Fire

Last weekend it was hot here! Like an amazing 85 ish degrees! After the weather we have had all year, it was downright HOT. The girls and I stopped by the county safety fair. There were cop cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and a cop boat to explore. They got to ride their bikes around to look at all the fun stuff. Claire really enjoyed the fire area. She got to "drive" in the firetruck and talk to the firemen. (Firemen are my favorite too Claire) :)

11 Months

Where does the time go? Neil is approaching his birthday at a hefty 27 1/2 pounds. He has such an amazing smile and cute chunky legs. His baby blues are still blue, and he still likes to cuddle. Although he still isn't mobile, he manages to roll around to find the objects of greatest desire. ie: cellphone, remote, sharp/small things. As you can imagine he is a great eater. I haven't really found a food that he won't eat. We are so lucky to have this little guy in our family!

Unexpected

This year has been a difficult one for my family. Chris and I both lost a Grandma within a few months of each other. In both cases it was very unexpected and came about suddenly. They also both died of pneumonia at about the same age. It is just crazy to see how that infection can affect an older person. At least they are both in a better place now, free of loneliness and physical pain. They lived long lives and were greatly loved by many.

When I learned about my Grandma, my mom, sister, and I left for Ireland to be with her. We didn't make it in time, but we were able to help out with funeral arrangements and be supportive for our mom and her siblings. It was especially neat to spend time with relatives that I had never even met before. I also really enjoyed spending time with my aunts and uncles that I don't see very often.

I was in Ireland for almost 2 weeks, which is forever because I left my family behind. I have the most amazing husband for holding down the fort for so long. I even came home to a spotless house and my kitchen table re stained! Thank you so much Honey!

On the way home, my sister and I had a really long layover that we took full advantage of. We took a couple trains to Manhattan and walked around the Empire State Building and then Times Square. It was really great to see the city. It really did live up to all my expectations. There were tons of people, taxis, and building everywhere. It seemed like it's own country. We had a slice of pizza, shopped around Times Square, and just enjoyed people watching before heading back to the airport for another long flight.

It was really great to be able to go be with my family, but I am so happy to be home with my kids and hubby. We love you Grandma Anne Straley and Grandma May Smith!

Some pics from my travels....

First Beach Trip

This last weekend we spent an afternoon at the beach. I was a little bit worried as we drove there through a few rain showers, but as soon as we arrived the sky was clear blue. It was our first beach trip of the year, and I later realized, Neil's first beach trip ever! The kids had a blast as usual...playing in the water, digging in the sand, making castles, etc. We went to one of our favorite spots in Gearhardt where you can drive onto the beach. It's great because you don't have to haul things from your car. We BBQ'd some burgers for dinner and even played a pretty physical game of soccer in the sand. My sister and brother-law were in town, so it was fun to spend the day with the family and enjoy a gorgeous day on the coast!

Nice shades Neil! You can also see Bree's new baby pug Maggs...she's pretty cute!

This is what I get when I say, "say cheese"

Easter EGGstravaganza

I know it's May now, but I'm a little behind. We had a really nice Easter weekend. Saturday the sun was shining and we decided to drive out to the Alpenrose Dairy Farm for their annual egg hunt. We arrived early and had time to get pictures with the creepy looking bunny...although Grace was too scared to get very close. The egg hunting was mayhem. There were kids and parents everywhere. We cleared the fields of candy eggs within minutes of starting. Even though it was pure craziness we had a great time especially since the sun was out. I even participated in the "Mom's hunt". It was the same idea, except that the prizes included much better things...like beach trips, gift cards, and diamonds. I have to say, the adrenaline rush at the start of the hunt was pretty intense. I totally ran over some older ladies who were running out there too slow. :) If I thought the other hunts were over fast...this one was inane. It was over within seconds. Unfortunately, I didn't get any of the "prize" eggs. Maybe next year

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. We dyed our eggs,the kids enjoyed their baskets of goodies on Sunday morning, and we spent the afternoon at Church celebrating the real meaning of Easter. Afterwards we enjoyed a yummy dinner with family.

I survived!

Today was the MUCH anticipated kinder field trip. After a hasty lunch at 10am, which most kids were too excited to eat anyway, we all boarded the school buses for a nice long trip to the Children's Museum. Claire was most excited about getting to go on the bus for the first time ever. She was grinning ear to ear as we boarded. It was fun to see her notice things like the bumpiness and the fact that all the other cars on the highway were going much faster than us.

I had a group of 4 students to chaperone for the day. We had a lot of fun trying to see and do everything together. It was slight mayhem at the museum, but we all had a good time. The kids all painted their faces and spent a good amount of time playing in the water.

After a couple hours of play, we all loaded up for the trip home. Overall, it was quite successful. No lost kids or accidents. The only snafu was losing a sweatshirt. I hope the kids all had a great time, I know Claire did!

Camping Adventure

Friday night we went camping with some friends. I was a little worried about how fun it would be since it had been pouring rain all day before we left. Luckily we were staying in cabins complete with heat, electricity, and lights. We opted for some McDonalds for our picnic dinner. The cabins were super nice inside! They each had a table and chairs, a twin/full bunkbed, and a futon that folded out. It was very clean and fun to be in.





After our dinner we went outside to set up the rest of our camp. Thankfully it wasn't really even raining much up there. It was more of a mist. We could spend time outside without getting soaked. Chris was even able to get a fire going, despite the wet wood, with a little help from our friends...and the neighboring scout troop. :)





We made some yummy smores before bed, went for hikes in the woods, and then put all our kids to bed in their respective cabins. We had an extra cabin because someone decided not to come with us due to the rain. Once the kids were all fast asleep we stayed up playing silly games and giggling for many hours inside.

In the morning we made a hot breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausage, and hot chocolate. Neil spent most of his time in the playpen snuggled up with blankets. The girls had lots of time to ride their bikes and hike with daddy. We took our time and didn't leave until just before 1pm. It was a much nicer day. The sun even came out.






Overall we all had a blast! It was great to spend time together and with good friends! We will have to do it again sometime for sure.