Happy Birthday Collin!

Hard to believe that Collin is 2 today! We had a winter-themed party for him today which was fun. Jeff and I got a new camera but when we figure it out we will post pictures of the big day!

A-Okay!

I had my regular 6 month mammogram this afternoon. All is fine! Completely normal findings thankfully. I get so anxious and nervous leading up to it and I can finally BREATHE!

So far, so good...all around

Hope I just didn't jinx this but things have been good with Collin since giving up the binkies. He did well last night (1st night without them) and napping today. He fell asleep without any big commotion tonight too. It's weird to think that a 22 month old knew he was ready to be done with them.

Collin is also talking SO much more. We were worried back in June and had Early Intervention come out and look at his speech. The special ed teacher in me is a bad quality to have when it comes to my own kids. I read way too much into things and every little deviation from the norm raised a red flag - unneccessary most times. Anyway, EI came out and he tested ahead of his age in everything but his expressive language. That was only one month behind which wasn't enough to get help from a speech therapist. They gave us strategies which I have been following and things are clicking. It's not all that clear at times but I can translate! We carry on conversations during the day now and he is less frustrated when he is not understood because it doesn't happen as much.

Collin is also so physical and can do so much more than I expect him to do (or want him to do). He climbs on EVERYTHING! I swear he was either a monkey or Evil Kaneival (however you spell it) in his past life! He's up on counters, dressers, tables, washing machines - everything! Nothing is safe or off limits to him. I have limits for him but it is ALL DAY LONG! Now with the winter months approaching, I think I need to sign him up for something to harness this energy of his.

Jeffrey is doing so well. He has gotten so tall and everyday it seems like he is more grown up than the day before. Where did my baby go?!?!? I have to remind myself that he is only 4 1/2! He is thriving at preschool. He knows his letters, how to write his name and even some basic addition! Wow. It is so exciting to see him learn all of this stuff! He loves school and is really looking forward to Kindergarten next year. There is one thing we are a little concerned about with him. His teacher told me at his conference a couple of weeks ago that he will often mix up some colors loeading her to question the possibility of colorblindness. Not a definite but something to keep an eye on. He mostly does it with blues and purples. We will just keep it on the radar.

"Bye Bye Bees"

We have been prepping Collin to say goodbye to his binkies (pacifiers) for a couple of weeks now. He is attached to them and only uses them at night and at naptime. Half the time they fall off his bed and he loses them in the middle of the night. Well today, completely unprovoked, he went to his bed, scooped them all up and emphatically said, "Bye bye bees" and threw them in the trash in the kitchen. (Bees is binkies in Collin-speak.) I told them they were all yucky now and the kid is a freak when it comes to dirty food on the floor so I think he gets that. We will see how it goes. He is suppose to be napping right now and all is quiet. Keep your fingers crossed! No turning back now!

Halloween

Yesterday, the boys went to a Halloween party at a friend's house. It was tons of fun and I wanted to give you a preview of thier costumes.

We have the Incredible Hulk....

And we have Tom Brady...notice the injured knee included...

And Brady and Hulk together...

My Baystate Parent Magazine Cover

I can't believe this but Jeffrey, Collin and I are on the COVER of the October issue of Baystate Parent magazine!!! It is their "Think Pink" issue and I am featured in the article about The Ellie Fund. Please check it out at http://www.baystateparent.com/. The editor wrote a little blurb about the cover and then there is a full aritcle on The Ellie Fund for which I was interviewed for. WOW!!! There are more pictures spread throughout the Ellie Fund article as well. I will grab as many copies as I can!!!

My SUPER-CUTE husband!

I have to share something that Jeff did for me yesterday. You all know about the fashion show I was in last week and how I LOVED the dress I wore for the show. Well, my super-cute, thoughtful, sweet husband secretly ordered the dress for me!!!! It is gorgeous and I am so thankful to have such a caring and thoughtful husband!

Collin's Big Boy Bed

We have made the move. Collin starts in his big boy bed today! His room (as does he) looks so much older now!!! He is napping in it right now and is so proud of it.

The Jimmy Fund Walk

I realize these posts are now out of order but oh well...

Sunday, I walked with 8 other people (5 registered people and 3 moral support walkers) on Team Meisner in the 2008 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. What a fantastic event! The weather was perfect - sunny and in the 70s. Not a cloud in the sky. As a team, we have raised over $5500!!! I personally have raised over $2200 and am now considered to be a Bronze Pacesetter!

We started in Wellesley and walked 13.1 miles or half of the marathon route. One member of our team, Michelle, walked all 26.2 miles! Great job Michelle! We started our walk around 10:45am and finished up in Boston around 2:45pm. Not too shabby!

