Big Shoes to Fill

The boys like to walk around with either shoes belonging to Ray or myself. This morning they each found a pair of mine and were following each other around the living room. You might be wondering why Connell looks like he is dressed for the tropics and Liam for the North Pole. Since Connell's room faces straight west, he gets the sun in the evening and therefore his room is quite warm for sleeping. Liam's window faces straight east and has the opposite problem! So you will often find them in pjs from opposite seasons.

Redecorating the Bathroom

A few weeks ago, I got the bright idea to redo the 1/2 bathroom on our main level. Since I have only painted once in my life (about 4-5 years ago in helping Ray to paint the large rooms in our newly finished basement) and that painting was very limited (Ray did most of it), I really am a rookie to the whole concept. I started by picking out the fabric for the window treatment (as I have always made all the curtains, valances, etc. in our house even though I never paint the rooms that they go in) and then matching a "basketweave" paint color to go with them. I decided to capitalize on the dark blue and lime green colors in the fabric as accents in the bathroom. I also wanted a French theme so I emailed my good friend of 20 years in France and begged her to take some photos of her village/countryside for me. I got some enlarged and reprinted and then framed them in my painted frames (probably a little wild for those of you who are faint of heart). Overall I am happy with the result although you can truly see (in person) that the paint job is quite amateurish. I really hadn't researched the methods of painting before I undertook the job and so there are lots of minor problems. Good thing I started in our smallest room in the house. I have decided that this summer I also want to undertake redecorating one of the upstairs bathrooms as well just to have the opportunity to improve upon my painting technique. We'll see how that one goes...

Best Friends

Here is a photo that my friend Jackie took of her son Seth (middle of course - just turned 2 last week) and my two boys. They were sitting on the wooden toy chest in Seth's bedroom. I can't believe that all three boys actually smiled a little for the camera. The three boys play together once a week and have known each other since shortly after Seth and Liam were born.

Dreams of Sunflower Fields Shattered

Connell's little sunflower sprout has perished. I am not sure if I watered it too much or not enough or if it was too chilly on the window sill. It said to transplant when it reached 3 inches which it hadn't reached yet. Connell was a little bummed to find out about its demise although he had literally forgotten about the plant until I was taking a photo of it. When I told him that it had died, he looked at it and said, "Mom, I think you're right!"

The Boys Have a Loving Side...

Even though their bickering/fighting seems to be dominant, the boys do have a loving side. This morning they wanted to snuggle together on the couch while watching tv.

College Friends

Ray and I went to my college friend Krissy's wedding this afternoon. I was able to reconnect with 2 other friends - Tracy (left) and Catherine (right). Back at St. Kate's in the early 90s, the four of us did lots of things together (movies, Baker's Square runs, shopping, hanging out in the 3rd floor Whitby lounge, etc.) It was fun to get together after all these years.

My Little Artists

Since I dragged the boys to Joann's and Walmart with me this morning, I bought them each a $1. velvet picture with markers to color when we got home. Can you tell which one colored which? Slight difference between a 3 1/2 yr old and a 22 month old in the coloring department I guess.