I convinced my phobia ridden "crowd hating" hubby to go to Hampton Beach today. It's almost the end of summer and we hadn't yet taken Rowan to a real beach. Quite frankly I felt as though I was being a bad parent!
So we packed her up with all her beach toys, and in her teeny weeny Gap bikini, and off we went. We arrived around 9 am... which isn't really all that early when you're squatting a place to sit at Hampton... but we wound up with a front row parking spot and a nice little spot down near the man made peninsula end of things.
Rowan absolutely loved it! It was a bit chilly when we got there since it was so early, but she insisted on putting on her bathing suit and she ran right out and into the water. I laughed so hard watching her run away from every way, giggling and screaming as her little tiny feet pattered along. She dug holes in the sand, made mini sand castles and we even got to watch some kite flying. I never thought she'd like it so much, but she really did! I bet she'll be a beach bum someday.
After swimming, we took a walk to the playground and up and down the board walk for fried dough and fries of course. :)
It was fantastic! Although, Barney hated every second of it haha
Since my camera is broken, I'm including some stock photos of the beach haha just to spice some things up.
We also took route 1 home, through Rye.. past all the big beautiful beach houses..I wonder how many millions it would take to buy one... hahaha
http://www.hamptonbeach.com/pictorial.html
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Hampton Beach
Mmmmm cheese
Rowan has been wanting my soda (soder) lately. I drink diet sprite, so its not sugary or caffienated... hence I give her small amounts in a cup from time to time. Last night she wanted some "soder" which I gave to her... she brought her little cup to the table and I plunked down on the couch to watch TV. A few minutes later she decided it would be fun to mix some milk from her sippy cup into the cup of sprite... we tried vainly to convince her that it was gross but two year old's have thier own ideas about what does and does not taste good.
After a while... she was sipping away at her concoction.. and she turned to Barney and said.. "mmmmmmmmmm cheese!!!"
Ahhh yeah.. note to other parents... sprite + milk = instantly curdled cheese type product floating in bubbly substance... disgusting! She thought it was yummy though.
Friday, August 29, 2008
First Day of School - sort of
Today I dropped Rowan off for 2 excruciating hours at Pre-school orientation. I took her there by 8.. and picked her up at 10. Not to bad. She definitly clung to me when we got there, but was pretty excited to see her friend Alana. After a few minutes, she finally got down and went to use the potty (because Alana was). The class has its own bathroom with a tiny little toilet and a tiny little sink mounted low enough for a toddler to reach. She LOVED it haha. I snuck out while she was going potty, I figured it'd be easier that way.
When I picked her up, all the kids were outside at the playground. Its a huge area with lots and lots of different climbing structures so finding her wasn't easy but eventually she spotted me and came running.
I asked her about her day... and I got this brief description:
color lana... may goo.... fun.. potty.
That translates into... I colored with Alana and Mrs. Legeuix... it was fun and I liked the potty.
I asked her if she'd like to go back and got an enthusiastic YUP. So overall things went well.
I don't have pictures, as I have not yet recieved my replacement camera.. I can't beleive i've missed this huge milestone on film... devistating!!!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
What to do?
So, yesterday I got a meeting maker from my current team. Today is my last day of work. And they wanted to throw me a "farewell" party. I know their hearts are in the right place, but lets think about this for a second. I was laid off. My job was taken away from me and i've been faced with the scary task of finding a new job before my severance runs out, or I may lose my home and face not being able to properly care for my child.
Yeah... lets party! woo hoo, i'm so excited.
I know I sound ungreatful, and I feel bad that I feel this way, but wouldnt' you?
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Odiorne State Park
Today I was supposed to have an interview in Boston, but I postponed it a week until I find out about the hospital job.
Sooo.. I had the day off with nothing to do but whatever my heart desired.
I kept Rowan home with me and decided to head over to Odiorne State Park. Its a beautiful place and I haven't been there since I was a little kid.
http://www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/visit_today/odiorne_point.php
I told Rowan we were going to see the Ocean.. she said... "da Oh Chin?" She was quite excited. We got there around 10 and the weather couldn't have been more beautiful, slightly chilly with nothing but sun and a few stray white puffy clouds. I'm going into depth with the description because alas, my camera shit the bed as soon as we got there.. (how pissed was I)
I did buy a disposable at the Science center but without a scanner you'll never get to see them..sniffles.
