Quick family update...

Maegan will be making her first communion on the weekend of April 21st. We do not yet know whether she will be celebrating at the Saturday afternoon mass or one of the Sunday morning masses. We will let everyone know as soon as we know.

We are celebrating Hannah's birthday THIS Saturday 12/3 at 6:30pm with our traditional gingerbread house competition. If you have not already let us know whether you are attending, please call Carolyn.

Basketball schedules are out for Metro West and the first games are this weekend. I will post the schedules as soon as I have time. Meanwhile, if you are interested in attending this weeks' games please contact us for places and times.

Grayson will be playing in a basketball league at the YMCA in Foxboro. His games will begin December 10th. When I have a schedule I will post that as well.

Maegan is involved in a basketball skills clinic. I don't think they will have a game schedule; but if they have scrimmages, we will try to post accordingly.

Congratulations to Hannah for straight A's Q1 of Jr. High. Tommy was just shy of the same accolades and came home with a report card to be proud of.

Hannah is going to her first school dance tonight. Mom is more excited than Hannah!! We'll try to get a picture up here later this weekend. Stay tuned!

Finally, Hannah IS playing indoor soccer. However, we have been remiss to post her schedule. She plays Tuesday afternoons or evenings. If you would like to attend a game, please call for the time. All games are at Fore Kicks. We hope to post the rest of the schedule soon.

We hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!! Love and happiness to all.

Hannah's Indoor Soccer Schedule 2011

Hannah will again be playing indoor soccer this winter. The season begins TOMORROW Tuesday October 25th at Fore Kicks. Kick off for the first game will be at 4pm. The rest of the schedule will be posted here soon. Stay tuned!

Grandparent's Day at the Elementary School

Apparently the tradition of celebrating grandparent's the Friday before memorial day in the Wrentham Public school's has been changed. This year we are celebrating this WEDNESDAY October 26, 2011, details below. If you plan to attend, please let us know. Anyone joining us is invited back for lunch at our house afterward.

People are welcome to visit classrooms between 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM. We ask that all guests sign in with a PTO volunteer before moving throughout the buildings. Buses will be available beginning at 8:30 AM from Luciano’s at Lake Pearl Park to the Delaney/Roderick School bus circle. It will be helpful for guests to know their school designation and child’s teacher’s name before arriving at the school. We hope that you can join us on this very special day.

FYI:
Tommy is in the Roderick school: Teacher Miss White
Maegan is in the Delaney Annex wing: Teacher Mrs. Morgan
Grayson is in the Delaney of the main entrance: Teacher Mrs. Ahern

Grayson's Soccer Scedule

Grayson is playing Norfolk Lions Youth Soccer league. He and Addisyn play on the Red team. All games are held at the Pond Street Complex on rte. 115 on the fields behind the tennis courts and down the hill. Games are as follows:

9/18/11 1pm Red v. Yellow
9/25/11 1pm Red v. Green
10/2/11 1pm Red v. Silver
10/16/11 1pm Red v. Blue
10/23/11 1pm Red v. Orange
10/30/11 1pm Red v. Yellow
11/6/11 1pm Red v. Green

Maegan's Fall Soccer Schedule: Commonwealth BBQ

All games will be played on the Rice Complex soccer fields. Commonwealth BBQ shirts are baby blue:

9/10/11 9am - Crushing Victory for the Commonwealth BBQ: 4 goals scored by Maegan!!
9/17/11 9am - Another 4 goals for Megs and another impressive victory for the team!9/24/11 11:30am - Great game played by the kids: first loss (not that we are keeping score:)
10/1/11 9am - Maegan didn't play this week, but we heard the team had a great game!
10/8/11 9am
10/15/11 10:15am
10/22/11 10:15am
10/29/11 10:15am
11/5/11 11:30am
11/12/11 10:15am

Hannah's KPSA Fall Schedule

9/10/11 8:45am @ Norwood on Father macs 10 0-1 KP Loss :( Good effort by all!Link to the Norwood Youth Soccer website that has directions: http://www.norwoodsoccer.com/content/fields-directions#Mac
The entrance to the parking lot to the Fr. Mac’s Complex is at the junction of Hawthorne Street and Vernon Street in Norwood.

