Grampa Moore Plays a Little Hookey...

So, Grampa Moore is back to teaching at BSC, full force and Wednesdays are long days for him with both day and evening division courses to be taught. So, what better way to spend the time in between then to drive an hour and a half round trip to spend a power hour with your granddaughter? Maeve, I know, was pleased to see her Grampa. A couple of times during the visit she gave out a whimper or two when Grampa returned her gently to the floor to play and so I decided to give him a subtle recommendation: Uh, Dad? Maybe you should pick her back up... Grampa, of course, obliged immediately which made for one very happy baby. Here's hoping we see Grampa as many Wednesdays as possible!

What Patriots Game???

Although for many in New England the primary focus last Sunday was a much desired victory for the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, for the McNamaras, our first priority was to have a really good time hanging out and stuffing ourselves lifeless at Lee & Scott's place. They, of course, were hosts extraordinaire, so much so that I can hardly remember the bitterness of the goings on later that night in Indiana. We were, however, missing KTD so much it actually hurt... Here are some highlights from the visits including a couple of video clips which display not only Maeve's latest "walking" trick but also poor Scott getting a friendly "shove" or two or three for getting in between Maeve and her piece of Tupperware. Thanks to Lee and Scott for a great afternoon!

Munchkins for the Munchkin

Well, Sunday was loaded with fun and it was kick started by a visit from Auntie Megan who had just been for a morning jog and was looking to get her Maeve fix for the day! Maeve is most times lovingly referred to as The Munchkin by Auntie Meg. Of course, she didn't come empty-handed and was sweet enough to bring with her a box of Munchkins from D&D. Maeve enjoyed about half of one, because, after all, half a munchkin is more than enough for someone whose tummy is the size of a golf ball, but half a munchkin wasn't enough for Maeve's mother...

A "Mini" Chatham Birthday Celebration

We'll after our original plans to have dinner with our good friends, the Darrah-Powers in Providence fell through (we did reschedule with them, so they haven't escaped an appearance on our blog), we were left wondering how we would fill our Saturday evening, until....we receivced an invitation from Robin Reed (former Chatham Chickadee) to join her and her family and Becky Glynn (another Chickadee) and her family, to celebrate Becky's 33rd Birthday. How could we say no? Any excuse to see any assortment of Chatham girls is right up my alley! FYI: any of you reading this that have no idea what I'm talking about, Chatham House is the townhouse at Stonehill that the 12 most sexy ladies on campus occupied from 1994 to 1996! I digress... Here is a shot of the Glynn Family as they enjoyed appetizers:



Here are a couple of shots of quiet time spent by Maeve and the Birthday Girl...



We enjoyed a yummy lasagna dinner prepared by Robin, aka, Super Mom and then the evening took an interesting turn...

Meghan Reed, Robin & Dave's middle child, invited the adults to join their band which was rehearsing in the playroom downstairs. We were all given assignments: Chris was lead guitarist, Dave Glynn on percussion, Maeve on the xylophone, Caroline Reed on the maracas, Meghan Reed lead vocalist and Bridget...super fan (sorry there are no pictures of the super fan). Many of the band members were adorned with costumes to set them apart from the rest of the crowd. For example, Chris, the lead guitarist wore a pink sash and mouse ears...or were they cat ears? And now presenting, the band otherwise known as, The Kisses:



A quick shot of the kids for posterity before it was back upstairs to satifys our sweet teeth!



Here is the birthday girl preparing to blow out her candles. Little did she know, that Caroline (in the Patriots cheerleader uniform) was plotting to steal Becky's cake frosting right off of her plate when she wasn't looking and she did!



Finally, a shot of the Chatham ladies, a moment to treasure with many more to look forward to in the future!

A Day With The Ladinos

So yesterday, Wednesday, Maeve and I hopped on 95 and took a ride up to Dedham to visit with my cousin Colleen, her son, Brian and Colleen's belly.....she's due in a week! We had a nice time - stuffed ourselves at lunch time (ironically, I was acting like I was eating for two), and both Maeve and Brian got some quality time hanging out together on the living room floor. Poor Colleen threatened me with with bodily harm for even considering taking a picture of her in her gorgeous pregnant state and so I thought better of it. In retrospect, had the roles been reversed, I might have given her the same ultimatum, so who can blame her?! We can't wait to meet the newest little Ladino (they've been told it's a girl...) and look forward to our next visit! A note: Maeve and Brian couldn't have cared less that I was taking a video of them...

