Kint Prattle

Gavin's Journal

2010-10-16T22:35:00.002-05:00

9/7/2010
My famley will go to Disney. We will stay six or five days.

9/8/2010
My sister and I were at a valcano. I ran up the valcno.

9/9/2010
Colten, frens and I were playing socer. We grow mustachis.

9/10/2010
I saw yoshs eegs. I saw that one was orange

9/13/2010
We went to North Carlina. We went to ocrcok. At ocrcok the car got stauk in the sand. Mom spun the tiyers but we cud not get out of the sand. Som Pepl cam thae towed us out of the sand. On the way back frum orccok we saw Dolfins. My PaP bin on t'at ship meney of times but he never saw Dolfins

9/17/2010
We went to Ducin Donuts. I got a Ducin Dlite. The Ducin Dlite is a crem filed Donut with vnla icing and coclit icing in nice neat strips. I was staing over night at nana house. I had spged for Dinner. I had my Donut for Dzert. I got to stay up way past my Bed time. in the mornig I cud not get out of Bed Becusue I stayed up way Past my Bed Time. I was late for scool. I fell asep on the way to scool.

9/20/2010
My family went to cucey cheese for my sister's Birth Day. I pladed sce Ball. I got the Jak Pot of 144 ticits. I hade 530 ticits toltl. you can ceep the ticits for Biger Prizis. I Did not ceep my ticits. but I bot a backit Ball and los of candy and after chuey chaeys we went to Brumers farm and there was corn maze is. there was a Big and litl littl corn maze too. we were in the Big corn maze for a hafe a hou. The little corn maze was a chin. the Big corn maze was a cow, Pig, cick and a sun. Theey trid to tric us in the Big maze.

9/21/2010
I am at a mall. At the mall there was Boms. Boms were cnectid to ech uther Boms. I thoit i haw The Boms wod Blow up the hol moll. But I staed in the mall to look for close for my mom and my Brother.

9/24/2010
Last night I hade soocer Picshers. For My team Picsher I waz in the freut Beside Max Losh. for gust my Picsher I stud Like I was soting a goll. Be for we ran and ran and ran. We were Liek Playing a rel game of soccer. But we DiD not get ene gols.

9/27/2010
My Dad and I are in a Land of Time. My Dad is all most toll as the tiranusoris. there is two uther Dinosurs.

9/28/2010
My sister is the Present of the unin stats. The President is crasy. The Presiden haze Lots of cirli stuf.

9/29/2010
It's crismis! On crismis I will get 50 Big croins, 5 Pinyatus 50 cupcakes. I Like crismis. The end.

2 nights ago I saw armey tanks at shets. My famaley was cuming from ant Bepers. Aunt BePers is haveing a BaBy. the nexst day I got to go to Nana and PaPPy Tom's house. the next day I woc uP I ate pancaks for Brekfis. when we were Dun we went to the tran stashin to ride the tran then we went to lake Raystown to go fishing. We rod a Boat to the fishing sPot. I cot four fish.

10/5/2010
My famlye last yer made a funny crismis tree and a gigatic candy cane. We sprad the crismis tree red purple Blue orange brown and Black.

10/6/2010
We went to the fire station. We went to the fire station To lrn bout if you are in a fire, if you are stuck in a birning billdig, all the tols and to lrin to not be afrad of the fire fiters But we weir not scad of the fire fuiters. We got to sPray the fire hose. At the end the fire fiters ask us five queshins and we got cups if we got the queshins cretly. Then all of us got cups Too!!! and befor we got to go doun stairs to triy the lit By using The heat dtectrs and we got to get in the fire trucks. we ivin got to get in the frut of the fire trucks and I pirtendid to be a fire man too. I ran all arond the fire station. and then we hade to line up to go back to scoll. It was fun.

