Moving Again and Puppies First Hairdo

Yes, we are moving again.

Don't ask.
We are walking away from the house without a dime.
Oh, well, so what's five years worth of work and sweat equity worth?
Nothing...

But its ok...we will pick up and survive! That's the great thing about life...it goes on.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the puppies are thriving and are getting soooo big. I'm thinking that the "yorkie-poo" mix wasn't with a teacup poodle like we were told...
But what are you going to do? They are adorable anyway...

Puppies, Puppies, and Moving....Again

Here I sit at the computer, when I should be exercising or packing or something important. But I had to let everyone know about our new additions to the family! And no, I'm not pregnant again----that is my daughter Hailey's job. (After all, she is pregnant with twins this time! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! If you want to check out her progress, refer to her blog, www.haileytracks.blogspot.com)

So, when we found out that we were moving back to our house in NH, (since we haven't been able to sell it----do you think it might have anything to do with the fact that it still doesn't have a kitchen?) we realized that we could get a puppy again, as there were no restrictions anymore. Aydan has missed his little chihuahua, Izzy, so he was very excited at the prospect! We decided that we wanted to get a teacup poodle mix, as there is no shedding and they remain so small, like a puppy forever... So, we got online and started researching...

Long story short, we found a breeder that had a new litter of yorkie-poo puppies, and when we saw a little black one, we immediately wanted that one! But after talking to her, she informed us that the red ones are much rarer, so Bret said, "Why don't we get both of them---maybe she will make a deal!" So, thats what we did... Their names are going to be "Mignon" and "Musette". Yikes! Are we crazy or something? But, seriously, isn't it easier to potty train two puppies, because they have each other to learn from? And won't it be nice for the one puppy when they have their sister to play with? They won't crave attention, as they will have each other! Well, thats the theory, anyway.
We'll keep you posted.

As for the moving thing...

We've been there, we've done it... Seven times in nine years....

You would think that it would be a piece of cake by now. Why does it seem to get harder? Perhaps it is the fact that it seems like the more children that I move out of the house, the more things I move in to take their place.
Or maybe its the fact that they just keep leaving all their stuff for us to move, and are now out in the world, fancy free, while we babysit and cart their junk around.

And have any of you out there ever noticed that they aren't usually around to help UNLOAD all that extra junk? Oh well, I can't complain,...I did the same thing to my parents...

Maryn "Minnie"

Maryn, on her blessing day...the most beautiful baby ever!!

Now we know why she still likes to "dress up"! Look what we did to her on

Halloween when she was almost a year old!
Maryn with her cool bandana, at age 2...she started early with her own sense of style!

Maryn's first day of school going to kindergarten....

and then at the ripe old age of 10.

Maryn, with Aydan, the fall that we moved to NH...she started 8th gradeMaryn as a junior, when she had the lead in "Moon Over Buffalo"....

Wow...what a great 40's look!

Maryn, singing with her Madrigal group at the High school...great outfit!

Pinewood Derby... Maryn's band...

Maryn, performing with her band.

Look at my beautiful girls!...Maryn, Brinna and Hailey...

Maryn...super excited that she FINALLY graduated! Happy Graduation to my youngest daughter, Maryn!

She graduated from Acton-Boxboro High School on June 2nd, and has been accepted into Massachusetts College of Art, in Boston, for the fall semester. So, now is a great time to reflect on her ever-changing life...

Maryn arrived on January 29th, at Swedish Hospital in Denver, Colorado, at about 11:00 in the morning, after 12 hours of labor. She had long dark brown hair, and weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz.---the smallest of my babies. She had huge eyes and was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen! (Aside from her sisters...)

Maryn's nickname was "Minnie" after Minnie mouse, as she was so petite and the name fit her so well. She had a hard time sleeping as a baby, and did not sleep through the night until she was almost a year old. That is partially my fault, as I thought that she was my last baby and I loved to rock her every night to sleep. So, when she woke up at night, she couldn't get back to sleep unless I rocked her... She was my little sweetheart and the whole family loved holding her and playing with her...