Anyhow, the oddest yet funniest thing occured while I was there. A very large group of women with children around Rowan's age arrived at the Science Center. There were kids running around everywhere and before I knew it, I'd been swept in the crowd. Mom's were talking to me, making conversation while our kids played etc etc. I finally realized that they were part of a Seacoast are stay at home mother's club. And since I was there during a week day and I had a kid the same age they all beleived I was just part of the group. I got swepted off to have lunch with them, over to the playground and even down to the tidal pools to explore with all the kids. They were all so very nice and welcoming. I guess they thought I was a newbie hahahaha.... I sort of feel like a wedding crasher, but at the same time, it was nice to get a peek into a different word... the SAHM world. I've worked since 8 weeks after Rowan was born. And quite honestly, I can't imagine not working..I'm just not SAHM material. I would get to restless... and Rowan would eat me alive.
They were all very nice women though. They wore hippy style clothing, and recycled alot. They were frugal and were all very willing to share info about thier kids percentiles and milestones.
So there it is, for a day, I was adopted by a SAHM club... and it was kind of fun.
ps.. this might have been them... http://www.bigtent.com/groups/sma/
Monday, August 25, 2008
Interviews interviews
I had an interview today with a local electrical company. It went pretty well... I could tell they're very nervous about finding the right person, which was kind of cute actually.
I also got a call on the way back to work after the interveiw from another large local insurance company wanting to set up an interview.. :) Good times.. keep em coming!
Bored
Well here I sit at work, cozy in my cubicle. Its my last week here... its a strange feeling but I'm also looking foward to it being over. After all, I can surf the net and apply for jobs from the comfort of my home and in my jammies.
Did I mention I'm eating a handipack? The breadstick kind and its super yummy. I bought them for Rowan last week but she doesn't like them.. I sure do! haha
Needless to say its excruciatingly boring being here at work with no work to do. I guess I should be thankful that I'm being paid to do nothing (and I am).
I really can't wait to find another job however. I just want this whole mess over with and I want to move foward with me life no matter what the entails. It could be a rough couple of months.. but i'm willing and ready to deal with it. The more and more I think about this entire situation, the more thankful I become. Because honestly, I've got the most amazingly loving husband a girl could ask for, and my daughter is the most beautiful angel the good Lord could have sent me. I have more in my life with the two of them than half the other people in this world. Who cares about everything else... these two people are what make me tick.
That being said, man oh man do I want that job at the hospital. I want it so bad my heart is aching. It sounds right up my alley.. and would even involve doing some offsite training and stuff. I had tried to switch my MBA program a few months back to Business Education with a concentration in corporate training but work vetoed it because it wasn't applicable enough to my current role. But its definitly something I am very interested in. Here's hoping!
Ok well, enough rambling. I'm going to check out some job boards and then pray for the rest of the afternoon. Toodles!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Weekend in Review
Yet again another fabulous weekend at the Boyle house. It started off yesterday with the birthday party we attended (look down for pics). Today we celebrated Barney's 30th Birthday. (really tomorrow). We started in the last year or so to have Breakfast birthday parties. The food is cheaper and we have a longer time to hang out before nap time comes... so its perfect for the kids.
It is a bit strange to have Birthday cake with eggs and bacon but for the most part it works out pretty well.
Anyhow, we went over to Nonnie and Papas house bright and early by 8 am. Aunty Shawna was there of course with Toby Jr and new Baby Molly. (ro's cousins) Rowan LOVES Molly... she can't stop touching her and cuddling her. We've already discussed having another child because quite frankly I think Rowan would probably take care of it for us.. heck if there's no work in involved on our part why the F not right?
She also likes to hold Molly in her lap with Mommy's help of course, and whenever anyone else walks by, she yells, MY MOLLY!!! So yeah, there's no sharing of the baby apparently.
After the party we headed home for nap time. After Rowan went down, Barney cuddled up with me on the couch... hmmmmmm.... wonder why? After convincing me that we were way past due for some "day sex" and bringing out the whole.. "its my birthday line" we finally wound up upstairs in our bedroom... curtains and blinds drawn of course because things have to be as dark as humanly possible.. wouldn't want to see me naked hahahahaha
And here's the best part...a few minutes later an hour later we both fell fast asleep curled up in each other's arms like two old content fat cats sleeping in the sun. Pefect!
