and then 40 more.....:)

Paul's 40th Bday

It was Paul's birthday and in honor of this Dad had about 40 Margarittas!

All Aboard the Polar Express.......

We took the kids for the first time on the Polar Express up in N. Conway, NH. Just like the story, we boarded a train and headed North. We drank hot chocolate, ate candy and sang Christmas carols all on the way to the N. Pole. Once we got there we were greeted by elves who took us up to Santa's house. A narrator read us the story of the Polar Express and when it was finished there was a surprise visit by Santa himself!
Sammy loved it - asks every single day if we can go back to the North Pole!

My new hobby

No idea when I find the time to do this, but over the past few months I have started the ever popular hobby of beading! Given my love for jewelry it seemed like the perfect hobby!! Here are a few pics of some of the bracelets I have made.....

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS.......

My Two Front Teeth!!!

Gingerbread House Time

Benjamin definitely ate more candy than he put on the house, no question about it. But in the end we managed to cover up a bit of the gingerbread! Nick and Ben very proud of themselves with their finished product!

Decorating the Tree

As per every year, putting up and decorating the tree is some big excitement in the house. The boys couldn't wait for our traditional Sunday decorating party. Here are a few pics.....

Happy Halloween

Big fiasco the costumes were this year, so the result was nothing impressive.
I have no idea what Nicholas even was. Ben refused to wear his pirate costume that was ridiculously cute, so we resorted to a football player. Sam who ran around for a month rattling off 10 different things he was going to be settled on a Dolphin at Nick's constant nagging.

Fran turns the BIG 40

Mike's brother Fran turned 40 and did it in STYLE.............. He threw himself a bash at a art gallery in South Boston which he rented out. There were caterer's, a DJ, an open bar, and lots of good friends. He did it right and it was a huge success. Oh and I almost forgot, there was one rule. Everyone must wear red - cause.............. Vogue says Red is the new Black. :)

Pats vs the Dolphins!

Michael and David gave Nick and Ben and early Christmas gift which was tickets to the BIG game. Anyone who knows us, knows what a big deal this is as Nick is a huge Miami fan and Ben a Pat's fan. This also happened to be their very first NFL game. So both boys decked out in head to toe garb supporting their teams were rearing to go. We had a great time ( the better team prevailed ) but Nick did manage to find a friend or two to cheer his team on with.
Thank you Michael and David! A day surely they will never forget.

The Fall in New England

My absolute favorite season hands down. This year was especially beautiful. The colors were amazing. These pics were taken up in NH as we went out exploring one day over Columbus day weekend.

It's a PINZ Party!

Nicholas turned 9 this year, I can't even believe how fast the years have gone by. He chose to have his party at this cool new Bowling alley that just opened. They also played Laser tag and video games. A fun time had by all!

Catherine Luz's special day

Lizy had Catherine's bday at a park in Watertown, lots of fun.

Mike turns 38!

OK - not too many exciting pictures here but I did want to share a few from the day Mike turned 38. For his gift, I gave him a radio controlled plane which he loves. He's not too good of a pilot yet to say the least but I'll give him some time. He's currently on propeller #3!
That night we had a fantastic meal out in Cambridge with Doug and Lizy. Lots of laughs and wine!!

1st Day of School - Sept 06

Sept 6th - Nick started 3rd grade this year, his second year at Elmwood School. Benjamin started 1st grade at Center school. Nick was excited, Ben not so sure.............. :)
But he'll be fine.

The Clan from Atlanta came for a visit

Paul, Christie and the kids flew in over Labor Day weekend. We fried a turkey, had a fish fry, played cards and celebrated Meg's bday!

Meghan's 6th Birthday

Isabella's 7th Birthday

StoryLand - Aug 06

Doug and Lizy also picked a weekend to come up and spend with us in NH. We spent one of the days in StoryLand just like we do every year. We say this is our last but I'm sure we'll be back again next year. The kids love it!

Story Land - August 06 cont'd

Some more pics from the day......

Visiting the Horse Farm with Papa

Papa has a friend who owns horses similar to Clydesdales. He took the boys over to see them one afternoon. Sam loved them!

On top of Mt Washington and Diana's Baths

One day we decided to take a ride to the summit of Mt Washington, the highest point in New England. It was 38 degrees up at the top while down below it was a hot August day in the mid 80's. It was absolutely breathtaking. On the way back we stopped at another Natural Wonder known as Diana's Baths , a grouping of manmade waterfalls. The kids went exploring and climbing for hours, lots and lots of fun......

Hanging out with our cousins

Noni, Papa, Izzy and Mattea spent a week up in NH with us this summer. We spent lots of time in the pool, playing in the yard and making smores. We even attempted to camp out one night, didn't quite make it thru the night though.............. :)

A visit from the Pisinski's

Amy and Tim and the kids came up to NH for the week of July 4th. It was a LOT OF KIDS, but man did we have a good time!

Some good Fishin'

The boys spent a many a mornings out on the Lake this summer fishing with Dad and Uncle Michael and Uncle David.

Brian came to visit

So i have four brothers, but one in particular is pretty cool - Brian. While visiting this week with his wife and two beautiful daughters we took them to our town's little league fundraiser...in typical Brian fashion he got right into the swing of things, forked over the $100 bucks for the raffle prize and danced like no other. He's money, I tell you!

here's some shots of the night.

Ben's birthday party

Well today was Ben's birthday party. He wanted to have it in our yard with a Home Run Derby contest and a wiffleball game. The only problem was the weather didn't cooperate and it was not a very nice day out to say the least. But we managed to have a good time in spite of the weather.

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY BENJAMIN!!!

We had a great Memorial Day weekend this year. The weather was beautiful, hot and sunny all 3 days. Lots of fishing, boating and relaxing!!

Sammy taking a stroll

Sunday May21st - Double Header

Hanging out at one of Nick's games.

A rare moment of brotherly love displayed at dinnertime.

Nick's 1st Holy Communion

Patriots Day - Marathon Monday

This was the first year we watched the Boston Marathon from the starting line here in Hopkinton. It was absolutely amazing to see the twenty some thousand runners all take off. Lots of fun, I have no idea why we haven't done this before.


Nick and Ben waiting for the race to begin.


Ben trying out his photography skills on mom and dad.

A view from right beyond the starting line.

Sammy not so sure why the sea of people lining up.

Easter weekend 2006

Easter was a huge success this year.
We spent the weekend up in New Hampshire with Nonni and Papa, Aunts and Uncles and our
Easter was cousins. The weather was only so so but good enough for a few kickball, football and wiffleball games. We also had a great egg hunt on Sunday, lots of candy and eggs for all!! Click on the picture of the kids to view more photos from the weekend.

Sammy stealing a little alone time............

Just him and his popcorn all to himself............. :)

Little League Parade - 4/06

The baseball parade was today which means the kickoff to the season! Nick is on the Diamondbacks and Benjamin got lucky and is on the Red Sox! Dad is head coach for both teams - it will be a busy season.

Aruba Trip with Amy and Tim

In February Mike and Tim surprised Amy and I with a trip to Aruba. NO KIDS!! We had a blast and even ended up being stranded there a few days longer due to a snow storm back here in the Northeast. As soon as BRIAN teaches me how to add a link I'll have many more pics to share.