Pete – Page 3 – MiniMarr

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is without a doubt my least favorite holiday. I have never been a huge fan, but as I’ve gotten older I seem to like it less and less. It stresses me out (due in large part to a barking dog named Bailey) but just in general, I don’t like scary things and I don’t like being spooked.

This year however, was a different story. I didn’t think Pete would be super interested in the holiday itself, but we talked about it and read books about it and told him about his awesome Bob the Builder “costume”. We told him about trick or treating and jack-o-lanterns and figured we’d just see what happened for the day. The weather wasn’t supposed to be great, and I was totally okay with that!

When Pat came home from work, we convinced Pete to wear his “costume” and decided we’d walk around the neighborhood to see what he thought. He totally surprised us and loved it! He loved ringing doorbells and holding out his pumpkin for treats, he loved saying trick or treat and I think his favorite part of the night was that he got to use a big boy flashlight (just like dada) as we walked around.

He wore that expression pretty much the rest of the night and it was adorable. He kept asking to go to “one more house” and Pat and I both had a great time with him. I continue to be amazed by how different the world is through the eyes of a toddler. For the first time ever, I think I actually enjoyed Halloween. It’s hard not to with our little ham around 🙂

And just because, a cute picture of Pete before the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular a couple of weeks ago. The whole PC gang met up to see the pumpkins and we had a lot of fun!

Fall Beach Day

It was 70 degrees today! I am still baffled by this. Pete and I took advantage of the fact that school gets out early on Fridays and went to the beach for the afternoon. We had so much fun and I still can’t believe we were able to be there this late in the year and have it be so warm. I love New England. And Pete 🙂

Blue Truck

Pete has some exciting news to share: there is a blue truck in my belly! While he is usually right about most things, we’re pretty confident it’s actually a baby:

Baby Marr #3 is due in February 2014. We’re very excited to watch our family grow and hoping we have plenty of time to convince Pete that babies are just as fun as blue trucks. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, we know that Pete is going to be a great big brother 🙂

Finally Fall

Fall is finally here! It’s hands down my favorite season and we’ve been able to do some fun things with Pete. In addition to the zoo, we went to the Red Sox game with Nana, Bumpa and Lizzie. It was a great game (they won!) and Pete was more into it this year than last year. He wasn’t a huge fan of all the noise but slowly warmed up to it and even did the wave with me towards the end. We did a lot of walking around the park to explore/keep him entertained, but I’d say overall, it was a success!

The beach near our house is dog friendly from September 15 – April 15, so we’ve taken advantage of the great weather and had some great afternoons at the beach. It’s one of our favorite places and Pete is quite happy to dig in the sand and play with his shovels and buckets. He looks so grown up walking around!

And finally, my two favorite boys watching football in their matching shirts – thanks Wisconsin Conroys! We love football Sundays in this house and Pete loves the “Go Patriots!”

Southwick’s Zoo

We met the Vogel clan at Southwick’s Zoo yesterday. We had never been there before, and we loved it! There was so much to see and do, and we had a really great day.

One of the attractions is a deer forest. Deer are literally everywhere and will eat right from your hand, let you pet them, and in Pete’s case, try and make friends. He was a bit surprised by this deer’s interest in him and promptly tried to run away … his is face says it all:

We saved the rides for the end of our visit and learned that at this stage of his life, Pete is not a fan of mechanical rides. He and Pat rode the carousel together (which he has loved in the past) but yesterday, one of my boys enjoyed himself much more than the other … poor Pete. The nice man running the carousel stopped it so he could get off.

As we were leaving the zoo, Pete pulled his hood up. When we asked him why, he said it was because he didn’t want the animals to see him. He’s such a clown. And very stealth:

We had such a fun day with friends and will definitely go back to Southwick’s!

Construction!!

I have so many posts in draft status, but had to share this picture of Pete from yesterday! Our street is being paved and it made his entire day.

When I picked him up from school yesterday, his teachers said they heard nothing about vacation, and that he only talked about the pavers and construction vehicles he saw in the morning 🙂 He gets soo excited and it’s so adorable to watch. I love seeing the world through his big blue eyes!

