They found their baskets!

The Easter bunny was not too clever for the Frochildren this year. Annalise got her very first Barbie in her basket this year (Pet Vet Barbie, who will be able to care for any sick Littlest Pet Shop pets). Mommy even got an Easter basket, that Annalise surmised was for me, based on its contents- Mad Men season 3! Thank you, Easter Bunny!

We went to the 7:45 mass on Sunday morning, and it was fabulous! No crowds, no long-winded services. We then went home to eat candy (and nap) before heading to G and G's for the Biggest Pork Roast ever! Thanks for a great Easter dinner- and how refreshing to not have ham!

Easter Fun

Our new neighborhood had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, complete with a visit from the Easter bunny. Colin was freaked out by the rabbit, but all the kids had a great time gathering eggs in their baskets. The eggs were stuffed with candy at the last meeting of the ladies book club- how Desperate Housewives is that? We are loving our new neighbors! We were invited over to a neighbor's house pre-egg hunt for mimosas and bloody marys, and met some kids who will hopefully be bus-riding buddies with Annalise in the fall.

We then headed to PL for dyeing Easter eggs with cousins, and an Easter egg hunt around the yard, where only one egg was resistant to returning to the carton. Maybe Shug will run across it next month?

New Hampshire Rocks!

Mount Washington Resort

Mike and I had such a nice time at the Mount Washington. It had a really interesting history, and lots of black and white photos depicting good old times of yesteryear. Parents magazine rated it as a top family ski resort, and we both agreed that it would be a wonderful family trip sometime in our future. On the other hand, it also reminded us of the hotel in The Shining.
The conference I attended was really interesting, and germane to my new position, and I learned a lot. I met a nice group of PAs and NPs that I had dinner with on Sunday night, and again later in the week. Mike enjoyed doing nothing, except for one day when he hit the slopes. Another day, we took the chairlift to the top of the peak where there was a restaurant for lunch. It was just a little strange to be riding the lift down the ski hill, and having the operator stop the lift for us to step off. I would have liked to take snowboarding lessons, but we weren't able to fit it all in. Oh well, another time I guess.
Our trip back to Boston, and our flight back home was uneventful. Many thanks again to our wonderful babysitters. It sounds by all accounts as if the kids and grandparents all had a really nice time.

East Coast Adventure, Part II

Sunday morning we were set to make the scenic drive to Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire for the start of my conference, but not before one of my favorite things ever- going out for breakfast! We found Mike's Eastside Diner in Boston, that was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and it was awesome! Here are some unimpressive photos with the iPhone, but you get the gist...

The corned beef hash was excellent, topped with poached eggs (my favorite way of egg preparation), with the oh-so-necessary (not)potatoes and raisin cinnamon bread on the side. Mike's meal ('The Emergency Room') included blueberry pancakes the size of his head! After rolling our stuffed selves off the bar stools, we took the bus, then subway to the airport to pick up our rental car for the drive north. More to come...

I'm Sure Dad Tastes Bad

Life is grand here in the posh and toney suburbs. While the schools in the old 'hood were in lockdown mode for a few days last week, we were none the wiser. Mr. Mom is anxious to hear the insider scoop from our informant at the MPD. Was it overblown media hyped craziness or has this city finally/officially arrived in hades?

The FroFamily euphoria experienced during the winter olympics has finally melted away. And with the torrential downpours over the last few days, so has the bobsled/luge/skeleton inspired track we made in the backyard for AB&C to begin training for the 2026 Olympics. Never too early, right? I'm thinking of trying to join them by beginning a curling career. Mr. Mom needs something in the winter to offset summer softball. You know, yin and yang. Listen to those Chinese. An unbelievably wise people. Plus, I heard those rebel curlers like their post-match beverages. And from what I saw, I could totally get away with playing in sweatpants. Did anyone catch the Norwegian team's clown pants? After seeing those, it is clear anything goes on the curling sheet.

That leaves me with the latest golden nugget I've mined from our children. Again it comes from our beloved B. Scene: Mrs. Dad and A were attending a 6 year-old birthday party leaving Mr. Mom home with the boys. We are playing with cars and trains and out of the blue B delivers this: "Dad, I don't think a crocodile would like to eat you because you'd taste like beer. But I hope I don't ever see a crocodile because it would like me. I taste like candy." So many things to glean from this quote. As Mike Myers/Linda Richman would say on SNL Coffee Talk, "Discuss."

Destination: Boston- Mike and Katie on the Freedom Trail

Grandpa F drove us to the airport bright and early on Saturday, February 27, and our eastcoast adventure was underway. Certain persons staying at the homefront were skeptical, as they heard tell about The Greatest Storm to Ever Hit America!! But surprisingly, the conference was not called off, the electricity was fully functioning at Logan, and the flight was not at all delayed. So this sassy photo, albeit blurry was snapped at the airport with the iPhone as proof of our survival.

We LOVE Boston! Some years back, Mike and I had been in Boston for a national PA conference B.K. Mike had the best week, bellying up to the oyster bar, and meandering through Boston Commons while I was holed up in the convention center all day. We again stayed at the lovely Park Plaza, and received a room upgrade- nice! We immediately walked across the street, and had the most scrumptious lunch at Legal Seafoods, where I unexplicably lost my new black microfiber hat (only $4 at Kohl's- but still!) when I think it was cleared from the table with the black linen napkins. Having nothing to do but wait until morning for our roadtrip to New Hampshire, we had made the luxurious decision to do something that is not at all commonplace in our current lifestyle- we went to a movie in the theatre! But this is what put us over the top, luxury-wise: with full bellies, no desire to go clubbing, and no agenda whatsoever, we decided to stroll down the Freedom Trail, and then- we went to another movie! (Shutter Island and Valentine's Day, since this blog now serves as my peripheral memory bank) What a great day! It is one that I will savor for quite some time.

Next up- in search of a diner, drive-in, or dive...

B's Fourth Birthday Party

On Friday, February 26th, we held a family party for Bennett's 4th birthday. Both sets of grandparents were there, as well as B&S's family. We worked hard to make a racetrack out of a strawberry Bundt cake, cut in half, and a chocolate 9x13 cut into strips and stacked to make the straight-aways of the McQueen racetrack. Thomas's traintrack ran around the outside of the track. The kids especially enjoyed licking the grass (green sprinkles) from the cardboard base.

Bennett and Annalise started playing non-stop with the Take Along Thomas sets he received for his birthday. Which is nice, because on Saturday morning, Mike and I left for FIVE DAYS away from our children...