Saturday, December 29
After Christmas
We never made it to the beach but we did get to spend time with Michelle, Chris, and Hayley. We went bowling! So fun! The girls got to see Rachel and Alicia which was a big deal for them. And I even fit in a shopping trip to the mall with my mom! We took Katie and my niece Michayla with us. We had a super good time!
We've decided we need one of the roof things to put luggage in. I'm still not sure how we fit everything in our van! We went up with a VERY full load and came home with an even fuller load! And just to test the true capacity of our MINI-van we stopped at ToysRUs on the way through Portland and the girls got MORE stuff with gift cards they got! Somehow everything fit!
My wonderful husband took down the Christmas tree today and put all the decorations away! I'm always more than ready to have my house back to normal as soon as Christmas is over but I dread the whole task! Ed just dives in and gets it done! The kiddos still have some things to put away but most of that stuff is pretty much taken care of too. YAY!
Ed is watching the Patriots/Giants game as we speak. Giants are down by three points with ten minutes left in the game. I'm not a football fan and Ed isn't a Patriots or Giants fan but the game is a biggie I guess so it's interesting to watch. Not interesting enough to keep me up any longer though. I'm off to bed! I'll see if I can get some pictures from Christmas on here real soon.
'Night.
Monday, December 24
Merry Christmas Eve
Anyway, we are laying low today. I've been doing some packing for our trip to Maine. Packing always involves LOTS of laundry so that's primarily what's keeping me busy today. The girls already opened their Christmas Eve jammies. This year we threw in a family gift with the pj's. We got tickets to go see High School Musical: The Ice Tour. YAY! Everyone is looking forward to going. The show is in January. Should be a super fun time!
We will go to the Christmas Eve service at church tonight. Then home to scrub the kiddos clean, stuff them in their jammies, and then send them off to dreamland! I'm sure they'll be up early. I remember hardly being able to sleep Christmas Eve because of the excitement! My brother and I would get up WICKED early - it was still dark outside! My parents never seemed to mind. I think they were excited too. Of course, everything was ripped opened and being played with before the sun came up. And my parents were napping on the couch by mid morning! But Robby and I always had the best Christmases!
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 21
This & That
Me: Allison, you need to brush your teeth now.
Allison: But Mom, I just ate a candy can so my bref doesn't stink!
There are no typos in there, that's just what she said. I will be so sad when she starts saying all her words properly! j
The girls are officially wound up due to the excitement of Christmas! I think now that school is out for vacation it all seems really close! We had our cookie party tonight which was a lot of fun. Rebecca invited a new friend from school who seems to be very sweet and she lives pretty close to us so maybe we'll be able to get the girls together for play dates! Anyway, there were parties at school today (junk food) and the party here (junk food) so they are riding on a sugar high at he moment! Better get them in bed before they crash. Crashing is never pretty! We're going to be monitoring the sugar intake carefully this weekend!
Lucy got a bath at Petco today. They used special Christmas shampoo so now my dog smells like a sugar cookie - yes, for real. It's actually more like a sugar cookie covered in dog smell. I guess it's a good smell. She's all shiny and soft. We had to bring one of Becky's friends home tonight and while we were gone Lucy ate Becky's gingerbread house. She must've been eyeing it all afternoon and then as soon as we were out of here she devoured it. Silly animal!
I finished my shopping today. YAY! I want to avoid the mall at all costs this weekend. It will be so crazy there! Ed LOVES to shop with the crazy people! I don't get it! I have to wrap now. As a matter of fact I think I will do some wrapping tonight!
Here's another nice Christmas link. It's the song Mary Did You Know which is one of my very favorite Christmas songs. Check it out.
Thursday, December 20
A New Microwave
I think I included this link last year but I though I'd post it again for anyone interested. It's a website where your kids can e-mail Santa! Check it out!
Today was a good mail day. We got ALL Christmas cards! I love good mail days. They don't happen very often, do they!?
Tomorrow is our cookie party. I want to bake the cookies ahead of time. I wonder when I will do that. Maybe they'll be coming out of the oven when the kiddos arrive. That may be what works!
