The One where Kiff Turns 17

 

 

 

Today was Kiff's 17th birthday. And, we celebrated in rather unusual fashion. 

First, we all ended up being home, including Bri, who had been home from college. As a result, we were able to do our scavenger hunt all together with Kiff.

Then, we ended up taking Bri back to college. It was a little bit of a long trip - and probably not the way to spend a birthday. But, we were together. And, she gave us a nice tour of UMass. Emmie got Kiff a birthday gift there. And, Bri got his some birthday macaroons.

After that,  we made our way home. We opened some gifts, including one that will commemorate the movie Stand By Me....which is pretty cool.  We went to Century House for take out for his birthday. Kiff loves their food. Then, Kiff was able to put the ultimate wrap on a TV show he has followed since earlier this year. He watched the final episode of FRIENDS (which is ironic because the titles of this blog are modeled after Friends).

 After Friends, we watched Frankenstein, which Kiff has been waiting to watch.

 Then, we called it a night. Quite a 17th birthday adventure. 

The One Where Emmie turns 50

 

 

 

Happy birthday Emmie...you turned 50 today. However - and I mean this - you look so much younger.

 Happy to be with you! I hope you like some of the things we have planned throughout the week:

 

Roofman

Tony C's

Ruth Chris's

Ghost and Graveyard Tour

Sugar Factory 

The One With Cape Cod

 

 

We took a very action packed overnight trip to the Cape these past two days. We left on Sunday morning, beating most traffic down - though there was a lot of traffic coming off the Cape. 

The first big ticket item was to go to Hobby Lobby. This store, which Emmie went to briefly in NH, was a hit with Emmie. She found a ton of stuff, as did Bri (for a spa day party). Kiff also found an ugly dogs playing poker picture in a frame that he fell in love with.

After that. we headed to the go-karts, which is aways fun. Kiff got a dud of a cart, while Bri was able to race off to first place in one of her races. Those driver's ed classes came in handy.

We went to Mark and Carols to celebrate a birthday cookout. We had a fun time, enjoying the deck and the cool air at the time (it had been cloudy and humid all day).

The following morning, we hit Hearth and Kettle. Bri actually drove us there and got the first taste of Cape traffic. Then, we did a few things including just resting and reading. We went to the beach and then trekked home.

Overall, it was a calm and relaxing overnighter.

The One With Bri's 17th Birthday and My Two Strikes and a Spare

 

 

Bri turned 17 today and so, we turned it into a Bri day,  to have fun and enjoy. As a result, she had a great 17th birthday.

 

First, we woke up and treated her to breakfast. She decided she wanted Nick and Andy's - always a good choice. I was happy to get it and realized that one of my favorite waitresses from Texas Roadhouse and Reds Tavern works there now. 

 

Then, we watched the pilot episode of Growing Pains, which was shocking to the kids. Both Bri and Kiff did not like the version of Jason in that episode.  He was a lot gruffer - and wanted his wife a lot - which they were unfamiliar with.

After that, we went to Kings Bowling, where we bowled, had some nachoes and chix fingers, and played arcade games. It is ten pin bowling, so we had to use the big balls. It took some time, but after a while, we got the knack of it (Kiff did put up the bumpers for himself, Bri, and Emmie). I actually found out this works better for me than candlepin. I got two strikes - something I rarely get - and a spare. I even bowled an 85 through 7 strings on the second round (it stopped there because we ran out of time).

We came home and did our scavenger hunt as well as present opening. Emmie realized she didn't do a bad job getting gifts (after lamenting that she had for three days). 

For supper, we went to Double Bull, which has some good food. Then, we came home and had cake. Jack came over to join us for that.

All and all, a very happy 17th birthday!!!

The One With Bri's 16th Birthday

 

 

Brighid's 16th birthday was today. It is hard to believe that she turned 16 years old....I don't know how that could have happened so fast.

 

Of course, her way to celebrate was to have an AP European History Test (which is ironic, because the day after, is Coronation Day for Charles III). 

