Boy was this a stressful week, what with everything going on in Boston. Not only does my dad live in one of the suburbs that was on lockdown Friday, but my mom had flown to Boston to see my cousin run the marathon. Any other year and I may not have had any family there, but this year I had a lot. Those few minutes before my mom texted me back to say they were safe in a restaurant a few blocks away were some of the worst minutes of my life. While my family is all safe, some of my family’s family was injured, and I know they all appreciate the thoughts and prayers from all of you on twitter (I told my uncle I had “taken to the internet” for him). In some ways, I think we are all getting desensitized to the mass violence that occurs in our society, but having it directly affect me has been eye-opening.

Anyway, there was not much reading going on while I was closely following this marathon story, but I am currently reading Lauren Graham’s Someday, Someday Maybe and listening to Hand Me Down by Melanie Thorne.

And, finally, we had a big milestone yesterday. Evan, who had been taking a step or two here and there suddenly decided it was time for some full-on walking. Here’s a video of one of his very first attempts:

If that video doesn’t work, you can see it over at Evan’s blog (I have little time to figure this out today).

I am glad this week is over. I am ready for a much less “exciting” one now.

Well life continues to be busy busy busy. We are finally guest free after hosting three different sets of visitors in the last month. Yet I still don’t seem to be able to find much time to read.

Next weekend is busy for a bookish weekend. We’re heading over to Orlando for the UCF Book Festival.

We’ve been every year since its inception though I’m not sure we’ll get to sit in for too many panels this year with the baby. I’m most excited to catch up with a few of the Orlando-area bloggers.

In the meantime, I am reading The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout and listening to The Absolutist by John Boyne.

How’s the weekend treating you?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Interesting fact: I just recently learned that the correct nickname of Patrick is Paddy, not Patty. Patty = Patricia.

At least once a month I tell you about how we have a sick baby this weekend. Well, we have a sick baby this weekend. It’s really not too bad this time (and thankfully came on the one weekend we don’t have visitors) but it does mean we’ve just been hanging out at home a lot. If only that meant I was reading.

It does mean that this Irish girl will not be drinking green beer this St. PaDDy’s Day. So tell me, how are you celebrating this popular feast day?

It seems like the last 17 weekends have been ridiculously busy. Every time we think we have no plans, we end up running around like crazy people all weekend. Or we get sick. But this weekend, we finally did it. We are not working around the house. We are not running errands. We are not socializing. We are not sick (well, not TOO sick). I read over 100 pages yesterday. I don’t think I’ve done that since maternity leave. OVER ONE HUNDRED PAGES. Let’s bask in that for a moment.

So what am I reading? I am finishing up The Life You’ve Imagined by Kristina Riggle in print. I started For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund on my Nook. And I just started Parlor Games by Maryka Biaggio on audio.

Hope you all have found some relaxation and good reading this weekend.

Oh my goodness, what a week. We started our guest room-to-playroom makeover in earnest last weekend. Which is not an easy task when you have an 8-month-old and your only free time to do anything, including paint, is from 8-10 pm.

Then, once we were well under way (read: once there was a HUGE mess), Evan and I both got sick (really, I’d been in denial for awhile). Monday was the only full day I spent in the office. Evan’s cold morphed into an ear infection and he didn’t really get relief until Friday. I ended up completely losing my voice. He’s still a little under the weather. And I still feel pretty crappy.

Thankfully, Ben was spared this time, so he kept the room going and we actually finished yesterday. I’ve got a post coming this week with photos. I think you guys are going to love what we did with it.

One good thing about being sick in the old days, was that I could finish some books. Not anymore. Apparently Evan still needed caring for and work still needed completing. I did manage to finish one audiobook and one (short) ebook though.

So how was your week? Less exciting than mine?

Well, we experienced another first this weekend. Not only was this the first time Evan has been sick (other than a couple minor colds), we got to experience what it is like when the WHOLE family gets the same stomach bug at once. Let me tell you, it is not fun. There was a period yesterday where I physically couldn’t leave my bed, Evan was screaming, and poor Ben, who actually got hit the worst with this, had to rock him for hours. I’m starting to rethink the decision to live so far away from our parents.

We were actually supposed to be in Daytona this weekend for a conference, but when Evan woke up sick at 3:30am on Friday morning (when we were supposed to leave) we had to cancel. Thankfully, Evan and I feel better this morning. Though it is still mostly a let-the-baby-play-while-I-lay-on-the-couch kind of day so far. I guess this is life with a kid, huh? (Neither of us has had a stomach virus in our adult lives before this).

We’re supposed to have my aunt and her husband over this afternoon. They’re down from Maine and want to meet Evan. I am hoping we all feel up for it. We’re also supposed to go to a campfire birthday this evening. But I’m thinking smores are not in our future.

At least I have some good books going. I’m currently in the middle of Shades of Earth – the finale to the Across the Universe series. And I wish I had the time (and energy) to just race through it. I am also just finishing up The Emerald Atlas on audio. And I’ve started Kristina Riggle’s The Life You Imagined, but I haven’t made it that far since I got caught up in Shades of Earth.

We are also in the middle of the first season of Community and the first season of The West Wing (thank goodness we installed our new Roku box in the bedroom on Friday). So some good television kept us distracted, too.

So tell me something fun you did this weekend so I can live vicariously through you from the couch.