Surfs up!

We enjoyed a beautiful day at the beach with some friends. There are no Mommy pictures posted here as promised! (as long as I receive the blackmail money by Friday) hehe

July Birthdays

Happy Birthday Bob and Heather!
Officially Heather's (my sister-in-law) birthday is in June but we celebrated it this year with Bob's at Kim and Will's house. The kids had fun swimming and we were all enjoying a BBQ until a thunderstorm sent us heading for the house. Kim and Will were also celebrating the birth of some baby chicks in the chicken coop. Zoe, Violet and Marina got to hold one in their hands and the fuzzy little chicks were so adorable. Marina dropped one but hopefully it was only emotionally traumatized and did not sustain any bodily injury.
Happy Birthday Owen!
Owen turned 2! Joanne and Eric had a water park themed party for him. I can't believe he is already two years old. He is such a cutie.
Happy Birthday Zoe!
Zoe turned 11. OMG!!! where has the time gone and how the heck did she just celebrate her 11th birthday when I have only aged a couple years since she was born?
She opted to not have a party this year and instead spend a day with Mom at the mall. For her gift we gave her 100 dollars and I set her free in the mall while I followed her to the stores of her choosing. She ended up spending most of her money on webkinz and a Nintendo DS Animal Dr. game (Kim, you will have to let her know how realistic it is and if you feel you are missing work in Maine, I am sure she will share). We went to see the American Girl movie "Kit", which we both really enjoyed. Two thumbs up! Out of all the restaurants we could have gone to she picked subway. It would not have been my first choice but it made for a cheap date. Zoe spent her actual birthday in the pool with one of her close friends. Somehow the ice cream cake that was supposed to serve 15 got gobbled up by seven kids with voracious appetites. Zoe and I made a cake for after dinner and Zoe decorated it with way too many decorations! It made it not so tempting to the adult palate. We will have another birthday party for her and Bob in Maine. Hey, any excuse for a get together.
Below are pictures from the all the birthday celebrations.

Disney Vacation

Some Random pictures.

We have been home for about a week now but I have not had a chance to update the blog yet. It was two weeks of fun but we all came home exhausted and ready for another more relaxing vacation. I am definitely not up for the packing and unpacking again though so soon.
The trip there was much less stressful then I anticipated. It got a little hairy when we had to go through the airport security checks but we made it out with everyone and everything minus the water bottles. Each one of the girls carried their own backpack with toys, snacks and an extra change of clothes. They also had to pull their own luggage until we checked it in but they did a great job. I took the big double stroller loaded down with Gavin in the front, two car seats in the back and bags underneath and hanging off the handles. It was a lifesaver and we were able to check it at the gate and it was ready and waiting for us when we got off the plane! Daddy was in charge of the two big suitcases and we were off. This was Gavin and Marina's first flight and they really enjoyed the take off and landings and were generally content. The way home was a little harder because Marina was overtired and cranky and wanted to let everyone know about it! All in all though it wasn't too bad a journey.

We stayed at two different timeshares during our stay. The first one was smaller and had 2 pools and a couple of smaller water slides that Marina had a blast on. The resort company also had another timeshare down the road that had a full water park (Liki Tiki Lagoon)that we had use of so we spent one morning there. The resort had three levels and we were located on the top floor. It proved to be a hot trek up to the unit after a day at the parks. We had our groceries delivered by Garden Grocer so at least we didn't have to carry all our supplies up. They are like the Stopand Shop Peapod in that you order ahead of time on the computerand then they deliver it right to your kitchen. They even helped us unpack and put stuff in the fridge. From my limited experience with them I have only good things to say about their service and friendly employees.
We spent much of the first week visiting the parks early in the morning and the second week at the water parks and afternoon/night park visits. We stayed the second week at Orange Lake Resort, which is said to be the largest timeshare in the world. I believe it! They had countless pools, 7 restaurants, two water parks (one with a lazy river) a lake with boating and jet skiing and a movie theater. It was great to everything right there but because of it's size we still had to get in our car to enjoy all the amenities.

I will continue to add more posts and pictures as I have time. I hope I don't forget what I wanted to remember before I get a chance to write it down.

Getting there and staying there.


More pictures can be found at the following link.

Florida 2008 pictures
password: newenglandnatives

Some of My Favorite Signatures

New ones!



One of my favorite older ones.

Wow, look how they have changed!

First Beach day!

