Point Sebago Days

We just got back from camping at Point Sebago today... we had such a good time, we already booked our stay next year! Point Sebago is an awesome family campground in Casco, Maine on Lake Sebago. They have tons of activities for the kids including camps, games, playgrounds, a splash park, paddle boats (and canoes and kayaks), mini golf, an arcade and..... oh yeah, the BEACH! The kids had SO much fun. We stayed in a "Travel Trailer". We thought it was just right. We had fun cooking out and having S'mores for dessert. We can't wait til next year. Our days were pretty busy but we had a lot of fun. Some of our favorite things were playing at the beach, going mini golfing, going fishing, going out on paddle boats, playing at the arcade, the playgrounds and just hanging out.

We're back!

Did you miss us? Did you know we were gone? Last Tuesday we left for what we thought was a day trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa but we ended up driving to PA to visit. Here are some pictures of the fun things we did.... On the way down, we stopped at the Stepping Stones Museum (of course) for a break. The kids had a great time. Eddie built some cars to race. Kevin enjoyed that as well. Everyone always loves the Waterway... I think that is their favorite thing!
Well, I thought I had a new way of posting pics but it doesn't seem to be working... so enjoy these and I'll post some more tomorrow. These are from the museum and then a fun playground near Auntie Diane's house. The kids enjoyed playing together.

Another Day at the Zoo!

Today we dropped Eddie off at camp and headed to the Franklin Park Zoo to "wake up the animals". It had rained very lightly at home and looked as though it had JUST finished raining when we got to the zoo... I noticed some big black clouds ahead and as we were making our way through the zebra area, it started downpouring. I put the raincovers down on the stroller and made a beeline for the tropical forest. We were able to stay in there and visit the animals til the rain passed and then we headed back to the car. Kevin fell asleep in the car on the way home... Ryan and I played a quick game of Zingo and now Ryan is in bed too. I'll wake them up at 2:30 and we'll be off to pick up Eddie from his last day of camp and then we're off to the pool for the night. Happy Friday everyone!

An update of sorts

We've been keeping ourselves busy here and attempting to keep cool with the heat wave we've been having. Monday we dropped Eddie off at camp and went to the Franklin Park Zoo. It was really fun. I had offered Kevin and Ryan to go to the pool and they said "NO pool... ZOOOOOOOOO!" It was so cute... so to keep them busy til we got there, I told them to keep looking for the zoo signs. So then every time they saw a sign on the highway, they yelled out "ANOTHER ONE" in unison. It was great. They loved seeing all the other kids, making new friends and asking everyone "What's happening?" and "What's up?"... too cute! Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't send Eddie to camp because of the heat... thinking he'd be so hot and then come to find out today they have air conditioning! D'oh! Oh well, Tuesday we spent ALL DAY at the pool... everyone was fine, and it didn't FEEL hot but I was not so good about doing my own sublock so I ended up with a big sunburn. Shame on me, I certainly know better than that by now. Wednesday we had planned on going back to the pool after going to playgroup... but at playgroup, I had to keep running to the bathroom to get sick! The sun does a number on me and I must have got a case of sun poisoning or something like that. So we postponed the pool, headed home for lunch and naps. I was able to lay down for a while which was good. Today was Thursday, I dropped Eddie off at camp, and took Kevin and Ryan to school. We have been working on "separation" and today was a success! Yippee! That means in the future, I'll be able to run out to Walmart and get a couple things done while they are in class. I've been watching the class from behind a two-way mirror and I must admit, it's pretty fun and interesting to watch... after school we went to the pool. We stayed in the inside pool since I was still pretty sore from the burn. When we got to the van after swimming, the thermometer in the car said the car's temperature was 107 degrees. So I started to think Eddie might be ready to leave early and I went to ask him if he wanted to go home. At first he said no, and then he said yes... and then he told me they had air conditioning and were watching a movie! Oh, well! Live and learn. Tomorrow he'll be there for the full day. It's supposed to be cooler anyway. I think Kevin and Ryan and I will be going to the Franklin Park Zoo. Then home for lunch and naps... then get Eddie and then we are meeting up with friends at the pool. Sounds like a good day to me!

Saturday at the Roger Williams Zoo

Today we had a family outing to the Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. The boys have been really into dinosaurs lately so we decided to check out the dinosaur exhibit. The "twist" on the exhibit this year is that features dinosaurs "Hollywood Style". It was really cute. We had only intended to stay and see the dinosaurs but ended up seeing just about everything the zoo has to offer. It was good time. It had been so long since I had been there and this was Ed's first visit so we didn't know (or I should say I didn't remember) all that was there. It's a really nice zoo. The kids loved it. We went through the dinosaur exhibit two times. It was all good.

