Mardi Gras!

An afternoon on Newbury Street

Some window shopping and brunching on Newbury Street before we returned home was the perfect way to end the trip.  We even showed them the public gardens where one of our favorite books took place. Can't wait to cuddle up and read "Make Way For Ducklings" again.

Cheers to New England, another of mom's favorite places.  And cheers to family adventures... to me, what life is all about!  

The Hanrattys take over The Hermatige Club

The minute the girls met Tyler and Dylan, they were fast friends, throwing snowballs and claiming boyfriends (Kendall!??!!).  From then on, the adventures were plenty, from skiing all day, to snowball fights, tube rides and s'mores by the campfire.  They even capped it off with a comedic magician in the club's movie theatre.  This place was made for kids, and the parents enjoyed every moment of watching our kids soak it in with huge smiles.  We tried to get them early from ski school on our last day to ski as families, but they refused.  We hope this is the start of a wonderful tradition.  And couldn't be more pleased that our kiddos are begging to be on skis!

Vermont - you didn't disappoint!

We loaded up and headed out to meet the Buschmans, one of my nearest and dearest from college, at their new family vacation home in Southern Vermont.  We nailed the timing as they had just come out of huge snowstorms, but the sun came out and temps hit mid-40's... so we got the best of both worlds.

Before the Buschmann's arrived, we enjoyed the most magical family day together.  Within minutes of waking up, the kids were geared out throwing snowballs and eating icicles in the backyard, while Ryan and I listened to the giggles and watched on while enjoying our morning coffee.  Pure magic!  Then we hit the slopes at the Hermitage Club for our first full day of family skiing.  Even with a couple of timid moments and a few runs that ended with one skiing down between mom or dad's legs, both girls ended the day listening to live music with a huge hot cocoa saying they had SO MUCH FUN!

The Hermitage Club 

  "Don't worry Kendall, I was scared when I was little too"

CHEERS TO A PERFECT FAMILY DAY!

Happy Valentine's Day

Couldn't love all of you any more!  And can't think of a better way to kick off the day than by celebrating :)

100th Day of School

My little docent was excited to show me around Zero's 100th Day of School Museum.

And of course, her 100 crayon heart was my favorite piece!

Dad's Night

The highlight of her day was "Dad's Night" before Dad's Night even happened.

A partner in crime to primp with?!!

This is the coolest! Mollie is the special guest at an event honoring her Nana and Papa tonight, so we got ready together with make-up, tunes and some dance moves.  Could not have been more fun or special!!!!

Taking after her parents

This is by far my favorite spectator sport.  Love watching you score and be aggressive as your crushed your opponents in the last game of this season.

 Proud parents and proud (almost) Uncle visiting from Chicago!

An evening I hope Mollie never forgets

Nana and Papa Hanratty were the recipient of a very special award tonight.

They received an award for making a difference in the Catholic community.  For changing peoples lives with their involvement in the community.  1,000 people came together to honor them for this award.  And they included you in the festivities.  In fact, you sat next to Nana at the head table.  

You met the bishop, you listened to your Dad do the most amazing job honoring his parents, then you listened to your Papa talk about the work he has done.  What an honor to be a part of this amazing family that Nana and Papa started, and even more special to be a part of the night where the community recognizes them for all they've done.  I hope the memories of this night stick with your forever, and motivate you to continue on your path of being an activist and making change for the better in our world.

Watching Dad as he gets up in front of 1,000 people and says that the only way he's going to have the strength and the focus to get through this without getting too emotional, is because he's holding his daughter Mollie's lucky golf ball!!!!!