9/17/11 10:45am @ Rice Complex Field E KP Tie 1-1 Great game!9/24/11 10:45am @ Rice Complex Field E - KP Victory 2-1
10/1/11 9am @ Bellingham United - 0-0
10/8/11 10:45am @ Rice Complex Field E KP victory 4-010/15/11 10:45am @ Rice Complex Field E KP victory 3-0
10/22/11 10:30am @ Mansfield on Plymouth Street 1 - KP victory 3-110/29/11 9:30am @ Medfield - 2-2 Tie
11/5/11 10:45am @ Rice Complex Field E 4-2 KP LOSS
11/12/11 9am @ Rice Complex

Looking forward to a fun season with Coach Fox!

Standings: http://www.bays.org/?q=node/111&SEC=15

KP Football D1 Pop Warner Team Schedule:

9/5/11 1:30pm @ Stoughton: KP Win 21-0TD's scored by Andrew D, Joe Fruci & a touchdown pass thrown by Tommy to Ben Furfari. Extra points scored by Ben Furfari & Tommy Flaherty. Great interception made by Aiden Bender. Great way to start the season!
9/11/11 1:30pm @ KP vs. Brockton 19-6 KP Victory TD's 2 for Andrew Dittrich one running and one receiving completed pass by Tommy Flaherty; Ben Furfari on a running TD and extra point. TD saving tackles at safety by Aiden Bender. Joe Fruci put the kill on and unfortunately broke an ankle of an opposing team member in the process (who happened to be the Brockton star running back).
9/18/11 1:30pm @ KP vs. East Providence - KP Victory 40 to 12; the boys worked really hard for this game, a new offensive scheme was put in to counter EP's aggressive blitz package and some new pass plays were designed to expose EP's D. The boys executed flawlessly, posting 6 TDs (5 passing - 3 from Tommy, one each to Andrew D, Andrew G and Ben F) and 2 from Ben F, both to Aiden) and one running TD (Ben)). The D was great again, other than two missed tackles that led to both of EP's scores, the D was stiffling and the offense put up somewhere in the range of 280 yards of total offense. It was an impressive win...
9/25/11 1:30pm @ KP vs. Franklin KP Victory 13-0; this game was a little sloppier than last week. There may have been a bit of a let down after the EP game and the boys were facing an 0-3 Franklin team. They may have thought they could just show up and win this game, which was about accurate as KP had 3 turnovers (1 pick and two fumbles, a botched punt of 5 yards and penalties that took back about 50 yards of offense). With all that, said Tommy had a 30-ish yard TD run on a QB keep and Ben F threw a TD to Aiden (who has 3 TD catches total in the last two games) and the offense still controlled the ball and tempo at will and the D was filthy, barely allowing a first down the whole game. The boys can expect a tougher week of practice this week to get the intensity back for a 1-3 Hopkinton team coming in.
10/2/11 1:30pm @ KP vs. Hopkinton -KP Victory 21-0 – this game was close until half time at which time it was 7-0 – Chiefs. The boys started at little slow and really picked it up after the half, The defense was strong all game and the offense really got going putting up 2 more touchdowns.
10/9/11 1:30pm @ KP vs. N. Attleboro - KP Defeat 13-6, this game came down to an extra point, we get our in regulation and this game is a W for us, however we missed the point after and went to OT, where we ended up on the wrong side of the score. I told the boys after the game that it would be the best thing that happened to us and it turned out to be the case (as I am writing this 3 weeks later…after our latest win against Foxboro.) Tommy scored on a Keeper after a long pass for Andrew D (he made a great catch). There were some questionable calls laid against us by the officials, but we as a group of coach’s and team learned a lot from how we reacted to this adversity. N.A. was also a cheap team and it really riled our guys, also a learning point for them. So all in all, despite the loss, this was a good thing for us – thank you N.A. for showing us that if we want to be a power football team we can and will be and if we want the outside, we’ll take that from you too, but most importantly, it showed us how to be cool under “fire”…We hope we see N.A. again in the playoffs, but it is not likely unless they beat Hyde Park in their last game because of of right now they are 5-3 in a crowded, competitive division...
10/15 or 10/16/11 TBD @ Hyde Park - KP Victory 20-6,it was a meeting of two 5-1 teams at the time. It was in Hyde Park so we already had that going against us. We completely changed our game plan and offense after the N.A and it completely took HP by surprise, a point which their coach noted to our coach after the game. We pounded the ball in between the tackles and then hit the outside once they tried to close the middle. It worked perfectly. It was 20-0 at half and pretty much over at that point…TDs in the first half were two by Joe F and one by Aiden Bender on a pass from Ben F with 16 ticks left in the 1 st half on a 4th and something from the 20…
10/22 @ 7p - Foxboro- KP Victory 7-6, this was a re-do of the N.A. game for us, but with much bigger stakes as we were at 6-1 and Foxboro at 5-2 and again, without that N.A. game, I am not sure how we react. We were trailing 6-0 at the half, we had devastating penalties on D that set up their score in the first half and we had tough calls on us in the 3rd Q on O that really slowed us down. We found a way though, with a big pick by Ben F that set up our TD. Of note, Ben had the play of the game when he crushed Foxboro’s star back on the goal line during their point after try. We then proceeded to pound the ball down the field and hit with them with a well executed LE end around play that totally had them fooled. We then took a TO for the point after to make sure we had the play we wanted – something we did not do against N.A. and it was huge for us as we pounded that point after in and then held for the remaining 7 minutes of the game. It was a perfect win for us, total composure by the boys and the coach’s…we are a dangerous team right now.
10/29/11 5:30pm @ Norfolk - Loss 6-0
This game did not quite turn out the way we'd hoped. We had a snow storm come through on Saturday, 10/29 and the game was moved to Tuesday, 11/1. We had prepped and had the boys ready for Saturday night, but I feel like the 3 day delay with some families still without power had an impact. It sounds like an excuse and in any event we lost 6-0, but it was a hard fought tough game and somewhere I wonder if we had played as scheduled, if the outcome may not have been different. Regardless, the Norfolk team was better on Tuesday night by one score, which came with 1:51 remaining in the 4th quarter. Norfolk went on to Regionals and was bounced in the first round and we decided to go to the Superbowl...and...keep reading.