10/7/2010
My famley went sivu waring with PaPPy. He shot his gun. Darin liked it, I helded my eras. Be cuse the gun made sush a bud Bage. Their was lots of peple When we weir sivu waring with pappy. chapter Two On the way home My famley got lost we had to Poll over to look on the gps to triy to find a way home But we were lucy to find a way home. It was fun. chapter three when we got home we Thot that our house was not There But our house was there. When we got home we Played wii. Then we hade ice creme and Then we played more wii and then we got tubs and we went to Bed. The end

First Day of School

2009-09-23T22:27:00.001-05:00

A little late...

Big Day!

2009-08-26T22:55:00.002-05:00

Had a busy day yesterday. Started off with a meeting with Gavin's teacher and guidance counselor to discuss an intervention plan (just in case). When we got done with that, I dropped Stacie off and picked up Gavin to run some errands. We headed back in to the school to help Nana with a computer problem, got gas, and went to the eye doctor to set up an appointment for me. Then we headed over to the Bewards where we met up with Stacie, Malin, Darin, Mam-Maw and Thea for lunch from the OIP. Stacie has had a bit of a wheeze ever since we got home from vacation, and she seemed particularly bad at lunch. I wasn't sure I wanted her to drive back home, but she did and made it, but went straight for a breathing treatment. By early afternoon, she was so bad that she called the doctor and got in at 3:00. They gave her a shot of steroids and four prescriptions. Things went down hill fast after that. By dinner time she was so bad that she couldn't even sit up in bed without getting short of breath. It's the worst I've ever seen her asthma since we've been a couple. Beth stopped by on her way home from work, so I sent Darin with her before heading to Malin's soccer game with Gavin. Malin played a super game. She had minutes as goalkeeper and as defender. Gavin stuck with me on the sideline for pretty much the entire game, so I got to watch - something I'm not used to! Returned home to find Stacie not improved much, but Mam-Maw had come over to help out. Between us we got Malin and Gavin bathed and in bed. Stacie did manage to get out of bed a bit after that and stayed up until Beth brought Darin back over after 9, but I could tell she was still really weak.

Malin was up early today for her first day of school (too excited to sleep). Of course, Gavin still wasn't up at 7:20 (any other morning, he'd be up before 7). Stacie was feeling well enough to help get them around (still, no stairs, and no picking up Darin). We were worried about Gavin, but he was very excited to go. He was dressed and had his backpack on waiting for the bus first, despite being the last one up. Mam-Maw brought the Holderman girls over, and Beth and Thea stopped by too, so we had quite a crowd to see them get on the bus. Stacie took lots of pictures (which of course I haven't gotten off the camera yet). Then Stacie headed in to the school to take even more pictures (of the whole school - it's customarily the Home & School president's duty to take first day of school pictures for the yearbook). After that we had a nice quiet morning with Darin, which was good because Stacie had tuckered herself out. I made some job related phone calls, and had to call all my soccer parents because the opposing coach of our first game canceled. Got a little bit of housework done too, and the kids were home before we knew it! Both had great days. Malin said that her teacher is AWESOME!. Gavin's teacher called home to say that he was a model student - helping pass out papers, staying at his seat, and faithfully raising his hand. She even said he was good at lunch. (When we unpacked his stuff after he got home, we found his lunch box completely empty. Stacie thought that she had over-packed to make sure that he had enough, but he ate it all! Must have been hungry!) Stacie had made cupcakes for them to celebrate their first day, so we spent the rest of the afternoon decorating and eating them while the kids told us about their day. Then Nana stopped over (she had a rough first day) to get in on the story-telling action. Everyone was pretty tired (and I am getting a touch of whatever Stacie has) and cooperative during the whole bath/bed time routine. Then I fell asleep while tucking Gavin in until being woken by Malin, who needed a drink, at 11:30. Down here for a few rounds of poker (up another $100K tonight) while blogging, then heading to bed myself soon.

Exciting Week...

2009-08-24T20:31:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's really amazing how you can go a few nights without blogging without even realizing it. I was thinking I was maybe a day or two behind - turns out it's been nearly a week! Let's see if I can remember everything from last week...