Here's all 3 checking out some animals...


Sitting on a dinosaur outside the exhibit...


Dinosaur!


Mom posing with Kevin for a picture. (No one else wanted to join in... Eddie and Ryan weren't as adventurous with the dinosaurs as Kevin was)...


In keeping with the "Hollywood" theme, this is ET for "Extra-Tyrannosaurus" not "Extra-Terrestrial"...


The Guys


Dino!


A lovely Brachiosaurus nibbling a leaf on a tree...


Dino!


Dino!


It's a wrap!


The kids loved this bird.. they would put their fingers on the window and the bird (I forget what it was) would act like it was biting them.


Elephant! The kids were psyched to see the elephant as our "home" zoo does not have one!


One of the giraffes eating a yummy snack...

Fun-filled Friday

We had a great day today! We dropped Eddie off at camp and then headed to the zoo! This time we went to the Franklin Park Zoo. Kevin and Ryan were very excited to see the animals. Kevin loves the "rass" which is his word for giraffe. Ryan was very excited to see the zebras. There has been a group of baby animals over the last couple years and they are so fun to visit and watch grow. There is a baby mandrill named "Woody" who must be about 3 by now... a baby gorilla named Kimani who is 1.5 years old... and a brand new baby giraffe and a brand new baby zebra. I am not sure of the baby zebra's name but the baby giraffe is named Autumn. There is a heartwarming story that goes along with her name. One of the adult giraffes is sick and a young teenage girl has raised several thousands of dollars to help take care of him. The zoo named the baby giraffe after her (Autumn). I thought that was a great story. We also have newly acquired tigers. One is white and one is orange. I am not exactly sure of the story but the tigers were rescued from somewhere, I think someone was raising them as pets. They make a wonderful addition to the Franklin Park Zoo. This zoo is one of my favorites if not my #1 zoo. It's not too big, is usually not that crowded, has great animals and you can see it all in 2-3 hours. They have a carousel there and Kevin and Ryan had a blast going on it. They have all different animals you can ride not just horses... Kevin asked to ride the dog and Ryan asked to ride the giraffe. It was quite hot today but we made it through all the exhibits in just under 3 hours with a stop for ice cream! When we got back to the car, the thermometer said 99 degrees! Yikes...

We picked up Eddie a bit early from camp and came home so Kevin and Ryan could nap. After they woke up, we headed to the pool for a cool dip! Ed joined us after work and we swam for a while and had dinner at the pool... a combination of food from home and a few things from the cafe. Now we are home, the kids are in bed, Ed went out for the night and I am off to bed as well.

Today I was extremely tired so after a full week of work, I must make a mental note that going to bed early after work next week is essential!

Thursday

Today was a fun day! We dropped Eddie off at camp and then went swimming. After swimming, lunch and naps, we picked up Eddie at camp. It was too hot to do anything outside so we went to the library to pick out some books and videos. Now the kids are watching a video about animals and I have to get ready for work!

The Magic School Bus

If you are looking for a great show to watch, I have to say that I really enjoy The Magic School Bus. It's currently one of Eddie's favorite shows... right up there with Zoom and Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman. Today Eddie explained to me that it's OK if he doesn't chew his food all the way up because the acids in his stomach will break it down. Then he proceeded to tell me that food goes down the esophagus after you swallow, and then into the small intestine, then the large intestine and then into the toilet. I know the kid is always thinking but you just never know WHAT he's thinking about...

Even Spiderman has to sleep once in a while

Even though Eddie claims he never sleeps, says he always has plenty of energy and sleeps with his eyes open... it appears as though swinging from spider webs has finally caught up with him. (And yes, he's sleeping in the hallway... as his Aunt Patty, Uncle Steve and Nana were visiting and he wanted to make sure he didn't miss a second of the action)... Yes, we made sure to remove the mask! By the way, Eddie has already decided what he'll be for Halloween. That's easy! And free! And you know what they say... "If it's free, it's for me!"

My Civic Duty

Today I had the opportunity to fulfill my civic duty as a juror. Ed took the day off and I headed out to Dedham Supreme Court for 8am. Granted, I was not too happy in the morning since I was up late the night before but it was all good. I got a Coolatta on the way. Coffee is always good. I saw a friend who was working at the Dunkin' Donuts that I worked with at Dunkin' Donuts in Weymouth (where I met Ed)... (get ready for this)... 15 years ago! It was nice to see her! This was my 3rd time being called to jury duty. Everything was explained to us about how the jurors were called if needed; and if the judges didn't need any jurors, we'd be let out early. As it turns out, the district court did call for 46 jurors, but my number wasn't called. The rest of the cases were settled and I was outta there by 10:30am. Ed had dropped off Eddie at camp and then taken Kevin and Ryan to the pool to swim. I was thinking of meeting up with them at the pool but figured by the time I got there, they'd be headed home... so I came home to an empty house and got caught up on some phone calls, had some lunch and took a big ole nap. I woke up in time to get ready for work and off I went. Ed took the boys up to the elementary school for a "Get to know your Neighbor" social get together. He and the kids had fun and saw some of our neighbors there. Work was good. I am working on a project and it's nice to see progress. Another good day! Tomorrow Eddie has Kido camp and Kevin and Ryan have "school"... should be good. I'll keep you posted.