Playoffs - On the road to the Super Bowl:

KP hosting North Attleboro 3 - Wednesday, 11/9 - KP 26 - N.A.3 - 6This game was over after the first drive. N.A.3 fumbled the kick-off, we recovered and went with the Green offense for a quick score to go up 7-0. We went mostly with power football and played Wishbone and IForm. We could run inside and outside at will. We never looked back as Ben Furfari (2 scores), Jeremy Elpus and Dan Cobb got us on the board. Our defense was dominant in this game and technically shut this team out. We put our second D in for the 4th quarter and N.A. scored with 1 minute left in the game. It was a complete team win and it was a relatively "easy" win for the boys.

Foxboro hosting KP - Sunday, 11/13 - KP 13 - Foxboro 6 (OT)
We had met in week 8 and came away with a 7 - 6 win in regulation. This one proved a little tougher as it went to OT. In truth, the game should have been a 6 - 0 win for us but a terrible pass interference call on us on 4th down from our 20 lead to their only score. We hold them there, they don't see the end zone, but it was similar to the last time we played in Foxboro. Untimely penalties on us and some decent defense by them, made it closer than it should have been. We got the ball first in OT and powered home a score on our third play. We buried the extra point and we knew this one was ours. We learned from the N.A. 1 loss in week 6 to take the ball first in OT. Once we scored you could see the wind in their sails leave the field. Plus, as an offensive play caller, it changes your calls when you know you absolutely have to score in 4 plays. Jeremy Elpus made a huge TD saving tackle on their 3rd down play that left them with 4th and 4. They had an illegal shift call on 4th down that we declined because the pass fell incomplete anyway and the game was ours. It was an exciting game...what both teams referred to afterwards as the Super Bowl...