Tuesday morning we all headed over to Beth's house to put up some corn for the winter. Mee-Maw, Mam-Maw, Beth, Stacie, me, and the kids. I took a break in the middle to pick up Pappy at Regesters and lunch from BK. Did 18 dozen ears and were all cleaned up by abotu 2:00. Then Malin had soccer that night, so the boys and I headed to Lewistown to pick up some things from Lowes while Malin and Stacie were at soccer.

On Wednesday Stacie went shopping with Beth and Thea, so the kids were at home with me all day. Luckily, Charshe came over for a good part of the day to play games and hang out with the kids while I got some stuff done around the house. Stacie home just in time to help with the bedtime routine, with lots of good deals, and plenty of back-to-school stuff for Malin and Gavin.

Thursday - I can't think of what we did on Thursday. Gavin and I had soccer in the evening. We scrimmaged for the first time, and it was utter chaos. I was worn out afterwards after my week off!

Friday morning we had Gavin's Kindergarten orientation. Also Friday morning I had a half-hour phone call with a contact at the GE plant in Lewistown. He talked up the projects and the company pretty good, and then before he let me go he checked his email, where he found a message from the hiring manager that said I wasn't a good match for any of their openings. :-( Soccer again Friday evening where we scrimmaged again. Didn't go any better -- the kids were not at all interested in soccer for some reason. Looked more like rugby, so I just ran them.

Had a fun morning on Saturday. The five of us and Mam-Maw made the annual trek up the mountain to gather plants for the kids fair terrariums. Spent a good hour or so hiking up the road collecting moss, ground pine, acorns, strawberries, ferns, even a couple of wild strawberry plants. After we were done, I had never been the whole way over the mountain before, so that's what we did. Through the Hower Gap and in to the Lewistown area, then back up the narrows home. Got the terrariums all fixed up when we got home.

Most of Sunday was spent preparing for Beth's birthday party, which we hosted. I did burgers and wieners on the grill, Stacie made a good pasta salad and some spicy shrimp, Mee-Maw brought pickled eggs, grapes, cantaloupe; Nick made ice cream, Beth made apple dumplings, Christie brought a layer dip...I am sure there was other food too, but I ate so much that I am having trouble remembering. Got cleaned up from that and got the kids to bed and then I worked in the basement until about 1 this morning.

Didn't do much today. I made some phone calls on job leads, but mostly just left messages. Darin wore underpants all day today and managed to keep them dry, even through his nap! Stacie in bad shape with a chest cold, all the kids and I in various stages of sickness, but not quite as bad off as she is. Scrimmaged the entire practice tonight, and it went much better.

Vacation Pictures

2009-08-18T21:14:00.002-05:00

Ringing Rocks

Museum of Indian Culture

Phillipsburg, NJ Steam Train Ride

Roadside America

Home sweet home

2009-08-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

Gosh, lots to catch up on since the last post...

Spent Saturday of our vacation at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown. We had heard that it was small, so only to plan on two or three hours max there, so naturally, our kids weren't ready to leave yet at 4:00 (we got there at 9:30 when they opened). I thought it was really nicely put together. Most of the stuff was over Darin's head, but there was enough open space for him to run around and a pre-school area that we kept him entertained, while the older two went through the exhibits more or less on their own. We had planned on doing something else in the afternoon, but since they were having so much fun, we just stayed there all day, and headed back to the hotel around dinnertime. I took the older two swimming at the hotel pool while Stacie laid Darin down for a quick nap. After swimming, we had Pizza Hut deliver for dinner, and then had a pretty easy night getting everyone settled.

Sunday morning we had planned a tour of the Indian Culture Museum near Allentown. Unfortunately, it didn't open until noon, so we weren't sure what to do to keep things moving on Sunday morning. We thought about doing mini-golf, but couldn't find anything open (Plus it was too darn hot), so we ended up swimming again. We had also found out that the museum was hosting a 'Pow-Wow' and 'Corn Cob Festival', starting at 10:30. We got there a little after 11, and the kids had a good time checking out all the handmade trinkets. Unfortunately, because of the Pow-Wow, the museum itself wasn't open, but there was a lot of living history type things set up, and a lot of Native Americans in regalia. It was really neat, but didn't really move fast enough to keep the kids interested, especially with the heat. We stuck around for lunch and to watch a couple of tribal dances, then loaded up to head to Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

