Two Quick Pics

Of our big boy! I took these yesterday, but my computer was being difficult last night. Love this kid!

They're still here!

I figured I'd post pics of the kids tonight, to make up for all the garden pictures I've been sharing. I actually got some good ones of them today!! We spent a lot of the morning outside, as I needed to get our tent ready for our camping trip this weekend. On our last trip, our campsite was very sandy/dirty, and we got rained on quite a bit. As a result, the we ended up with a lot of sand inside the tent, and the bottom of the tent was muddy. We had folded it up loosely and dumped it in the bed of the truck, opting to deal with the mess later. Well, today was "later"! I pitched the tent all by myself (not an easy task!), swept all the mess inside to one end, and vacuumed it out with the shop vac. Then I left it out in the sun to air out for a bit before I managed to (miraculously!) fold it up perfectly and get it (and all its pieces) back into the carrying case. That was my accomplishment of the day!! I also lugged the tubs of camping gear into the kitchen and took inventory. We're in pretty good shape. I can't wait for this weekend!

When I wasn't wrestling with the tent, I helped Maya pick more berries (we only found a few more ripe ones) and I played frisbee with Nikos. He is surprisingly good (my brother would be proud, haha!)! We also baked cookies. And I took a few pictures, which I am in love with. These are the best kids in the entire world!!! :)

Bountiful Harvest!

I know, I know... I haven't posted any pictures of the kids in a few days, and they really ARE the focus of this blog! But they have been helping me harvest things from our yard over the past few days, and they are just as impressed with it all as I am! So, behold our bounty! This is just the tip of the iceberg, too!

Cucumbers, lettuce, and green beans. We had the beans with dinner last night, along with a salad made from the lettuce. SO GOOD!!! My lettuce plants have gone completely insane. I have enough out in the garden still for weeks and weeks of dinner salads! We made pickles from a handful of the pickles, Gus ate one raw (he loves them), and the rest will be making their way into some Greek salads. I'm just waiting for the tomatoes to ripen! We also have a ton more cucumbers still on the vine. They grow SO quickly!!

And... blackberries! This is probably 1% of what's out there. Each little branch has probably 40 berries, and only the ones on the very end were ripe. So one or two berries per branch. And there are a LOT of branches. Our yard is almost entirely surrounded with blackberry bushes! Time to start looking up blackberry recipes, because we are about to be absolutely inundated!!!

Anyway... living here is just awesome. I am amazed at how things grow here. I have done NOTHING aside from planting things and occasionally checking on them... and yet, here we are! It is incredible!

My Garden

...has officially gone crazy. It's SO COOL! I love that it's right by the front door, so I can stare at it from multiple rooms. Everything is so lush and green. My tomatoes are absolutely insane. I have two plants: one cherry, and one regular, and probably have over a hundred tomatoes on the two combined. They are still green, but WOW, there are a lot! My bell pepper plants have a handful of peppers on them, my lettuce is massive, I have cucumbers hanging all over the place, green beans everywhere... and so on. Oh, and the broccoli! The plants are huge, but they have suddenly sprouted these giant heads of actual, edible broccoli! They are such weird-looking plants, but they are clearly very happy. Looks like we'll be eating lots of veggies in the next few weeks!

I went out to take some pictures after our play date this morning. It's been raining, so there are drops of water on everything. But I went back to look for a "before" picture, and realized that I took one EXACTLY two months ago-- to the day! What a difference a few months makes! The little plants in the back are my tomato plants, and the ones in the center/front are the broccoli seedlings. CRAZY!

Broccoli (I have eight plants just like this!)

One of many, many cucumbers:

A few tomatoes. I can't wait for them to ripen! I think I need to find some really good marinara sauce and salsa recipes and do some canning!

Day Trippin'

What a day! I was too exhausted to post about it last night (and am still pretty wiped out today), but we spent the day playing tourist in Boston yesterday. It was a blast, but it was a LOT of walking. My feet need a break today! Still, it was a great day, and I'm sure we will do it again soon.

We left the house at 8:30, and got to the Boston Children's Museum, found parking, and made it to the door with a few minutes to spare before the 10am opening time. The museum is located right on the water, next to the Boston Tea Party museum, which was entertaining (they kept dumping "tea" overboard and then hauling it back up, haha). Anyway, the Children's Museum was AWESOME! There were so many different exhibits, and the kids had a lot of fun. The best part? We got in for free! We have passes to a local children's science museum, and they have a reciprocal agreement with both the Children's Museum and the Boston Museum of Science. Talk about a great deal!!

At any rate, here are some photos of the kids enjoying themselves at the Children's Museum!

We left the museum right before noon, and had our first "big city" adventure with the kids. We made the three-block walk to South Station, where we hopped on a red line train and made our way out to Cambridge, where Gus' old buddy, Ramzi, lives. We met up with him and his infant daughter at Harvard Square, and went to grab some lunch together. His baby girl was so sweet! She had the chubbiest cheeks and the cutest little mohawk!!