As Maryn grew, she became a little spoiled as we all waited on her... She tended to have tantrums when she reached her two's up until about four, but I discovered that if I held her tight and calmed her down...her tantrums would subside... Her older brother Clayton, was very protective of her and would watch after her constantly, even when he was teased by his friends. He used to walk her to Kindergarten, holding her hand, even though it was only a block away...

Maryn showed early signs of artistic talent, and drew constantly. She didn't draw on the walls as much as her sister Brinna had, but would draw at every chance she got. She had a huge imagination and wrote stories, and plays and then illustrated them. She also had a fantastic singing voice at a very young age. Her voice was so pure and the tone so beautiful! She faithfully took my singing classes five or six times, as I needed more students to "round out" the class and didn't complain.... much...

Maryn was moved around....alot... She moved from Denver to Chicago to LA (Claremont) to LA (South Pasadena) to the Boston area (where we lived in three different places) to New Hampshire...then back to Acton (Boston area).
Her personality has always been very social and she would make friends easily and everyone seemed to love her... When she started high school in Manchester, New Hampshire, her personal style started to kick in and she began being a "trend setter". To this day, I would hear the kids in her school remarking on Maryn's cool style...

Maryn has spent high school doing singing, drama and art. She did two plays as a freshman, was the lead in "Zink" and was in"You Can't Take It With You", sang solos with the Concert Choir and did artwork on the side. As a sophomore, she was one of the singing leads in "Leader Of the Pack", made it into Chamber Choir, tried out for All State choir and made it, and did solo work for both the Chamber Choir and the Concert Choir.

After moving to a new high school for her junior year, she jumped right in and did the play "10 Things I Hate About You", became student costume crew chief for "Moon Over Buffalo" as well as being one of the leads in it, helped to write the play that was supposed to go to State "Where Will They Go and What Will Become of Them" and had a part in it. She tried out and sang in the Madrigals (as a tenor), as well as singing soprano in the Concert Choir. She then tried out for All District, and made it and went on to All State and made it (as a soprano)... She started taking Art classes and really starting exploring her "visual art" side.

As a Senior, she has had a successful year! She worked on costumes for the fall play, "Wiley and the Hairy Man" and the musical "42nd Street", had a lead in the play that DID go to State "The Midnight Caller", and had a lead in the Senior Class play "Mmmbeth". She tried out and sang soprano in Madrigals, joined the original indy folk rock band, "Pinewood Derby", (you can check them out at www.pinewoodderbymusic.com) had the only solo that sang with the school Jazz Band, "Orange Colored Sky", and sang with the Concert Choir. She took about six art classes and photography, won the Boston Globe Scholastic Gold Key award for one of her paintings, and put together an awesome portfolio to get into a school that only took 80 students out of 2000 applicants.

Maryn is truly a force to be reckoned with...

She has a strong personality and is quick to tell me how she feels about any given situation, yet still has such a warm and wonderful side of her that you just want to hug and not let go...

She is very beautiful, extremely talented, inquisitive, very knowledgeable about the arts, poetry, and different philosopies.

She likes to experience life and has a big heart for those that she loves...

She is a fighter that won't quit even though the odds are tough, and she will always be a little different from everyone else...

She has a great sense of humor, and I love to see her laugh, as we share those Danny Kaye moments, or "The Mighty Boosh".

She will always be my sweetheart and I will always want to hold her and rock her until she gets through the tough times...

I look forward to her artwork, to her singing, and to loving her for a long time...

Much Ado in Utah

Grandma and Grandpa Cannon being "lovey, dovey"Wow! It's a forest, but....is it a deer.....in headlights?Brinna showing Hailey which way to go on the tree lined path...Shawn, out on a walk with Aydan and Mila...My sweet G-baby, Ethan, angelic, with Hailey....(sporting green hair?).....with "Mimi".........and finally in the sweetest moment of all...Mila, captured in the sunlight, so beautiful.Hailey, looking veeeerrrry chic, in her outfit for church!Aydan, Brinna, and I made a quick trip to Utah the week before our winter break out here. It was a fast trip, but I was craving the G-babies really badly and hadn't really spent enough time with Hailey last August, so I used this excuse to go out and see Hailey in her performance of "Much Ado About Nothing". I didn't get any pictures of her in costume, of course,...I never have the camera when I need it... Bad mother! But you can check out the pictures that she took on her blogsite: www.haileytracks.com

She was fantastic, the kids were adorable, (even though sometimes loud...), and we got to hang with my parents one day, (having fun with their forest wall hanging---cheap thrills...) and Margy and Eldon another day. One evening spent with my brother, Patrick and his lovely wife, Angie, was not enough, but very enjoyable anyway...