We got to Phillipsburg just in time to catch the 2:00 train on the steam train operated by a local historical society. The ride was a little over an hour down the Delaware River. It was really neat, but very hot. The first part of the ride was narrated, and there were a bunch of volunteers staffing the cars who were eager to share their knowledge with the passengers. Stops from the train included a corn maze and a mine tour, but the kids were past their limit with the heat, so we opted just for the train ride. Headed back to the hotel and had leftover Pizza Hut for dinner and turned in early for our last night at the hotel.

Monday morning I took the kids for a last dip in the pool while Stacie got the bags packed and carried to the car. We hung out in the room a bit watching TV and getting the last of our things packed, and then checked out about 11. The first thing we did once we were on the road was get stuck in a huge traffic jam. It took us about an hour to go the first two miles, and after that, things went much smoother, but it threw our schedule off a bit. We ended up stopping at a Cracker Barrel for lunch because the kids hadn't eaten since breakfast. After that, we went to the Cabela's store in Hamburg. The kids were convinced that it was going to be really boring, but went in anyway and said afterwards that they thought it was neat. There was all kinds of mounted animals from small little birds, to actual elephants and hippos. There was a shooting gallery where Malin proved that she's a pretty good shot. There's also a pretty big aquarium there, which we somehow missed.

After Cabela's, we jumped back in the car for a short trip to Roadside America a little hole-in-the-wall place we had seen on the way to Allentown from home. Again, the kids were skeptical, but it turned out to be really interesting. It was a huge (over 300 buildings) miniature town hand carved by two brothers in the 50's and 60's. It just seemed to go on forever. It was difficult to see everything there was to see and keep all three kids together, but still worth the stop. We stayed for the 'night scene', then got back in the Burby, gassed up, and headed for home.

Ended our trip the same way we started it, with a meal from Sheetz. Pulled in the driveway about 5, got unpacked, and had the Holdermans and the Leisters over for a debrief before winding down ourselves.

This post is running long, so I'll start a new one with some pictures...

The Kints go on vacation

2009-08-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

Okay, so here I am on night two of vacation, here's a quick recap.

Stacie had done a good bit of the getting ready process on Wednesday night, so although there was some stuff for me to do Thursday morning, I mostly cleaned the house (I hate coming home to a mess). Malin had dance again until 11, so we weren't really planning on leaving until afternoon anyway. My Dad and Stepmom stopped over for about an hour to say their goodbyes since they are heading back to Florida before we get home. Got so busy getting around and loading the car that 1:00 rolled around (Our 'scheduled' departure time) before we knew it. We were all ready to go, but we hadn't gotten lunch for the kids. So we loaded in the car, hit Sheetz for subs in the car, got gas, went to the bank, and were on the road about 1:20.
The drive here was easy. No wrong turns, very little traffic...pulled in to the hotel at about 3:10. Got checked in and settled, and the first order of business was to take the kids swimming at the hotel's pool. We must have spent at least an hour swimming, then got cleaned up for dinner. Stacie went through the hotel directory and narrowed our choices down to two restaurants. We asked the front desk, and of the two, they recommended the 'Allentown Brewworks', so that's where we went. We had to drive in to Allentown, so we got to see a lot of the town's architecture. The downtown is very odd - one high rise right in the middle of town (The PP&L building) with nothing else higher than 5 or 6 stories. Anyway, I intentionally parked a handful of blocks away, so we got a nice walk in also. The restaurant was pretty nice, and very reasonably priced. The five of us ate for $50, including an appetizer and a beer for me. Took an indirect route back to the hotel to see more of the town, and then started the whole winding down process. Had a little bit of stress getting three co-located kids to bed at the same time, but all-in-all, not too bad. I fell asleep on the floor next to Darin's crib and my back was all screwed up when I woke up, that's why I didn't blog last night. Just crawled right in to bed.
Today started pretty early considering the kids were up late, but we long ago found out that's a losing battle with our kids (forcing them to sleep in - only takes 1 to disrupt the whole process) so we got started. Had breakfast at the hotel, a very nice buffet for the price of it (free with the room!), and then headed to Easton to the Crayola 'factory'. Turns out it's not so much a factory as a hands-on house full of Crayola stuff. I was a bit disappointed by that, but the kids thought it was great. I didn't think it cost much, and we came home with loads of stuff. Also included with admission was a ticket to a canal museum, located in the same building. They had several neat water tables, which were Gavin's favorite part of the day. Malin said that her favorite activity was the 'hot wax' paint -- They had a station full of melted crayons that you could use as 'paint'. All the kids had a minor melt down at one point or another, but we made it through the day without any major issues, and we even got Darin to nap in his stroller. After everyone had their fill of that, we decided to do something a little different - we headed to the 'Ringing Rocks'. This was about a 1/2 hour drive out in to the middle of nowhere. It's just a big field of rocks that have so much iron in them that if you hit them with a hammer, about a third of them ring like a bell. We weren't really prepared with footwear - there was no path or anything through the rocks - but I had thought to grab a little hammer out of one of the kids tool boxes, and that worked neat. Darin was really too little to be climbing around, but the other two had a good time. It was a good way to get the last of their energy out of them.
Stopped at a Lone Star on the way home for dinner, and had excellent behavior from the kiddos. (although we did bribe them for dessert). Back to the hotel for baths, and another only fairly easy time getting everyone settled (Gavin is sleeping on the floor right now!) I'm heading to bed momentarily. Tomorrow we have planned the DaVinci Science Center...

