The Macs in NH

10 Shopping Days left

2008-12-14T22:32:00.009-05:00

Well the holiday season is in full swing down here. Parker did his Xmas piano performance and did an AWESOME job...he can tickle the ivories...Janet and I love to hear him play and his is so proud of his new songs.

Shopping was going well except for the ice-storm that is keeping power from some of our friends...we lost some trees and power for 24 hrs..but that was Thursday and Friday..others still do not have power. This tree just missed the house...

And this greeted me on my way to work Friday morning....

Owen split his two hockey games this week....but they continue to do well. Parker had a nice early practice but was having the most fun all year on the ice so it was worth the early wake up call.

OH and BIG news I am sure Parker would want to share....the first tooth has fallen out. He is officially on the tooth fairy payroll and could not be more proud.

Oh yeah...check out this Goalie...YEP it's Parker. He was tough to fill in when no one else wanted to play a couple of games ago...

Well tomorrow is a work day for Janet and I..but the kids get another day off from the ice-storm. Some roads are still not clear and the power is still an issue for many. Thankfully we were on the nice list I guess.

Talk soon.

A Parent's proud moments...

2008-11-19T20:52:00.006-05:00

Boy there have been a few this past week...first...report card day was last Thursday and both boys did fine...which is nice to hear. The comments on both were very positive and only the mention of Owen's pink nails tainted the moment...

Oh yes...the pink nails....well Owen had a winning streak in hockey extend to 4 games this past week and he made a deal to get his nails painted by the 5 girls on the team. As you can see below...he lived up to his end of the deal....

Such a proud moment....hehehe...well at least he did perform well on the ice too...check out this shot...

As for Mr. P...well he went to the doctor with me yesterday and after his check-up Doc informed us both we were getting flu shots....Parker was like "uh-uh" but I talked him into it and he did not even flinch....then it was off to school as proud as punch with his bugs bunny band-aid.

Well only 3 hockey games this Saturday..one Practice on Sunday...LOL.

Yikes...it is fun.

Halloween and Hockey

2008-11-03T22:33:00.005-05:00

Well the big day has come and gone...Halloween was a lot of fun...the entire neighborhood gets together and you can see our two monsters were front and center...cute kids huh!

The boys had a blast..and I think the entire cast of kids looked great....see for yourselves....

Funny how kids think though...the day after Halloween Parker was looking for movies and saw the Polar Express..he was sooo excited...I guess he has moved on to the next big holiday...(52 shopping days 'til Xmas). He has already begun his list...and it gets longer each and every day...will keep the elves busy for sure.

The weekend after that was all about Hockey...Parker played his first game this Saturday and scored two goals....way to go Parker Mac....he was soooo happy..and of course Owen was there cheering him on....

Owen then split his two games and scored a goal in the game they won. So all and all not a bad weekend at the rink.

Well tomorrow is the big election here in the US of A..should be interesting to see how things go.

Later all...gotta hit the sheets....

Candy day approaches

2008-10-27T23:55:00.002-04:00

Well it was a wild and busy weekend..there we Minor Hockey night at the Monarchs (AHL) on Friday night...Hockey Sat. morning..cousins birthday party....golf and surprise party our neighbor...and oh yes hockey again Sunday....

But all that pales in comparison to the build up for Friday evening...Parker has his costume planned carefully..but you will have to wait to see it. Pics will be forthcoming. As for Owen...well he is still waffling a little.

The way we do Halloween is wonderful in this neighborhood..all the kids go together with the moms...dads get to hand out candy...and the best part I think is how the kids come back..dump their bags and trade / sort their candy so they all have what they like the most.

Janet and I continue the exercise routine...but felt a little guilty as neither of us made it on the weekend..but back on the horse tonight so to speak. We are determined to be in tip-top shape for many reasons.

Well if hockey, piano, school, and fun was not enough...the boys start swimming lessons this week....they are looking forward to it so it will be easy to get them there. They have a full schedule but both are good to get school work done around their activities. Parker is funny he actually does his entire homework packet for the week on Monday after school so he does not have to deal with it the rest of the week. Owen has a lot of homework but does balance it between his hockey well.

What it means is they both sleep well.