I drove around the old stomping grounds, as Hailey lives in Highland, Utah now and I used to live in that area as a 4th grader. Yes, the old grade school in Alpine is still there, and the playground where we played "kissing tag" is still the same. (...and no, I was never chased as no one wanted to kiss me...)
It just never ceases to amaze me how much new construction there is out there now, and no trees...

So it was still nice to come home again.....ahhhhhh.....nothing like New England....

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays...

Aydan, excited for his birthday party!

...Opening one of his many presents...

Aydan with our great friends, Rita McConnon, and her two boys,

Andrew and Coleman Brinna, Aydan, and Brinna's fiance, Michael
Aydan, with lots of stuff!...Mom (Shawn) definitely spoils him!The really COOL pinata!

It was a Star Wars party, and Clayton came without a mask... heh, heh
Aydan, ready to blow out his candles... Clayton put his regular face mask on for Maryn and Brinna's party!


Maryn is excited by her new sketch book from Aydan...

....And its always great to get gift certificates from her stepdad, Bret

An art book from Mom, with Brinna and Aydan joining in...
Aydan picked out a set of glasses for Brinna's cool apartment! Brinna shares the love of reading from her Mom....yeah!
Maryn and Brinna blowing out the 44 candles on the "cake batter"

ice cream cake.....mmmmmm....yummy...
Ahhhh, tis the season for birthdays in our house... First, Aydan turned a big 6 years old, then a mere week later, Maryn turned a sophisticated 18! The next week, Brinna, my second daughter, had her birthday. She turned all of 26 years old and got engaged to boot! What a eventful year its starting to be! We had a party for Aydan, complete with a pinata and then the following week had a party for Maryn and Brinna---combined....poor babies....they always have to have combined birthday parties! It was a lot of fun, though, and I enjoyed being able to hang with my kids for a few days...

"Christmas Memories...Stretched Between the Pictures on My Blog"

Aydan, all ready for the Christmas Eve celebration!
Brinna, on the phone, as usual...Whoa...watch out Martha Stewart...hostess with the mostest?
Maryn, sitting in her clean room....what?....yes, it happens once a year...
Bret's cousins, Luke and Shawna (with an "a"), our Christmas Eve guests...
Our good friends, Alisha and Ryan, contemplating our Christmas spirit...
The adorable kids of Ryan and Alisha,...Sydney and Josh...
Shawn's "Lucy!...you got some 'splainin' to do!" red bow....festive!
Clayton, reading our traditional "Texas Night Before Christmas"
Joseph and Mary, of course....played by Aydan and Sydney
The entire cast of the nativity scene...interesting costume choices this year, kids...
Aydan, with his great friend, Sydney...for their bi-annual hug...
Christmas jammie time....er....I guess Bret wasn't that happy...and Clayton appears to be snoozing...
Christmas jammies with Clayton, Maryn, Shawn, Brinna and Aydan
Christmas day, after returning home from church...present opening time!

Maryn and Aydan...

Brinna and Maryn...

Clayton....(er....a homeless person?)....and Shawn...

Aydan in his new robe with Daddy Bret...

Shawn and Bret...still the loving couple...

The aftermath of Christmas......

After taking off the lights.....this is what was left of the tree...notice the amount of needles on the floor.....crazy!

.....Only thing to do is cut off the branches and throw them out the window!...

AAAAHHHHHHHH.....those Christmas memories...

Christmas 2005 came and went, but we have pictures to remember....

Friends, family, good times....

It was good this year....