The whole experience was a blast and so well-coordinated. At the start, it was like a big party with music, tons of food and people everywhere. All along the way there were water and re-fueling stations that had so many snacks. Candy bars, fruit, Gatorade, you name it. At the finish line, there was also more food. Vendors had set up complimentary stations with hot dogs, pizza and subs from Subway. Yummy!

Thank you for all of your well wishes and support for this walk. I will definitely be doing it again next year - hopefully all 26.2 miles!

Maureen McKenna-Weber, Me, Kara McKenna

Team Meisner at the Starting Line in Wellesley (Maureen, Paul McKenna, CT, Heather Tomassian, Michelle LeBlanc, Lisa Gatto, Ben Gatto, Connie Dawson)

My Pacesetter T-Shirt (in my favorite color). I originally pinned pictures of my mom, the boys, and me onto the back but then realized I was going to be wearing a backpack so ended up pinning them on my bag instead. The captions are the reasons I walked.

Unleashing My Inner Diva

Finally...Here it is! The Sara Campbell Fashion Show. Sorry for the delay! It has been a CRAZY week! The Fashion Show on Monday was so much fun! It felt great to be all dressed up and have my hair and makeup professionally done. The dress I wore was my favorite of all of the outfits and was beautiful. Here are some pictures...

All the models were breast cancer suriviors in all different stages of survivorship. Some just finished treatment while others were celebrating being 10 years cancer-free. They were all great women and I really enjoyed meeting all of them and sharing our stories. Heather Unruh, the channel 5 news anchor, said some really nice things about me while she was emceeing the event. I coach her two little kids on the swim team so I have gotten to know her and her family. I was very touched that she acknowledged my story personally in front of the entire crowd of 200+ people.

Jeff went with me to cheer me on. Unfortunately he had to be there by himself as I was kept backstage for the evening. But you all know Jeff! He can talk to anybody...even a group of older women who are into these things. Well, he ended up sitting next to Sara Campbell's best friends and owners of a popular South End restaurant, Rocca. He basically charmed them beyond belief and now we have been invited to their restaurant for dinner on them and a front row parking space! So fun!!! Thanks Jeff!

The fashion designer, Sara Campbell, has invited all of us to her store for a celebration cocktail party in a couple of weeks. That sounds like it will be fun! Hope I get invited back next year!

Trip to Finland

Jeffrey and I are back from our overseas adventure! It was amazing and we had so much fun! I will break down this blog entry into sections to cover all of our journey.

The Plane Trip Over to Finland:

Jeffrey thoroughly enjoyed his first plane ride and was really good for the entire flight (both ways). He thought eating dinner on the plane was so exciting and just one puzzle we brought kept him busy. He slept for about 3 1/2 hours which was just enough to take the edge off until we could take a nap at Craig and Amanda's house. We landed around 8:30am which to our bodies felt like 1:30am. We went through passport control and waited for our luggage. And waited. And waited. Two of our three bags came out - my dad's suitcase and the small suitcase that was filled with Craig and Amanda's U.S. food cravings and essentials. Jeffrey and my suitcase did not come out. After a few silent curse words, I filed a lost baggage claim. I was just finishing up at the counter when the next baggage claim conveyor belt started up. And wouldn't you know there was my bag! Thank God! So about an hour after we landed, we were on our way to the house.

Here is a picture of Jeffrey on the plane.

Linnamaki Amusement Park:

The first full day brought us to Linnamaki Amusement Park. Before I talk about it, I just have to say one thing that applies to the whole trip. I have never seen so many blonde-haired, blue-eyed people before in one place in all of my life! Jeffrey and I (more so Jeffrey) fit right in! Anyway, it is a great little park that has some classic as well as new rides. Jeffrey has tons of fun on all of the kids' rides. His favorite was the bumper cars. He is vicious! I pushed the gas pedal as he steered - right into everyone. It was a fun day.

The City Market:

The next day brought us to the City Market. We rode the subway and walked through Helsinki ans we made our way down to the waterfront market. The city is beautiful! The buildings are really nice looking and interesting and it is so clean. The city market has a lot of vendors selling food, t-shirts, jewelery and other handmade goods all right on the waterfront where the cruise ships pull in.

The Beach:

BRRRRRRRR...but we have touched the Baltic Sea! We walked from Craig and Amanda's house down the a nearby beach to let the boys run around and let some energy out. The boys didn't seem to care about the cold but we could have used more sun. It was a very pretty walk and it was nice to sit on the sand and look out into the sea.

Estonia:

On Monday of our trip, we all took a high speed ferry to Estonia (part of the former Soviet Union) for the day. The weather when we left Helsinki was not that great and so the sea was choppy and rough. The crew on the ferry actually started handing out trash bags...just in case. Well, the just in case turned into a mad dash to the restroom for Jeffrey. After that, he felt better - like nothing ever happened.

