simple summer things...

...like meandering walks around our favorite local turtle pond in the middle of a low-humidity, sunshiney afternoon.  Armed with a bag of stale Cocopop to feed the ducks (in case they're watching their little duck figures), off we went...  Isn't it beautiful?

a sweet trip, indeed

On Friday, we packed up the car and headed out for Trip Number Two of the summer - an overnight stay in Hershey, PA to meet up with our awesomely fun NJ cousins and partake in the delights of Hershey Park (our first time there). 

We've had this trip planned for several months and wouldn't you know, the two days we chose were inferno, scorching, ass boiling hot.  We also chose a day 32,000 other folks decided to partake in the delights of Hershey Park.  In other words, there was no lazy river riding since the line was a 2.5 hour wait (I convinced myself we didn't really want to be swimming in shared water that crowded which certainly had to infested with several diseases, even if it was a billion degrees outside and my arms were baking like two rotisserie chickens).  I mean, with the amount of tattoos we saw, there had to be some open festering wounds right?  (Note to selves:  future summer theme park trips must occur on Tuesdays.)

The good news is, with 31,500 people in the waterpark area, the kids could virtually walk onto any ride they wanted.  And we hit them all; ten hours worth.

Better news, we got to spend 36 hours alongside our awesomely fun cousins, laughing and watching our collective four boys (3, 6, 7 and 8) hold hands, giggle and delight in each other.


What kid doesn't love staying in a hotel?  The bed jumping, riding the luggage cart...

And then Uncle Craig taught the boys some gambling skills...

We hit the park full force Saturday morning and the boys rode every ride they could...we even snuck on some ourselves.

Not quite sure what Andrew was doing with his hand here...  Maybe telling Logan to stay on track of the Hershey Highway.

No trip to the theme park is complete without the water squirting game...

And spending $35 to make sure all four kids win a $.50 stuffed monkey (that are now shedding all over my house)...

We saved the Chocolate World tour for last, where they explain how they make the chocolate and you wind up in a supermarket size gift shop filled with a billion tons of candy.

A perfect ending for a sweet trip.

down at the shore

 

My Dad and Stepmom recently bought a new house in Virginia, and are selling their Florida place.  They're still living in FL until it sells, but have come up to the VA house a couple of times to bring some things and start to get settled. 

Since this week marks the first week of no school, and since they were up at the VA house, we decided to take a little road trip and check it out for a couple of days.  The new house is about 3 1/2 hours southeast of us, on the Middle Peninsula of VA right on the water.  Its still Virginia, but its sure alot different from where we live.  Quiet and the closest Starbucks is probably 30 minutes away. Its in the sticks, but within an hour or so, you can be at Williamsburg, VA Beach,  Busch Gardens and a bunch of other places we hope to take the kids.

Here is the view down the creek from the boat dock behind their house (this leads to the Chesapeake Bay within 10 minutes), isn't it serene?  We had fun watching a determined blue heron try to catch his dinner, and the boys loved watching all the crabs in the water.

They did a little fishing with Grandpa Joe (Logan wouldn't hold a fish though):

We discovered a beach 2 miles from their house with lots of shade, sand and clean, shallow water.  We spent hours soaking it up and having a picnic.  I imagine we'll be spending many hot summer days here cooling off in the years ahead.

It was a visit filled with popsicles, laughter.... 

.... and running through the yard

 trying to catch millions of fireflies.  (Mom, why do their butts light up?)

  They decided to move for many reasons, but the first and foremost was to be geographically closer to their grandkids.  And I know the kids will have wonderful childhood memories from their visits to Grandpa Joe and Grandma Bobbie's in all the years ahead.

the first and last of 1st

Its Dylan's last day of first grade. Its been a great year of many changes for him and we plan to celebrate the second he gets off the bus this afternoon with a neighborhood ice cream/moonbounce party.

Its crazy how much they change, not only physically, but maturity-wise over the course of a school year.

First day of school (September 2009):

Last day.

2nd grade, here we come!

39 is the new 29

One more year to enjoy your 30's honey...

40 and fabulous

In 17 months I will turn 40.  Four Zero.  Forty.

