Colleen Goes to Canada

Because I'm over at the lovely Elisabeth's blog talking about gratitude!  

What an honor, or honour as Canadian Elisabeth would write!  One could say that I am GRATEFUL for this opportunity, and one would be right :)  See you over in her comments!

Eamon (Rhymes with Damon) Goes to College

On Thursday morning, we left Declan and Brendan with Nana & Gramps in Maryland and drove out to Steubenville, Ohio to bring our third baby to college.  The 4ish hour trip was pretty uneventful, and I had to laugh when we stopped at a Service Plaza and saw soooooo many college-aged kids and their parents all heading to drop-offs and orientations.  'Tis the season!

Eamon and I both wore Vineyard Vines shirts to make sure people knew where we were from.  Just kidding, it was an accidental fashion choice.  His room check-in was at 2pm but we arrived at noon and there was no issue getting into the dorm early.  There were tons of students helping the freshman move in, and it was a very fast and painless job.  It helped that Eamon didn't have too much stuff!  

When he said his name to get his room key, the guy mispronounced it as Eee-mon and I spoke up and said "It's Eamon, rhymes with Damon" and Eamon was absolutely mortified.  But dude, if you don't correct them now you will be Eee-mon forever.  We went to Walmart to get the few things we hadn't thought of (extension cords, Febreze, a mattress foam topper, and a desk lamp) plus snacks and water:

His room is a triple with their own bathroom, but one of his roommates never showed up so he only has one roommate who is a Sophomore and came after we left.  Eamon says he's nice.

Then we met up with his cousin Tommy, also a Freshman, who is living in the same dorm.  These two have been besties since birth and at the same schools since preschool, so it's so fun that they get to go through college together as well.

My Baby is Still Single (Digits)

Our little caboose turned NINE!  Last year of single digits for a Martin kid.  Brendan's birthday comes at a very busy time of year, when college kids are leaving and school is about to start up, so I would recommend to any couple who are trying to have a baby...just go ahead and skip Thanksgiving "dessert".

Having said that, of course we have no true regrets because otherwise we would not have Brendan Joseph!

We started the festivities on Sunday night with a Happy Birthday Brendan/Farewell Eamon dinner with some family and friends:

Brendan is Eamon's mini-me

His godmother gave him what he really wanted - cold, hard cash!

"Now I have $86 in my wallet!!!!"

On his actual birthday, he woke up to cards and notes and candy and a new water bottle from his siblings:

Declan's joke - the princess bday card

Then we (Phil, me, Eamon, Declan and Brendan) headed off to Camelback Resort in the Poconos for a surprise overnight stay on the way to visit family and drop Eamon off at college.  We stopped for lunch at the nearest Burger King along our route and it happened to be located in the food court in the mall.  So that little 4 minute detour took a lot longer when we had to park and walk through a giant mall to the 3rd floor food court.  But it was a fun memory!  Especially since we were all walking around in swimwear!

Before we knew it, we were at the waterpark:

I love the bright yellow matching shirts for easy spotting!

Brendan told me he rode the biggest ride at the exact minute he'd been born nine years prior, and I told him that his birth was the biggest ride I had been on nine years prior!

For the birthday boy's dinner, we went to Barley Creek Restaurant and got burgers.  Brendan ordered a raspberry lemonade like the sophisticated nine year old that he is.

Brendan is a whip smart boy, sometimes too big for his britches, cuddle bug with a sarcastic sense of humor and typically a great attitude.  He thinks life is unfair a lot since he's the youngest and that's what they do, but he enjoys hanging around all the older siblings and keeps up with them.  Brendan is a swimmer and piano player just like his brother Xander, wants to be a doctor like his brother JP, wants Birkenstocks like his brothers Andrew and Eamon once his feet stop growing, loves to draw, loves dogs, the color blue, is my literal memory, only has one best friend (Jackson) because you can't have more than one best anything, and is very proud to have two different color eyes (green and hazel).  We love him so much and I hope his love of hugging us never goes away.  They are the best!