Super Bowl Saturday - N.A. 1 hosting KP (although we were the home team on their field).
This was a redemption game for us. As coaches and I think as parent's we felt the first loss to them was a fluke. A combination of the Camp Bournedale week for our older lighters and the intense heat of that Sunday (80 degrees). For this game we had a full week to prepare, the temps were in the 50s and we showed everyone that week 6 was a fluke. This game was a laugher, over at half time, if you ask me. We were up 13 - 0 at half and N.A.1 did not have a single first down on offense to that point. We were sweeping on them at will based on one small simple adjustment we made with the backs. It was awesome to watch the boys execute the game plan to a "T". We ended up winning 25-0 with TDs from Ben Furfari (2) and Andrew D (2). We also won without our starting Right End and Inside Linebacker, Andrew G. Jeremy Elpus and Philip Migniaca filled in well on O and D, respectfully. The D was absolutely relentless, not allowing a first down until late in the 4th quarter...it was total domination on both sides of the ball for 40 minutes. The whole team played well and it was extremely satisfying to both avenge that loss for them and have the season end the way it did...we are back to back champs with an eye towards a three-peat in 2012...

Congrats to all the players and coaches and a thanks to the parents for putting up with all practices and games. We started 8/1 and finished 11/19. It was a long season, but I am sure all those involved would say it was worth it. And in terms of not going to Regionals, I say this, "it is better to have something on your jacket, than nothing at all..."

All score and standing info can be found here: http://kpchiefs.org/schedule%20scores%20standings.htm We are in the Patriots conference (D1), Seminole Conference and are in the Jr. Pee Wee (D)...

Maegan's Happy Father's day note...

My dad's name is Paul.
My dad is special because he taught me how to swim.
I make my dad smile when I am happy and when I kiss him and when I hug him.
My dad can do many things. He's good at swimming.
I like when my dad helps me to swim and when he loves me.

- Maegan

We salute you awesome swimming dad!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

In honor of Father's day, Grayson answered the following questions about his Dad:

What is your Dad's name? Paul
How old is he? 4 year's old
How tall is he? 4 feet
How much does he weigh? 40lbs
What color is his hair? Greyish
What does he do around the house? Clean
What is his favorite drink? Beer
What is his favorite food? Hot dogs & hamburgers
What is his favorite TV show? Madagascar
Where does he like to go? To work
What is his favorite hobby? Playing outside with me

And... for the grand finale and my personal favorite...
What is his favorite sport? OLD MAN SOFTBALL :)

We hope all the fathers in our life have a spectacular father's day. Here's to you!~

6th Grade Science Fair

The sixth Grade Science Fair is being held TODAY Wednesday 6/15 in the Roderick Cafeteria from 12:45pm to 2pm. Hannah has done an experiment to determine whether or not there is a difference between memory in boys and girls. Her data and results will be displayed at the fair today. If you are in the area, please pop in to support her.

Maegan will be doing a poetry reading this Friday 6/17 in the Vogel auditorium. She will be presenting two poems.

First Annual LAX Jamboree in Wrentham

Both girls will be playing in the first annual jamboree hosted at Rice Complex in Wrentham. The jamboree is scheduled for THIS Saturday 6/18 and games are as listed below:

9am Hannah's team v. Shrewsbury Field #5
9am Maegan's team v. Franklin Field #3
10am Hannah's team v. Triboro Field #4
10am Maegan's team v. Holliston Field #2
12pm Maegan's team v. Milford Field #3
2pm Hannah's team v. Franklin Field #5

As you can see with these games plus the AAA All Star Game... we have a busy day! If you are able to join us, maybe we can circle back to the house between games and move some furniture to the POD. I'm starting to wonder with all these activities how we'll ever be ready for the big move!

Tommy's Summer Ball Schedule

First, CONGRATULATIONS to Tommy for being selected to play in the AAA All Star baseball game THIS Saturday JUNE 18th 6pm at McMorrow field. Great season Tommy!

Second, Tommy has made the last minute decision to play summer ball. His schedule is as shown below:

6/20 5:30pm @ McMorrow
6/22 5:30pm @ FRA Fletcher 2 in Franklin
6/23 5:30pm @ Rice Complex
6/27 5:30pm @ Rice Complex
6/30 5:30pm @ ATT Pocin Hewitt 3 in Attleboro
7/1 5:30pm @ Norfolk
7/6 5:30pm @ STO Pushee in Stoughton
7/7 5:30pm @ Rice Complex
7/8 5:30pm @ McMorrow
7/13 5:30pm @ EAS Jaycee in Easton
7/15 5:30pm @ Rice Complex
7/20 5:30pm @ NOR Burchill B in Norton

5th Grade Invention Convention

The 5th Grade invention convention is being held TODAY (Tuesday JUNE 14)from 12:45 to 2pm in the Roderick cafeteria. Tommy and Matthew Richards have developed and built (all on their own) a walker/wheel chair supreme with a built in cooler along with other amenities. If you are in the area and want a viewing into the creative minds of fifth graders, stop by.