Over the river and through the woods...

Today is an overcast, rainy day...perfect for snuggling with Nana and Gramp and a Patriots Game! We had lunch on Enfield Avenue with Nana and Gramp Mac and Maeve, as usual, entertained all with her new-found mobility, although, Nana and Gramp's smooth wooden floors provided a small challenge in navigating throughout the living room. These shots are taken of some more quiet, tender moments (rare these days) spent with Nana and Gramp and the video gives you a pretty good idea of how Maeve spent the rest of her visit!

Shiver me timbers!

So yesterday, The McNamaras "voyaged" over to our friends, The Lyons (Ted and Sara - formerly Sutherland, old, old friends of ours), to celebrate with them in the 4th Birthday of their oldest son, Collin. It was a pirate-themed party complete with treasure chests and a plank to walk. Unfortunately, the birthday boy didn't sit still long enough for me to get a shot of him as he and his "mates" hijacked the entire house, but it seems as though fun was had by all. Can anyone guess who the pirates might be?





The younger shipmates, including Maeve and her new buddy Ryan Anglin spent some quality time together...




...while Maeve's mother attempted to discuss the potential of an arranged marriage with Ryan's parents (just kidding)! I was able to steal a couple of shots, though including one of Maeve with Ryan's dad, Matt in which I believe she might be trying to win him over and ask for his blessing! Enjoy!

It Was a "Great Grand" Affair!

Well, Chris and Maeve and I arrived at a decision earlier this week and that was to take a trip down to East Greenwich on Thursday to visit Maeve's Great Gramp and Great Nana McNamara (parents of Chris' dad, Mike). We packed up some dinner, packed up our kid and headed down for a 4:30 PM arrival and received the warmest of greetings (as usual) from our very lovely hosts. As usual, Maeve was the star of the show although I managed to steal Gramp's attention once or twice when Maeve wasn't looking. Here are some memorable moments from our visit including some down time for Maeve on Great Gramp's lap while she indulged in her bottle...

A Day With Grampa Moore

Today Maeve and I headed to Hanson to spend the day with Grampa. Of course, Maeve and her Grampa ran through the typical routines of dancing in the living room and exploring the house for the switches and knobs on every wall and door but the day also included some more spontaneous moments like an impromptu concert for Grampa by Maeve on her new piano...




This one, I think speaks for itself...



And then, Maeve and Grampa headed into the kitchen where Maeve discovered the savory but complex taste of Basil...A girl after my own Food-Network heart!







I can't say with certainty who enjoyed the visit to Hanson more. Maeve or Grampa Moore? But I do know it was a special one, as they all are and we look forward to more and more of them!

End note: And while Maeve and Grampa Moore were "bonding" Maeve's mom took off and got a great manicure!

Daily work-out...

Here is Maeve enjoying one of her favorite pastimes...the jolly jumper. What is amusing to both Chris and I as we recall our own experiences in a jolly jumper is that it seemed to be a more elaborate system of harnesses and straps coming from evey direction possible (sans food tray; why the food tray I ask?), however the end result still appears to be the same: it affords you a break by allowing you to put your kid down for a few minutes (so you can wash some dishes, fold some laundry, dry your hair, etc.) and hopefully, your kid will have a good time while waiting for you to return with your undivided attention! We actually have a TON of jumper footage, most of it during some of her first attempts with the jumper, but this one I like because she seems to be entertaining herself fairly well, including some nice singing!

The Ultimate Uncle

So here is the Maeve-ster with her Uncle Brian. Uncle Brian pretty much won Maeve over instantly from the moment he stepped foot into Room 1 at Sturdy Memorial Hospital. Believe it or not, she became smitten with him and remains smitten to this day, not because he happens to be the only uncle, but because I believe that Maeve sees something in Uncle Brian that reminds her a lot of her Dad which causes her to connect with him with immediacy. And so, Uncle Brian, although there happens to be no contest right now in the "favorite uncle category" it's quite possible that you have already secured your title for a little girl named Maeve.