After we ate, we walked around the Harvard campus a bit. Harvard Yard was jam-packed with tour groups, and there was construction going on pretty much everywhere we turned. It was a little crazy!! But it was fun to hang out with Ramzi. It's about time! We've lived here for almost eight months now! Anyway, here are the old middle school friends, turned college roommates, turned daddies-living-in-Massachusetts. haha!

As we walked around Harvard, Nikos started to get ticked off, wanting to know where the dinosaurs were. He was ready to go to the Museum of Science, and we were taking FAR too long for him! So Ramzi eventually walked with us back to the subway elevator, we said our goodbyes, and we began our next train adventure. We took the red line to Park St., where we switched to the green line and made it out to Science Park. One thing we learned was that the green line trains were all older, and we had to lift the stroller up (a two-person job) to board. That kind of stunk! Still, we made it there without incident. And as we approached the museum, we saw a giant statue of a t-rex!

You know the thing Nikos had been waiting for ALL DAY? Yeah, he was terrified. haha! He was ready to leave at that point! But we made it by the statue, and the kids really enjoyed the museum. Gus and I were pretty exhausted, and we didn't look at too many exhibits, but we can always go back since it's free for us.

At that point, it was late, and we were done. I had hoped to be able to show the kids a few other things (Boston Common, Faneuil Hall, Old North Church, the swan boats), but that will have to wait. We got back on the green line, and had to switch trains again at Park Street. Except that the elevator we needed to get to the right platform was closed for construction. We looked all over for another way down, but couldn't find anything. Just one elevator that took us to a mezzanine where there more staircases to choose from. It was hot and gross underground, and crowded because it was rush hour. We ended up unloading the kids, folding up the stroller (a sit-n-stand-- so it's pretty bulky!) and walking down the stairs. Against the flow of commuters coming up them. That was the low point of the trip, for sure! But the rest of our journey was uneventful. We made it back to South Station, and it felt so good to get some fresh air again!

We walked back to the car, pausing to take a quick pic outside the Children's Museum. I love this picture! And if you look carefully, you can see a boat behind them. That's the Tea Party Museum!

We stopped to refuel at Dunkin' Donuts, and then made the drive home. And that was our day! --------------------------------- I know I haven't blogged much lately, and that's mostly because I have been completely wiped out! I painted our upstairs hallway three times, and it still doesn't look good! ugh! It's just soaking up the paint. I am taking a break from it, because it's so frustrating. And it's a huge hallway, so painting it is a giant pain. Literally, it makes me hurt! So I am trying not to think about it right now!

In other news...the weather here has been really nice lately! Warm, but not hot like it was before. We've been getting some thunderstorms, too. The other day, we had one that was INSANE! It went from being 83 and sunny, to all of a sudden pouring rain. The thunder was making the house shake! And then there was HAIL all over our front porch. Scary! OH, and when the storm ended, I went to open up the back door to get some air in the house. And a COYOTE was standing right in the middle of our back yard. It took of into the woods once it saw me, but oh my gosh!!! I didn't even know that there were coyotes in Massachusetts, but there are. Scary!!

Today, we're going to have a quiet day at home. I am still tired! There's a magic show at the library tomorrow, and we will be picking blueberries next week, but for today? I don't even want to change out of my pajamas, haha!

The Kitchen!!!!!

I really need to take better pictures during the daytime, and the "after" picture here is not my best work (it's a composite, and there are some weird spots where it didn't go together too well), but it's DONE!!!!!!!!!! For now, at least! In my mind, I envision sparkly black granite countertops, new light fixtures, and refurbished chairs (maybe painted black with lime green vinyl cushions?). But I think Gus has different ideas, and that's all in the future, anyway. For now... behold my white kitchen!!!!!

In other news, we went to a free concert this afternoon, where we met up with my friend, Jen, and her kids. It was really fun, and Maya loved dancing right up by the stage! We also went swimming with Caryn and her kids, and ended our evening Skyping with Gus in Costa Rica. AND, it was 10 degrees cooler than yesterday! Not a bad day!

Trucks, Diggers, and Cruisers!

We went to an event in the next town over today, where the kids got to check out all sorts of vehicles. They had bulldozers, street sweepers, cherry-pickers, fire trucks, ambulances, police cruisers-- you name it! It was only an hour long, but all the vehicles were open for exploration, which was very cool!

However, "cool" it was not! I think today was the hottest day we've had so far. Mid-90s with CRAZY humidity-- I thought I would die! It was made worse by the fact that I've made up my mind to finish painting the kitchen cabinets this week. By the time I had completed a coat of paint this morning, I knew I couldn't go out in public without a shower! It was just gross! Still, the kids had fun, and I am on track to finish the kitchen tomorrow afternoon. Everyone wins!

How about some pictures?

Later, when we got home, I decided to snap a few quick pics of my garden, which is going crazy! I have about a billion tomatoes growing, along with a bunch of bell peppers and green beans. My lettuce has been very happy since day one, and we can easily get enough for a dinner salad any time we want. And we have broccoli now!! The heads are starting to sprout in the middle of the plants! And then there are the cucumbers, which seem to have sprung up overnight. The kids are so excited to make pickles! WOOHOO for our little garden doing so well!!! YAY!