???

2009-08-12T21:46:00.002-05:00

Two nights in a row I had the 'create post' window open, and two nights in a row I got distracted by other things. Lets see what all has happened. Monday morning I headed to State College to do the last of my PICCC sessions. So now I guess I have no excuse for not doing the job search stuff more in earnest. Monday was a bit of a lazy day. Malin had dance in the morning, I got to watch a good bit of the race in the afternoon, and I built a fort with the kids using the great room furniture and some blankets, and got some small things done around the house. Pap-Pap and Mom-Mom came over just as I was taking Malin and Gavin to soccer practice, so they came and watched a bit of practice before a big thunderstorm chased us out. Mom-Mom helped get Darin to bed, and they checked out all the wedding pictures that Stacie had take on Saturday while I got the other two settled. Had a nice chat with them before they headed home.
Tuesday --- Hmm. Seems like I did something useful on Tuesday, but I can't seem to think of what it was right now. It was hot. Had soccer practice in the evening - the kids were all wound up...Well, if I think of it, I'll come back to it.
Today was another hot day. Malin had dance again in the morning, and while she was there Stacie took a trip to find some corn. We had planned on picking it at the Aughey farm, but couldn't get anyone to answer the phone. So anyway, she bought 6 dozen ears from some Amish down the road, and we got started on that right away. Gavin and Darin stuck in a good long time helping to husk, and I did the silking while Stacie worked the kitchen end. Eventually she had to quit and pick up Malin, and get the kids stuff around for their trip. They went to Kenobel's Grove with Nana and Pappy Tom. After they left we laid Darin down for a nap and finished the corn. I think we got 18 quarts, so not a bad effort. We'll probably have to do one more go to get us through the winter. After that, I spend most of the rest of the day cleaning out the Suburban for our road trip this weekend. I shop-vac'ed it, and re-ran some wires for all the tech stuff I have in there. I finally got Darin his own movie screen. He was 'helping' me in the car and was so excited when I finally got it working. He got mad when I turned it off after testing it, but he'll have plenty of time to watch tomorrow!
After working in the car in the sun all afternoon, I was a sweaty mess, so I took a quick shower before heading off to soccer. Stacie had her first home & school meeting of the year, so Mam-Maw came over to watch Darin, and I did soccer solo. Luckily, I had a couple of parents step in, which was a big help. Unfortunately, the league organizer interrupted practice with a fundraiser hand-out and uniforms, and things were so disrupted after that that I just called it a night. It was 7:10, but I had only really done about 20 minutes of soccer stuff with them. I kind of thought it looked like a storm, but it went around. Hopefully none of the parents are too torqued about it.
Got home just ahead of the older two, got them calmed down and to bed and Stacie has been doing the packing with me gathering up some little things to help out where I can (I've found it's best not to interfere once she's on a packing 'mission'). Thought I'd blog a bit before I went to bed.
Oh, had an interesting job development today, but I need to make a phone call in the morning before I dish out any details.
Might be a few days until the next post, as we're headed out on vacation tomorrow morning. Perhaps we'll take the computer along and try to do something from on the road!