Christmas time always forces me to get my kids toys organized. I like to donate some old toys to make room for the new ones. I'm planning a Wal*Mart trip later to get some canvas bins and a rolling storage cart for Allison's room. She has the most LITTLE things that need to constantly be sorted out. I have them all sorted and in various types of baskets and little bags but I need something a little different. Most of her toys are in her closet which is deep enough for a book shelf and some floor space where she likes to play. I have a shoe storage thing hanging on the door and another storage thingy for stuffed animals on the wall in there. I have the storage bins on the bookshelf. It's amazing what we've fit in there with room to spare! I think that's the advantage of keeping it organized! It can be time consuming but worth it! She LOVES to play in her room! I did Becky's room a month or so ago and I did the same sort of thing in her room with the canvas storage bins on the bookshelf in her closet. It definitely helps them to put things away in the right spot if the know where to put them!
Can you believe I've posted 11 times in December so far? I'm on some kind of roll! I also wanted to post this link. You've got to check it out. This little boy Logan is an amazing boy. He is wise beyond his years.
FIVE days until Christmas! We woke to a fresh coating of fluffy white snow. Perfect Christmas weather!
Tuesday, December 18
More Blah, Blah, Blah
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by what I must have accomplished by Friday. I say Friday because after that the girls will be home and it will be impossible to shop or wrap with them here. And since we had ANOTHER snow day yesterday, I lost valuable time! Allison is only in school three mornings a week and that's the time I use to get LOTS of stuff done! So, today I feel tired and a bit achy. I will feel better tomorrow after I've been to the mall (again!) and hopefully finished my shopping! I literally only have a couple more things to get. I only have about an hour to finish because Allison's class party is tomorrow and all the parents get to go. Deeeeeep breath.....
My beautiful Christmas tree is DEAD. Crispy dead. Brittle dead. Coming down very soon after Christmas dead!! For some reason it stopped drinking the water. Why does that happen? I guess we won't be putting our tree up so early next year. I think I say that every year.
We will be headed to Maine next week. I'm hoping it will be a bit of a relaxing trip. I want to go to the ocean. I don't think I've ever been to the beach in the winter but I'm sure it's as beautiful as ever. It'll be cold but worth it. Allison has no memory of the ocean. That makes me sad. I want her to love it like I do. To see the amazing beauty and power of the waves. To see that our God is so powerful that He can make wild ocean waves crash onto the shore and also make silent snowflakes float to the ground. I want her to see God's hand in ALL of creation. My girls each have such a unique way of processing the world around them. It blesses my heart when they point things out to me. I don't want them to ever take the beauty around them for granted.
The sun is bright today. There's even a bit of melting going on outside. That's good. We may get over 30 degrees this week. I can't believe how cold and snowy it has been already. This is how winter is SUPPOSED to be!
A quote just came to mind. I heard it on Clash of the Choirs last night. It will be my motto from now on! We're too Blessed to be Stressed!
Sunday, December 16
Our Weekend in Pictures
Remember, we're in the middle of a major snow storm. So what does Ed decide to do? Head to Home Depot of course! He was going to get a spark plug for the snow blower which, incidentally isn't working any more. The new spark plug didn't work. So we'll just add the snow blower to the list of malfunctioning and not working household items! Anyway, Ed got stuck in the driveway. Our neighbor rescued him.
Then, I looked out the window when I heard the snow plow go by and saw him get stuck. Snow plows NEVER get stuck so it really was interesting. He tried to get himself unstuck but had no success so two of his snow plow buddies came to rescue him!
Now the girls and Ed are playing in the fluffy, blowing snow. We built a snow fort on Friday which is coming in handy today! It is definitely blocking some of the wind! I hope this weather improves drastically before tomorrow - we just CAN'T have another Monday snow day!
One more thing. We had MAJOR computer troubles yesterday! Long story short, we got some virus. Fortunately we caught it in time. Good grief, we don't need to add a computer to our growing list of broken down items!
P.S. It appears that Rebecca isn't wanting the Snuggle-Kins anymore. I'm not sure what changed her mind. We were at Toys R Us last night and she saw the poster for them. I pointed it out and she was totally uninterested. I said, "I thought you wanted one of those for Christmas." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "No, not really." So to all of you who were keeping your eyes peeled for a Snuggle-Kins, I thank you. But it doesn't look like Santa needs to bring one to our house after all.
Friday, December 14
Pictures and Stuff
So here's a picture of the girls on the porch during the snow yesterday. I love how the snowflakes show up as big white spots on the picture.
And below is our little light up snowman. He kept getting buried. I think the pretty Christmas lights on our bushes will be buried in snow very soon!
