Tag Archives: family

Brady-boo is 14!

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How is this child growing up so fast? Our not so little Brady-boo will be in high school next year. While he is more than ready, we can’t help but want to make time slow down a little.

This year Brady grew so much socially. His friend group expanded as he began to get more involved in band, running track and cross country, and participating in Lego Robotics club. This was evident at his birthday party where 11 teen boys came to hang out, swim, and EAT SO MUCH FOOD. One thing I noticed was how each of them had such nice things to say to Brady in their birthday cards- they all seemed to know him so well and really care about him. It feels good to know that as he begins this new adventure of high school, he will be surrounded by some really good kids.

Brady at 14 is not that much different than Brady at 4 in most ways. Yes, at 5’8 he now towers over me, but he is still my dinosaur obsessed boy. He still studies things and quietly observes in new settings. He still loves museums, books, and building. In fact, this year he asked for money for his birthday so he could buy his own Lego Robotics kit. He loves learning behind the scenes information about his favorite movies (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Jaws) by watching documentaries about Steven Spielberg and John Williams. He is a wiz at coding, Lego, and anything Paleontology, but he also loves being up to date on current events and government.

This kid is so unique and so kind. He is analytical, logical, and has such a good head on his shoulders. We are so proud of the young man he is becoming. Slow down, time! We love you so much, B-man!

Brady-boo is a teenager!

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Our sweet Brady turned 13 this summer. This past year has been a tremendous time of growing and maturing for him. He is easily 2 inches taller than me and is eating us out of house and home. You can practically see him growing before your eyes. He is smart and kind. He is witty and analytical. He loves Minecraft and coding. He plays trumpet and runs track. He spends his time reading and hanging out with friends. He is easily the best teenager I know. We are so lucky he is ours!!!

Nolan is 11!

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Our youngest (not-so) little man is 11. He is in his final months of Elementary School and is dangerously close to being taller than me. While he is maturing and growing, he is thankfully still our sweet, playful, hilarious Bubba. He loves anything he can “win” at- video games (Minecraft and Mario), sports, board games, and math problems. His quick wit is either going to take him far in life or get him in trouble some day! He has become more confident and more sure of himself over the last year. He is more willing to try new things and has worked hard at being okay with making mistakes. Although, that may always be a work in progress…

He is always up for a round of basketball, golf, or football in the yard with his daddy. He knows how to butter up his mommy for extra desserts and snuggles. He plays baseball and the trumpet, and his ability to play a tune on the piano by ear is amazing. We are constantly in awe of this kid and his talents, memory, and humor. He is the absolute best 11 year old I know.

We love you, we love you, we loooooove you, Nolie. *extra hug!*

2023 Recap

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As I sit here on a cold January day looking out onto a grey sky, I find my mind wandering to warm memories. I’m reflecting on all of the adventures we had last year and getting excited for new ones to come.

We started 2023 with lots of cozy days at home, working on our house (this was definitely a year of house projects!) The boys enjoyed snow tubing in the yard, building forts and snowmen, and getting outside as much as possible through the winter.

For February break we did a family get away to New York City. I loved seeing the city through the boys eyes and it was great to enjoy winter in New York without the crazy Christmas crowds.

For April break we had an amazing trip to Montreal and Quebec City. We loved the architecture, food, and museums.

Spring brought flowers, sunshine and lots of Little League Baseball.

Summer brough strawberry and blueberry picking, an Ed Sheeran concert, visit with family, a trip to Florida/Georgia and more baseball. The boys tried sailing camp for the first time and Brady went to his first overnight summer camp for STEM.

As the weather began to cool again we took advantage of less crowds and the beach and spent many evenings relaxing with Sailor. In October Chris and I had a quick getaway to Camden Maine. We spent a long weekend with the boys in New Brunswick Canada and loved the gorgeous scenery.

We ended the year with more visits from family and time enjoying our beautiful area.

I can’t wait to plan some new adventures for 2024!

Nolan is 10!

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Sweet Bubba hit double digits. It seems like he was just a wittle toddler screaming at us for more “foffles” and spending endless hours playing with his train tracks. Our baby boy declared this birthday his best ever. He had a surprise visit from Grandma who showed up at his favorite restaurant for dinner on his birthday, opened loads of Pokemon cards, and ate strawberry cake of course. We gave him new (big kid!) golf clubs and he celebrated over the weekend with his two closest friends at a Sea Dogs baseball game.

Nolan’s enthusiasm for life is contagious. He gets so much enjoyment from playing games, “dominating” in sports, and bragging about his math skills. He is always moving and can be heard stampeding down our stairs from a mile away. There is not a quiet bone in this rambunctious boy’s body. He is a lover of the Beatles, Mario Kart, sprinkles, stuffies, and Taco Bell. He is a feeler of all the feels and wears his big heart on his sleeve at all times.

We are so grateful for ten years of trying to keep up with our little man (although, he is consistently not so little, the tallest in his class in fact- as he repeatedly reminds us.) Happy birthday, Nolie! You are so loved.

Nolan’s Turning Ten Interview!

Smiths in the City!