Late!

2009-08-09T23:43:00.002-05:00

Okay, so apparently I have not yet come to terms with the fact that the kids will be up by 7 no matter what time I go to bed. Not a lot to blog about today. Lots of rain this morning, so I thought it would be a good day to pressure wash the front of the house. I got started with that right after Stacie got home from church. Although it was rainy and cool when I started, it didn't take long to warm up. By the time I was done it was 85 degrees and 77% humidity (that was out back in the shade of the gazebo). I was standing in the sun in pressure washer mist. So I was a mess. But between Stacie and I, we got the front porch and all the sidewalks out front done, and also the camper and Pappy's truck. After Darin woke up from his nap, we went to Nana's and hit the pool all evening - I think we all needed it. Frosty's from Wendy's on the way home topped off our cool-off evening. No trouble getting the kids to bed, and then I worked in the basement for a few hours before plopping in front of the computer to play Texas Hold-em poker on Facebook. I've come to the conclusion that either A) The people playing on Facebook don't know how to play or B) I'm pretty good at it. I started out with $100 in chips that someone 'gifted' me, and every night I've played, I've ended up with more chips than I started with. As of tonight, I'm up to almost $400,000. Too bad it's not real money!

Wedding!

2009-08-08T19:35:00.006-05:00

Stacie and I had a really nice day at my step-sister's wedding today. We took our time getting around this morning, and then Mam-Maw came to watch the kids at about 10:30. We headed over for the ceremony and got to visit with a lot of my step-family, which we don't get to see that often. The ceremony was very nice, and short, which was good considering the heat. Had to stop for a card between the church and the reception, and while in transit, I put the windows up to turn on the A/C, and crushed Stacie's hand in the window. OOPS! She was pretty mad, but thank goodness she yelled before I broke anything. After getting the card thing out of the way, we headed to the reception. Good food, good visiting, and they had a live band for entertainment, which is always good for me. Had to leave sooner than I wanted so that we could rescue the babysitter, and got home to a couple (well, one in particular) grumpy kids. Got dinner, and got them all to bed early, although I just heard Darin fussing a couple of minutes ago. Anyway, the day kind of snuck past me, but here are a few highlights from the wedding...

Whew!

2009-08-07T21:14:00.003-05:00

Well, we've finished of our third or so day straight of mid-to-high 80's weather. At least it's getting down in to the 60's overnight, so there is some relief. I got started with another landscaping project mid-morning, and finished it up right around 11, a sweaty mess. Just as I was getting dried out, my Dad stopped by for about an hour. Along with visiting, he did some good 'consulting' work for me on various parts of my ongoing basement remodel, and even read some stories to Darin before his nap. (That would be Darin's nap, not Pap-Pap's). Stacie spent the morning getting caught up on housework, and then ran some errands and took care of some banking stuff that we had wanted to get straightened out for a while now. We got the kids a late lunch and before we knew it, it was time for Malin to head off to her first soccer practice. I am sure it was a hot one for her, but she still said that she had fun. After soccer, we picked up a friend of Malin's and headed to the swimming pool. Ordered Fox's pizza and ate that pool side before taking a tired bunch of kids home and getting them to bed. Nothing new on the job front today. Hoping for an offer from the interviews Monday soon, then time to concentrate on the ARL jobs. Oh, yeah -- pictures. I guess there's no excuse tonight...I don't know the story behind these pictures, but based on the perspective, I'd say the kids had some time on their hands and then got a hold of the camera!