I've never been a regular exerciser.  Until I was in my mid 20's, it seemed I could eat whatever I wanted, maybe do a little exercise here and there, and I stayed pretty thin.  I've always been very intimidated by gyms and by exercise in general. I'd take a Jazzercise class here, and yoga class there, but nothing ever became absolute routine. 

Something in my body changed in my mid 20's.  Slowly, the weight started creeping on and on..   I wasn't used to having to be aware of calories, activity level.  What was once natural became something I was going to have to work out and well, I just didn't work at it.  Then marriage, then kids... It was impossible to find the time or energy to focus on myself once the kids came.   Probably because I wasn't already in the habit, and putting myself last was just the easiest thing to do. There were always reasons, always excuses... After the kids were born, I learned I have hypothyroidism, which makes it that much harder to lose weight. Since your thyroid gland releases hormones that control metabolism, I have to work that much harder to burn my calories. I will take thryoid medication for the rest of my life to make up for the hormones my body doesn't make by itself.

These past few years, I've felt older than my age, deplete of energy and well, just not like the person I feel like on the inside.

Its time for a change.  I'm way too young to feel this old.

This past weekend, we joined a brand new, state of the art gym.   Its a beautiful facility with indoor and outdoor pools we can enjoy (even with the kids), the latest cardio equipment and weights, classes out the wazoo... The awesome kids club is fully stocked with Wii, a climbing gym, computer games, toys, arts and crafts. Its huge and rather than feeling intimidated by it all, I'm realizing everyone in there is just like me.  Wanting to feel good, be healthy and working towards their own personal goals.

I'm not going to set any crazy goals right off the bat. My first goal is to just make exercise a daily part of my life. To find the things I like to do, and to keep me interested with a good variety. I want to do this for myself, and I want to do it for the kids... to teach them about the importance of exercise and taking care of yourself.

So far, we've both gone every day since joining.  I'm feeling excited, and trying to ease this welcome change into my lifestyle.  I'm hopeful that this will be the time it sticks.

I want to be 40 AND FABULOUS.

Happy Birthday Josh and Maya!

My beautiful niece and nephew turn 4 today.  It seems like just yesterday we were all at the hospital (I was pregnant out to HERE with Logan) anxiously awaiting Josh and Maya's arrival into the world.  How time flies!

Pukapalooza 2010

I can probably count the number of times Dylan has thrown up on one hand, he's just not a puker.   However, when he does it, he does it big.

There was this little incident at Dutch Wonderland a couple of years ago.   There was the time he barfed up refried beans all over his bed, to the point we had to replace his comforter and a couple of pillows.

Then there was last night.

It started off innocently enough.  We made pizza for dinner and headed to Dylan's school for the much acclaimed First Grade Patriotic end-of-year program.  All the first graders, adorably dressed head to toe in red, white and blue, were to adorn an auditorium of proud parents and grandparents singing their little Yankee Doodle hearts out.  Mom and Robby came out, all of us perched in the front row as proud as peacocks.

Dylan has been practicing his songs for weeks, so I should have known something was up when I saw he wasn't really doing much singing.  The first kid to toss cookies was Dylan's best friend at school.  Fortunately he towards the front row and the teacher was able to help him make a quick exit out the side door of the auditorium onto the grass.  A few minutes later, as the show was ending, Dylan was starting to look a little green.

I started to worry.  He had mentioned another classmate throwing up at school that day.  He had told me after eating his dinner that his tummy hurt.  A quick feel of the forehead told me he had no fever, and I chalked it up to nerves before the big show. 

It all happened so fast.  He covered his mouth, I guess trying to hold it in.  But he was three rows back, shoulder to shoulder with 130 kids on stage.  It was hot.  There was nothing he could do but unleash the fury.

All over the kids next to him.

Yes, I don't know which is the bigger parenting nightmare.  To have your child projectile vomit in front of the entire school, or to be the parent of one of the unfortunate recipients of another childs' puke.

He looks great in these first three, right?

Uh oh, suddenly I think he felt it coming on  here...

and here I have to think he was looking at me thinking "I'm going to blow!"  This was just minutes before the horrific scene..

As if this all wasn't enough, the principal had to ask to borrow one of our wipes to clean some puke off her shoe.


Sigh. One more week of school.  And he was so close to having perfect attendance this year.