Hannah's Elementary School Graduation

Hannah's elementary school graduation ceremony will be held on MONDAY June 20th at 12:30pm. Weather permitting, the ceremony will be held outside in the space behind the Delaney school. In the case of inclement weather, the program will be held in the Gibbons Gym, in which case ONLY TWO FAMILY MEMBERS MAY ATTEND. Parking will be difficult, so if you plan to join the festivities; give yourself a little extra time. My how the years go by...

Art Festival on the Common

Enjoy two short video's of Maegan's performance on the common today during the Art Festival, (taken from my i phone and loaded on to you tube...)

Our NEW HOME!!

Paul and I are finally able to comfortably announce to the world that we have our new home!! We will be selling our existing home and moving in to the new home on June 24,2011: proud members of the Wompanog Estates community!! The children are thrilled as they already know a lot of friends in the neighborhood and I am thrilled because I don't have to drive to go on my morning walks anymore!

Thank you to all those who helped us get to this point; our parents, Brian Ambrose from New Horizon Mortgage,and Suzanne Peterson & Mary Ellen Russell from Page Realty. We couldn't have done it without you all! We expect to have the final closing commitment letter by this afternoon and we will close June 24th. Thanks in advance to those who show up to help us move, we will feed you well and work you hard LOL :)

Rockin' Wrentham Royals!!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Wrentham Royals who came from behind in the KP CUP and made it all the way to the semi finals. The boys ALL played their hearts out. We were honored that Tommy was awarded MVP in the final game by the Wrentham Dodgers. The Royals fought for the title from 12pm to 6pm today.They were bumped from the run for the CUP in a heartbreaking 7:6 game against the Dodgers after three fantastic games. The whoo hoo Royal's moms' thoroughly embarassed but motivated their boys and left with hoarse voices and sore throats, (Mrs. Flaherty perhaps the loudest though they didn't award any sideline MVP's...); but the moms had as much fun if not more than the boys :)

Maegan and Hannah each won their respective LAX games today and Maegan scored! Go team FLAHERTY!!

Thanks to Grandpa, Grammy, Addisyn and Kaitlin for coming up to the fields and cheering the Royals on!

KP Cup

Tommy's team played their initial two baseball games today in the KP Cup. They lost the first 16-12 and and won the second 13-10. They are advancing to eliminations tomorrow and will be playing the Norfolk Muck Dogs at noon on McMorrow Field (next to the library at Sweatt Fields). Join us if you can.

Hannah's soccer team slaughtered North Attleboro this morning a lot to zero, (I lost track toward the end). Paul and Tommy's LAX team also won 11-3. So, all in all it was a good day!

Thanks to all those who helped celebrate Grayson's fourth birthday last night. He had a blast and I hope you did too :) This morning i mentioned that I heard the basement was trashed, he responded, "Well, yeah it is. Colby did the first part and then I decided we'd call my party the "messy" party so I did the rest and it was really fun. So, you can just leave it the way it is because I want to play with that stuff some more..." Great...

Grandparent's Day!

Grandparents Day will be held on Friday, May 27th. Guests will be invited into the classrooms from 12:00 PM. – 1:00 PM Immediately following the classroom visit, the annual Memorial Day program will be held outside behind the Delaney School at 1:15 PM (weather permitting). Shuttle buses from Lake Pearl will be available beginning at 11:30 AM to bring guests to the schools as parking is extremely limited. At the conclusion of the Memorial Day program, buses will return to Lake Pearl.