Speaking of which...midnight is late enough...off to bed..later folks

The Flintstones

2008-10-21T00:00:00.003-04:00

When you sit down to dinner with a 7 and 9 year old you never quite know where the conversation is going to go but tonight it was a riot. Mix chicken, rice, carrots and Multi-Vitamins and you get a great dinner conversation.

Janet had vitamins on the table for all of us tonight as we continue our quest to be more healthy. The kids ate their Flintstone chewable vitamins but when we told them the name of the vitamins it led to quite a funny conversation about our different generations.

Parker asked who the Flintstones were and after hearing about feet as the engine for cars, and ribs the size of a car the boys might have thought Janet and I were nuts. But that got the two of them thinking about what it was like when we were kids ...

They asked what games we played...Risk, Life, RatRace (great on snow days) and such...they wanted to know what games we played outside...Krazy Carpets were a hit in this segment.

Hearing about a black and white television ... no showers ... and two TV channels certainly got them curious. They really classified us as dinosaurs when we told them that Disney was only on TV for 1 hour each week..not 24 x 7 on three channels like it is for them now.

It ended up being a very enjoyable dinner as we talked about many things different between then and now. Boy do I hate to say that...but such is the circle of life.

The weekend was hockey filled...Owen won a game 3-0 and lost 7-1....Parker had 2 practices...he starts games soon.

Owen finished his first school project and we have another to start this week...I LOVE SCHOOL...but I thought Janet and I were done in '93....nope we have regressed back to elementary school..maybe we will get it right this time around.

Talk to you soon.

Ahh the week is over...

2008-10-17T22:19:00.002-04:00

Janet is watching TV..Parker is in bed sleeping and Owen just went up....the week is over...whew...and a lonnnnngggg week it was...work is tough for both right now. So a moment of calm in this storm we call life is good.

Parker had hockey tonight and Owen hung out at the rink as well. I do love that about hockey..Owen's teammate's little brother is on Parker's team so the four of them are getting to hang-out a lot. The requests for sleep over's have begun...but not this weekend as Owen has a late game tomorrow and early game Sunday.

Owen and Parker have been have a lot of fun together lately and it is very refreshing to see them bond. They were even talking sports in the van on the way home tonight and I believe that is the first of those chats.

So the Red Sox live to see another day...the guys went out to eat after my hockey last night and we got to see from 7-4 to the win. The whole place was going NUTS....well it gives us something to do tomorrow night as well.

Mr. P got another new Piano teacher last night but he apparently is nice and Parker continues on with his lessons...I might have to record a sample and post it here. It does allow you to post little videos on the blog so stay tuned.

Well off to bed as 5:45 AM comes early...Parker is on the ice at 7:30....

Hard work Homework and Bed

2008-10-14T22:20:00.003-04:00

Well the week got going in fine style today...Janet and I both had to work..but I think Owen gets the nod as hardest working MacIntyre today.
He was up at 7:15 AM...off to school...picked up at the bus stop....had to read for school on the way to hockey...1 hour hockey practice...home...math homework for 45 mins...spelling homework for 20 mins....shower....watch 15 mins of Pens / Flyers...then off to bed...I am tired just writing about that day..sheesshhh youthful energy is great.

So tell me ... how many of you with kids involved in activities have to do the divide and conquer routine. Janet had to drop Owen at 1 rink today...I went there for his practice...then take Parker to another rink for his practice. That is a normal course of business these days. On Thursday Janet drops Owen at the rink and takes Parker to Piano lessons. I have a feeling we are not alone in this tactic.

It was also quite funny at Owen's practice to hear the kids making big plans for the overnight tournament we are heading to in Rhode Island in FEBRUARY. The kids are so excited it is amazing. For many it will be their first overnight hockey tournament so I can understand that. I used to love those trips and I still remember the many games of knee hockey played in the hotel hallways. I wonder if they still sell those little sticks at tourney's anymore. We will find out in February.

Nothing much else to report except that Janet is battling a nice cold right now..as are a lot of people around NH these days.

Until next time.

Wow..Monday already

2008-10-13T09:30:00.002-04:00

First of all Happy Thanksgiving to friends / family in Canada...and happy columbus day to those south of the border. Always good to have a holiday, even though some of us have to work today.

