Happy Father's Day and Canobe Lake

Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there. We have had a good day. The kids made cards for Derek, and Jenna also made one for Grandpa. We got Derek a green polo shirt. He is always in need of non-blue polo shirts (and non-girly, i.e. - no pink or purple, my rule, not his).

I enjoyed being here with my father for Father's Day. I spoke in my parent's church today. It was nice to be able to publicly thank my dad for being such a great father. I feel that I have been truly blessed with a wonderful loving father, and a wonderful husband that is a great father to our children. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures from the day.

This week my mom and I took the kids to a local amusement park here in New Hampshire called Canobe Lake. We had a great time. I was never able to capture Jared's expression with my camera. He had the best smile - pure joy- while he rode the little rides.

When we first pulled into the parking lot we were a little worried. School is still in session here, but it is the end of the year. That means several school trips to amusement parks (we went to an amusement park my senior year of high school). Anyway, when we pulled into the parking lot there were so many buses. We stood in line to get tickets for about 40 minutes. I thought we would be standing in line the whole time. It ended up being perfect though. The school age kids didn't ride the little kids rides (obviously), so the kids were able to walk on and off of all the rides. It was great.

In the afternoon Kevin wanted to ride some of the bigger kid rides. The lines were beginning to dwindle because the school kids had to go back to school. I think the longest we ever stood in line was about 15 minutes. It was a perfect day, not too hot, not too cold. The kids were excellent. They didn't whine at all. Jenna and Jared said their favorite ride was the Farris Wheel. Kevin told grandpa he liked them all. However, earlier in the day he said his favorite ride was a water chute that he and I went on. We got soaked (pictures below). We also went on a log ride (also a water ride, but we didn't get very wet) twice, so I think that he really enjoyed that one too. The kid loves to get wet. :)

I have to say that it was one of my most enjoyable visits to an amusement park. The kids loved every minute of it. I loved just watching them. I didn't ride very many rides, but I had a great time. It is such a cool thing to see your children having the time of their lives.

Grandma, Jenna, Kevin and Jared waiting in line for tickets. They were very excited!

Jared on Space Shuttle

Jared, Kevin, and Jenna in safari cars

Jared, Kevin and Jenna in boat

Jenna in car (the kids loved these little cars)

Jenna on space ship

Kevin on airplane

This is the chute ride that Kevin loved. It is very short, but I have never been so wet after a ride as I was on this one. I really should have put my bathing suit on. :)

This is a bridge that crosses the ride and allows you to get back to "safety." You have to cross it after the ride is over. The only way to avoid getting slammed by the water is to run. You can see that the whole area next to the fence (outside of the ride) is wet too. You have to really be careful where you stand to watch this ride, or you will get wet.

That is how much water the chute ride displaces. If you are standing in line waiting for the ride, that water will soak you. I am sure it's great on a hot day.

Kevin and Mom after chute ride. We were soaked. Kevin wanted to do it again. Mom didn't. :)


Kevin's moment of Zen:

"The 'M' in mom stands for mean. The 'G' in Grandma and Grandpa stands for good."

Jenna's moments of Zen:

We had some people over last night (Saturday) which resulted in a later than usual night for the kids. We told the kids we would wait to give them baths until the morning (Sunday).
Jenna looked at us and said "But Saturday is the day we get ready for Sunday."
They got their baths.

Before we left Virgina for New Hampshire we stained our deck. Derek picked out the stain without me. He couldn't remember what color our deck was (even though I told him what color to get - but he didn't listen :) ), so he ended up getting something that was way too red. Derek went ahead and started applying it. He knew right away it was the wrong color (way off), but decided to apply it anyway. By the time I got out to see it, he had already stained half of the floor. I was pretty annoyed. It was bright red. I wasn't annoyed that he got the wrong color, but I was annoyed that he didn't stop as soon as he knew it was wrong. Anyway, everyone knew I was bugged. Kevin kept trying to help by saying things like "I really like the color, dad. It looks like Lightning McQueen!" Not helping buddy. Jenna, on the other hand is our little diplomat. She said "Dad, does it make you sad that your wife says she doesn't like the color you chose? Because it would make me sad if my husband said he didn't like the color I chose." Pretty smart girl for a 4 year old. :)

Fun Adventures from this Week

This week my sister and her little boy, Levi, headed back to Virginia. We were sad to see them go. We had a good time hanging out with them. The children loved hanging out with their cousin. Kevin was especially good with Levi. They had fun together. Kevin could really get Levi laughing. It was really cute.

On Thursday, while Derek and my dad were at work, my mom and I took the kids to Maine to Fort McCleary. It is an old Fort that has been around for more than 275 years. The original buildings are gone. The "newer" building were built in the early 1800s. The fort sits right on the Ocean so that they could see ships coming in. However, as they said in their flier, being that the fort is in Maine, it saw very little fighting. :) Kevin really enjoyed the fort. Jared did pretty well, except when I held onto him so that he couldn't fall out of the open windows. :) He hates to be restrained. His favorite part was looking at the boats in the ocean. He loves water. Jenna wasn't really a fan. She kept saying she wanted to leave. She also enjoyed looking at the ocean.