I will likely be helping at the school and can "shuttle" our grandparents to and from if you wish; or there is usually parking up around the town commons and it's a short walk from there. We will be taking the children immediately after the Memorial Day presentation and heading for a relaxing weekend on Cape, (hopefully not hitting too much traffic & praying for sunshine). The children are looking forward to showing off their classrooms. Please let me know who will be able to attend and I'll "assign" you to one of the children :)

Home Run Derby TONIGHT

We were honored to find out that:

"After a detailed statistical analysis of slugging percentages, Nick and I have selected Matt and Tommy to represent the Royals in the home run derby. Tell the boys we are very proud of them and wish them good luck in the competition." - Mike Norris

The derby is TONIGHT Thursday May 19th 2011 in Plainville. Directions as information is as follows:

There are a total of three rounds. First round you get 10 pitches, from a pitcher of your choice (fathers, whomever). If you make it to the next round you get 5 pitches. You also get points for hits out of the infield, so it does not need to be a home run to get a point

Directions to the Plainville Athletic field as if you were at the Sweatt complex in Wrentham:

From Randall Rd. take a left onto Route 1A (South St). Follow for 4 1/2 miles (Wrentham Outlets to your right is the halfway point). Take a left onto School St. (at Cumberland Farms) and follow to the end. Take a left onto George St. Fields are just ahead on the right side of the street.

Tommy would love your support. We've had a virus in the house, so we may not all be able to make it out to support him. I'd love it if someone brought a video camera; maybe we could even share the film up here on the blog and we who stay home will get to see how he does. CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD LUCK TOMMY!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

The pre-school teachers must get a real kick out of this exercise they do with the children. The following is a list of questions they ask the kids about their mother's along with Grayson's responses. Enjoy & HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the amazing mom's and mommy's-to-be in my life. Love to you all!

What is your Mom's name? Carolyn
How old is she? 4
How tall is she? 4 1/2 feet
How much does she weigh? 60 lbs
What color is her hair? Black
What does she do around the house? laundry & dishes
What is her favorite drink? Tea & Coffee
What is her favorite food? soup and Macaroni & Cheese
What is her favorite TV show? Commercials
What does she like to cook? Macaroni & Cheese
Where does she like to go? The zoo
What is her favorite hobby? Doing laundry

What a Weekend!!

This weekend we celebrated Tommy's 11th birthday AND we achieved a Flaherty hat trick. Each of the kids scored a LAX goal in their respective games this past weekend. Congratulations Hannah, Tommy and Maegan! Go team Flaherty!!

Tickets go on sale May 2nd...

Maegan's dance recital will be held Monday June 6, 2011 at 6:30pm at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket RI.

Recital Tickets go on sale May 2 at the Stadium Theater.
How To Purchase Tickets From The Theater:
Call Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Center
Telephone Orders:(401) 762-4545

Visit Their Box Office:
28 Monument Sq.
Woonsocket, RI 02895

Order Tickets Online:
www.stadiumtheatre.com
Note: Theater Charges Extra Fee For Online Tickets

Hannah's LAX Schedule 2011

Sunday 4/17/11 12pm @ Rice Complex
Sunday 5/1/11 3:45pm @ Franklin HS Pisini
Sunday 5/8/11 1:15pm @ Franklin HS Pisini
Sunday 5/15/11 1:15pm @ Rice Complex
Sunday 5/22/11 1:15pm @ Rice Complex
Sunday 6/5/11 12pm @ Hopkinton

Another Season Passes

I wrote this for our firm accounting blog which I have published several articles on. To see some of my work visit http://www/prrllc.blogspot.com . This one I wanted to share with all of you because honestly, it is written straight from the heart and is a little piece of me I want to share with all of you.

Most New Englanders can relate to the awaking that public accountants, (particularly those living in New England), experience upon the passing of each tax season. For months we have been entombed in a winter hibernation necessitated by the harsh New England winter and always stalling spring; and for those of us in public accounting, also by our work. Due to shortened days and a heavy workload, for months on end, many of us drive to work in the dark and leave the office in the dark. If we are fortunate enough to have a window in our proximity; we occasionally see the sun.

In New England at least, we can feel comfortable with our pasty pallor and lack of vitamin D. As the deadline approaches we celebrate the rain and cold that clings to our area because it is much easier to concentrate when the outdoors is not calling us to come and play.