4th of July 2013

We spent a great weekend at the Cape celebrating the 4th of July. Pete loves “the Cape Cod” and we are so fortunate that we’re able to visit there as often as we are! Pete got a hand-me-down play gym from his cousin Jaden and he couldn’t be happier about it. The slide just might be his favorite part:

We went to the 4th of July parade in Orleans on Thursday. It was roughly 1000 degrees, but we still managed to have a good time. We found some shade for our little fair skinned lad, but it was virtually impossible to stay cool for long. Luckily, a bubble gun and some music kept the man happy as could be despite the heat!

After exploring Chatham and checking out Chatham Light on Friday morning, we spent the afternoon at the beach. One of the best parts about the Cape is the post beach (or anytime) outdoor shower. Pete thought so too and got such a kick out of running around the backyard naked and yelling. He is such a boy. And will definitely hate me for this picture someday, but I couldn’t resist:

On Saturday, we hung around the house and played in the backyard. Pete loved his little pool and the sprinkler. He was so funny running up to it and putting his belly in the cold water. I forgot how much fun sprinklers can be!

We went to a cookout at Pam and Steve’s on Sunday, and had a great afternoon! It’s always fun to watch Pete and Gracie together, and Pete especially loved Uncle Steve’s boat – particularly getting to beep the horn … he’s been talking about it ever since!

It was a fun, busy weekend but as usual, we had a great time at the Cape with Nana, Bumpa and Lizzie and already can’t wait for our next visit!

Pool Party!

Pete took his first dip in KK and ShayKay’s pool today! He was hesitant at first, but once he warmed up to it, he had NO fear. It was borderline disturbing. He would launch himself off the edge of the deck into the pool, not caring if there was anyone there to catch him (there always was). Kris and I spent most of the afternoon anticipating his every move and catching him as he laughed and screamed and jumped right in. It was exhausting but so much fun and I can’t wait do it again! Though I see a life jacket in his future 🙂

A Mother’s Love

Mother’s Day brings mixed emotions for me. I remember being petrified that no one would recognize that even though my baby was sick, I was in fact pregnant, about to be a mom and totally in love with my daughter. Pat framed several of his favorite pictures from our maternity photo shoot and gave them to me after I got home from work that Mother’s Day night in 2009. To this day, it is one the sweetest, most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received. I was acknowledged as a mom, the one thing I wanted to be above all else, and it meant everything to me.

I remember hating that I didn’t have proof I was a mom. I was pregnant for 9+ months, gave birth, held my baby in my arms, loved my baby with my whole heart and yet she wasn’t here. The badge of honor I so desperately wanted was missing. The first time I walked around Target with Pete, I cried, because for years, I had dreamed of being able to do just that. As I watched with envy the other moms push their kids around, I hoped and prayed that someday, it would be me. As Pete gets older, trips to Target are by no means idyllic and yet, I still feel so lucky just to get to be there with him. I remember being that girl a few years ago and a wave of gratitude washes over me … I am his mother.

A mother’s love means an unbreakable bond. It means loving with everything you have, even at the risk of loss. It means loving despite crippling fear. And a mother’s love most certainly does not disappear in death. I am so proud to be Brienna and Pete’s mother. My Mother’s Day wish is to spend time at the cemetery, so I get to be with both of my kids. One in my heart forever, one who holds my hand. Both who changed me profoundly.

On a much brighter note, I also want to say Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms we know and love! To Bana and Nana especially … we love you so much and are so grateful for your constant love, support, guidance and inspiration. I have had amazing examples of what it truly means to be a mom. Thank you.

Celebrating Two at the Zoo!

Pete and his favorite people hit up the zoo for his second birthday. He was still feeling a little under the weather, but had been so excited for the zoo that I couldn’t disappoint him. He definitely wasn’t himself, but we all had fun anyway (until I got sick, then KK, then Birdie, then Liz, and finally Nana). Apparently it was a very contagious bug and the gift that kept on giving – oops. Everyone insisted it was worth the risk, but I still feel horrible!

Pete loves having all his family together (so do we!) so despite him not feeling 100%, we all had a great day. He was a tired little guy, but had just enough energy to eat cake and open presents and then promptly took a nap. Everyone that got sick is finally on the mend, and we’re very grateful that everyone loves Pete so much they still wanted to celebrate his birthday with him! He’s a lucky little boy 🙂