Well the weekend was a blast...we had a great time Saturday night with our friends in from Vermont...lot's of people stopped by...and a good time(too good by some) was had by all.
As for Owen's game Saturday..that was a 4-1 loss. Yesterday they bounced back and won 10-1. Parker also played this weekend and he had a great practice...they have not started games yet.

The weather was fantastic here this weekend so it was great in the neighborhood. Everyone was out and about, but some of us still fight the grub battle...they moved to another lawn this week, and so the battle rages but we will win the war - hehe.

Well I am at work and it is very very quiet but I better do what they pay me to do.

Gotta love the weekend

2008-10-11T10:30:00.003-04:00

Well the weekend got off to a great start yesterday. John and Laurie arrived from Vermont and we hung out for the evening sipping a few beer and watching the Sox beat the Rays....and peeking in on some hockey games along the way.
It was a fun night but low key for me...Parker and I were on the ice for hockey at 7:30 AM today but it was worth the early morning. Parker had a great time and even scored a goal in his scrimmage. YEAH PARKER.

John, Laurie and the girls will be joining us this afternoon for Owen's game and of couse we will provide an update afterwards. Then tonight the neighborhood is gathering at our house to hang out with the Lebourveau family and watch the Sox again...Yeah I know we had a party last Saturday..and we host Margarita night this coming Wednesday...we all have our crosses to bear..heheh.

For those of you who don't know..this neighborhood brings back memories of College life in a big way...problem is now we have responibilities way beyond getting to class...so the mornings can be rough.

Well it is off to do chores...Janet is on the treadmill again...she rocks...6 weeks in a row.

We will check back in later and let you know how Owen's game goes.

Normal Days and Dinner time

2008-10-07T21:38:00.004-04:00

Well it was sort of normal. School....work...hockey practice, piano practice and homework.

Janet takes the boys to the rink and I meet them there on Tues. Thurs...and some Fridays....oh and just to make sure we don't have a quiet night they are starting swim lessons in a week.
We can honestly say the boys don't have a lot of down time. Nor does mom and dad.

But I have noticed that the routine of school and after school activities has really helped the boys settle down. Usually dinner time is a chore to get through as all of us are restless after long days...or the food is not someones favorite. Don't you love the line "how many bites do I have to take?".

Well for the past two weeks I can say that dinner time has been a joy. It has not mattered what the menu has been the boys have eaten with only small mutterings of resistance and the conversation has been great. We have actually gotten to hear about each other's busy days rather than putting on the black and white jersey.

We are all so busy that is has become normal and I guess that is the pace of life these days. But it seems to be working so we will keep it up.

Oh .... and of course we always look forward to Wednesdays...maragrita night.

Later all.

Picking up the cause

2008-10-06T20:16:00.004-04:00

OK OK it has been waaaayyyy too long since Janet or I have posted, but I have commited to getting us going again. We hope to get in and keep everyone updated as often as we can....

We are knee deep and beyond in Hockey with Owen and Parker and both are having fun...although there have been way too many 6:00 AM ice-times to start the season.

Parker is back into his Piano lessons and doing very well and he just finished Tennis lessons as shown below.

As for Janet and I it is mostly about who is headed to what event at what time....we crash on the coach together on Friday evenings and enjoy some down time...but wait even that goes out the door some Fridays as Parker and / or Owen have extra ice.

This past Saturday was a good day....we had a Grub party..well our neighbor had grubs killing his lawn so we got together and pulled sod...spread poison and drank beer. That moved (the beer drinking) to our neighbor on the other side later in the day as they had chairs out in front of their house. That led to more beer and a neighborhood pizza party at our house.

School is in full gear for the boys...and both are doing very well. They don't complain too much when it is time to do homework as both like the "git 'er done" approach so they can get outside to play.

That's all for now...but please stay tuned as we will be updating more going forward.

Wednesday

2008-02-20T19:24:00.001-05:00

What a long day. I left for work at 5:30am and didn't get back until 7:00pm. Thank goodness it's Margarita night tonight AND I get to work from home tomorrow. Looking forward to this weekend. Friday night we are taking out Mike (neighbor) to celebrate his 40th birthday. There's 14 of us taking a limo out on the town. I'll have to behave though because then on Saturday we are headed to Vermont to the LeBourveau's camp for some snowmobiling. The kids are very excited!