Photo has been removed

It has been so hot around here the last few days so I decided to take the kids to the local beach for a dip after school. I had no plans to swim but it was so hot even late in the day that I decided to brave the water with the kids. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not really that cold at all. As long as you stayed in the top 2 feet of water. We had a nice time and Gavin loved the water. He decided in the last picture to take one more look at the boats/water while I was changing him.

First Birthday Party for Lukas

Lukas turned one and his mom and dad threw him a circus themed birthday party at Liberty State park in NJ. It was a great location perfect views of Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately the weather was VERY hot and muggy but the kids still had a good time. Gavin, Marina and I went down with Irene and DJ's Dad and his friend in our car. We got stuck outside of the Lincoln tunnel for what seemed like forever but the kids were content so it wasn't insufferable. DJ and the two older girls went on a town bus trip to Boston to see the Red Sox play. They beat some Seattle butts! (score 11 to 2 I think). Here are some pics from the party.

Memorial Day weekend (Mommy)

I had a fun, exciting and at the same time relaxing weekend. It was so nice to only have to worry about myself for a little while. I went with a few friends from my book club. It is an annual thing but this is only my second time because I have been camping or with a newborn for a few of these trips. Saturday we left late morning and spent a good portion of the day wandering around the Christmas Tree Shop. That place is HUGE!!! They sell just about everything now. I took great pains in the toy shop to find something special for each one of the kids and DJ(sports shop). I was trying to find them something they could use on the plane trip. I found Gavin a little pirate "doll" the kind that teaches; snapping, buttoning, zippers etc... I posted a picture of it below. It is the one in the back, not the girly one. I got Violet a paper pocket book craft, Zoe a flip book project, Marina a magnetic dress up doll and finally DJ a Red Sox mug. We finally arrived at our room with plans to go out to dinner but ended up just playing a little tennis and hanging around and eating all the snacks that we brought.
The next morning we got up and headed to the river for some white water rafting. We had one of the owners as our guide. We always request her because she just knows her stuff and could pick a big man out of the water and make it look easy. We did not lose anyone from our boat but we did surf a few of the rapids for an extended period of time. I had a wetsuit bottom on and when we surfed, we were mostly underwater. My wrists hurt so badly from the cold but the thrill was worth it. After a nice 5 mile trip down the river we headed back to their main building for a cookout of Salmon, chicken and steak on the bank of the river and a couple of beers. After the day of rafting, eating and the beer we were all too full and tired to go out to dinner, play tennis or do anything else except for hang out on the lawn and have some girl talk.
We headed out fairly early the next morning to Six Flags amusement park. We had no agenda except that I wanted to stay out of the kiddie area. I love roller coasters and fast rides but with the kids and being pregnant so many times, I often miss out. The best ride in my opinion was the Superman roller coaster. Weeeee!!! ... and then we headed back to reality and even though I had a great time it was nice to see DJ and the kids again (until they started bickering). Hopefully I will be able to join them again next year. :-)


I am on the right side middle position.

Memorial Day Weekend (kids)

I was away but DJ had an action packed weekend with the kids. Zoe went horseback riding for the first time and then DJ brought the kids to the playground in the afternoon. The next day the kids were bugging him to bring them to the aquarium and he decided it might not be the best idea to have a 1:4 adult to kid ratio. VERY SMART! He did bring them to a local children's museum though. They had a good time especially in the make believe town area complete with a Dr's office, post office, restaurant, TV station, Fire station and grocery store. Monday grandma came over to join DJ and the kids for the Memorial day parade. Violet marched with her Daisy troop and Zoe marched with her Girl Scout group. Luckily they took some good pictures but I missed seeing them in the parade
I made sure before I went that the house was fully stocked with easy to prepare meals and a list of what was available for each meal and side dishes. He tends to just make them the main dish and forget anything else (IE fruits and veggies). All in all I was impressed that he managed to not have the kids trash the house and he felt confident enough to take them on an outing. Of course I came back to lots of laundry and but the trip was well worth it.

Zoe marching in the middle

Violet, on the right with tan pants

Grandma and Gavin

Gavin and his godmother

Grandma and Gavin watching the parade

Icecream, Teeth and here comes Dr. Marina

Gavin tried an icecream cone for the first time last week. He didn't really understand how to eat it and ended up with a frozen red nose, cheeks and chin. He gave up after a while and complained until I gave it to him with a spoon. I thought kids were supposed to LIKE icecream cones. You can tell that Marina is really enjoying hers.