The day ended with steak and squash on the grill and an afternoon walk... Ahhhh bliss.
weekend in photos
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Birthday party fun
Today we were invited to our neighbor's daughter's 4th birthday party. Rowan loves parties! Mostly because cake is involved. It was a good time and its always fun whenever other kids are around to play with.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Because I love him
And quite frankly I think he's hot! Mr. Boyle
Also.. a big happy 30th Bday to him! August 25th. :)
Clown Day and her new pretty outfit from Grammy
Here are two pics. One is of Rowan dressed up for Clown day at school.. i basically just let her pic out her own clothes.. and she pretty much looked like a clown.
The other pic is of her in a new pretty outfit that Grammy Tate bought for her first day of school.. She starts at a local Christian Academy in one week for preschool.. sniffles!
ps.. hopefully you can tell which is which ;)
Fish story
Everyone has a fish story right? Even rowan... here's a video of her telling us alllll about a big fish she saw at a restaurant we had lunch at. The fish came swimming out from behind a rock and scared her.. she wouldn't go near the tank again haha
Picnics in the sun
Tonight we got take out, which we usually do on Friday nights.. generally we split a Chix parm sub, and we get a small pizza for Rowan to share with us.
It was so nice outside though that I decided to toss a blanket on the ground for an impromptu picnic.. why not right?
It was super fun and we didn't have to listen to Rowan whining about wanting to go outside the entire time we ate, haha.
Like a Weed....
I feel like a few weeks ago I came home with this tiny little red headed infant.... Now I have an almost 2 1/2 year old that tells me what to do all day.
Time goes by so fast... slipping through my fingers like sand. I made this slide show and cried the entire time.... Watch my baby girl grow up.
Family Update
We've been going through a very tough time the last month. On July 28th I was pulled into HR and "laid off" along with 70 other people in my department. It was a heart wrenching moment... and I cried for nearly 2 weeks after that.
My saving grace was that I was given 30 days to continue working, and also I have another 13 weeks of severance pay after that. I'm good until November 24th (a few days after my 30th bday.. yay).
I've been very actively searching for a new job. but its not the best time right now to find anything, as the economy sucks.
I had an interview this week at another large insurance company about an hour away, but received the call this morning that they chose someone wtih more experience.
This afternoon at 3 I have an interview at a local hospital doing what I do now. I have prayed everyday for that job... as working in a hospital is something I've wanted to do for a very long time.
I have another interview next week at the same large insurance company but for a different area.
3 isn't' that bad.. I'm praying that one of them turns out.
Its scary though, and if i can't find work making what I make now, we'll most definitely have to redo our lives.. perhaps move out of our condo and look at renting again.... who knows. Either way its not a change I was prepared for. I was quite happy with my life and the way it was going so you can only imagine the roller coaster I've been on since this all happened.
Poor Rowan has been handling it like a trooper. Every time I cry she asks me if I'm sad and if I need a tissue.
She makes me feel better everyday and reminds me what is important in life.
The one thing I am thankful for in this whole experience, is that its certainly woken me up. Have you ever gotten so immersed in the day to day hum drum of life that you sort of fall asleep? That was me about 2 months ago. This though, has snapped me out of that. I'm paying more attention to Rowan and boo, and less attention to the stupid things that don't matter...
I had been praying to God for a while now, that he help me be more close to him and that I allow him to be a larger presence in my life.
I think that he answered my prayers. I know that things are not in my control, no matter how much I thought they were. And i know that I need to trust him and his plans for me. Its very difficult not knowing what your futures holds, but if your willing to trust in God and the direction he sends you in, its a lot less scary.
Berry Picking....Part Duex
Yup we went again, this time for blueberries! She must have eaten a pound of them out in the field, and we picked another 5 lbs for home! We've had a lot of blueberry pancakes since then haha
The Children's Museum of New Hampshire
The Portsmouth Children's museum reopened its doors at the end of July in Dover under the new name The Children's Museum of New Hampshire. Of course we were there the first weekend. The musuem is where I have had both of Rowan's birthday parties and its holds a very special place in my heart. I also went there as a child and I have many fond memories of the Yellow submarine.