I'm including a link to the Snuggle-Kins Panda that Becky is wanting from Santa. There are so many stuffed animals out there that they all kind of blur together! These are supposed to be life like little critters who coo and need to be fed. They're very cute! And obviously LOTS of people think so too since I'm not able to find them anywhere!
Here's a video clip from Becky's last b-ball game. I don't know if you'll be able to spot which one is her. I believe she's mostly on the right side of the screen and she's wearing an orange shirt and dark pants. Basketball is not an easy sport to videotape!!
One more thing. You know how I've labored over the right dress to wear tonight? How I spent lots of time shopping and getting prepared for this party? Well, my dear husband is out at the mall as we speak getting himself a new shirt and tie. The party is later tonight and he just now decided to shop. Is this a guy thing you think? I thought he was all set which is why I never even asked him about it. Go figure...
10 shopping days til Christmas! :)
Wednesday, December 12
Christmas Stress
I definitely decided on the red dress for the party. I found some very cute black satin peep toe pumps with a little sparkly thingy on them. I'm going to try to do my hair up. Yes, up. It's long enough now, I think. It may be a bit tricky but I'm going to give it a shot. There will be pictures this weekend. Promise.
Today is our 15th wedding anniversary. Wow. 15 years is a long time. I feel so blessed to have married such a wonderful man. So here's a list of reasons why I'm glad Ed is my husband in no particular order.
10. He puts up with me
9. He supports me in whatever I need his support in
8. He's always been glad that I have stayed home with our children -even when the budget was tight!
7. He's a fantastic father!
6. He doesn't sit in front of the TV and watch sports all weekend even though he probably would like to.
5. He likes to shop almost as much as I do.
4. He has a wonderful family that I'm so thankful and blessed to be a part of.
3. He has this goofy little grin he does when he's trying to get away with something.
2. He's generous.
1. He loves me and tells me so, often.
Tuesday, December 11
Blah, Blah, Blah.
We had another snow day yesterday. I brought the kids to the movies to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It was EXCELLENT! Squeaky clean, fun, engaging, wholesome, the whole bit! Go see it - TWO THUMBS UP!
On Friday Ed and I are going to his work Christmas party. This time it's at the hotel in town. And the invitation said 'FORMAL' dress. YAY - you all know how I like formal parties! So I've been shopping for two weeks for a dress. I actually now have FOUR dresses upstairs in my closet. I'm trying to decide which one is best. I showed them to the Bible study ladies last night and I've narrowed it down to two. One of the dresses is red satin, sleeveless, just below the knee. It's pretty . The other is black with a little bit of sparkle on the waist. It's also sleeveless but has a full skirt and is a tad bit longer than the red. They are both pretty comfortable but the black one is more comfortable. I'm leaning toward the red. I still have to decide about shoes and my hair! At least this year my friend Betsy will be there. She's a HOOT! I'm sure we'll have fun with her and her husband!
Sunday we are having a cookie decorating party for the girls and their friends. Seems as though we've got a tradition going! Last year's party was FUN and the girls asked if they could do it again. Why not?! I just have to figure out when to bake the cookies for them to decorate!
Becky played her first basketball game of the season on Saturday. She did great!! I was so impressed. She's aggressive and confident! I LOVE watching her play! She seems to have a good grasp of the game concepts and has a real handle on what's going on! Good job Becky!!
I'm having a hard time finding the mint Hershey's Kisses for our favorite Christmas cookies! It seems as though they may not be making them anymore!!! Cookies in very cute tin buckets is what the girls are giving their teachers and I was planning to make the Magical Mint Kiss Cookies! What to do...What to do...
13- count 'em 13! - shopping days until Christmas!! HO! HO! HO!
Friday, December 7
The Joys of Shopping with Ed
Thursday, December 6
The Joys of Home Ownership!
We are also trying to decide on a new vehicle. Our lease is almost due and we need to pick something out to replace it. We're leaning towards a Honda Pilot. It has 8 passenger seating which most SUV's don't offer. I LOVE my Honda Odyssey but we're trying to get something that will pull Ed's boat. More big decisions! So, when is the best time to find a deal on new cars? Some say the end of the year, some say the dead of winter. Hmmm...
