A good reminder

Parents...myself included...sometimes forget this.  We are here to help shape and guide our children.  But ultimately...they will become who they are supposed to be in their own time.

Create Joy

Cuteness

Very first college tour

Julia had her very first college tour.  I can't even believe that the time has come for that.  She's only going to be a junior this year but I want to be sure we put a lot of time and thought into her college selections.  So we toured the campus of UNH this past Friday and she loved it!  What's not to love though?  The campus is gorgeous and everyone was so friendly and helpful.  We had lunch in one of the dining halls to help her experience what that would be like.

Our student tour guide told us that touching the nose of the UNH panther brings you good luck!

Next up will most likely be URI and UMass Amherst.  It's an exciting time for her!

We stayed in Ogunquit this weekend since it's so close to UNH.  On the way back to Ogunquit from our tour we stopped in Portsmouth, NH and discovered beautiful Prescott Park...

Just look at all those black-eyed susans!!!  That's my Dad's favorite flower so it brought me so much joy...

The rest of the weekend we spent enjoying beautiful Ogunquit.  Marginal Way is my absolute favorite place to be...

Unfortunately Nicholas and Danny couldn't join us this weekend because Nicholas had a hockey showcase.  He was very happy though being in his element...

Backstreet Boys concert #9

BSB concert number NINE didn't disappoint!! It was AMAZING!!  It was at the Boston Garden this time and we had awesome seats!!  They always put on a fantastic show!  And I may have cried a few times...

Took these from BSB's official facebook page...

Some videos...

Ten years

Love and miss you my friend...

My birthday

Today is my birthday.  I don't like my birthday for many reasons...but...if I look at it this way...

1. I'm still here

2. I'm healthy

3. All my loved ones are healthy

4. I live quite a good life

Then it's all good, right?  

My sweet Nicholas gave me roses and two bags of my favorite candy...

Daniel gave me some beautiful flowers too...



We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory tonight.  One of my favorite restaurants with my favorite people...although I didn't get a picture with Daniel, he's still one of my favorites too : ) 

Summering

Julia spent the day on her friend's boat yesterday.  It was a beautiful day for it!  Ahhhh to be 16 again...so young and beautiful...

Nicholas turns 18

Our boy turned 18 yesterday!  EIGHTEEN!!!  It never ever gets easier.  I have to admit that I've been trying to emotionally prepare myself for this one for a while...but let me tell you...it still hurt.  Like to the core it hurt.  He humored me and looked at his baby pictures with me the other night.  He's such a love.  He's honestly so good to me.  He gives me BIG hugs...every...single...day and tells me he loves me...every...single...day.  I'm a lucky Mama. 

We asked him where he wanted to go for dinner on his birthday but instead he chose breakfast.  He wanted the IHOP churro pancakes.  They were super sweet...just like my boy!!  : )  

So glad CeCe could join us!

When we got back to the house Nicholas opened his presents.  The girls gave him a bag full of candy...

His big birthday present was a new gaming chair for his room.  He also got a few other fun things from us too and presents from his auntie's and his Nana...

Then at dinner he proceeds to tell me that now he's 18 he's going to:

1. Go to a casino.

2. Buy a lottery ticket.

3. Get a tattoo.

4. Get piercings.  

And I reminded him of number 5.  That he can officially be arrested and go to jail now too.  ; )   So he better be a good boy! 

I know he just says things like that to tease his old Mama and see my reaction.  But he really did buy his very first lottery ticket last night...and sent me a text to show me how he was going to "win big"...haha!!!  And of course he lost his $5!  Hopefully that will teach him!  Can you imagine if he did win big on his first ticket???  That actually wouldn't have been a good thing at all!  

We sang Happy Birthday to our boy twice...once in the morning with no cake because we were super full from our breakfast...

and once more at night with some whoopie pies before he went to hang out with his friends...

He'll always...always...always be our baby boy.  Truly...the best day of my life was the day he was born.  Simply a miracle.

(enormously pregnant with Julia here but I love how he used to cuddle with me with his binkie...)

The love of my life.