Week in Review: Full Swing, Full Habits, and a Full House

 Good morning from sunny New England!  This week was the kids' last full week of school, so the end is in sight (2.5 more days) and we are all ready for summer break.  We've been slowly signing up the littles for camps, mostly half-day sport camps at the high school, and for a weekly golf clinic to see if they get hooked like Andrew and Eamon are.  Eamon has been giving them some pre-lessons before the real lessons start:

Golf by the Sea

One thing about our family and sports is that we want them to try lots of new things, stay active, and learn invaluable life lessons on a team BUT we are in no way thinking they will ever become a professional (or even D1) athlete.  We don't specialize in only one sport (we think it's bad physically and mentally), we almost never do travel or club teams, and there's no pressure to be the best.  Phil and I both played multiple sports throughout our lives and still want to keep active, and that's all we hope for them too.  We've seen too many kids burn out on a sport before college.  Our hope is for them to not feel embarrassed when they are teens/young adults and their friends want to play a pickup basketball game or throw a football or go swim in the ocean.  Maybe it's due to having so many boys, but they are way more confident if they know sports rules and basics and can get in the game and keep up.  Sports are not the ultimate goal and we'd much rather that our kids focus on academics and faith.

Trying to outdo each other on the trampoline while Grandpa watches in horror

JP started his internship at Brown University's hospital and is enjoying it!  He gets to shadow with a psychiatrist, watch therapy sessions, and work with psychologists and counselors to help the children in the program by tutoring and playing outside at break times.  He said he's the only male intern and when he came back the second day, all the little boys in the program cheered to have him back to play with them.

We got a nice review online for the Cottage and they are like love letters to a small business.  Reminds me to do the same for other businesses!

Last Friday, Phil and I both had the day off and we drove to the southcoast of Rhode Island for lunch and had coffee in a coffee shop that has gotten pretty popular lately because the owner's wife is on the Real Housewives of Rhode Island (and they were both part of the Bachelor franchise).  Nobody famous was there when we went, which was good because I am the opposite of cool when I meet someone famous ;)

This ricotta and meatball pizza was too good

On Saturday, Maggie took the little boys to the beach and the Fort because it was so beautiful out!  The water is still too cold, though after the last few days of heat it may be ready now.

Boys and their love of dead sea creatures

Boys and their love of canons

Brendan's class went on a field trip to the Boston Science Museum and loved it.  Because they go to a private school, they don't ride the bus, so one of the most exciting parts of the field trip is the bus ride and who gets to sit with whom.  Unfortunately, Brendan's bus buddy ended up throwing up a few times, so he jumped into another seat with two other friends and sat squished for part of the ride.  It still all seemed very exciting in his recap!

A group of religious from the Sisters of the Incarnate Word reached out to Phil to visit his highschool while they had their novitiates visiting, and he said it went well.  I miss the days of sisters teaching in Catholic schools, I was lucky enough to have a few in high school, but it's very uncommon around here now.  It's also the reason tuitions are so high and teachers salaries are so low.  Bring back the sisters!

Love a religious in full habit - wear it proud! 

Phil told them that we own an ice cream shop, and that we give free ice cream to those in habits, and you betcha they showed up in full force!  So cute and we are happy to support vocations in this small way.

This week we had a very lovely guest visiting, Andrew's girlfriend, Karolina.  They had a beach day on the Cape, saw the Michael movie, played pickleball, went to Martha's Vineyard, hung out with friends and family, watched home movies, and she even worked at the Cottage for a day!  I remember all of my siblings girlfriends/boyfriends took turns working at my family's ice cream shop when they would visit during the summer, so it's the next generation's turn:

Have a wonderful weekend everybody!