Then, the fated day arrives and a feeling like the first day of summer vacation settles upon us all. We are free. We leave the office with a smile instead of a sigh. For the first time in months we are not thinking of the piles of work waiting for us. We are not prioritizing deadlines. We can sleep. We can make plans. We can spend time with our families and savor the moments rather than think of what we “should” be doing. We see the world like someone who has just gotten a pair of glasses and looks in wonderment at the outline of individual leaves on trees rather than the familiar blur of green. All things are brighter and crisper.

We are fortunate that the date often corresponds with April vacation for our youngsters and many of us embark on much needed vacations, in search of sunshine and repose. It is also rather symbolic that as we emerge, the days have begun to lengthen, crocus and tulips are rising from their winter sleep, the Red Sox are back on the field and the world is blossoming all around. Almost as if the world around us is celebrating as well.

I myself find that the energy I have poured into the tax season is now an available resource for the rest of my life and I rapidly throw myself into spring cleaning, landscaping, and a much needed return to physical fitness. As the energy ebbs so does the arrival of summer come upon me and I come in to a routine that matches the flow of the season once again.

Most people would consider a career choice as a public accountant to be a safe and secure career choice with a great deal of potential for advancement and financial gain. All this is true. The career path can also garner a great deal of flexibility. However, I would place a large wager that no college professor or recruiting company ever advises that being a CPA will cause you to appreciate life and routine and simple freedoms the way it does each April 15th.

Tommy's Baseball Schedule 2011

OPENING DAY TODAY MONDAY 4/11/11!!!
MONDAY 4/11 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX
Tuesday 4/26 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX
Friday 4/29 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX
Saturday 4/30 12pm @ McMORROW Field
Thursday 5/5 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX
Saturday 5/7 4pm @ McMORROW Field
Friday 5/13 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX
Saturday 5/14 10am @ McMORROW
Tuesday 5/31 5:30pm @Rice COMPLEX
Thursday 6/2 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX
Saturday 6/4 12pm @ McMORROW
Monday 6/6 5:30pm @ Rice COMPLEX

Awesome Report Cards

Ok, taking a moment to do some Mommy bragging... Congratulations to Hannah for not only straight A's; but all those A's exept one were A+ grades. She also got almost all 1's in effort. She's a heck of a student!

Tommy showed great improvement this term achieving almost straight A's with one B+ in Social Studies. However, even more importantly he got ALL 1's in effort. I am VERY proud!

Maegan is showing a great deal of improvement as well. Her reading is becoming more fluent and she is keeping up well with the curriculum.

Grayson got a couple naughty notes home recently but last time he went to school we got a nice note home saying the teachers could tell he was "trying really hard to listen at school."

A warm thanks to Mr. Cederbaum and Mrs. Stocking for the emotional and educational extra support they've provided for the Flaherty family. We love you two!

Tommy's LAX Schedule

Sunday 4/10 1:30pm @ Medway Sunday 4/17 1:30pm @ Walpole 3 Thursday 4/28 6pm @ Foxboro Gold Sunday 5/1 1:30pm @ HOME Sunday 5/8 2:30pm @ Hopkinton 2 Sunday 5/15 1:30pm @ HOME Monday 5/16 6pm @ HOME Sunday 5/22 3pm @ Foxboro Gold Thursday 5/26 6pm @ HOME Sunday 6/5 12pm @ Mansfield 1 Monday 6/6 6pm @ HOME Fort Devens Jamboree June 11th, time TBD

Featured video of the week...

Congratulations Rebecca & Kevin... baby Roo is a girl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0gKpTswbp0 Rebecca compliled this very touching video after she found out the sex of their baby.

Hannah's Spring Soccer Schedule 2011

Saturday 4/9/11 9am Rice Complex

Saturday 4/16/11 10:30am Rose Field in N. Attleboro

Saturday 4/23/11 9am @ Rice Complex

Saturday 4/30/11 2:30pm @Rice Complex

Saturday 5/7/11 11am Mylod 2A in Walpole

Saturday 5/14/11 10:30am Weeks 5B in Newton

Saturday 5/21/11 9am @ Rice Complex

Saturday 5/28/11 2:30pm @Beaver Pond in Franklin

Saturday 6/4/11 10:30am 4C in Bellingham

Saturday 6/11/11 9am @ Rice Complex

Division Standings: http://bays.org/q=node/109&vGender=Girls&vAge=12&vDivision=3&vSection=A

