Here's a t-shirt worthy of bragging rights...and an all white cube to go along with it.

Twist and click and twist and click and twist and click. In the hallways, stairwells and auditorium.

Anna's Taqueria provided us with an awesome lunch! Lucky MIT kids to have such a place right on campus.

I found myself on that campus nostalgic for a lot of things. I only went to 2 years of college and I didn't have a great experience. I went to the "wrong" school and wasn't happy. But being on this campus at MIT, relatively quiet in the summertime, yet still brimming with energy, I am a little sad for what I didn't have...but very excited and hopeful for my sons who are on the verge of their own college experience.

May I take this moment to say that there was a great symmetry to the day not only in having the colors in the cubes line up (ha ha) but to seeing my son cross the very same street on the very same campus that his father and grandfather have walked before.

the migraine carries on...

Day, oh I don't know, 5? I've lost count. It starts at 7 a.m. and continues all dusty day. We are getting new sewer and water pipes and it's JUST SO LOUD. I know it has to be done and believe me I feel worse for the men who are literally in the trenches. But the slow growl of the trucks and the jackhammers and the grime everywhere and having to park my car around the block and trek back and forth over the neighbors yards...has done me in.

At least the dog has something to look at.

Mom remembers when...

Who can believe that this son of mine is 16 today? If there was a cuter kid...well of course, all of my kids are cute, but Carter has these rosy cheeks...

and impish grin and completely long eyelashes that I always told him were wasted on him!

Can you tell what his favorite show was? And how he never took off his "Survivor" buff? Did Survivor make up the name buff? I don't remember hearing it before or since used to identify that printed piece of stretchy poly-cotton blend that cast members wore as shirts, skirts, headbands and neckwear. We had about a dozen in the house and he and Brady either wore them around their head or around their wrist. For years it seemed like! Go Georgetown soccer!

Too cool on vacation in Maine.

I gather he is trying to look like a tough 7 year old at a Patriot's Superbowl Party. Is it working? You be the judge. I think the angelic face and grease paint cross each other out.

Sweet 16

Is there another word for "sweet" when it's a boy? Well it was 16 years ago right about this second that his sweet boy came into the world. The second of 3 boys he is charming and funny and sweet and has been since I can remember.

He has great friends and they wanted to take him out to lunch for a birthday celebration. So nice!!!

I provided the limo and although I wasn't there I suspect they all had a great time...other than not being able to get the cute little glass bottles of Coca-Cola that I bought opened. I didn't realize they weren't twist off and I guess the limo driver didn't think 16 year olds would need bottle openers!

After a few shots (pictures, people, pictures!) I did the right thing and went home. Love ya, Carter. You wanted to be 16 and now you are ; )

Yankee Homecoming - Day 7

If this ain't summer...please tell me what is. Wrestling a giant bag of warm! fresh! kettle corn while waiting for the concert to begin.

Celebrating BIG birthdays with friends.

Sprinkle, sprinkle little Pam.

And enjoying the wonderful music of the Air Force Liberty Band out of Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts.

when live gives you lemons....

as in ~ when they are replacing the sewer pipes on your street and the noise is making both your teeth and windows rattle at the same time...it's time to get out of Dodge.

Go North young men! We thought a day in Rockport would be nice. And it was, but very warm. I tried to convince them to go to the beach but without any luck. Usually sitting on the rocks you catch some sort of breeze, but this was just a still summer day, beautiful, but not very refreshing even by the ocean.

So we grabbed some hot dogs and fries at "Top Dog" and...

had a great time playing with their magnet board. Sometimes the day brings unexpected things and sometimes you can have a lot of fun for a little money. If I had brought them to some lovely canopied place for lunch overlooking the harbor they would not have enjoyed their lunch as much as getting to play around with these word magnets and watch the cooks grills the hot dogs and sing to whatever was on the radio.

After an hour or so we retreated to air-conditioned Nordstrom because my little artist had a handpainted tile right in the floor there. About two years ago the Stone Zoo worked with the newly built Nordstrom on children's handpainted tiles to be placed in the floor in the children's department. It was a fundraiser, (50 bucks!) but I loved the idea as it would be a permanent installation. I had to work on the day of the Grand Opening party and so all of this time later, I had never seen Ronan's tile. Little cutie has mom's sunglasses on. He won't EVER wear any....but if I bring an extra pair, he puts them on. It's cute, well, for me. Carter cracked up everytime he looked at him and Ro kept saying "what are you laughing at?"

Yankee Homecoming Day 1

For, I don't know...perhaps 20 years...we have been eating and enjoying our way through Yankee Homecoming in Newburyport. This year it runs from July 25 through August 1st. It is a week long festival of food, music, boat rides, arts and crafts all wrapped up in a beautiful setting. We used to live much closer, just a 10 minute ride away, and I'd just bring a cooler, some chairs and a blanket and wander about with the kids until Rich could join us for the concert at night. I also sold my handpainted shirts for 10 years at the craft fair, still held on the Tuesday of the festival. So it has nothing but great memories for me.

We now have a little routine of starting off at Abraham's Bagels in downtown Newburyport. They have the sweetest courtyard with tables and lots of shade. Ronan takes after his brothers...bring a book and it's all good.

The view of the Frog Pond at Bartlett Mall. It was "Old Fashioned Sunday" with you guessed it, food, music and fun. Thomas train rides for the kids, a Native American booth with costumes and dances, pony rides, antique cars and lots of hula hoops and penny candy. I am not sure how long the pond has been there but in my mind's eye I just can picture women from the turn of the century strolling along with their long dresses and parasols.

The always fun canoe-tilt. Who will get thrown in? It's like whack-a-mole on the water.