Slipping already?

2009-08-06T22:52:00.002-05:00

Alright, so I'm just getting this blog back on track, and now it would seem as though I'm already slipping in to a pattern of infrequent updates. Anyway...not too much exciting happened yesterday. I hung around the house with the kids and for some reason had a difficult time staying awake. I had promised the kids I would take them mini-golfing, and was just thinking about doing that when my dad called (he is up visiting from Florida). So we nixed the mini-golf trip, and did some power-cleaning. All three kids wanted to ride along to pick up their Pap-Pap, and we all had a good visit, although I think it might have tuckered Pap-Pap out. For his visit, Stacie cooked up quite a feast. We had shrimp, chicken, steak, veggies, bread, and applesauce. She even whipped up some chocolate chip cookies, although I'm pretty sure that everyone was too full to eat them. Took Pap-Pap home and got the kids to bed, and turned in fairly early.

Today was a busy day all around. I had to run to State College for another appointment with my outplacement service. As all the kids were up in plenty of time to get them ready to leave by 8:00, we decided to all go. They dropped me off right on time at 9, and my three-hour session went really fast (we went over interviewing strategies). While I was doing that, Stacie took the kids to the book store and to the mall. They picked me up about 12:15, and we headed over to TGIFriday's for lunch. They were slow (as usual), so it was close to 1:30 by the time we left there. Next stop was Dick's to pick up new shin guards for Malin and a new soccer ball for Gavin. Then to Target to check out the deals there. By then all the kids were past their limit, so I took them to the car while Stacie finished up her shopping. Darin fell asleep in the parking lot, and slept all the way to Meyer Dairy, where we got milk for the week and ice cream for dessert. Malin had a big melt down in the car, and we had to pull off 322 at Reedsville and nearly left her there! She managed to calm down enough to make it home and then spent some quiet time in her room until she had herself back together. By then it was time for Stacie and I to head out to our second soccer practice. Mam-Maw came over to stay with Malin and Darin so that it wouldn't be such a late night for them too. I picked up two new players - I'm up to 15 now (which is probably enough to break in to two teams) but one of the new kids' parents stepped in to help, and he's really good. I am starting to figure out how long things take and what works with kids that age. Hopefully they are learning and having fun. Stacie and I watched a movie based on the Robert Hanssen story before she retired to bed and I set down to blog. Looks like another late night early morning for me, so I'll end here!

Day...whatever

2009-08-04T22:42:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay, so I promised to be more diligent in updating this, and now I've missed a few days. But I had a good excuse - I was away! Here's the scoop:

Sunday - Didn't really do a lot on Sunday. Hung out with the kids, did some housework, got my suitcase around for my trip. Left for Harrisburg about a quarter till three for a 5:00 flight. Called my Aunt Karen on the way, figuring that I could stop in and say hi to her and my Grandparents (up visiting from Florida) on the way. While I was there, she offered to drive me to the airport, and I figured that would be easier and maybe safer than parking at the airport, I took her up on the offer. She dropped me off, I had no problem with lines or security, and got to the gate about 20 minutes before boarding. The flight was uneventful, although taking a jet is so much smoother and quieter. Unfortunately I guess the Dash-8 turboprops will be the norm until the Harrisburg-Boston route gets busier. The flight was about 90% full, and I had a nice conversation with a Harriburg area woman who was flying to Boston for a week for a convention.
Landed a little early at about 6:30, and forgot that the car rentals are not AT the airport in Boston. Had to wait around for a shuttle bus and then take a bit of a ride before picking up my rental car (I went with a Malibu - it had New Mexico plates on it, and 17000 miles). Got through the Sumner tunnel and on to I93. Didn't take me long to realize how much I DON'T miss the Boston area traffic. It only took about 25 minutes to drive to my hotel from the airport. I called Brian just as I was getting off my exit (I had asked him to meet me at the hotel, and was worried I might have kept him waiting), to find that he was about 5 minutes behind me. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. I parked at the hotel, checked in, took my luggage to my room, and got back down to the lobby just as he and Robin were getting there. We went to a Chili's about 5 miles away, and had a nice two hour chat catching up eating way too much over a couple of beers. It was near 10 until they dropped me back of at the hotel, and I called home and then pretty much went straight to bed.