Bad Blogger!

2008-02-14T13:46:00.003-05:00

Ok so it's been a bit too long. I was in a deep depression after the Patriots lost! I'm not exactly a football fan but it was hard not to jump on the band wagon. I'm probably most depressed about the $20 I spent on a Patriots shirt for our Superbowl party. I love the shirt but it says "Road to Perfection".....NOT. It's not like I'll ever be able to where that shirt again! So besides the crappy ending to the game our party went well. We had 45 people in all. I'll have to admit the morning of the game I started to panic.....I'm not exactly Martha Stewart. This hosting stuff doesn't come easy to me. In the end it was a success but I won't be planning a party like that for a very long time!

Almost done......

2008-01-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our basement. We still have to get the door on, finish up the stairs and do some wiring for the speakers and such but other than that it's pretty much done!

Basement

2008-01-25T07:09:00.001-05:00

Well the basement is almost complete. Yesterday we had the carpet installed....it looks awesome! The only major things left are to get the door in and do some more wiring for the speakers and such, other than that it's pretty much done. I'll try and blog this weekend from my home computer so I can add some pictures.

Tonight I am going to another "crop" at our neighbors house. I enjoy the scrapbooking, the girl talk, the food, and of course the beverages. I find I'm much more creative after a couple of glasses of wine!

18 - 0 Go Pats!

2008-01-21T07:48:00.000-05:00

Ok so New England is a little bit football crazy these days. How can you not be with a record of 18 - 0. Superbowl here we come!! We are the lucky folks who get to host the Superbowl party this year in the neighborhood. I am actually quite excited about it. Steve and I both already have the Monday afterwards booked off of work. Hopefully the basement will be done in time. It would be nice to keep the mess mainly confined to the basement. That's probably wishful thinking even if it is done.

The rest of the weekend was mainly about hockey, as most are. Owen's house league had their annual deep freeze tournament. We didn't do so hot....lost all three games. Saturday he had a travel game which they lost as well 7-4. Owen wasn't as upset as he usually is when they lose since he got 2 of the 4 goals and a few other nice shots on net. When he wasn't playing hockey he was either watching it on TV or playing it on the playstation. This kid is a die hard fan! Parker on the other hand isn't into it so much. He is at the intro mite level so there are no games. It is all instructional. He has his ice time every Friday evening and Sunday morning. He's actually a pretty good skater but he says he doesn't like it when they play games. Parker has always been the type that doesn't like crowds so for him to get in there and fight for the puck just isn't going to happen. This might be Parker's last year in organized hockey (I can't say that I'm too upset). He's thinking maybe tennis or golf will be his thing. Anything that isn't before 8:00am on the weekends is ok with me!

Delay

2008-01-18T08:12:00.000-05:00

School has a 1 1/2 hour delay today due to the wintry mix and freezing rain. When my alarm went off this morning at 4:30am I looked out the window and all looked fine so I hauled my butt out of bed, got in the shower, got ready, and started the van to warm up. Just before I was going to leave I thought I would check the news to see how the roads were. Well, there were already tons of school delays including ours but I thought....hmmm Steve is home he can deal with that. Then I waited for the traffic report. Well apparently there was a tractor trailer going north on I-93 that flipped over, crossed the median and is blocking traffic going south on I-93 which is the route I take. That was enough for me to forget getting on the roads. So I started my coffee and flipped open the laptop to work at home. Some things are just not worth chancing.

Parker was afraid school would be cancelled today. He would have been very disappointed because his reading group is doing a piece on Martin Luther King Jr. over the morning announcements. He is so excited!

Keeping up with Annie

2008-01-17T10:12:00.000-05:00

Ok...so I've fallen behind already....I'm sure no one is surprised. My friend Annie who faithfully blogs every day puts me to shame. Of course she was the one who inspired me to do this blog. I love logging in everyday and reading her daily schpeal (sp?). It makes me feel like we're really not that far away. And let me tell you I'm pretty disappointed on the rare day she doesn't post! So I guess I can't blame her for harassing me when I start to slack!