Extreme Tuesday Part Two

Tuesday was a great day! It was Eddie's 2nd day of Kido Camp. We were running a bit late but managed to drop him off on time... just no extra time to run around in the gym as we did on Monday. Kevin was very upset that he didn't get to play basketball. After we dropped Eddie off, we hit the highway and headed up north to the Stone Zoo where we met up with some friends. We had a great time. Kevin and Ryan loved seeing the animals... we had lunch there and headed home for naps. Kevin was very upset that they did not have a horse there. I promised we'd find a horse farm on the way home but they were both asleep in no time. Another day we will visit the horse farm. Actually near Grandma's house is a horse farm for retired horses... sort of a nursing home for horses. We'll have to plan on paying a visit there next time we are in PA. I did not have my camera with me at the zoo so no pictures...

After Kevin and Ryan woke up from their naps, we picked Eddie up and headed to the library for the "Extreme Reptile" show... it's put on by a family of homeschooled kids (The Pensen Family) who do an awesome job. This was our 3rd time seeing them and it was really great!

Kevin really enjoyed holding ALL of the animals... or at least he WANTED to hold all of the animals including the tarantulas. Fortunately, they limit the number of animals that can be handled... Kevin and Ryan did PAT the tarantulas though! Can you imagine?

Here's the part of the show where they pretend they can't find the tarantula... (You'll notice it is on the back of the boy with the red shirt)... the kids go crazy yelling that it's on his shirt, and the Pensen kids can't find it. It's pretty fun! Notice Eddie covering his ears because it's SO loud (all the kids yelling and pointing out where the tarantula is)...


Here's Dominic Pensen showing off one of the family's many pets:


Here's Kevin enjoying holding a Gecko:


Ryan's turn with the Gecko:


Kevin's "scared" face:


Ryan's "scared" face (he's gonna have to work on that, it's not too scary!)


Kevin getting up close and personal with a baby tortoise:


It was a good day! After the libary, we came home and I got ready for work and made dinner. After dinner, Ed took Eddie to his last night of track.

Here's Eddie "running the race" (as Kevin and Ryan like to call it)...


And Eddie showing off all his ribbons:

Extreme Tuesday

One of the highlights from today was seeing the Extreme Reptiles at the library... more details to follow.

Monday Monday

We had a busy day today but it was all good! Eddie started camp at the Hollis Playground. It's called Kido Clinic. It meets at 8:45 and gets out at 2:45. Eddie had a great time. One of his friends from last year's preschool class was there so Eddie was excited about that. We arrived a little bit early. The kids meet in the gymnasium til camp starts... there are lots of balls to kick around. Kevin and Ryan had a blast! Kevin even lined up with the big kids in the hopes that he could stay... Not quite yet Kev! We stayed for a little while and then headed to the pool... We swam for a while and had a great time. After swimming, we came home for lunch. I put Kevin and Ryan in for their naps. I ran out to do a few errands while Joyce (my mother-in-law) babysat. It was nice to get out and see how quickly things can get some when I'm alone. Thanks Joyce! After I finished up my errands, I picked up Eddie, came home, played for a while, made dinner and got ready for work. Now I am home from work and I have learned a very important lesson: There is a set time at which if I am not in bed, I will not be able to fall asleep. I think it is midnight. I get home at 11:30 and if I am up any later than midnight, I seem to get wired... Hence me posting at 12:30... but definitely I will finish this and be off to bed... to sleep... for good... this time! What's up for this week? Tomorrow Eddie has camp and in the morning while he's at camp we'll either be at the pool or the zoo. After we pick Eddie up, we are going to the library for Extreme Reptiles! This is put on by a great family who has lots of reptiles, etc for pets. The kids put on the presentation. They are great! Then I go to work and Ed takes the kids to track. Tomorrow night is the last night, they have a "track meet" and a pizza party. Note to self: Make sure Ed takes the camera. Wednesday I have jury duty and Ed has off work. Wednesday night, the elementary school is putting on a little party for the neighborhood kids to come get together and meet each other. That should be fun. Thursday will be camp... I'll do something fun with Kevin and Ryan in the morning and then home for lunch and naps.. and Friday we have a playdate after camp. Sounds good to me! I'll try to take some pictures this week so I can post them. Have a good night!

