Enjoying the last of the summer weather...

I hope you all enjoyed yesterday's weather as much as we did! The sun did it's best to warm us very early in the morning, and by noon we were up to almost 68 degrees!

Speaking of weather, it's very hard for me to believe that Christmas is around the corner. For those of you who know me well, I am usually done my shopping, all wrapped up, and last year by this time, the Christmas tree was up and decorated! This year is different. I don't know if it's because of losing Bill, or because I'm not in my own home doing my normal routine (like anything I do is even close to normal!) but I can't seem to get into the spirit of the season. I even typed up a letter to Sam from Santa Claus, and it didn't excite me when he read it like it used to. I'm not depressed, but the holiday mood seems lost on me. Perhaps once the weather turns white and colder, I will start. On the other hand, I am busy working on an extra special birthday party for Sam, who will turn 7 on Dec. 27th. Because his birthday is so close to Christmas, he gets a bum deal on his special day. So, to celebrate his going under water, I booked a pool party at the local YWCA. They have a super place to have a group meet, do your cake and presents, and then an hour of free time in the pool. The best part is that they have inflatable floats the entire length of the pool for the kids to jump and play on. Today Sam and I went to the party store to pick a "theme" for the party, and he went with anything having to do with water. So, we picked up all the necessary items for the tables and gift bags and goodies for the kids. We even picked up some balloons for Uncle Billy and Papa to send up to heaven. Will let Uncle Billy's balloon go, and he jumped up and down trying to catch it! What a pip!

First Official Hair Cut for Will

Dad gave Will a trim, but it took a professional to finish it off. Poor Will wimpered for most of the cut, but the pop kept him from bailing out of us! Now, he is one handsome toddler!

Happy Halloween!

I wanted to share with you pictures of Dr. Pacheco-Corwin (Sam) and Elmo (Will). Please note that even Katie got into the act (she's the one in the blue sweater, as if you didn't know)watching out for the trick or treaters! You remember us living up on the hill away from town didn't afford us many young visitors on Halloween. Poor Bill and I got "stuck" eating all the candy, lol! This year in Maine, I had about 40 or so, and it was either toddlers or teenagers. Your never too old to trick or treat!

American Flag Roof in Lewiston

Lewiston was honored to have Scott LoBaido of Staten Island, NY paint an American flag on the roof on Russell Street--just a block away from Mom's house. He says that it is the 29th roof he has painted in his quest to paint a roof in each of the 50 states. While is claims this roof has been one of his favorites, he says he probably won't do one with so much of a steep pitch. Scott was honored by the mayor for his pride in his country. Scott commented that "It's things like this that keep me going."

More pictures...

Long time, no hear....

Sorry I haven't been as faithful to updating this blog. It is safe to say that my personal time is taxed at best. Now I am the "wife" doing all the shopping, errands, etc. for my mother. It's time after all she's done for me.

The gardens are still doing very well, even with the season changing more and more each day. We are no way near peak foliage conditions yet, and that is fine with me. We still haven't had a killing frost yet, so once that happens, it won't be long before the leaves give us their final show of color before they drop.

Many of you have asked about the "kids"--Katie, Simone and Georgette. They are doing well, and Will seems to have found a good buddy in Katie. It seems that she has trained Will to remove his socks upon arrive at Mom's and give them to her. It's a game Katie started playing with me once I went to work. When I go in the bedroom to undress, she perches on the end of the bed and watches as I remove my socks. I throw the first one in the air, calling out "sockarooing"--she catches it in her mouth (ugh!), tosses it around, and then awaits the removal of the second sock. Once we complete that task, she balls up both socks and lugs them around for a few minutes, usually hiding one or both socks. In this way, I cannot put them back on to go out. So, in her doggie mind, I am forced to stay in for the rest of the night. Silly pup! So, Will and Sam's socks are even better as they are smaller and easier to carry around. Poor Karen is always looking for one or more when she leaves, so we always have lots of spares around.

My social life is growing in leaps and bounds. I am now a member of the Lewiston Senior Citizens group, St. Ann's Sodality (a church group for the woman of the parish), the Women's Literary Guild and also their Garden Club, and I attended a informational meeting for the St. Mary's Hospital Auxillary last week. I think they could smell fresh blood...

Before I end, here are a few more pictures of the kids, the gardens and the pups. I miss you all very much, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Off to a play...

Mom and I took a bus trip yesterday with the "seniors" to the Ogunquit Playhouse to see "Menopause, The Musical." Trust me, if you are dealing with this issue, it's a hoot to see it played out on stage. Liisa, I thought about you during the entire show--all it was missing was our "M & M" reference, lol!

Okay, since I'm not working yet (I decided to wait until the first of the year to look for a job) I signed up Will and I for "Baby and Me" swimming classes at the YWCA. You know me, any excuse to wear my string bikini! LOL! This should be very interesting, especially since the classes are on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. Looks like Willie will be sleeping over on Friday nights to ensure we make it to the classes on time. Gee, I almost feel like a real grandmother!

On the move...

Just a little update as to my activities. Sister Karen and I took the kiddies to Funtown, USA and Chuckie Cheese for Sam's first annual "end of summer" fling. He begins 1st grade tomorrow in a brand new school. I don't know if he is excited about it, but we are, lol! Will is now 18 months old and must take after his Auntie Kathleen (or as Dr. Creme called me the red hurricane). He never stops, that is, until it's nap time. I take him upstairs to sleep and he is out for several hours. Sometimes, I need to wake him up as he gets too long a nap and stays up all night. I'm going to check into taking him the the YWCA for swimming lessons. That should be very interesting! Later!

Pictures to share...

Many of you have asked me to share pictures of my family--here are a few to enjoy!

P.S. Dr. O'Neill--please note Will's thumbs up! He now does it with both this thumbs. Wonder what other habits I am teaching him???

Summer in Maine...

One of the highlights of the summer is spending time with family. As our Christmas present last year, my mother rented a house right on Pine Point for the week. I cannot begin to tell you what a wonderful, thoughtful gift that was. The entire family enjoyed themselves, and we look forward to doing it again hopefully next year.

New Blog!

Hello everyone! I guess I wanted to try out this blog thing out and see if it really works. I will try to do my best to update it with what is happening in my life and that of my family. Please feel free to make comments.