Last night the boys and I went to the LeBourveau's house for dinner (neighbors that we have become very close with). Poor Steve missed out because he was home staining trim for the room in the basement we are finishing. Laurie is a great cook! Her husband just started working in Vermont so he isn't home during the week. The good friend that I am ..... I've been eating all the cooking she's been doing. I'm going to be none too happy when I can't fit into my clothes anymore!

Snow Day!

2008-01-14T06:54:00.000-05:00

The kids will be thrilled when they wake up this morning and find out it's a snowday. I am very fortunate that I can work from home on these days but I'll have to say it's difficult to be truly productive when the kids are home too. We are supposed to get 8 - 12 inches.....I really hope it is on the lower side.

Haircuts

2008-01-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

Last night I took the boys to my hairdresser Heather for haircuts. In the past we have taken them to Supercuts, or whatever was convenient, but they have received some pretty bad ones....none of us have been enjoying the daily routine of chasing them with a spray bottle so I can try and hide the cow licks that the last hair dresser apparently thought would be a good idea to accentuate! The boys were very well behaved and cooperative (I guess the bribe to take them to McDonald's afterwards worked) and to all of our pleasure everyone was pleased with the cuts. The best part was she only charged the same price we were paying at the other places. We will definitely be heading back to Heather the next time!

Let's try this again......

2008-01-10T10:48:00.001-05:00

We have been very bad bloggers.....I am hoping to rectify that but I am making no promises. I am NOT going to make an attempt at blogging about all of the events of the past 6 months or so. This is going to be a new beginning. So I suppose if I had been doing this all along I would be blogging about yesterdays events.....

Last night was Margarita night which is a weekly event we have in our neighborhood. It's a nice way to catch up with our neighbors and have a little adult time. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the last few days. It is such a tease....we still have such a long winter ahead of us.....I hate winter!

Summer officially begins

2007-06-28T09:52:00.000-04:00

The heat has arrived. Been over 90 hear the past couple of days and work on the "pool pit" continues. Hopefully by the weekend we will have an 18ft infatable pool up and running to help cool things off.
For Janet there was no need for the wait. The neighborhood gathered next door this past Sunday to hang out at their new in-ground pool (open for swimming) but still lots of work to be done. As the day wore on and more people arrived, Janet and John L. were having a chat near the pool when John decided it was time for Janet to swim. He picked her up and jumped into the pool with her (neither were dressed for swimming).
So Janet was to 1st offical throw-in to the new pool.
The boys are excited for the July 4th week..we are going to John and Laurie's place on Lake Parker (really that is the name). I am sure we will have some pics from that visit as we did from the winter visit.
Well gotta do some work now..boss walked in while I was typing...hehehe

School Year is over

2007-06-20T20:43:00.000-04:00

Tuesday saw the end of the school year. A new tradition in the neighborhood is the annual Ice-Cream party as the elementary kids get home off the school bus.
Parker had his graduation on Wednesday evening and it was cool. So things are slowing down a little now. Baseball is over (those pics will be next). Now the fun part ... yard work. The lawn is coming in nicely..thanks to Janet working on it each day to remove little rocks...we have lined the walkway and mulch bed with big rocks from our neighbor's back yard.
Anyway..can't talk long..off to Margarita night ... Oh yeah still have to explain that huh!. Maybe when I get home...anyway enjoy some of the pics of the school year ending.

Welcome to my world!

2007-06-19T08:32:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to see if I actually know what I'm doing (I'm starting to realize I don't!). Here's a picture of the boys out playing street hockey on their roller blades. This was right after we got home from Owen's ice hockey game. They never seem to get enough.....

Home and settling in

2007-06-14T23:53:00.000-04:00

Back home...whew what a week...and this week was crazy as school ends and such.
The remainder of the trip was a lot of fun. We enjoyed the parks each and every day and I have to tell you that the kids really enjoyed the pool. We had a late dinner Wednesday night and decided to swim until almost 11:00 pm. They thought that was pretty cool.
My friend Gorty (Robert Gorton), who I play hockey with, came down and stayed at the same hotel starting Wednesday so they hung out with us Thurs. and Fri. evening. He has 3 boys so Janet was feeling a little left out.
Friday night was "Movie by the Pool" night and the boys hung out in the pool, while the grown-ups sat pool side with a beer.
The conference was very good, but now it is back to the real work again. Oh well not too bad..back a week and already I am being asked when I can go to London.....and that will be just a Janet and Steve trip ....hehe.
So Parker had his Graduation from Kindergarten last night...it was fantastic. I have video and pictures so I will get lots of vacation and graduation pics up this week. Janet did all the practicing with him so I just go to see the command performace...it was very cute...he even hid one small part from her, but you will have to wait and see that.
Well time for bed as midnight arrives...I just got home from a Softball Game.
Later...