Dr. Marina is on duty. WATCH OUT! She put this on and I said "Oh, hi nurse Marina and she quickly corrected me "I'm a doctor"

Zoe lost her first tooth in a long time! It started to get wiggly but was not ready to come out but she was anxious to help it out. She took a piece of dental floss and tied it to the door and had Marina slam the door. It actually worked. A little bloody but it worked. I was away this weekend and Mr. tooth fairy just never came. He did visit her to tell her that she had to wait for the Mrs. to visit her. It must not be in his contract!

Samuels Christening

Here are some pictures from Samuel's Christening. He is such a cute little man!

Can I keep him like this a little longer?

Gavin is at such a great age now and just so much fun to be with. I love that he is walking, which makes it easier to play outside and that he is starting to talk, make jokes and entertain us. His personality is really showing through and so far he is such a cuddly, sweet, funny and full of energy type of guy. I know the terrible two's will be here all to soon, but if I could just keep him at this stage for a couple years I would. I will be happy when I don't have to change diapers anymore but for now it is a small price to pay. Although some days I have to pay more than others! I am really looking forward to the upcoming summer and seeing him play at the beach with his sisters and getting to meet Minnie and Mickey. He cracks us up because every time we meet new people or are in a new situation he gets a very serious look on his face and studies everything and everyone around him. We call him Stewie from the Family Guy and often imagine him with Stewies type of thoughts as he processes everything.

Here is my little guy getting ready to fly to the beach!

Anna Theresa is here!

Congratulations Will and Kim on the birth of your beautiful daughter Anna. Kim had a c-section in the early afternoon after labor failed to progress. Anna has already started to show her parents how even the best laid plans can and often will change when you have kids. I was so excited to meet her and visit with Will and Kim (okay, maybe I mostly went to see the baby ;-) that I took off to the hospital soon after hearing the news. Kim was in the recovery room but her and the baby were doing wonderful and I could clearly see how ecstatic they were to have her here. She is 6lbs 6oz and as of the time I left, did not have her length measured yet. She has a lot of light hair and dark eyes. Here are a couple of the pictures I took of her but I will post more soon.

Caught

Just a cute picture of my little climber getting caught digging in the cracker box. In this picture he is actually getting down after I scoulding him. I found him sitting indian style on the table with his whole arm in the box. If looks could kill!

Cinco de Mayo

We went out to a local Mexican resturant for Cinco de Mayo. It has been a tradition with us for years now and this restaurant has a bounce house, face painting and prizes. Marina wanted to be a blue bunny, Violet got an orange cat face and Zoe got a tree on one cheek and a flower on the other.

My little chef! and * baby boom stats to date*

Gavin is getting off to a good start in the kitchen. Let's hope he grows to really like to cook when he gets older. Maybe he could teach his dad a thing or two about the culinary arts. Here is a couple of pictures of him hard at work. In the last one I think he took too many swigs of the vanilla and was having trouble keeping his balance or maybe it was one of those darn banana peels.

The baby boom has started... CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Well officially so far:

Joanne (boy) Samuel in Feb.
Lori (boy) Evan Blog Link
Jenn (girl) Maya Blog Link
Millie (boy) Brady Blog Link

Weekend fun!

On Friday night we went to the annual dinner dance for the parents of children going to Violet's school. The theme was Marti Gras and I decided to be on the committee this year. I was so impressed with how much hard work this committee does in working out all the details of this event. We had fun planning it and even more fun at the party. It was held at a local beach club and there was a great band. Why is it that the woman on the dance floor always outnumber the men by at least 3:1 There were some wonderful gift baskets but I sadly did not win a thing this time. There is always next year and a few more after that since Gavin won't graduate from 4th grade until 2017. I took a few blackmail pictures but I will withhold their names to protect the guilty!!! The old saying "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" does not apply to this function. Haha

On Saturday we got up early and went back to the beach club for a 9:30am walk to raise money for a local community dinning room. I was surprised to see several of the other "dancers" there too. They gave us food and coffee, had a live band with steel drums (felt like I was in the FL Keys except for the cold wind) and had a magician making balloon animals for the kids. The balloon thing was great until they popped and then Violet had huge meltdown because the magician had already left. The walk was very scenic and a good portion of it was right along the waterfront. I found several dream houses along the way. We put Gavin and Marina side by side in the double jogger but as soon as Gavin finished his bagel, he started teasing Marina by putting his foot on her leg. This started to drive her crazy so he spend the rest of the time on my back in a buckle Mei Tai carrier, which put him to sleep right away. Tomorrow Zoe is having a book club meeting and I am going to be setting up an old piece of furniture from my grandfathers dentist office.