About a week ago Ed was walking into the kitchen when he felt a drop of water land on him. He looked up to find the ceiling DRIPPING! Not good. Katie was upstairs in the shower. Apparently she didn't put the liner in the tub so water was pouring onto the floor and seeping through to the ceiling downstairs. Great. So, after mopping things up and making a gaping hole in the ceiling, things dried up. Ed has patched the mess and it is looking okay. Now he'll need to paint it. I'm telling you, the joys of home ownership!
On a lighter note, I'm going in to read a story to Becky's class tomorrow. I'm SO excited! I've decided to read Jan Brett's Twas the Night Before Christmas! You may remember how thrilled I was last year to find this book. The illustrations are GORGEOUS! The class is learning all about Massachusetts so I thought this one would fit nicely since the illustrations are based on scenes in nearby Stockbridge and Jan Brett has spent lots of time in this area. If I have time I'm also planning to read Emily by Michael Bedard with illustrations by Barbara Cooney. I LOVE Barbara Cooney's illustrations. She's also the author of fabulous books like Miss Rumphius and Eleanor. Anyway, Emily is about Emily Dickinson who just happens to be from Amherst, MA. I can't wait.
18 shopping days until Christmas!! YIKES!
Tuesday, December 4
Big Day
Sunday, December 2
Christmas Photo
I know you can't really see the Christmas tree but didn't this picture come out cute?! Lucy was none too happy about posing with her LIGHT up Santa hat on!
Ed and I went out to dinner and a little Christmas shopping last night. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory. Have you heard of it? In a word... YUM! The wait was an hour and 15 minutes but, oh so worth it. We shopped while we waited so the time was well spent. I had Ramano Parmesan Crusted Chicken which was SO good. Ed had a Cajun Chicken dish which he claims is the best meal out he's had in a LONG time. Then we shared a Chocolate Truffle Tower cake for dessert - can you say RICH?! We ended up bringing most of it home - it was HUGE! It was nice to have a kid free dinner, especially at such a yummy place with tons of atmosphere!
Looks like the kiddos may end up with a snow day tomorrow. The forecast is calling for snow and ice in these parts tonight and tomorrow. Fortunately everyone has boots that fit them so we should be all set to play outside!
Saturday, December 1
A Little of This and A Little of That
We put up the Christmas tree last weekend. It's GORGEOUS! I think it is probably my favorite real tree we've ever had! It's FAT and FULL. Hmmm...maybe the girls in front of the VERY FAT tree would be an even nicer picture!
Allison is enjoying the Christmas season as if it is the first one for her. Being so young it is brand new to her every year. I love that. Seeing things through the eyes of my sweet girls has been one of my very favorite parts of motherhood. Allison and I put lights on the bushes out front this week. She loved helping me, until she found a stick and some shiny rocks, then she got distracted and I was on my own. She was good company just the same. Today Ed, Becky, and Katie are going to hang icicle lights around the porch.
Last week I hosted the lady's Bible study group at our house. I just loved having this house filled up with people! We had 17 ladies here - what fun! We had been meeting at church but folks were commenting how we should take turns meeting at different houses thinking it would be warmer, cozier, etc. Then the group got kind of large and it didn't seem possible to fit anywhere but the church. We have a nice sized family room and I knew we could fit so I told them we could meet regularly at our house! They all thanked me a million times for being willing to meet here, but they don't seem to understand how much it meant to me to have them all here. I just love the people of our church and I'm so excited about getting to know the ladies in our group even better.
We went to see Enchanted last night. What an adorable movie! Becky is a HOOT to watch during a movie. She laughs, she crys, she grins - it's very cute. I think I missed some good parts because I was watching her reaction! We all thought the movie was fantastic and give it a definite TWO THUMBS UP!
I think I'd better get my vacuuming done. I wanted to post these pictures of the girls with their new cousin Chase from Thanksgiving. What a treat to see and hold him. He's just such a peanut and oh so cute! The girls and I kept fighting over who got to hold him next!!
Wednesday, November 21
A Little Snow
Friday, November 16
The True Christmas
Speaking of Christmas...I am actually doing pretty good with my shopping list! I have LOTS to do still but I have some ideas and just need to get the shopping done! Our nieces and nephews are getting older, and as you know, the older they get, the harder they can be to shop for!! Or, the things they want are SO EXPENSIVE!
Anyway, check out the link!