We spent the day wandering around the capital (and very old) city of Tallin. Very interesting architecture, restaurants, and shops. There was one whole alley filled with carts of handmade sweaters, hats, etc. All knitted by local women. I am a proud owner of a beautiful Estonian sweater.

The boat ride back to Helsinki was uneventful. Much smoother ride than before and there were no "incidents."

The Helsinki Zoo:

On Tuesday, we went to the Zoo (minus Amanda who unfortunately had to work). It is a great zoo on an island that you can either drive to or take a short boat ride to. We took the boat. I think Jeffrey and Raymond like looking at the construction trucks better than the animals but the animals were cool too.

The Trip Home:

The plane ride home again was uneventful but felt longer than the trip over. All in all we loved our trip to Finland. Raymond and Jeffrey really enjoyed their time together and it was such a bonding experience for them. We can't thank Craig and Amanda enough and miss them already!

Ellie Fund Video

You might remember that a few months back, I helped out The Ellie Fund and appeared in a promotional video for them. Well, it is up and running on the website! If you would like to see it, go to www.elliefund.org. On the home page, you will find a link to the video. It was an honor to help them out!

Off to Finland!

On Wednesday, Jeffrey and I (along with my dad) are off to visit my brother, sister-in-law and nephew in Finland. We are SO excited! It will be Jeffrey's first trip on a plane (my dad's second). I have TONS of things for him to do to keep him busy on the trip over. It should be so much fun and quite the adventure. We will post pictures when we get back!

Collin's Little Girlfriend

This summer, we have spent a lot of time with our very good friends - The Henderson's. I grew up with Jessica and swam with her all through school. She and her husband, Pete, bought her parents' old house and nw lives right around the corner from us again! She has 3 kids a 1st grader (Zach), 4 year old (Jeffrey's friend, Mikayla) and an 18 month old (Kira). Jess and I swap babysitting time as well. We have been having get togethers on Fridays where the adults have adult time and the kids play. When it gets late, the babies go to bed and the bigger kids hang out on the pullout couch and watch a movie until they fall asleep and go home.

Anyway, Kira and Collin absolutely adore each other! It is the cutest thing going. They have their own language which they talk to each other in and follow each other around the house. Just like Mikayla and Jeffrey, Kira and Collin will be in the same grade together in school.

Summer Fun

Where has the first half of the summer gone!?!? We have been loving the summer sun and all of the fun that comes along with it. Jeffrey took swimming lessons at the town pond and passed level 1! He can now swim a little by himself and dunk all of the way under water! We have spent many hot days at the pond which the boys love.

We went up to Maine for the beginning part of July. My dad had a full house for the weekend of July 4th. Jeff, the boys and I, our friend Steve, and our other friends Richie, Michelle and their 3 kids came up to spend some time at the beach. It was great! The kids were in the Higgins Beach parade. The theme was indians, pilgrims and explorers. The kids were indians and looked so cute! Collin spent the entire parade waving the crowd.

After the weekend was over and everyone went home, I stayed up there with the boys for the remainder of the week. It was all fun but very tiring!

On the Catwalk....

So you all know I have done the public speaking thing - in March for The Ellie Fund's "Kelley for Ellie" Fashion Show. Now it's time to strut my stuff on the catwalk itself! In September, Sara Campbell, a high-end fashion designer on the South Shore, will be holding her 2nd annual fashion show with proceeds going to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. I was contacted today (from recommendation of channel 5 reporter Kelley Tuthill) to be one of the models! Last year they used models/people that were touched by breast cancer in some way and this year they are continuing with that theme. It sounds like the event will be a blast and I will post more info when I get it! I would love some company cheering me on (and praying that I don't trip)!!!

Here is a link to pictures from last year's event.

http://www.saracampbell.com/Sara/imageslist.aspx?EditId=73

Trip to Bethel

A couple of weeks ago, we all headed up to The Bethel Inn and Resort in Bethel, Maine for a weekend away. We were celebrating my one year anniversary out of chemo and just needed some away time together. It was a great time and the place was beautiful. The weather could have been better though - it rained almost all day on Saturday. Even so, we went to the pool, went fishing at Sunday River, and Jeffrey and I went horseback riding! We had a blast. Jeffrey loved it and was asking to go back again the next day before we were even done with the ride.

Jeffrey's Last Day of His First Year of Pre-school

The end of May brought Jeffrey's last day of pre-school until September. He loved Community Nursery Scool as did Jeff and I. It is such a loving and supportive place and I am so glad he is there. This year he went 2 mornings/week and next year he will go 3 mornings/week. After that...kindergarten!!!

Here are some pictures of his last day ceremony. There songs were farmed themed hence the bandanas. Jeffrey is the second one from the right in the first row.