The lake adventure

Friday our adventure took us to the lake at Rutland State Park. This is something we usually do several times over the summer and the kids were very excited to go. Natalie even said, "I can't believe it's only the third day of summer vacation and we are already going to the lake!"

To make it even more fun we met some friends there and the kids all had a blast.

It took Emersynne awhile to know what to do with the sand but she really liked the water.

Anthony spent a lot of time trying to catch a fish in his little net but didn't have any luck.

Trevor loves sand! I think he spent more time digging in the sand than he did in the water.

Once again I thought we would only stay a few hours but five hours after we left our house we arrived back home and thankfully, I think we left most of the sand at the lake. Natalie gets the award for the quote of the day. I heard her saying to the kids, "That was really fun and daddy didn't even go." OUCH! That comment hurt but it's true. Daddy is more fun than mommy but I'm glad I was able to show my kids that Mommy can be fun too.

Adventures

It seemed like it would never come but summer vacation is finally here. The summer schedule is hanging on the fridge, everybody has books to read for their summer reading, and the ideas for adventures seems endless to the kids. I think we did a pretty good job of getting in some cool adventures the first few days of vacation but the kids are also excited about the at home adventures and swim lessons adventures.

Day two of summer vacation (June 24th) we checked out a park we had never been to before. It was a hot and humid morning so I didn't think the kids would want to stay long but the park was so awesome that we were there for awhile. By the time we left we all the kids had very red faces.

First ride of the season

The bikes are finally out of storage and Saturday (June 19th) we were adventurous enough to take our first family ride. With the incentive of breakfast on the trail we got an early start and managed to beat the heat (mostly)!

At the trail head listening to safety instructions from daddy.

Emersynne's favorite part was the honey bun!

Trevor is not confident enough on his own bike to ride so this setup works really well. He does need to get better at pulling his load or he is going to finish me off! When we get to a hill it feels like a dead weight trying to pull me backwards. By the end of our ride I think he was starting to get it but maybe that was because I was yelling "PEDAL TREVOR, PEDAL!" so we could make it up the hill.

Not quite the Fourth of July

Every year the country club across the street puts on a fireworks display. Last night, after all the kiddies were in bed and most were already asleep, loud booms started to shake the windows. Michaela raced downstairs and told me to come upstairs.

Emersynne was particularly impressed. She would clap her hands and point or cover her mouth and gasp as each firework exploded.

We all sat in the boys room, enjoying air conditioning and fireworks at the same time. Best of all, now we've seen the fireworks and we don't have to stay up late next weekend!

Summer's Endless Photo Ops

Today we ate breakfast at the park, rummaged through Wally-World, dodged muggles while letterboxing, and scoped out properties while on a scenic drive around Wachusett Reservoir (not Quabbin). If nothing else, and there was, we got some great pix!

Clever Trevor

Trevor was sent upstairs to get ready for bed. It wasn't until he took his clothes off that he realized that his pajamas were not in his drawer. It was laundry day and the laundry had not been folded yet and was still piled downstairs. Rather than put his clothes back on to come find his pajamas Trevor came up with a easier solution. I don't think he was expecting daddy to have the camera handy.

A fun visit

We were so busy during my mom's visit that I never had a chance to document our activities. While a lot of our time was spent shopping for the right shade of pink for all of us to wear to the wedding this summer we did manage to squeeze in some fun activities.

We took a walk on the Rail Trail

Shopped for pink ties and pink outfits while the kids were at school.

Michaela, Mom, and I enjoyed a girls night out (dinner and a "chick flick")

Made strawberry jam

More shopping for wedding clothes.
(I never thought it would be so difficult to find white shirts for my boys!)


Read books with Grandma

Went for walks

Introduced Grandma to the Wii

More shopping for pink dresses, black skirts, and pink tops

Decorated cupcakes during our "party" on Grandma's last night

Went to breakfast before we had to take Grandma to the airport

All the shopping trips paid off and we were successful with a new suit for Jeremiah and Anthony, new white shirts for all the boys, matching pink dresses for the little girls, black skirts for the older girls, new fancy shoes for me, and pink tops for myself and the older girls. We even made it back out to six different stores to return the items we thought would work but didn't. Of course we did all of this while four of the kids were at school so we were only dragging two along with us. That could be why we ended up with six returns but that's way easier than shopping with all six kids!

It was a great visit with my mom and we were all sad to have her leave. Just today Abigail said, "I miss my grandma." When we ask Emersynne where Grandma is she throws her hands up in the air, shrugs her shoulders, and looks around. It seems that Grandma just disappeared while Emersynne was having her nap one afternoon.

Thanks for coming mom and thanks for all your help. I never could have done all the shopping without you!

Guess who's 4!

Abigail has spent the last few months knowing that her birthday was the next one. Almost daily we heard that her new number was going to be four and that she wanted a bike with four wheels. The day before her birthday the kids wrapped her presents and set them out. Abigail was so excited but then told me I needed to go to the store because we forgot to get her bike. It was very fun to see her come downstairs in the morning and find her "new" bike.

The bike was another successful dumpster rescue. We cleaned it up, added some touch-up paint, training wheels, and handle bar grips. The finishing touches were the princess basket, bell, and tassels. She couldn't wait to get outside and try it out!

The best birthday present of all was the fact that Grandma Cindy was here for Abigail's birthday. Of course Abigail thought Grandma planned her visit to be here on this special day. The other kids are still in school but my mom and I made sure Abigail had a great day and of course the school kids were jealous of our adventurous.

We picked strawberries at Tougas Farm,

Visited the petting zoo,
(Emersynne was not so sure about the goats. She didn't want them to get too close to her!)

Ate a birthday strawberry donut from the farm kitchen,

And spent lots of time playing at the playground.

Abigail really didn't want to go home but after our picnic lunch the clouds rolled in and the sun disappeared. We made it home just as the first rain drops started to fall and with enough time to get the girls down for their naps. After such a busy morning Abigail needed a nap so she could stay up for her "Dora party!"



With a little help from mom and grandma, Abigail decided on taco salad for her birthday dinner. I think she just really wanted the chips. She enjoyed being in the spotlight and is very excited with her new presents, especially her new ballet clothes from Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Roy. The funniest part of the whole evening was when Abigail turned to me with chocolate all over her mouth and hands and said, "We forgot my friends!" I guess Abigail thought she was having a birthday party with friends. Then she asked if she could take cookies to her school class. The wonderful things she learns from her older siblings. She has more than a year before starting school and is already counting down the days when she can take treats in on her birthday. That's going to be a long wait!