Henry Louis Granju

We hear all too often of terrible tragedies that happen to families...some we know, some we don't.  And sometimes its just easier to protect ourselves from the pain...to not imagine what others are feeling or going through.  But sometimes, I hear of something another family is going through and I can't stop myself from reading all of it; every horrible excrutiating detail.  I don't know why I do it.  Maybe I need to be reminded of how lucky I am for all I have, and how fragile life is.  Maybe if we don't allow ourselves to pause from our own happiness and feel the pain someone else is feeling, we lose the ability to empathize.  Maybe if we aren't aware of the pain others are feeling, we take all the good things for granted.  Sometimes, I think we just need to be reminded life is astoundingly beautiful, and very difficult.

A few weeks ago, I came across this blog. I don't know this family but the mothers' words gripped me tightly and didn't let go.  It was too painful to read more than a couple of posts. I felt sick.  I shut it down with no intention of ever going back. 

And now here I am today, pulled back to her words, reading her latest updates and wondering how its possible she is surviving through this.  Writing about it with such grace and beauty.  The thought of losing your son after 18 years of nurturing him, teaching him, loving him, hugging him.   Losing him in such a senseless, harsh, cold, cruel way. 

Its just impossible to make any sense of it at all. 

I ache for this mom.  In her pain, she is doing a wonderful thing.  The family has established an endowed fund that will provide scholarships for families who cannot afford to pay for needed drug and alcohol treatment programs for their children.


The Henry Louis Granju Memorial Scholarship Fund
c/o Administrator: James Anderson
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
2000 Meridian Blvd. Suite 290
Franklin, TN 37067

Maybe by posting this, a few more people will read about Henry and a few more dollars will go to help an addicted child in need.

I pray that I never face this kind of tragedy in my own family.  I can't bear the thought of it.

he has two speeds

on.

and off. (20 minutes later)

locovore living

Yesterday afternoon, we had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at the home of one of Andrew's coworkers. She is a big advocate of eating local food and supporting local agriculture, and writes a couple of great blogs accordingly...Locavore Chronicles, and Linna's Garden Journal.  In addition to working full time, she has a 9 month old, a 4 year old and speaks locally about gardening.  I don't know how she does it all! She gave Andrew tons of advice and ideas on getting our garden started last year.

They live in the country, about 30 minutes from us.  Her garden is incredible, and they have a great pool the kids played around all afternoon while we grilled.   She's a terrific cook and we had chard macaroni and cheese, fresh roasted beets and homemade bread, along with a fresh tart cherry and rhubard tart, all made with ingredients from the garden.

They also gave us a few fish for our new backyard pond.

They have an amazing cherry tree in full glory right now and Dylan and I got busy picking sour cherries.  Dylan had a great time picking and declared he was going to fill the whole bag. Aren't they beautiful?

 I can't wait to find a couple of recipes to turn these into some yummy treats this week. 

one man's trash..

One good thing about Dylan playing soccer at 8:15 am these past 10 Saturdays - yard sales.  We've been able to find some righteous buys every now and then.  Yesterday, we hit the toy jackpot.   When you can buy four toys for $1, it makes it hard to think about buying anything full price.. especially when they get so bored with stuff so quickly.  They added a bunch of pieces to their Tony Hawk skateboard park, a spinning light Eve toy from  Wall-E, a football...

Logan scored some pieces to add to his ever-growing super hero wardrobe.

He hasn't taken this Ninja suit off all weekend.

And the Pièce de résistance (free! and in perfect shape)....

one way to cool down on a hot day

pond of tranquility

This is what happens when its a three day weekend, and your name is Andrew, Backyard Gardening Guru, and you decide to get rid of an unsightly plastic blue sandbox that's been hanging out in your backyard for seven years.    Goodbye messy sandbox, hello beautiful zen pond.  Will add fish soon.

up, up and away

 

Dylan has grown up this school year in so many ways.  The school year is wrapping up in a couple of weeks, and we've watched his reading skills really start to soar.  We're going to have his current reading teacher tutor him once a week over the summer to help keep his confidence high.  Have to keep the momentum going!

At our communitiy annual summer kickoff party this weekend, he easily and gracefully scaled this rock wall, and I couldn't help but think it was a great visual representation of his school experience this year.