 

She got to come home early from school, which was nice. Emmie was home, which helped with that. Then, we did our scavenger hunt (we made sure the last clue when to the garage, where the loft was completed today). Wow! We then blew out candles on her cake. She opened a few gifts, including her special necklace for turning 16.

 

We then journey as a family, with Carlos, to Ruth Chris's, one of Bri's favorite spots. That was a lot of fun...and the meal was pretty good, too.

 

The ride home was an adventure because Storrow Drive was shut down and then we had to try to cross the Mass Ave Bridge....which was packed. The ride, which is usually 36 minutes, was about 75 minutes.

We got home, had a slice of cake, and went to bed. We will move onto Day 2 of celebrating her birthday.

 

 

The One Where My Mom Turns 87

 

Today, I went to the Cape and joined Mark to take my Mom out for breakfast. It happens to be her 87th birthday. It is soooooo hard to believe.

 

Happy 87th Mom!

The One Where I Turn 50

 

 

 

Yesterday was my 50th birthday. It is definitely hard to believe that many years have passed and I am a half century. 

It was an awesome day. In school, I got cards from Nicole (my former partner who also turns 50 the day after me) and my team. I got a cake and a balloon. Emmie, Kiff, and Bri send balloons and candy as well...which led to my students singing to me.

At home, Emmie had an awesome sign outside for me marking my 50th day. Bri had a "Friends and Family" performance later that day. We had some great cake and a nice dinner at the 99. And, the kiddos left me some nice signs in the house.

Oh year, I also got a great new birthday tie (and a fun pin), which I wore throughout the day!

 

 

The One With Ruth's Chris's

 

 

Tonight, we went to Ruth's Chris's in Boston for the first time in a few years. We celebrated Emmie's birthday! It was great.

 

We had an amazing dinner - no surprise there. We also met a local family from nearby who own a business in Danvers, which was awesome.

 

And, because they don't have valet parking now, we were able to find a good parking lot nearby...and super affordable.

 

All in all, a great trip. 

Happy birthday Emmie!!!

The One Where Bri Turns 13

Wow....it is hard to believe 13 years have passed so quickly.

So many amazing memories

Such a wonderful girl.

Happy 13th birthday Bri.

The One With The Happy Birthday

It is hard to believe, but Kiff is eleven. How did that happen? It went by so fast!

How did we celebrate. We...

1. had a cherry pancake breakfast (one of his favorites)

2. did our scavenger hunt, which is a tradition

3. went to visit Nanny

4. ate at Olive Garden

5. went to In The Game

6. came home to blow out candles on the cake and open gifts

7. played DogOpoly and had snacks

8. watched CHiPS the movie

9. ate cake


What day for a great kid!!!

The One Where Bri Turns Twelve

Sometimes life reminds you of how far you've come. You know, those moments when you stop, have a chance to reflect, and see just what you've accomplished.

This past week, we had one of those moments. We got a chance to stop and see just how far we've come as a family.

This week, Bri turned 12. It was hard to believe. When we started out online journal, Bri was still so young. So, was Kiff. But, in the blink of an eye, she is a twelve year old, on the threshold of being a teen.

It all happened so fast. So quick. So amazingly quick.

And yet, she is still our Bri. And what an amazing time we had. We let her pick her day. And, she wanted to do none other then go out to breakfast and then go to the Museum of Science.

She truly is amazing.

Happy 12th Birthday Bri.

We love you.

The One With Kiff's Tenth Birthday

It is hard to believe that the era of single digits finally came to an end in our house. It really does. It seems like only yesterday, our two kiddos were toddlers, ambling around the house. In fact, Kiff was but two when I first began recording events for our family in this blog.



But now - well - ten years have passed. I can remember where I was ten years ago (although not as good as Emmie).

It is hard to believe a decade went by that fast. But it did!


We celebrated in memorable fashion.

1. We had a breakfast of pancakes. I made them of course.

2. We then went on the traditional scavenger hunt.

3. We went to the movies to see Venom (which Kiff wanted to see). It was a pretty unique movie.

4. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory

5. We came back and had cake and presents

6. We got a snack at China Villa

7 We watched Dead Pool (if you can believe that...though we had to fast forward a bit)

All and all a good day.

