Colin Discovers Electricity

Rivalry Weekend

Some work fellows (who go to the Harvard-Yale game every year) decided to "tailgate" at Wick's house this year instead. I'm up for that! Man, can these guys cook! We had a great time and hope to do something similar later this year.

Fuzzy brought bourbon peppercorn rubbed venison steaks.

L-R: Shrek did an awesome beef stew; Wick had tasty cornbread as well as scrumptous meats and cheeses; Bandit brought wings; I grilled up some Spiedies and served them up with soft rolls and Cardini's. An assortment of beers complimented the cuisine nicely. Needless to say, it was a while before we got inside to watch the game!

Chris and Michelle's Wedding

In November we went to Chris and Michelle's wedding in a beautiful resort in the mountains. (Michelle is a friend from work.) We all had a great time there. We stayed in an Inn nearby that had a woodstove and a jacuzzi. Fancy! The wedding was short and sweet. They are a wonderful couple and we wish them the best of everything!



Ian stole my dance partner! I understand, though. He's got better moves than me.

Actually, so does Colin!

"You wouldn't dare, right?"

"Oh YES I WOULD!"

Jared played a special song that he wrote for the new couple.

A bouncer laying down the law with a local who wandered into the reception. (Zach with his son Jaxon.)

Good luck, you guys!

The Children's Museum

We are very fortunate to have a great children's museum. The kids love it. Daddy can't help but play with the boats in the waterfall whenever we go there! Several times, we've also been able to meet up with Jason, Heather, and Zayne.







Ian working in the sawmill.

Check this out. You crank the handle on this device and a corkscrew elevates the balls to the top. Then they race down on the tubular framework around and around, eventually winding up on the lowest level of the museum. Cool, huh?

Atlas.

Peekaboo Lighthouse.

You can arrange the black baffles to experiment with the flow of water (Daddy) or you can splash around and play with the balls and the boats (Daddy, Ian, and Colin).

Ian: "Wow! Look at the big bird! Look! A rocket ship crashed through the museum!"

Ian learning about forestry.

Colin pulls in to fill up between laps. (This is important training for them. They're going to have to tote Steph and I around when we get old.)

Play ball!

A treehouse monkey. We gave him a banana.

Colin giving tractor rides on his old John Deere.



We bought a great book and cd of folk songs and a special stone for Ian in the giftshop. We're looking forward to out next trip already!

The State Fair

Crash! Ian wasn't sure what to make of this display at first, but in the end he liked the stunt drivers.

This guy had a great gig: if you can ride his bike fifteen feet, he'll give you $50 cash. Problem is, the steering was backwards! Turn the handlebars right, go left. Turn the handlebars left, go right. I figured maybe I could do it if I focused on countersteering. Nope. He got my $5 just like he did from everyone else!

Zoom zoom zoom!

Is that the happiest kid you ever did see or what!?

Ian the engineer.

Ian in the fun house.

Watch your fingahs!

Colin's favorite animal is, without question, the sheep. He was shouting "Baaaaaaaa!" so hard he almost pulled a muscle!

The circus company was really good!



Well, no fried dough this time out, but enjoyed some good hours and some rides. Of course, the animals are huge with the little guys! It's a great fair and we go every year. Reminds me of home and the fair we have there... good stuff.

Beachin' It

We had a great time being at the beach. Ian kept saying, "Come on, God! Make the waves BIGGER!" We went with Terri, Ashley, and Erin. It was a beautiful day and a welcome break from routine!

Camping, Moosing, and Moxie - Oh My!

There's nothing like a campfire!

A misty morning to start the day.

Pumpkin in a papoose. I wish somebody would carry me around like that!

Beautiful Moxie Falls.

Batman explores.

Ian and I played Pooh Sticks.

Don't know what it is. Never seen one. Love to have one!

Here, Moosey - Moosey!

Jake in deep thought.

The compound. Bringing two tents was a good idea. We used the smaller one as a playroom in the day and as a doghouse at night.


In August we enjoyed a wonderful time camping. We all love to do it and it was a much needed escape from routine and the house. Colin loves to get out and get a change of scenery whenever possible. We made a one night reservation not knowing how Colin would do with tenting and strange sounds at night. (The first night tenting with Ian was a disaster. He seemed to think that camping meant to scream as loudly as possible from 8 to 9:30 p.m.) Not Colin. Didn't phase him a bit. He was happy to be outside so much and away from home. We wound up staying another night and it was great!

It was a good thing we stayed because the first morning I tried to get Ian up at 4 a.m. but could not. One of the main objectives of the trip was to spot some moose. A second morning gave us another chance. The second morning he got up with me and we cruised in the early light. I think hearing about my sightings the morning before motivated him! We were about ten or twelve minutes into it when we saw our first one. The initial excitement had cooled down and Ian was just starting to get bored with it. "Ian, check out this weird lookin' dog up here." "Wooowww! Daddy, look! It's a moose!" We saw a couple more, too. Awesome!

For me, sitting quietly by the fire at night, looking at the stars, thinking....it just does something for me. It's a way to get the knots out, to breathe out, so to speak. I enjoyed having some time to just relax and talk with Steph. Not about school, daycare, the schedule... but about hopes, dreams, things we've shared. It was great. And it's hard to beat just wading around in the water looking for stones or hitting the trail, watching the boys explore.