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For our February break this year (because Mainer’s need a break mid winter!) we decided to do a family trip to New York City. We had taken trips to the city when Brady was a toddler, but Nolan had never been. Turns out February is actually a great time to go- the Christmas crowds have died down, and let’s face it, not many people think to go to cold New York at the height of winter. We got very lucky though as the temperatures were quite mild (compared to the Maine winter we had been experiencing.)

We let the kids have a lot of say in the planning of this trip and made sure to include all of their interests. The American Museum of Natural History was a must see as it fulfilled Brady’s dream of seeing a T-Rex skeleton (along with many other species of dinosaurs.) We also made sure to head to the Harry Potter store where Brady was able to pick out his own wand.

Nolan was focused on visiting the Nintendo store and multiple toy stores, including two Lego stores. He was also in it for the food. Bagels, pizza, Serendipity and Little Italy were priorities.

It was so fun to see the sights of Times Square through the boys’ eyes. They loved all the hustle and bustle and especially the glamorous subway. They couldn’t get enough of riding it!

This was a trip to remember and we can’t wait to go back. There is still so much to see!

Holidays 2022

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Another holiday season has come and gone. This year we had visits from family, ate lots of yummy food, and enjoyed activities close to home. We kicked off the holidays with a visit from Grandpa and Nana. I was so happy to be on both my feet this year (boo to last year in a cast!) We cooked a huge meal, went to a Maine Mariners hockey game and checked out the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens lights. It was a fast but fun visit!

Throughout December we did lots of festive activities. We bought our biggest Christmas tree ever at Highlands nursery by our house. We had to buy more lights!! We decorated cookies, did advent activities, played in the snow, and hosted a neighborhood Christmas party. And, school went right up to Christmas weekend. It…was brutal! But, we made it.

Over Christmas break Grandma came to visit with her puppy, Ollie. We didn’t get to do as much as we had planned because she got sick while she was here (boo!) but we did fit in some fun. Lots of eating and relaxing! And of course, Santa was very good to Brady and Nolan. They even got to skate on our next door neighbor’s rink they built in their yard. Chris and squeezed in a fabulous date night and even a beach sunrise one day.

Here’s hoping 2023 blesses us with good health and continued happiness!

Acadia National Park

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After about a year of living in Maine, we finally got the opportunity to make a trip up to Acadia. Brady had been saving money in our family adventure fund since we moved up here in hopes of visiting Acadia. From where we live in Portland, it is about a 3 hour drive- perfectly doable for a nice weekend trip! We heard many people’s stories about how absolutely bonkers Acadia gets in the summer, so we lucked out by finding a time to go right before peak season started. Mid May was the perfect time to check it out. Beautiful weather without the crazy crowds of summer. And, we were able to book a beautiful resort in downtown Bar Harbor for a deeply discounted rate. We checked out Cadillac Mountain, Jordan’s Pond, Thunder Hole, Sandy Beach, Bass Harbor Lighthouse and lots of other cool spots in the park. We can’t wait to go back again!

Brady is 11!

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It happened again- our boy is a year older. Brady is such a light in this sometimes very dark world. His curiosity, his always spinning wheels, and his even keeled nature make him such a one of a kind kid. At 11, he loves all things dinosaurs and Jurassic Park. He pours through books faster than I can keep up- we are constantly at the library stuffing our tote bag full for him. He is often distracted and in his own head thinking of new inventions and analyzing the way things work. He is fearless and has tried all kinds of new activities this year- baseball, skiing, trumpet… He is kind and gets along with everyone he meets. We couldn’t have asked for a better 11 year old. He is so excited for middle school and growing up. We secretly wish we could keep him this age forever. We love you Brady-boo!

Spring Break(s) 2022!

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So one thing that is new to us here in Maine is having both a February and April week off of school. I guess they assume all Mainers are ready for a break from the cold come February. And, let’s get honest, it’s still cold in April so many people need to get away again then! We did a big Florida road trip in February and had a nice stay-cation in April.

We made the 2 day journey down South with the kids and the dog. It was a loooong drive, but we did get to see Grandpa and Nana for a night before we made our way to Universal Studios. (Sailor spent her vacation with them!) During our trip we also got to visit with Aunt Kim, Uncle Esteban, Aunt Gift, Chloe, Grandma, Aunt Claudia, and our friends Darrah and Ryley.

The boys loved the hotel at Universal. One of their favorite things was the pool and restaurant! But, the biggest reason we were there was to finally see the Jurassic Park world and ride the Velocicoaster. Brady was SO excited. We also loved getting to see the Harry Potter World. It was ridiculously crowded but we packed a lot in. We even got to check out the new Volcano Bay water park. It was snowing back home while we were floating down a lazy river!

We kicked off April break by celebrating Easter just the 4 of us at home. Chris had to spend part of the break in Puerto Rico for work, so my dad flew up and spent the week with us. We did a fun stay-cation and did things like eat out at new restaurants, went to the trampoline park, went to the movies, and hit up a minor league baseball game. We even drove to Boston for the day and checked out their amazing science museum.

We are finally starting to see some signs of actual Spring. There are buds on trees, flowers blooming, and *slightly* warmer weather. We can’t wait for Summer!!!