Thursday, November 15
A Little of This and A Little of That
Sweet Potato Fries
Wash 3 sweet potatoes and cut them into french fries (leave the skins on). Put them in a bowl and sprinkle with about 2 tsp. Oregano, 1 tsp. Salt, and 1/2 tsp. Pepper. Drizzle Olive Oil over the fries and mix thoroughly. I used about 1 Tbsp. Spread fries in a single layer on a cookie sheet and cook for 40 minutes at 400 degrees. Remember to flip fries after about 20 min. Enjoy!
I'm officially half way through my writing course. I mailed in assignment 5 yesterday! YAY! This assignment required me to do a character sketch and then create a monologue for the character. It took me awhile to get into it but once I sat down to write it out it came together easily. My last assignment was to write a non fiction article. I really enjoyed that one! I struggled at first with a topic but once I figured out what I was going to write about it practically wrote itself. My instructor has encouraged me to submit it to a magazine for publication. I won't give you any more details until (unless) it works out. I'm excited about the possibility of seeing my writing published but also extremely nervous about submitting it. It's very likely that I will receive MANY rejection letters before my writing finally gets into print. I'm trying to be realistic. We'll see.
The girls had a half day of school today. We went to see Bee Movie. It was cute. There was some adult humor that, in my opinion, was borderline inappropriate. I never understand why movie makers have to tarnish a perfectly good story with some unnecessary elements. I still think it was a decent movie and overall I would recommend it. We are really looking forward to seeing Disney's new movie coming out next week, Enchanted. That one looks super cute!
On Sunday our church is having a huge Thanksgiving dinner. I'm sure it will be a good time! I signed up to make stuffing and cheesy carrots. Hopefully I don't mess anything up!! I love how this church goes all out to offer great family events. Everyone is so willing to pitch in and do their part! It's such a blessing to part of a such a wonderful church family.
Some exciting Allison news: She swam at swimming lessons on Wednesday without a bubble!! Yes indeed, she did it! She was jumping in without it and everything. Her teacher was always within arms reach. I was so proud of her! And sweet little miss was clearly proud of herself! I was really happy for her - what a big achievement! One more way my baby girl is growing up...
Can you even believe that Thanksgiving is next week?! We'll be headed to Maine - it's been too long since we've been up just to visit! We are all anxious to meet our new family member, little Chase! And, just in case I don't post again before the holiday I will leave you with this funny quote I read somewhere: On Thanksgiving - Gobble till you Wobble!!
Tuesday, November 6
Round 2 of the School Resource Officer Debate
Sunday, November 4
October Recap
On a rainy Saturday when soccer games got cancelled we decided to head to Boston to catch a Bruins/Flyers game. Flyers won! Ed's brother and his family met us there. Very cool!
Our end of the soccer season pizza/pool party! Check out this great action shot of Allison and Rebecca jumping off the diving block!
Tinker Bell and Hannah Montana from Halloween. Trunk or treating was kind of boring so we came home and trick or treat (ed?) in our neighborhood. Katie and her friend were dressed as beat up soccer players!
And on Halloween afternoon our nephew Chase was born! He was a couple of weeks early and weighed in at 5 lbs. 3 oz. I can't wait to meet him at Thanksgiving! What a cutie, eh?
Tuesday, October 30
Allison
Friday, October 26
High School Hair In Living Color
Tuesday, October 23
Out of the Mouth of Babes
I so wish I had a picture of my 'high school hair'! Let's just say it was BIG.
Tuesday, October 2
Homeschooling Top 10 List
Friday, September 28
A Sad Tale
Tuesday, September 25
Joke of the Week
Here's my fun idea for a regular video feature on my blog, The Joke of the Week! Enjoy!
Monday, September 24
War of the Worlds
MADAM IN EDEN, I'M ADAM.
See? It's the same forwards and backwards! Cool, huh?
Last night Ed and I watched War of the Worlds, the original one from 1956. It was on Turner Classic Movies. I'd never seen it before and I do like the whole science fiction thing. The special effects were so hokey and the acting was kind of funny but considering it was made in 1956 it was AWESOME! I loved it. One thing that stood out in different parts of the movie was the references to God. Several times it came up that God had created the world and that people needed to pray for His salvation from the martians. The pastor in the movie recited scripture as he approached the menacing martian spaceship and Silvia's faith in God defined who she was. The final scene in the movie where the spaceships start to collapse suddenly was particularly interesting from a Christian stand point. None of the characters had anything to do with the demise of the martians. The military was helpless against the red and green rays that spewed out of the evil red eye. All anyone could do was run and hide. Then seemingly for no reason the ships start to fall out of the sky. The narrator explains that the martians were overcome by the germs and viruses on earth. Their immune systems couldn't fight them off and so the martians died. The narrator further explains that it was a miracle from God himself who created these viruses and used them to kill the aliens. Hmmm... It reminded me that as a society we've completely left behind the One who has blessed our country so richly. It used to be the common thing to do - to include God in everyday life, movies, school - now it's the uncommon thing to do. Sad, but true.
