Next Stop - Mount Washington, NH

I'll just go ahead and say it right now, this is my most favorite place to be in the whole wide world (other than home).  I love the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire.  It was built in 1902 and has undergone extensive renovations that are stunning.  The history and beauty of this place cannot be done justice by my camera - but I try.  We spent 3 days here and loved every minute of it!

Our room was in the corner so we had beautiful windows to look out.

The boys thought it would be cool to go swimming in the outdoor pool at night.  Little did they know how cold it was going to feel like when they got out!  They were shivering (notice they are the only ones in the pool - should have been clue number one!

 New Hampshire is beautiful from it's rivers to mountains - and we did lots of exploring.

 I interrupt this vacation summary to say - aren't my boys beautiful?  I love this picture of them - they were having a great time together and it shows on their faces.  Now, back to the story.....

Here are two great pictures of Mount Washington.  The one on the left shows the Railway - we didn't brave it - but we did get a tour of the train.  The pictures truly don't show how beautiful this mountain is up close.  I hope to see it again someday.

Road Trip!

We spent two weeks in our van driving up the east coast for our summer vacation.  First of all - the van!  Rick bought me a new Toyota Sienna right before the trip.  I would have never thought a car could make such a difference - WOW!  We love our van (and for me to say that - being so anti-van after becoming a mom - is a big deal!)   The kids had reclining seats, a dvd player with cordless headphones.  It gives all new meaning to the words "road trip".  Now, on to the vacation! 

The first stop was Hershey, PA!  We have made several trips to Hershey, but none in the summer when the park was open.  We had a lot of fun playing games in the park (not much roller coaster riding for my bunch!), and going to the Chocolate Factory.  The park also has a zoo as part of admission, so that was fun to go through.  We have been through the zoo in winter and froze our hineys off!

Rick won this MASSIVE leopard by knocking 3 blocks off a small table with one baseball!  It was quite a feat and the boys were so happy - until they had to lug it all over the park.  Mommy ended up taking over that job.   Daddy also won a couple of basketballs for the boys.  It sure was fun!  Next stop - Mount Washington!

Happy Birthday Jason!

 Our sweet little boy turned 7 yesterday!  Jason I can hardly believe how much you have grown.  You still have the same personality you did when you were born.  You have added so much to our family and we wouldn't be the same without you.  Your sweet smile melts my heart and your inquisitive nature and strong spirit take me to new places every day.  Daddy and I are so thankful the Lord blessed our family with you as a son.  Your brother David wouldn't know what to do without you!  Happy birthday my little monkey.  May you grow in your love for the Lord and may that strength you exhibit allow you to do great things for Him without fear.  We love you so much and are so proud of you!

Field Day

 This special day requires a post all of it's own, as this day holds a special place in my heart.  As part of PTF, this became my event to coordinate last year - and as far as I am concerned it will ALWAYS be mine!  I love this day and all the joy it brings.  We had an awesome team that put this great day together.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Yep, that's Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers.  I was taking this picture of David when he just came over and ruined the shot....can you imagine how happy my child would have been had it not been ruined by an All-Pro Wide Receiver from our NFL team sliding over and hogging the shot.  You can just see the disappointment in my little man's face.....oh well, there is always next year.  (Yes, it's sarcasm, in case you couldn't recognize it).

School's Out for SUMMER!

I love that song - and the happiness it conveys.   We are so stinkin' happy around here we can hardly stand ourselves.  Jason got out May 25th following Kindergarten Graduation, and David followed that Friday.  It has been GLORIOUS not getting up in the morning, packing lunches, fighting over homework, getting up in the morning, remembering band instruments, getting up in the morning....did I say that already?  Before school got out we did a lot of things.  David and his 5th grade class took a field trip to Friendship Trays - it's a local charity that prepares meals for those in need and delivers them - all 650 of them - a day.  It was great to watch and help prepare these trays and learn about this great organization.  Don't we look cute in our hairnets?!

Then Boosterthon came around.  This is our annual fundraiser for our school.  The kids get commitments from friends and family and then run laps.



There is the back of Jason's head - he was running at lightening speed and that's the best I could get.

David and his friends had a great time too - this was them before they got all hot and sweaty!

Braggin'

Being President of our Parent/Teacher Fellowship at our son's school doesn't really mean a whole lot - other than you work your tail off and don't get paid for it!  But I love every minute of it - and I love the girls who are on this team with me.  This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week at our school and what a week it was!  Our theme this year was "Our Teachers Rock!".  Each day the teachers had parents work carpool for them - morning and afternoon; lunch and recess coverage 3 days that week; a beautiful tote filled with goodies, massages, coke floats, prayer time (my favorite - where our prayer moms pray over the teachers as they come for their appointments) and to top it all off, a luncheon to end the week.

Our team worked so hard - I cannot begin to say how much they did.  Each teacher and staff member (almost 90 of them) got a $20 gift card at the luncheon - presented in pretty bags, and 16 lucky ones got to pick from the door prize table.  At this table were door prizes ranging from a week at a beach house (worth $2,500); Bobcats Tickets, $200 necklace, $150 mall gift card, Hockey tickets, meals once a week for the rest of the school year, etc.  We did a diner theme, with 50's music playing in the background and black and red and white decorations.  Pot pie with salad and rolls were served, as well as a beautiful cake.  It was a great week - I was exhausted and yet so happy to see all the teachers received this week.  It was amazing.  Here are a few pictures from the luncheon we put together.

Decisions, Decisions

David decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to try out for the Middle School baseball team.  Now, just the fact that I am saying "Middle School" and "David" in the same sentence makes me want to cry buckets....but we won't go there for right now.  David isn't in MS yet, but because he goes to a small school, they allow 5th graders to try out for the MS team.  Rick was very skeptical; I tried to maintain a positive attitude and look at the benefits if he were to make the team.  The positive attitude went away when I saw my baby out there with a bunch of 8th graders.

I really prayed hard over this.  Or should I say, sat there on my knees, shaking my head, not really knowing how to pray.  He really wanted to make the team, Rick and I really didn't think he was ready.  What a conundrum!

We were told there would be one day of tryouts.  One day turned into two days, two days into three....you get the picture.  As we went back to the ball-field each day, a funny thing was happening with my 10 year old.  He started thinking hard about whether he REALLY wanted to do this.  You see, he loves baseball, but he has always played in church leagues - once a week practice, games on Saturday.  As David started learning more and more about what was to be expected IF he made the team, he really started to ponder how badly he wanted this.  Was being on the MS ball team going to be worth the price he would have to pay.

The answer came on Tuesday night, as he came through the door madder than a hornet.  "MOM!" he exclaimed, "do YOU know that if I make this team, I am going to have to practice FOUR days a week!  FOUR days Mom!" he growled.  "NO way do I want to do that".

Funny how, even when I didn't know what to pray for, God heard me and answered.  I loved watching my son weigh the cost factor in this decision.  His dad made him finish tryouts and he wasn't disappointed when he didn't make the team.  I was so proud to see him out there hustling right along with those older boys.  His work ethic on the field beat a lot of the Middle School boys.  When and if he wants to play next year, I know he will be ready.

The best part about the whole week was when he came home from try-outs, bemoaning the fact that if he made the team he would be practicing 4 nights a week he said "Mom, I don't want to do this.  It's not going to leave me any time to play with Dad."  Very proud of our little boy who is becoming quite the young man.

Trip to PA...and more snow!

We had a great long weekend in Hershey PA and Philadelphia, right after we had our second snow storm of the season.  The kids were out of school for 3 days - and loved every minute of it!