Happy Tenth Birthday Kiff. We love you.

 

The One Where Bri turns 11

It is hard to believe, but we celebrated Bri's birthday today.

It is hard to believe that 11 years have passed to quick.

But it is amazing and we are so lucky to have her.

She wanted to go out to breakfast and supper today....and it was magnificent! We had a late breakfast at Brothers and an early supper at Red's Tavern.

It was a great birthday!

The One With The Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. It was quite enjoyable.

First, my mother surprised me with a small cake when I saw her in the morning. That was cute. Then, at school, several people found out and wished me a happy birthday as well as sent emails which is always a nice treat. Emmie was going to surprise me as well, but I told her to avoid that because we had the high school technical field trip.

When I got back, I had a slice of cake with me mom and we chatted for a while. I hgot a birthday call from my sister and birthday text from my brother.

We came home and went to the TX roadhouse, which is always fun. We came back and after Bri's field hockey, had some pie and watched some TV. Then, I caught the Celtics game and watched the C's beat the Thunder after being down by 18. I also noticed several shout-outs via Facebook!

All in all a great bday.

The One With The Tenth Birthday

Yesterday was Kiff's 9th birthday. And was it an adventure. We had a fun day.

We had breakfast that I made - pancakes of course.

We visited the Go Karts in Salem. Always fun....and quiet.

We ate at Applebees.

We went to the park.

We had Jade's brought in for supper.

We opened gifts and did cake.

Overall, an awesome day!

The One With The Birthday Weekend

It has arrived

The busy weekend

Star Wars Day

Cinco De Mayo

And the first weekend in May

The one where Bri meets double digits

It is hard to believe so much time has passed

So quickly

But it has arrived

A weekend with birthday parties

Friends

Family

And memories

May the fourth be with you

Happy birthday Bri 



 

The One With the Birthdays Weekend

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you have a ton of birthday parties.

That was us last weekend. We had three birthday parties to go to. One was a family party which we usually have this time of year. The others were parties for the kids's friends.

Phew! Fun....but very busy.

By the time Sunday night came around I - and not the kids - slept very well.

The One Where Emmie Turns 40

Emmie's Birthday just occurred

It is a big one.

Happy 40th birthday Emmie !!!

The One Where My Mother Turns 80

This past week, my mother turned 80. To celebrate it, we had a surprise party for her at her house.

It was quite a surprise. Although, she had expected to see her children and their extended families, she had no idea that our aunts and uncles were coming as well. It really caught her off guard.

And what a great day it was. Her three children all brought some appetizers. My sister made chicken cordon bleu with rice, my brother brought a great cake, and we made a snazzy salad.

In what has been a tough year, we were able to laugh, share memories, and have a lot of fun as a family....and bring us closer....while all celebrating a wonderful matriarch!


Happy Birthday Mom. We love you.

The One with the Roller Skating Birthday Party

Ah!!!!

We had one of those fun memories recently. Bri had her birthday party at the nearby Roller Palace. The local hotspot for birthday parties for decades in these parts, we had been told by many a parent that we would be spending some time here from Kindergarten on.

And sure enough, those parents were correct.

And, it was a ton of fun. it was the second time Kiff had been there...and he definitely wanted to be on his own as much as he could. As for Bri, she was spending an amazing amount of time on the floor, getting her patented move down. She has grown better over the year.

The party itself was a blast. The place helped to time it well: 50 minutes of skating 15 minutes of pizza, 15 minutes of cake, another half hour of skating and arcade games (they were a hit) - and even one person actually successfully pulled a toy out of one of those games that no one ever wins.

The party flew by - Bri had a good time - and before we knew it, it was time to go. Kiff wanted to play one more video game, so he and I went to the car racing game. As we left, it was clear - we were the last people to leave the place...besides the workers. 

I told Kiff, "Let's remember this moment."

So we looked around took in the fact that, for the first time, Kidd was "closing down a place."