We went back to the hotel and Eamon took the boys to the arcade while Phil and I went for a walk around the property, and then we gave Brendan his birthday presents of new sneakers (he wanted ones like Dad) and a smart watch and new crocs.  He was a very happy guy as he thought that the waterpark was his present :)

We all fell asleep eventually and woke up too early the next morning.  The three boys went back to the waterpark as soon as it opened and rode all the big rides that had no lines yet.  Phil and I went for a run and ended up getting lost for a bit and ran longer than intended,  but found our way back and saw five deer along the way!  We all showered and packed up the room and we were off to Maryland to see Phil's side of the family for the night.  The rain and fog and traffic were horrific and it felt like a very long ride.  

It was good to see the family members who were around that evening, and we slept at his parent's house overnight before leaving the next morning to take Eamon to college, which will be the next post!

Week in Review: Fancy Football, Beach Boys, and Summer Slow Down

Happy Friday!  Happy Feast of the Assumption!  

Let's rewind to last Friday when some Martin Family members went to a Commanders v. Patriots preseason game at Gillette Stadium:

The tickets were from Andrew's friend's uncle which allowed them access to a suite and a complimentary all-you-can-eat buffet.  This was Declan's first NFL game and I hope he realizes they will never be quite like this again.

Andrew, Eamon and Phil all wore their Commanders gear but Declan wore his Brady shirt, which was a good choice because it was the night that the new Tom Brady statue was unveiled...which meant that Tom Brady, the GOAT himself was there.  

Very exciting for an 11 year old sports nut!

Week in Review: Boats with Buddies, Braces Before and After and Book Fees Making Me Crazy

Happy Friday!  Last weekend, Andrew went to a college friend's house to hang out with other college friends who were in town, and then they headed down to our house to spend a night.  My brother who owns a beautiful boat, happened to offer some fun boat time if anyone was free on Sunday, so Andrew, Eamon and his friends jumped on that!  My niece, her boyfriend, and my nephew also went to spend an afternoon out in Buzzards Bay:

I guess there's an ice cream boat that goes around and sells ice cream - how cool!  My brother bought some for everyone.

They returned home, showered and we had dinner for them.  We last-minute invited three friends (two are Franciscan alums) to come meet the boys and it was a really fun night with rowdy games that went way too late.  Everybody left on Monday and we miss them already - such nice and fun guys!

Week in Review: August Already, Living Uncomfortably, Bye Braceface and Dexter

 Happy August 1st!  

I'm just gonna get out of the way that August is my least favorite month, followed closely by March, but it always flies by in the blink of an eye and we're back to a school-year routine before we know it.

This week had Declan attending a soccer camp in town, and Brendan going to the YMCA camp near my work.  They typically go to camp together, but Declan loves soccer and Brendan definitely does not.  He's our little swimmer, and enjoys the two pool sessions a day at the Y.  This week has been HOT HOT HOT with temps in the 90s and humidity up there too.  They come home from camp, take cool showers, have dinner, prepare for the next day, and then watch some tv before bed.  Bonus points when we squeeze in a family rosary or a visit with Gammy and Grandpa.  Their summer assignments have not been finished, and with one more week of camp next week, we are really cutting it close.  Honestly, if I were home with them, they would have had it done weeks ago, but some moms gotta work, ya know?

Andrew and Eamon have still been golfing almost daily with their Youth on Course memberships, and get to enjoy beautiful courses and sunsets that kinda make me want to take up golf:

Eamon

Andrew

On Monday, I was supposed to have Jury Duty but they didn't need me!  Alleluia!  So I went to work because I have a lot going on, and was finally able to close out Fiscal Year 25 on Wednesday.  Thank you Baby, Toddler, Child, Teen, and Adult Jesus!  What a relief that big job is done, and now I can get back to regular work before my big annual report is due on September 30.  

Speaking of work, I found this list of how much income a family of four should make to "live comfortably" in these states and realized I can never retire OR we need to move out of Massachusetts.  We certainly don't make near that income #livinguncomfortably and can you imagine what the salary should be for a family of nine?