"Mom, can I wear a dress to soccer today? It's picture day"

Kids should play sports because they like it and they have fun, and so their parents can go cheer them on and take pictures and share them with family and friends and gush about how good they are. That's what you'll see here. These are well edited and carefully chosen to ensure the most soccer-like, advanced playing Olympic athlete we know we have in our little miss E. Just kidding. The title of this post sums it up best as she was getting ready for her game last week, and it was team picture day before. My girl is a girlie- girl, and soccer is just what it should be to a 6 year old. Fun. Daisy picking, chit chatting, skipping to the ball fun. Sorry Coach Ed!

Going to the Dogs...

Man's best friend took one for the team this weekend and braved doggy humiliation and sunny weather to bring home the blue ribbon for his biggest human fan. The Ripster acted as Emma's canine dress up toy for the Cracker Barrel Fair 4-H Pet Parade and did so with as much grace as he could muster.

"Pumpkin Dog" used his new found fame to socialize with other animals and befriended Gracie the sheep. If Ripley could talk, I think he would have asked for a play date next weekend. Who knew the bunny monster was actually a gentle angel with animals?? I'm starting to think his bunny population control in our yard may have more to do with garden protection of his sacred cucumbers and maybe he really isn't a savage beast. Who am I kidding - instinct is instinct - you can't take all the wolf out of the dog! If only he could catch the occasional fly in the house and put that hunting to good use...

Our first family af"fair" was big success. Emma borrowed Gracie and had her first sheep showing experience, spent some time with the bunnies and guinea pigs and rounded out the day with a Ferris wheel ride. Now, if only they had some kind of category for old, batty cats and we could have had a complete family experience. Sorry, Syd - maybe next time :)
-Lisa

My homage to cheesy goodness

I figure this is my blog and I can write about anything I want, and I am eternally grateful to mac and cheese, so here's a posting dedicated to my love of all things noodle and cheese.

I am lucky enough to find myself employed by an establishment that pays me to dine with my customers nearly every day. I eat in some of Boston and the surrounding area's finer eateries and am delighted to report that the most comforting of all comfort foods (in my opinion) is making a triumphant come-back. It is no longer relegated to the kids menu, but instead can be found prominently displayed amongst the finest entrees, and let it be known, I have no shame in ordering it. It ranges from the the super creamy to the baked casserole variety, some with crunchy toppings (my favorite) and some without. Most have been enjoyable, some superb, with only one or two misses out of the MANY I have sampled.

Imagine my surprise earlier this week to find there is a stand in Quincy Market dedicated solely to dishing out this delightful concoction. Each order is made in front of you, and you can add in all kinds of treats depending on your mood. Apparently it has been around a while, and I must have been living under a rock, because I used to consider myself fairly well informed on the goings on of the mac and cheese world! I was so inspired, I actually took a picture of their menu on my phone, so I'd be ready to order on my next free day. I can now ponder bacon vs. classic or any other variety on my walk over. If you are still reading this, you are probably as crazy as me, and it is about to get worse...

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess I'm not the only complete nut about mac and cheese as Kraft recently put a statue (if that's what you would call it) in Faneuil Hall of a giant cheesy noodle. I'm not really a fan of the blue box product, but anyone bold enough to erect a statue of a giant, yellow, noodle looking thing in the middle of Boston wins a few votes in my book. I encountered this giant noodle on my way back from my picture taking, mac and cheese adventure mentioned above and smiled all the way back to the office. Thanks, Kraft. Sometimes, something so silly just makes your day.

-Lisa

All good things must come to an end

Just one day back to work, and that warm and carefree vacation feeling is already a fading memory. The hustle and chaos of fall is near, as school starts tomorrow, along with soccer, girl scouts and all the school related commotion that somehow takes a backseat to bike riding, beaches, frog hunting and fishing during the summer. Fortunately, we had one week of bliss.

I am a self-admitted workaholic, but for the first time in a long time, even I submitted to the joys of personal freedom and relished in 9 whole days of computer free vacationing. There was an occasional check of the blackberry, but I had made a promise to my family, and more important, to myself, to actually vacation this vacation - our first of the summer. It had been a long time coming, and we packed it full of all the best New England has to offer. We covered 5 states, multiple family members, numerous boats, and cars and saw more wild animals in their natural habitat than we've seen in a long time. Thank you to Earl for not disrupting any of our plans.

So, one day after, and back in the grind, we have some great pictures (some we've posted in the prior post, and a few more below from our weekend with Grandpa Joe and Sarah in Vermont) , but more important, the memories of a great family vacation. Family visits, car rides (dog included), and hours upon hours of laughing, reading, and sometimes just doing nothing. Now we can start dreaming of next time. Where to go???

-Lisa

I could get used to this lifestyle...

At long last, the Pickard family vacation is in full swing and summertime weather hasn't let us down. It looks like we'll get it all this week from scorching heat to hurricanes! Our journey began with a cruise out to Block Island with Papa Gene and Grammy. We're happy to report we have a new little sailor among us, and that nothing has changed with Mommy... I can still sleep anywhere, anytime on a boat. "Horizontalism" reigns supreme! We had 3 glorious days among the sun and sand of Block Island with a brief pit stop over at Fisher's Island for lunch on the way home. After countless years of sailing the waters of Long Island Sound, our good luck charm, Emma, helped us spot 3 Leatherback turtles! A rare and spectacular site, but understandable considering the abundant jellyfish population (their food source). Thank You to Papa and Grammy for the great trip!

Tuesday brought us to Boston on a whale watch and to the Museum of Science. What fun! Our sea creature friends were out in full force and put on an amazing show. The Museum of Science never disappoints and the Butterfly Garden made Emma's list of "best of" for the day thanks to the giant Morpho butterflies they had.

Heading north next...