Supposed to be in the 80's today! Lucy and I went for a long walk this morning and I finally used my little ipod shuffle. A long walk whizzes by when you're listening to some good music!
Good day!
Saturday, September 22
A Palindrome
How did Adam use a palindrome to introduce himself to Eve when they first met?
I'll let you know the answer soon.
Friday, September 21
A Little of This and A Little of That
Allison has enjoyed telling people that my birthday was this week. She asked me how old I am now and I told her '34, again.' She totally buys it! And that's what she tells people, "My mom's birthday was...she's 34 again." I love it! I will be lying about my age from here on out. I refuse to check the box on any questionnaire that asks you to select your age group. Mine would now be 35-50. I will continue to check the 18-34 box for a while longer!! It's not because I'm vain or have some issue with getting older - it's because you're only as old as you feel and I feel 34 AGAIN!! Ed and the girls got me this gorgeous Vera Bradley handbag! I'm loving Vera Bradley patterns and there are so many styles and sizes to the different bags!! Check it out!
We've had the most beautiful weather this week! Sunny and high 60's into the low 70's. Yesterday got up to 77! And today is supposed to be even warmer! Indian summer? We'll see.
American Girl has introduced a new historical doll to its collection. There are several dolls representing different eras in American history like a pioneer girl from 1854 or a depression era doll from 1934. The new doll is from 1974! You read right, 1974. That's not American history - that's current events!!! I'm slightly insulted that the folks at American Girl think 1974 is an historic era! I mean it's after I was born!!! Does that make me an antique at 34 again!? Perhaps I'm feeling a little more sensitive about this since I just had a birthday and birthdays only remind us of how OLD we are - and then to have a doll come out representing an historic era which occurred AFTER I was born - it's all working together to make me feel ANTIQUE! Any way, the new doll's name is Julie, check her out.
Our little preschool/kindergarten soccer team is having fun. Notice I didn't say we are winning or doing well, just having fun. We've gotten beat, badly, both of our games so far. But, the kids are doing GREAT in their concept of the game and dribbling. Passing is not going to happen in this league. But our goalies are learning how to anticipate when to grab the ball and the basic rules of the game are starting to stick. Allison scored our only goal at Wednesday night's game so I was a proud mom! Overall I think it's going well. Our team is mostly preschoolers who've never played before so in light of that we are having a STELLAR season!
I think I will take Lucy for a walk and then vacuum before I pick up my little pickle from school. But first I'll post some pictures...
Allison at swimming lessons jumping in!!
Allison on her first day of school.
Wednesday, September 19
More Video
I love the video feature on Blogger! Here's the kiddos (and Lucy) just doing stuff...
I know I'm due for a more inventive post but this is the best I can do for now. We're off to Allison's soccer game :)
Friday, September 14
Spider Story
Tuesday, September 4
Back to School
Wednesday, August 29
*LUCY*
Allison couldn't leave Lucy alone those first few days. Here Lucy is trying to nap in Allison's castle but as soon as Allison spotted Lucy she needed to join her!
A girl and the answer to her prayers then....
Saturday, August 25
?
It's a million degrees here today and amazingly humid! I LOVE it! It gives me hope that summer hasn't left just yet! I vacuumed the pool and got it all sparkly clean for us to enjoy this afternoon. The water temp was only 74 degrees when I checked it awhile ago but with the sun beating on it, it'll be up to 78 degrees easily in a couple of hours!
Katie is on her way up Mount Greylock - Massachusetts' tallest mountain - as we speak. Actually, she may be on her way down by now. She's hiking with her youth group from church. What a HOT day to be hiking! I can't wait to hear all about it.
Allison, Becky, and Ed are downstairs in the basement. We, (we means Ed and anyone who helps him. Not me and Ed, because I'm not really helping him except to plan things out) are finishing our basement. I think he is preparing to run the electrical wiring right now. Fortunately he has finished a basement before in our house on Aspen Lane in Bath, so he knows what he's doing - I think.