After we finished looking at the fort we sat in my mom's car and ate lunch. While we were eating I was reading the flier I had picked up. It said there was a park and picnic area located across the street. We drove over and let the kids play for a little bit before heading home. The kids had a great time at the park. Kevin and Grandma even went for a little hike on a trail off of the park.

Today the kids got a special treat. Derek's mom, Nana as the kids call her, came to visit. She was only here for a few hours, but the kids really enjoyed seeing her. They had been looking forward to her visit. Thank you for going out of your way to see us. Enjoy the rest of your eastern vacation Nana!

Other than that, we have just been enjoying spending time with Grandma and Grandpa (my mom and dad). We are all being spoiled by our time here. :) Enjoy the pictures.

Jenna and Kevin running through the sprinklers at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Jared has the cutest little run. This picture doesn't really capture it

Kevin in his new swim suit. He really wanted one with a shirt.

Levi and Rachel

Levi playing with a football. He really such a happy little boy.

Grandma, Jenna and Kevin looking at the Ocean at Fort McCleary

Grandma, Jenna, Jared, and Kevin at the entrance to Fort McCleary. You'll notice that Kevin is making a funny face in all of these pictures.

Kevin, Jared, and Jenna in a window at Fort McCleary

Amanda, Jared, Jenna, and Kevin. Amanda is trying to get the kids to all look at the camera at the same time.

Obviously it didn't work

Some Random Pictures

Not too much to report this week, so I am going to post some pictures from the last little while that I haven't had a chance to post yet.

For Christmas my grandparents bought us a soft serve ice cream maker...yummy, and my parents bought us molds to make ice cream sandwiches. A couple of weeks ago we made some ice cream and a big cookie from which to cut the outer pieces. Then we assembled the ice cream sandwiches. They were really good. Unfortunately we ate most of them too fast for pictures. We took pictures of the star. There is also a pig and a cow. Maybe I'll get pictures of those next time we make them. (Sorry these pictures are a little blurry...I don't have a very steady hand).




These are pictures from Jenna's actual birthday at Poppa and Muzzy's house.

Jenna with her ice cream cake


Jenna is taking out the candles so that she can lick the ice cream off of the bottom of them :)

Jenna and Muzzy checking out Jenna's new baby doll


Jared and Poppa



At my parent's house we have Kevin and Jenna sharing a bed and Jared on an air mattress (which is working as a great transition bed between a crib and a "real" bed). The other night we went in to check on the children before going to bed and this is what we found. (Kevin is supposed to be sleeping on the big bed in the background). :)

Jenna's Birthday and Connecticut

Jenna is officially 4! She has had a great birthday week, and yes I do mean week, not day. She is growing up so fast. We really love her. She can be very moody (stop with the female jokes), but she is also very kind and loving. She is the peacemaker in our family. She gets along well with both of her brothers. She has the greatest expressions. She is also smart, funny, and adorable. We love having her as part of our family.

This week we were able to visit with lots of family. We spent some time with Diana, Michael, and Tanner. We were also able to make a trip to visit Poppa and Muzzy. We had a great time visiting everyone. Thank you for letting us stay in your houses, and making everything so much fun!

The kids had a great time playing with their cousin, Tanner.


The morning of Jenna's birthday we were at Diana's house. She is a great aunt! She let Jenna choose what she wanted for breakfast and lunch. Jenna was awfully spoiled. :) She loved it. We drove to Poppa and Muzzy's later that afternoon. We celebrated Jenna's birthday while we were there with an ice cream cake (Jenna won't eat a regular cake) and presents. Jenna was really tired and therefore really moody. She insisted on opening presents before eating her cake. Lovely. It was a really nice birthday for her. Thank you for making her birthday so special.

While we were at Poppa and Muzzy's house, Muzzy took Kevin to the local country club to learn some golf. Kevin has been wanted to learn some golf for a while now. We have a golf course in our neighborhood, and Kevin has asked many times to golf there. He had never been golfing before she took him. He lucked out and was able to have an hour lesson with the golf pro. It was great! Kevin did really well for his first time. They taught him some basic golf techniques using a game called snag golf. The balls and the clubs are larger than normal, but they teach him how to properly hold the club and aim the ball. He really enjoyed it. Hopefully we can get him out a little more. Unfortunately neither Derek nor I play golf.

Kevin lining up his swing (they gave him that visor and he LOVES it)

Starting the swing

Following through

Poppa helping Jared "golf" - Jared didn't care to do it correctly :)

Muzzy helping Jenna with her swing. Give her a couple of years and she will be playing golf with her brother.


While Kevin and Muzzy played golf, Poppa, Derek, Jenna and Jared went to a farm. They were able to see calves that still had their umbilical cords attached. They also saw a rooster, chickens and llamas. After they got back Jared kept saying "Cock-a-do." :) I love that kid.