That being said, you can only imagine how heart broken I was to find that the new museum has a very tiny replica of a submarine and it does not have slides or anything fun. I was so upset in fact that I emailed the museum to express my disappointment.
I reiceived a response stating that the yellow submarine, although fun, was unsafe, resulting in many injuries and it also fostered a feeling among the children that running and jumping were ok behaviors through outt he rest of the museum.
Whatever!! Its a flippin Children's museum! Ahh well, i'm obviously not going to win that battle so i've said my goodbyes to the submarine within my heart and i've shed a few tears.
Moving on, the new museum is quite nice. It has many of the same exhibits with a few very neat new ones. My only complaint (aside from the obvious) is that its very open and airy which means that it gets uncontrolably noisey. The old museum was seperated out into rooms so the noise didn't carry quite as far.
I've been back 3 more times since, and I will no doubt have Rowan's birthday party there again this spring.
Happy Ba-day you....
Happy Ba-day you..... That's how Rowan practiced singing happy birthday to her best friend Lily..... she turned 2, yay!!!!
A steaming hot day at the park....
Every year the Prescott park arts festival puts on a play. They build a stage right in the middle of the park and it runs all summer long. This year was Beauty and Beast! I had taken Rowan to a play a few months earlier in a theater downtown Portsmouth so I was sure she'd love it. And would have, had it not been about 90 degrees and as humid as a South American jungle.
Either way, we putz around the Prescott park flower gardens for a while where Rowan could dip her feet into the water fountains, and then we squatted down on a blanket for the performance. The play was fantastic... i felt horrible for the performers as they were all wearing large heavy costumes... I can't even imagine how hot they were!
We didn't stay for the entire thing as it was quite long and frankly we were sweating BLEEPS off. Either way it was a fun day and we enjoyed it. :)
Raspberries and Strawberries.. Mmmmmmm
One of my favorite parts of New England are all the local farms we have. And every summer and fall I make it a point to be sure to hand pick every fruit possible. This summer started off with raspberries and strawberries. Rowan had a great time and she was actually really good at picking.. (and eating) both. In fact at one point, we had so many raspberries she started to smoosh them down with her hands to fit more... yay... hahaha
Here is yet another slide show :)
Oh say can you see!!!!!
I love the 4th of July. Its always been a huge holiday with my family. Everyone packs up and heads to my parents house in Northern NH for a weekend of camping out, drinking (of course) and swimming. My parents live in a very small town.. they've got a nice big yard on a very quiet picturesque road. Its peaceful up there and I miss it.
Anyhow, this year was a smaller affair. My mother was diagnosed with MS this past winter. She's handling it very well but its certainly taken a toll on her ability to move. It takes a lot of work to prepare the house for over 20 guests so she decided this year it would just be us: meaning my parents, my sisters family and of course Rowan Barney and I.
We headed up Thursday evening and stayed over until Sunday morning. Our original plan had been to tent it in the back yard, however after going camping a few weeks earlier we realized how much "stuff" you had to bring for that type of thing, so we decided to sleep in my parents house.
Now, I grew up in this house. We moved there when I was about 6 or 7. However, the house is very very old.. built circa early 1900's. I'd say its about 100 years old or so. We always knew growing up that weird things happened... ie.... spooktacular types of things.. noises, bumps in the night... the occasional hearing of voices etc etc. It never scared me though.. it was my home.. and whatever it was, or whatever "they" were, never felt threatening or scary.
Since we moved out (my sister and I) things have begun to happen more often. My father wakes up often to the floor lamp beside his bed shaking uncontrollably. He has to grab a hold of it to stop it. He hears voices often, as does my mother.
Most recently, my mother had flown to Florida so spend some time with some friends leaving my father home alone. He emptied the dishwasher and then went to watch TV. He came back into the kitchen to find all of the upper cabinets open (even the ones with only food in them). He had had a beer and thought perhaps he just didn't remember leaving them all open, so he closed them and went back to his news channel.
Upon returning a few minutes later, he was greatly disturbed to find that the doors again, were all open.
Upon hearing this story, Barney (the hubby) vowed never to sleep in the house again. He hates ghost stories and anything creepy. He'd already had an uneasy feeling sleeping there and this just added to it.