Can you believe Labor Day is next weekend? You know what that means, don't you? SOCCER TOURNAMENT! Three day weekend = soccer tournament - that's just the way it is! For Katie it means new coach, new season, new age division, new chance to prove herself. I know she's going to do great!
Thursday, August 23
Pictures
This was our home away from home. I took the picture from the dock. The beach was totally secluded from the neighboring beaches beside us. The girls spent countless hours playing in the sand and water!
Lucy LOVED this vacation! The first two days we couldn't keep her out of the water! But, the poor dog exhausted herself and by day three not even the ducks swimming up to the shore could entice her to swim! She'd just wade in, get a drink, and go lay down again. Obviously she did a little sniffing around as you can see by the sand on her nose!
Wednesday, August 22
Nothing in Particular
Summer has FLOWN by! And the chill in the air is a reminder that autumn days are right around the corner. I've even noticed the tippy top of some oak trees in our neighborhood that have a hint of red and orange in their leaves. I'm not sure I'm ready to say good-bye to summer just yet.
We've had a fantastic summer. The girls would say the highlight for them was going to camp with Alicia and Rachel and then spending a week on Frye Island. Allison and I stayed busy while Becky and Katie did their camp thing and it was nice to have some time with just her. I think she was missing having her mom all to herself so it was a good thing. My highlight would have to be Frye Island, hands down. Frye Island, Maine is a 2 1/2 mile by 1 1/2 mile island off the coast of Raymond Neck in Sebago Lake. We rented a 'rustic' cottage there. Rustic means old in this case. We had all the amenities we needed - indoor plumbing, a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms. The very best part of the cottage was the incredible private beach we had. It was so cool to get up in the morning and see the stillness of the undisturbed lake with the sun sparkling on it. Then as the day progressed we see speed boats, fishing boats, kayaks and canoes and even a 'tow' boat as they zoomed passed. Sometimes there were tubers or water skiers trailing behind boats. As the day wound down so did the traffic and the stillness returned. I could write for a long time about the wonderful vacation we had. Suffice it to say that it was an amazing week spent with great friends.
We've been doing some school shopping - a little at a time. My parents were down last weekend and my mom, me and the girls went to the Holyoke Mall. For a woman who had a heart attack two months ago she sure can shop! We were there for six hours!! We had a good day and all of us found some good deals. I haven't been shopping like that in forever - it's a little tricky with a preschooler - but Allison was great. I may be the proud mother of shop aholics yet!
I've finally gotten back into my scrapbooking. I hadn't done a thing since well before we moved here. I'm working on school albums for each of the girls. I think that's a project I can keep up with and it's a pretty easy one too. I've found that Michael's has a great supply of stickers and maybe paper but for my albums and accessories I need to order from Creative Memories.
I get e-mail updates and prayer requests from our old church and over the last couple of weeks I've been reading about a young soldier injured in Iraq. His mother has been so faithful in keeping everyone updated and it's quite something to read the account of this young man's ordeal from his mother's point of view. I can not imagine seeing one of my children wounded so badly. He's been through so much already and faces more surgeries to repair his broken body. Thankfully he will recover although he'll wear the scars for the rest of his life. It reminds me about how much these young men and women need our prayers. This man's name is Ben - pray for Ben.
I officially have my own soccer team to coach. I'll have 10 - count them 10!- little preschoolers/kindergarteners on my team! I'm excited but a little nervous. I worry about the expectations of the parents. I want to do a good job and I especially want the kids to have fun! If they learn something about soccer GREAT! I'm sure I'll be learning a thing or two!
Speaking of learning - I'm learning all about crows. I've decided to write a non fiction article about crows. In case you are wondering there are TONS of books and articles on crows. My challenge is to present something about these gangster birds that will be interesting to children. I'm especially facinated by the theory that crows have a funeral of sorts for a fallen bird friend or family member. And did you know that a 'flock' of crows is actually called a 'murder'? Hmmm...
Gotta go.
Tuesday, July 17
Just Pictures
Allison was a big deal 'driving' the boat!
And here's Allison and me on the camel at the Bronx Zoo. I don't know how anyone rides those animals across the desert! A 30 second ride was MORE than long enough for me!
This is the New York City skyline as seen from the sky ride at the zoo. If you look really close you can tell which building is the Empire State Building.