Poppa and Jared with the cows

Poppa, Jared, and Jenna with the cows

Poppa and Jenna with the cows


On Thursday we drove to my parent's house. Rachel and Levi, are visiting right now too. The kids have had fun entertaining Levi and spending time with their grandma and grandpa. My parent's wanted to have another birthday party for Jenna. She got another ice cream cake and more presents. She milked this birthday for all it was worth. :) She definitely enjoyed her three birthday parties (see previous post for the first of the parties). It is nice to know that she is loved by so many.

Jenna's birthday party in New Hampshire





Kevin's moment of Zen:
Background: Jenna got a new baby doll for her birthday. She named it Lydia. This is not a name that Kevin had heard before. Kevin is always the "dad" of Jenna's baby dolls.

Kevin: Dad, what is Jenna's baby's name?
Dad: Lydia
Kevin: OK, I am the dad, but sometimes I forget.

School's Out! and Jenna's birthday party

Kevin's last day of school was Friday. I cannot believe that he is now a 1st grader. I can't believe that I have a child old enough for that. Since he did all day kindergarten this year, going to first grade should not be too big of a deal. Although he is already complaining about it, saying that he does not want to go to first grade because first graders have to do too much work. :)

Derek also finished all of his stuff for school on Friday. He has finished his first year of grad school. Good job Derek. One down, too many more to go. :) He was pretty worn out by the end of the week because he took three huge exams this past week that are required for continuance in the Ph.D. program. He has until the end of his third year to pass them (yes they are that difficult), and can take them twice a year every year until that point. He passed two of the five written exams last semester (he only took three of them). Once he passes all of the written ones he has to pass an oral exam. Lucky him.

Yesterday we celebrated Jenna's 4th birthday by having some neighbor kids over for a little party. Jenna's birthday isn't actually until Wednesday. We let the kids make their own pizzas. It was really fun. They pounded out their dough, spread the sauce and added toppings of their choice. Then they played while I cooked them. After we ate the pizza we had cake and ice cream. Apparently Jenna doesn't like real cake (she like ice cream cake, though). She did not even take a bite of the cake. She ate all of her ice cream, but no cake. She has decided that her favorite flavor of ice cream is Cookies and Cream. That was my favorite as a child too (and is still up there on my list of favorite ice cream flavors).

Jenna wanted a Strawberry Shortcake cake for her birthday (I made her this same cake for her first birthday). I thought it turned out pretty well.

Derek, Kevin, Jenna, and Jared making pizzas at Jenna's party.

Jared making his pizza. He had a great time playing with that dough. Funny story about him: he was really upset that I had only made a Strawberry Shortcake cake. He wanted a fire truck cake (I made him one for his birthday). It was really funny. He just couldn't understand why there was no fire truck cake.

Jenna and her cake

Jenna blowing out her candles


My fun adventure for the week was breaking my cell phone...in half. I am very clumsy. I always have been. I dropped my old cell phone too often. It had started to crack along one edge. I was going to ask Derek to try and glue it back together. On Tuesday evening I got out of the car holding my phone because I had just made a phone call. I accidentally dropped the phone on my driveway, and it broke in half. I was a little bugged. I went in to an AT&T store the next day to see how much a new one would cost. Thankfully the guy looked up my account, and reminded me that I had insurance on the phone. I made Derek get insurance on my phone when we got it, because I knew that being clumsy, I would probably break it. We had to call and order a replacement phone. They got it here quickly, which was great. My new phone came Thursday afternoon. I apologize to anyone that attempted to call or text me Tuesday evening through Thursday evening. I didn't have a working phone, so I didn't get your message.

My broken cell phone

My new cell phone (sorry the picture is blurry)


Not much else to report around here. We are hoping to stain our deck tomorrow, but now the weather forecast is predicting rain. We cleaned the deck on Friday, but had to wait two days before staining it. Now it is going to rain. Oh well.

Happy Memorial Day tomorrow!

Kevin's moments of Zen:
*A little background: Kevin's lasted thing is to try and get the word eyeball into every conversation as many times as possible. Very annoying, but what can we do? :)
After church we were talking about what the kids learned today. Jenna said she had learned about noses. Kevin said "I learned about eyeballs and my balls." Hmm...I doubt it buddy.

Yesterday Derek and the kids were outside weeding. The following conversation took place:
Kevin: "Dad, what is 'sucksing'?"
Dad: "Do you mean 'sucking'?"
Kevin: "No, 'sucksing'."
Dad: "'Sucksing'? Where did you hear that?"
Kevin: "Someone on the bus said 'She has a sucksing butt.'"
Dad: "Do you mean 'sexy'?"
Kevin: "Yeah, 'sexy'."
Dad: "It means he thinks she has an attractive butt."
Kevin: "What does attractive mean?"
Dad: "It means he thinks it looks nice. Don't ever say that."

And finally, here are some random Jenna pictures. Derek was trying to take a picture of the chocolate all over her face, but she insisted on holding a fly swatter and making funny faces. She makes the most hilarious faces. These are a very small sampling.