We went to see Ruff Ruffman today

But you won't be able to see it... well, not today anyway. I did remember to bring the camera but I forgot the memory card. It was still in my printer from the last time I downloaded pictures. But I did have my new camera phone so I did snap a couple pics however, I have no idea how to get them from the phone to the computer.

Ruff Ruffman is a character on a new PBS show called Fetch! Eddie loves it and the kids were so excited to see Ruff Ruffman today. Kevin and Ryan kept calling him "Ruff Ruff Ruff". It was very cute. They had a Ruff Ruffman cake, and on each plate were some dog bone shaped cookies. They were serving the dog bones out of a dog bowl. They also had lemonade for the kids. It was really fun... that is, until, Ruff Ruffman showed up. I must admit, he was quite large and I learned that evidently, my kids fear of dogs also covers dogs that are not real. They weren't quite hysterical but certainly let us know that they didn't want to have their picture taken with him or get very close to him... just seeing him from a distance was good enough for them.

The museum was also having the kids make kites to bring home so we had a good time doing that as well. The kite making was outside as well as a bubble blowing station and a cool water experiment.

It was a good day.

Tonight I went to a jewelry party and designed and made a necklace. It was really fun. I will post a picture of the finished product.. probably tomorrow.

For now, I have to get to bed... I'm trying to adjust to the new work hours and could use an early night.

Good night!

Peapod: A Beautiful Thing!

Can I just say how in love I am with Peapod, the grocery delivery service from Stop and Shop? Last night I placed my order. My delivery time slot was between 5pm and 7pm. At 5pm, the groceries were here. I put them away, am finishing getting ready for work and I'm on my way. Like I said, a beautiful thing. I've done this a few times before but did I forget how great it was? I will definitely be doing this again.

Cowboy Kev

Well, looks like we know what Kevin's gonna be for Halloween - a cowboy! Kevin loves horses and spends a lot of time galloping around "neigh"ing and acting like a horse. Well, check out this really cool outfit Kelly gave us. Thanks Kelly! It's perfect for Kevin. In fact, once he had it on, he didn't want to take it off! I'll probably add a different shirt, or maybe a vest, a cowboy hat and maybe some boots. He'll be good to go.

Last Day of School

OK, so my posts are a bit out of order but I just went through my pictures and am trying to get "caught up".

Here's Eddie on the last day of school with his awesome teacher, Patty. Eddie had a great year!!! Way to go Eddie!

Look out kindergarten, here we come!

Happy Birthday to Eddie!

Eddie turned 5 on May 31st. We had a dinosaur/bug party. I think this year will go down as the year of the cancelled/rescheduled birthday party... just about every party we were invited to was rescheduled due to rain. We rescheduled Eddie's party and even the rain date was rainy... We ended up having the party in the basement... it was all good though, the kids still had fun! Happy Birthday Eddie! Here's a picture of Eddie playing "Pin the Tail on the Dino"... I couldn't find one in the store so I made one.

Mom's 5k

On June 4th, I ran in the Hollis School 5k. I had been working towards running the 3.1 miles... and I did it! I wanted to beat the time of my last 5k about 10 years ago but I had what Janet Jackson would call a "wardrobe malfunction"... well, nothing like hers of course but... It was cool that day and I had a long sleeve t-shirt on. When I got my long sleeve t-shirt for running the race, I put it on over my other shirt, pinned my number on and was good to go. I didn't realize how HOT I was going to get and I really needed to take my 2nd shirt off. But I had pinned my number through both shirts... so I had to stop and fix that so it cost me about two minutes... pushing me over my old time by about a minute. Next time I will be quite skilled in the wardrobe area. It was ALL good and I loved the feeling of accomplishement... course I haven't run since so I really need to make the commitment to find the time to get out there and "Just Do It".

Kevin's Idea of Breakfast

This morning I slept late (Thanks Ed!) When I woke up, Kevin came in to cuddle up for a little while. So I asked him some questions to see how the morning was going.

Me: Kevin, did Daddy make you breakfast?

Kevin: Wes (translation: Yes)

Me: What did you have?

Kevin: Cake Cakes (translation: pancakes).... aaaaaaah (thinking for a second), Mahk (translation: milk), eggies, aaaaaaaah, doo-duts (translation: donuts), aaaaaaaah, hot dogs and PIIIIZZZA

Now that sounds like a good breakfast! ;-)

Oh, and for the record, they had pancakes and milk.