Anyhow I digress, you can only imagine how hard it was for me to convince him to sleep inside again.
The first night, we had our room all set up. Its a room off the back of my parents house that is most definitly and addition. They keep a couch and a TV back there. We had an air mattress on the floor and Little Miss Rowan was already completely zonked out on the couch.
We got all snuggled into bed, pulled the covers up and had all the lights off.... after a few minutes and at the point where we were just entering sleep.... We heard a noise. A loud one, and a deliberate one, "knock knock knock."
Now I'm not kidding when I say my husband probably jumped out of bed at least 4 feet into the air... he cursed quite loudly... "what the BLEEP was that!!!!". I could hear his heart pounding through his chest.
Now I'm sort of half asleep at this point also, and I could have sworn the noise came from behind us, on the outer walls of the house. I begin concocting explanations as any logical woman would do.."mouse in the wall.. this room is an addition with no slab underneath, maybe its a squirrel or a skunk under the floor boards" etc etc. Of course I know damn well that this noise was not something an animal could do. Its sequential and evenly spaced.. knock knock knock.
He's already up at this point, gathering clothing to pack up and leave... and trying to find the light switch....
After what felt like an eternity, but was really only about 2 or 3 seconds, I hear a giggle.... its my sister. She's behind the door, and she's looking for her necklace that she left laying somewhere...
I almost pissed my pants laughing.... Granted, the knock really did sound like it came from behind us and not in front of us. But my poor husband had a heart attack and thought we were being attacked by some ghostly spirit, when in fact it was my sister merely looking for her jewelry.
We laughed about it the entire weekend, and we would not let him live it down... we still laugh about it actually. Poor poor Barney.
Anyhow, the rest of the weekend was fabulous. We watched the little town parade (two fire trucks and a girl on a horse) and ventured into the towns fair (a bunch of tables selling used crap and one booth selling fried dough).
We also tried to keep Rowan awake for the fire works on Saturday night. We got her all psyched up for them all day long... so she wouldnt' be afraid of the noise. At 9:30 they finally started, and she fell asleep at 9:20. Oh well, maybe next year! hahaha
The Zoo... Again
Barney had things to do one rainy saturday so I packed Rowan up and we headed to the York Zoo in ME for the day to meet up with two friends that also have kids.
It was a fun day... even with the drizzle and the coolness. Rowan has been potty trained now for quite some time so it was our first big outing in big girl undies. She did very well and let me know when she needed to use the potty. :) such a big girl!
At the zoo we saw tons of animals of course (no duh right?). Rowan loved them all expecially the goats because she'd recently learned to say "BAH!!!" haha.. she really wanted to see some cows but alas, there were none.
Another highlight of the day was seeing the Lions and Tigers... which Rowan called Kitties of course... and she very politely called to them..."here kitty kitty.. kiss kiss."
gotta love a kids point of view on the world.
And another slide show.. because I love them.
Where did the Summer go?
Its been soooo long since I posted so I have alot of catching up to do. First of all, we've had a great summer, although its gone by far to fast and I didn't do nearly half as much as I'd thought I'd do. I had day dreamed about trips to the beach, long walks, hiking, etc etc. The days rush by so fast and it feels like every weekend slips through my fingers.
One highlights however was our trip up to Ossipee to go camping with my sister and her family which also included a trip to Storyland. That was a ton of fun even though it rained all weekend. My ever industrious husband was kind enough to build us a Tarp city to keep us all dry and warm. (he's a Virgo and can't sit still)
Rowan loved the whole experience because she was outside the entire time. Our campsite was also right on the water with its own small beach. There were two families of ducks that would visit sporadically for nibbles of bread. The tiny baby ducklings were still fuzzy and super adorable. Rowan was beside herself with excitement. If anyone knows Rowan, you'd know she's been obsessed with ducks since birth. I have a thing myself for rubber duckies so her baby nursery was done in yellow and blue with rubber duckies everywhere... therefore she loves them as she had no choice.
The trip to story land was ok. Rowan wasn't really into the rides much.. and she was afraid of almost everything we went near. The one thing she did love of course was the duck pond, wonder why? She also had her first shaved ice which she gobbled down at record speed.
Here are a few pics from the trip.
