we bounce around and snap our fingers. He does it more and more on his own but its hard to catch on camera. I got it twice though (at least you can sorta tell what he's doing) :)
























Yep, so cute i just had to kiss him for it!


The funniest is when he gets the urge to kiss back. He's always been great with giving big, warm hugs, but now its sloppy, wet kisses! Really its more like he gets the urge to lick my face, but he's 7 months old, he's still learning. I'm not picky :)

This, however, is my favorite photo in a very long time----------->

How hysterical is this?! He gets so excited about different things and leans forward to grab me or hug me, or sometimes to grab for the camera.... well I caught him mid-lean and his head looks bigger than normal and he's smiling up a storm. Doesn't get much funnier than this!!!