I have several friends and my brother and SIL that are about to have babies any day now so I am anxiously awaiting some news! Suzy also is pregnant again and due with her third child in Oct. Congratulations Suzy and you are going to be one busy girl but don't worry, it's all good... okay, maybe not ALL good but mostly good :-)

Marina, Gavin and Mommy listening to the band.

Vacation week

The kids had this past week off of school and we couldn't have asked for a nicer week weather wise. We went to a playground of one sort or another almost every day. We got some serious spring clothes shopping done and I gave in and let the kids buy Crocs. I still don't like them but they are on their feet not mine and they are fast and easy for the kids to put on.
We tried two different ice cream parlors this week as a special treat. Marina's new favorite flavor is Chunky Monkey. She didn't remember ever going to get ice cream except for the ice cream truck at the beach last year. I noticed that they are already out in full force at the parks/beach. I have to prepare the kids ahead of time if we will not be visiting the truck. We met some friends for a late breakfast in the park and then they played on the playground for a couple hours. I forgot to put the sunscreen on the kids and their faces were red by the time we got home. BAD MOMMY! It was windy and did not feel hot, so it just slipped my mind till right before we left. I had even purchased some the day before and had it in my car. We enjoyed lunch with Grandma twice and took a trip down to a local park that has a waterfall and the girls dipped their feet in the chilly water. Gavin dipped his head in. Unfortunately I forgot my camera that day but it was really beautiful and the weather felt summer like. We even ate our first meal of the season on the deck the other night.
The girls and I went to my friend Sandy for a haircut. We decided that Gavin needed a little trimming too because he was starting to look like Einstein with his hair curling over his ears. He sat very patiently and I think was thoroughly enjoying all the attention. His hair came out cute, or at least what little he has of it and of course we saved the clippings!
Daddy spent a good part of Saturday putting together the teeter totter airplane. The pieces did not line up well so it is still in the process of construction. Good thing DJ has a lot more patients then me. We did figure out how to put the baby bike seat on the back of my bike. I took it for a spin and was surprised that I didn't feel unbalanced with Gavin on the back (out of shape yes but not unbalanced). Now we can all go riding because DJ can put Marina in the toddler seat on the back of his bike and Zoe and Violet are good bikers. I found another added benefit of the child seat is that it hides your butt!!! I might have to leave it on even when he is not in it.
Sunday after the girls sang at church we headed up to Irene and Stanley's to celebrate Dziadzia's birthday and then to Bob and Heather's for Harrison's pirate party to celebrate his 6th birthday.
I am looking forward to getting back into my routine this week, now that the kids are back in school.

Zoe's Play

Zoe played Molly in the play Annie. They did not allow video or flash photography during the actual shows but I took some footage one night during rehearsals. They were still working on lighting etc... so it is not perfect but they all did a great job and it was fun to watch. Below is short movie with some clips of Molly. She is the one in the blue dress and is the first one you will hear speak when the play starts. If you are wondering what that black thing stuck on her forhead is... it's a microphone. I think it is supposed to be up at the hairline but I guess they were having trouble with it picking up the rustling of hair. The one made for blonds, seemed to blend in better with the skin. She had a great time in the play and can't wait for the next one!

Happy Easter!

This year we decided to stay home instead of going to DJ's family for breakfast and my family for dinner. The girls are now more involved in the church and were singing in the choir Easter morning. We invited both sides of the family to join us for Easter dinner. It was fun having everyone together (three generations and lots of babies!). We needed three tables, so we had to bring the craft table up from the playroom and set it up in the living room. Everyone brought something, so we had a an over abundance of food but it was nice to sample everything. We had two glazed hams. I made a honey apricot ham and Kim made a maple/brown sugar one. I made DJ take a picture of those adorable Easter basket cupcakes and teased Joanne that I was going to put them on the blog and take credit for them. I don't know how she had time to make them and an anti-pasta with a newborn and a 1 1/2 year old. Kudos to you!!! We had a mixture of Polish, Italian and American fare. There was so much dessert that I forgot to put out the last of my blueberry pies, made from the fruit we got in Maine and a huge apple pie that DJ brought home. We are still working on these! I had a list of menu items written out so I would not forget anything (which is quite common) but right after serving dinner I put it aside and didn't refer to again. Found the pies on the serving table later that night. I have no idea how I missed them.

This Paczski was almost as big as his head!