Our Team's Schedule: http://bays.org/?q=node/112&iteamid=247

Maegan's Lacrosse Schedule Spring 2011

Sunday 4/17/11 2:30pm @ FHS Pisini Field

Sunday 5/1/11 12pm @ KPYL Rice Complex

Sunday 5/8/11 12pm @KPYL Rice Complex

Sunday 5/15/11 3:45pm @ Lincoln Field #2

Sunday 5/22/11 3:30pm @ Grafton HS Upper Field

Sunday 6/5/11 4:45pm KPYL Rice Complex

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Corned beef is in the crock pot, we started the day with green toilette water (compliments of Hannah; supposed "leprechan pee"), coins in the kids shoes and green milk with doughnuts for breakfast.

No poems from Hannah this year, but I will share a couple of fun St. Paddy's day facts and one of my favorite Irish blessings:

Did you know… 9 of the people who signed our Declaration of Independence were of Irish origin, and 19 Presidents of the US proudly claim Irish heritage, including our first President, George Washington. Also, the very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Did you know that March 17th is the day St. Patrick was executed? If anyone can tell me why he was executed, I owe you a green beer.

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear; a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

God bless & Happy St. Patrick's day!!

Maegan's dance recital will be held Monday June 6, 2011 at 6:30pm at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket RI. For more information and to inquire regarding ticket purchase, e-mail Cheryl at showcasedance@earthlink.net.

Truly the only part of dance Maegan enjoys is performing. She absolutely loves an audience. So, if you are able to attend the performance, she will be thrilled.

Also, she receives her three year award this year and is very proud of this!

Best part: they are inviting the dads on to dance; so you may get to see Paul "get down" up on stage!

P/S in hand

Paul Flaherty writes:

We have a signed P/S in hand for the house. The closing is June 28th. That will give us plenty of time to find a house in Wrentham (hopefully). There is some new construction going up off Park St and there are more and more existing houses for sale in town...time will tell

Fun in the snow!

Although the snow can be a pain for mom and dad and juggling work equally so with the snow days; the kids are enjoying this winter that resembles the north pole :) Ok... so this was my first try w/ video... an experiment if you will. It isn't the video I intended to grab and it's sideways... I'll have to try again later :)

'Tis the Season

New Year's resolutions are set, and in some cases already broken. Snow is piling up. Viruses are running rampant (we've already had the stomach bug on Christmas day AND strep throat). What do we have to look forward to? Hopefully a large tax refund!! And... the 2010 tax act recently signed into legislation also means your social security taxes as an employee have been reduced and therefore you should see more in your paycheck!! Not bad...

In our family tax season means fewer home cooked meals, lots of time for the kids at Grammy's, a tired Daddy & Mommy and money to pay off Christmas and save up for some vacation time when the season is done! This year also means that I have been tasked out with a portion of our new social marketing campaign at my firm. Look to the right and you will see a link to our Facebook fan page. I believe you can link to and become a fan even if you do not have a profile on FB. I will be regularly updating the FB page with useful information; not only with regard to accounting and taxes but also with local events and how to handle certain life milestones. We have also just gone active this week with a fantastic website that even the non-accounting enthusiast can find useful, http://www.prrllc.net/ . Please check us out and send me your feedback. Tell us what you like and what you don't like. Compliments of Rebecca, we will soon even have profile pictures to go with our professional profiles and they will be shared on the FB page as well.

Last year we shared the families New Year's resolutions, this year due to the chaos and sickness in the house, most of us have yet to set them at all. However, we are all learning new things. Tommy is becoming a much more active reader, (which is a joy to see). Hannah joined the ski club at school and is skiing every Thursday night with friends and classmates. Maegan is... well trying to keep her room clean:) and she is learning basketball fundamentals. Grayson has no resolutions but is loving school! Paul is working really hard at Conservation Services Group (a non-profit firm that focuses on energy conservation) and I have resolved to make time (even during tax season) to feed my body, mind and soul a healthy diet, (despite the hoards of Rollo's, caramels and bulls eyes I've consumed in the last three days). Happy 2011 to you all and thank you to my family for the endless support you give during tax season. Lord knows we need it!