Welcome to Florida

2007-06-05T09:42:00.000-04:00

So I am sitting here at my conference on Tuesday morning...the boys are still asleep at last update 20 minutes ago. That is a sure sign that our 1st 2 days have been a blast. The flight down was fine and the boys past the time their own way.

When we landed it was straight to the Hard Rock Hotel...where the pool is fantastic.

Then it was off to the parks...where they are having a GREAT time...

We went right for the big thrills at Islands of Adventure. Owen and I hit the Water rides (Jurasic Park and a Flume ride) while Janet and Parker hit Seuss Land...

Well time for my next session...stay tuned...more pics and details to follow

June Already

2007-06-01T20:43:00.000-04:00

Can someone tell me where May went...man I can't believe where the month went. Oh well just another crazy month on Abington. Just 12 more school days for the boys....no wait ....can you keep a secret??? SSSSSHHHHHHHH

There is only 7 more days for them BECAUSE......

At 5:00 am on Sunday we are waking them up to tell them we are going to Florida for the week. I am going to a conference and Janet and the boys are coming along. We are staying at Universal Studios Hard Rock Hotel and will spend plenty of time at the parks. Janet will do Sea World again but no Disney this trip.

Today was just another day...take Owen to MA to have his braces repaired before the trip, but instead of fixing them they took them off for a few weeks. He has nothing in his mouth for the 1st time in 2 years.
Back from there in time to get him to Guitar lessons. While he did that I went to the Grocery store and then off home to BBQ supper.
Finished that just in time to get Parker to Baseball (2 hits for him tonight). Then home to find out Owen is off with the neighbors at an outdoor party.
And while all of this was going on poor Janet was stuck at work. She had to be there about 11 hours today to fulfill work deadlines prior to leaving for vacation.

Just a typical day for us....so Janet and I are sipping a beer while I type.

So stay tuned all next week. We will update daily on the adventures in Florida and I will provide pictures as well.

This was our Winter

2007-05-30T09:39:00.000-04:00

So we spent 8 months in hockey arenas so I thought I would put a slideshow up with some of the better pics we were able to take. Enjoy.

Another Week begins

2007-05-30T00:38:00.000-04:00

So here I am .... at 1 AM trying to decide how best to let you know how busy things are with us...hmmm well I am writing at 1:00 am..that should give you a hint. Let me point out this is busy in a very good way.
Owen is playing summer hockey 1 day a week....that happened to be tonight.
Parker and Owen are both playing Baseball...1 - 2 times a week.
Parker is taking Piano Lessons and Owen is working on the guitar. Both are doing great...I am sure they will play for you when we see you in person. They love to perform.
Oh yeah...I am playing Hockey once a week and Softball another night. And Janet and I do work sometime during the week.
Well Owen's team lost 6-0 tonight but they had fun. They have not won a game yet and the humility is a great lesson for the kids.
Anyway...I am off to bed....gotta work tomorrow...and it is Margarita night...and Yes I will fill you in on what that means tomorrow.

Welcome to our Blog

2007-05-28T19:52:00.000-04:00

We carry our cell phones everywhere and check email 10 times a day, but still we are not able to share all the news with friends and family. They say technology is meant to help us do more with our time, but suddenly we have become slaves to that same technology so Janet and I have decided to use that same technology to keep everyone up to date on our news.
Between hockey, baseball, music lessons and the social calendar in our neighborhood we will try to spend a few moments adding our thoughts to the site.
The best part is you can participate by replying to our posts. Before you know it we will have all kinds of "conversations" going and everyone can see what's happening here in New Hampshire.
WELCOME all and please let us know what's happening with you. For those of you with Blogs and websites, please send us the links and we will create a little web Neighborhood.