Max's First Fishing Trip

Getting bait on the hook.

First fish!

Fishing Part 2

Gianna isn't afraid to touch the fish!

This would have been a sweet picture if the dog wasn't taking a dump in the back - now it is just an awesome picture.

Chloe opening her presents

This is a long one mostly for grandparents.... if you decide to watch it, stick with it until the barbies... it is priceless.

Chloe's 4th birthday

Chloe's big present was her bike. Bought last minute for three dollars at a yard sale, it made one little girl very happy.

Chloe's butterfly crowns.

Birthday favors - a flowered pen. a butterfly notebook with a caterpillar painted with their name, and butterfly stickers.

Chloe's butterfly (and caterpillar) cake. It's no Thomas cake, but it'll do.
The spread
The spread part 2
The birthday girl wearing her butterfly bathing suit

Chloe riding her new bike

Sarah's NY Pictures

I got lazy and decided to use photobucket rather than post a massive post. If you click on the slideshow I think it takes you to the whole album at once. I was limited to 100 pictures so I just randomly selected, trying not to get too many duplicates.

Miss you!!

Weird Week of Animals

I'm sorry for the gigantic posting tonight. I have to post when I get a few minutes and I had a really productive day at work, so felt I could take some time to get pics off the camera. It has been a very busy month, as you will see!

We went to 2 animal shows this week. The first was a birds of prey show at Garden in the Woods. We saw owls and hawks, but I didn't have the camera with me.

We went to an exotic animal show tonight. It was very cool and the location of the animals is actually in Stow, MA, so we can go back to this "family zoo" when we have visitors. The gentleman running the show let the kids get really up close and personal with all of the animals.

My favorite-the hedgehog.


Ev did not want to hold the python.

This lemur was very cool, but we couldn't touch him.

We could pet the baby kangaroo though! We also say a monitor lizard, a cotton snake, a Nile crocodile (got to touch him) 2 turtles, and a ferret.

Gloucester

The water was a little too cold for Nick. We left the beach for lunch and then a thunder storm. When we came back 2 hours later, it was a completely different beach. The tide was going out and the water was very shallow and warm. We dug up a dozen clams, found countless sand dollars, searched for crabs, and watched the gulls eat our clams! It was a great day. Nick went charging right back in the water.

This is still high tide and the water was even too cold for Evan. That is cold water.

Day Trip

We took a day trip to Lighthouse Beach in Gloucester. It was hazy, but there was also some sunblock on the lens.

We had to walk through a wooded path, and then grassy meadow to get to the beach. We set up our tent in the shade above the beach.

The view sans sunblock on the lens.

Exploring at high tide.

Around the yard

We've had squash just about every day this month. Here, the boys are helping bring in the nightly harvest. Nick walked his right to the water table for a rinse.






This was Nick's first tractor ride, but I really wanted to show you Ev's weekly mowing routine. He will mow the whole yard with Dave, usually about an hour.

Elaine, this one if for you. These are all out of the yard. Let me know what colors you want. I don't have a lot of the red ones, but I can spare a few. Cheryl, if you want any, let me know and I'll try to bring some to NY in August.

Summer Feast

Cheryl giving Nick lessons on eating corn on the cob.


We had a summertime feast on the patio: baby back ribs, corn, watermelon, and pasta salad.

Our empty blueberry bucket. We got 5 pounds in about a half hour. They said picking was slow, but we all thought that was pretty good. I've since been back and got 6 pounds in the same amount of time by myself, with the two kids! I am almost blue-berried out, but will head back for a large haul this week or weekend for the freezer.

Fireworks and "Surprise"

Ev and Chloe enjoying the ice cream Aunt Cheryl got them-thanks, Aunt Cheryl!

Dancing fools

So, after a long day of wrangling kids, Cheryl and I went for a walk. It was pretty late when we left. AS we walked up to the house I remarked, "Dave made popcorn, I can smell it." Upon opening the sliding door between the mud room and living room, this is what we saw!


Yes, indeed, all of the kids were wide awake, with individual bowls of popcorn, snuggling up with Uncle Dan on the couch and watching some baseball! It was around 9:30 by the time they were all back in bed.