Big Girl Room!

I still have some decorating to do, but the furniture is all here. Maya LOVES it! So much so that I sent her up to check it out, and she fell asleep. haha! I guess that is the ultimate Seal of Approval! Anyway, here are a few quick pics.

Our Weekend

It's late, and I'm tired! I have plenty of photos to share, but am feeling short on words. So, long story short: we went to the local science museum yesterday, where we have an annual pass. The kids had fun, and the indoor portion was AIR CONDITIONED!!! Major bonus points for that when it's 86 degrees and super humid!

Today, the weather was basically the same. Kind of toasty! I think this weekend marks the first time where I wished this house had air conditioning. Or at least some more fans, which I might be compelled to purchase this week! Anyway, we went for a walk at yet another local state park, which was a lot of fun. We caught (and released) a bunch of frogs! And then we spent the afternoon keeping cool at the town pool (which is, incidentally, a ghost town on the weekends! score!).

I also got Maya's big girl furniture mostly assembled, and am just waiting on her mattress, headboard, and mirror to arrive tomorrow. It looks SO GOOD already, but I will post pics when it's done! Plus, the kitchen cabinets are more than 50% done. Progress, my friends! It feels good!

Without further ado, here are some pictures. And with that, I bid you goodnight!

My Kids Rock

Oh, and here's a cool picture of a dragonfly on our blackberries:

I am so tired! And hot! The painting continues!

Just Checking In

I know, it's been a few days since I posted anything (gasp!). I have spent this time busting my booty working on our house. Mainly, painting the kitchen cabinets. It is so time-consuming, but I am on a roll at this point! I'd post pictures, but I really want to wait until I am all done. Rest assured that it looks fantastic, though! :) It's just an ongoing challenge to work on the house while simultaneously attending to the kids and keeping everyone happy. Some days I am better at finding the balance than others!

Anyway... Today was another paint-the-cabinets day, with a trip to the supermarket thrown in for good measure (and for food, which is always handy!). I also dragged the kids to the hardware store for a can of black spray paint, and to the dollar store for some cheap picture frames (both stores are right by the market). I was inspired to paint some old frames and set up a photo wall in the kitchen, and it's looking pretty good so far! But again... no photos until the end! I am really pleased with how the kitchen is coming together. Once the countertops are replaced, it is going to be a focal point in our house, without question! I am loving it already!

However, I couldn't paint all day long without the kids getting mad at me. They started begging to go to the pool when we went to the market, since that was when they realized how hot it was outside (inside our house was very comfortable!). So I took them for a quick dip (about 40 minutes), and they made the most of it! Maya fell asleep as soon as we got home, so she was clearly worn out! Success!

At any rate... I am completely wiped out from working so hard, and am having trouble forming coherent sentences this late at night. So I will leave you with this photo of our boy from yesterday, with his sharp new haircut! He actually did great, and even let us cut his nails (for a price! he earned points and, ultimately, a prize). Love our little haggler!!

Maya's First Haircut

Didn't I just post yesterday about how Maya had turned into a Big Kid, seemingly overnight? Well, she's at it again. sigh.

Last week, Caryn and I had our own mini girls' night out after the kids went to bed. We got pedicures, stopped at a restaurant for drinks, and then went to see a movie. While we were walking around the shopping center, she pointed out the place where she takes her son to get his hair cut. It's a kid salon, and it was so cute and colorful and happy! Now, Nikos STILL hates getting his hair cut. He resists from the very moment a haircut is suggested, until the bitter end. He cries, screams, kicks-- you name it. We have long since stopped taking him places to cut his hair, and we just buzz it at home (where nobody can hear him scream, haha). I'm sure one day he will outgrow it, but we're not there yet! (by the way, we are cutting his hair tomorrow. SHHHH! Don't tell him!)

Maya, however, is an entirely different child. I thought she might actually enjoy the experience. She loves it when I cut her nails, and even asked me to paint her toenails pink this morning. That was when I told her about the salon, and asked her if she might like to get her hair trimmed. And she said yes! So after lunch, we all piled into the car and headed over to get her first haircut. (I wanted Nikos to come, too, so he could see her having a good time.)

At any rate... she did AWESOME! She hopped right into the chair, followed all the stylist's instructions, and grinned most of the time. We only had them trim about three inches off, so it isn't a huge difference, but her hair is now all the same length and much less scraggly. She even got a little green butterfly clip for her hair, a lollipop, and a small bottle of bubbles. Oh, and her official "First Haircut" certificate. It was such a great experience! She was SO CUTE!!

Nikos, however, proclaimed that he was bored and didn't like the shopping center. sigh. And he begged to go to the pool, which we eventually decided to do. The place was practically empty, and the water was perfect! Nikos had a great time diving off the side (we were there to catch him, though this picture doesn't look like it), while Maya loved just swimming around with her Daddy. These kids love the water!