Boys Of Summer Part II

So many pictures..... are you surprised?  How I wish that I'd posted them in order... ah well.

the Lynnfield 2012 Fourth of July Parade (held on July 8th)

Gabe was contestant #204

our school friends, Nicole & Jay, on their bikes

Nicole & Jay had so much fun pushing/pulling Zach in the "dragon cart" aka wagon

 

 

Back With Our Cousins

checking out the horse at Weir Farm in Hingham

we got to go inside the pig pen to visit with the piglets!

feeding the goats

the gang at the farm

walking back to our car

 

silly times at Bertucci's after our farm visit

 

on our way to George's Island!

Gabe pushing his cousin around the island

love that shot!

running in the dark powder keg storage building

 

looking for "treasure" on George's Island

Zach's turn to push his cousin

waiting for the ferry to arrive and take us home

on the ferry ride home

 

 

Boys Of Summer

Summer is officially over, since BOTH boys had their first day of school today!  I'll post about the first day of school later.  Right now, I'm dying to post some pictures of our summer adventures.  Here we go:

Zach hiding behind one of our living room chairs

 

A Visit With Our Cousins, Chloe & Jonah!

 

getting ready to swim in Nini & Poppa's pool

Poppa & Jonah

my little model

doing their synchronized jumps

Marco!  Polo!

 

 

what time is it, Mr. Fox?

silly birthday party hats

 

 

Back At Home

 

Gabe swimming without his safety jacket!

fun at Crane's Beach in the late afternoon

 

 

Here's a little sibling photo shoot:

 

 

Be Careful What You Wish For...

Oh that expression is so true.  It happened.  It happened about one month ago.  Some time not so very long ago, "Dabe" became Gabe.

I remember clearly Zach referring to Gabe as, "Dabe", and correcting him.  Zach then said Gabe perfectly but told me that it's "Dabe".  A short time later, he started saying Gabe and has never turned back.  Just another sign that my baby is growing up!

Some Cute Short Stories

Here's a random list of super cute stories:

We're driving in the car the other day when Zach starts talking to Gabe.  In response, Gabe says:  "I can't talk right now; I'm busy thinking about my friend, Joseph."

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Gabe reported the other day that he's always going to live with Zach.  When he did something fresh to Zach today, Gabe said, "Sorry, Zach.  I didn't mean to hurt you.  I need to be nice to you because I want to live with you forever.  Not like Auntie Carole and Auntie Pammy [who are our only sibling relatives who don't live together?]"

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I wasn't home for a good part of the day today (hair appointment, etc.), and when I got home, Zach said,  "I missed you, Momma.  I missed all of you."

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Gabe's good friend, Noah E., moved out of state almost one year ago.  A few months back, out of the blue, Gabe started talking about Noah.  I didn't even realize that he remembered him.  Gabe said, "Mom, I'm starting to forget what Noah E.'s voice sounds like."  What?  How precious (and devastating) is that?

Yesterday, he said that he really wants to talk to his friend, Noah E., who moved far away and that maybe we could "Face Time" with him!!

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A few weeks ago when we were driving home from Cohasset and starting to approach the O'Neill tunnel, the boys exchanged the funniest words that I've ever heard.  Here's how the conversation went (verbatim!!):

Zach:  Mom, that Boston?

Me:  Yes, Zach, that's Boston.  We have to drive through Boston to get to our house.

Zach:  We not going to Boston!  We not going to Boston!  (said in an angry tone)

Gabe:  Zach!!!!  (said in an extremely exasperated tone)

Zach:  Okay, Dabe.  Okay!  (said in a conciliatory tone)

Gabe:  Oh, brother.

Zach:  Oh, for Pete's sake.  (big sigh)

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Gabe asked if we could go play at his friend, Ty's, house the other day.  I don't really know Ty's mom (or Ty), so I said that I didn't know where Ty lives.  Gabe responded, "we can use the GPS." 

It Takes A Village

It's hard to believe that it's been over a month since I last posted anything on this blog.  But, here it is, after 10:00 PM on a week night (which is the middle of the night in the Fredette household), and my mind is swirling with cute stories about the boys - stories that I'm afraid that I'll forget if I don't write them down.

Before I get to the super cute stories, I feel the need explain my absence.  Simply stated, the summer has been tough.  The days are very long with these two, active, adorable boys of mine.  We've had plenty of activities to do, people to see, places to explore; and by the end of the day, I've felt completely spent.  There were a few days this summer when I didn't know if I could make it through the summer months intact.  I've been trying so hard but feeling not so successful as a mom.  And those feelings can really wear you down.

Lately, what I've been feeling the most, however, is extreme gratitude.  For my family.  I'm making it through these summer months, thanks to the love and support of my large family network.  Please know that I am so appreciative.  I now know that the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child," is spot on.  So, to the Martin-Fredette-Whiffen village, I thank you and love you.