Monday - Got up in plenty of time to check out the hotel's free breakfast buffet. They had it all - eggs, bacon, sausage, a belgian waffle maker...I ended up having oatmeal because I didn't want to be belching through all my interviews. Didn't have any trouble finding the Raytheon building (The bright red Raytheon sign shined in my hotel window all night - it was literally right across the street), and got started with my interviews right on time. I interviewed with the Systems Engineering department in the morning - a different department than what I worked at when I was there before - so I was less familiar with the people doing the interviews. But they all said that my reputation preceded me, and the whole process was a little strange because I already knew the project/acronyms and even still knew ( or am good friends with) a lot of the people in the higher level positions. I finished up with the interviews for that position at noon, and met a group of old friends for lunch. I was thinking maybe there would be a larger group, but it was just the right size to be able to talk to and catch up with everyone who was there, without feeling like I was repeating myself or neglecting anyone. After lunch I got started with the 'interviews' for the software engineering department, which is where I was working when I left five years ago. I put 'interviews' in quotations, because it really felt like more than a formality. But I did the best that I could and at least tried to ask a few intelligent questions. That process finished up around 3, and since my flight didn't leave until 7, Roberto agreed to escort me around the facility to see who I might run in to. I got to see a lot of old faces, and had some longer chats with some people. I didn't get to see everyone that I wanted to, so to any of you who might be following this, sorry I missed you! Finally dropped off my visitor badge at about 5:40 and headed back to the airport. I found a little-used bathroom at the airport and changed out of my suit, and still had about 40 minutes before my plane boarded, so I took advantage of the 'Legal Seafood' restaurant near my gate and had a nice big bowl of their famous clam chowder. The plane took almost no time to board (I think there were 6 of us on the plane - the stewardess asked that we all sit towards the back to help with the weight balance), and we got going nearly a half-hour early. Still, Aunt Karen was on the ball picking me up, and pulled in right as I walked out to the curb. Visited with her and my grandparents for a few minutes, mostly talking about my interviews, before heading back up the road. So much had happened since the day before that I could hardly believe it had only been a day since I left!

Tuesday - Another lazy day for me winding down from my trip. Stacie spent most of the day at a home and school meeting (she's the president), and Malin spent the day at Mam-Maw's working on some crafts to enter in the fair. So I played with the boys all day, and spent a little bit of time preparing for my evening - first soccer practice of the year. I agreed to be the head coach for Gavin's team this year, and since I've never coached before wanted to make sure I was prepared for being in charge of 13 four and five year olds for an hour. In the end, I though things went pretty well, and I'm actually looking forward to the next practice! Headed to Mam-Maw's to pick up Malin after practice and visited there for a bit, so it was a bit of a late night for the kids. Then I had a whole bunch of chores to catch up on, and wanted to make sure I blogged a bit, and now here it is past midnight, and I'm still messing around on the computer. Oh well, I guess that gets you up to date, but again, I'm too tired for pictures. Maybe tomorrow...

Day 6

2009-08-01T23:39:00.001-05:00

Stacie and I got an early start with some landscaping this morning - dug up a flower bed and planted grass. Got that done by noon, which was good considering the hot muggy weather. Got all three kids to take a nap today - can't remember the last time that happened, then spent a few hours at the playground this afternoon, before heading to the drive-ins to see Ice Age and Night at the Museum. The boys both made it through the first movie, but not the second. Malin made it through both movies, and just got settled moments ago. I am thinking that probably means a rough day for her tomorrow! Nothing new on the job front today. I am sure more happened, but it's late and I am exhausted, so no pictures tonight.

Day 5

2009-07-31T22:06:00.007-05:00

Not a lot to report today. Had an early start with Darin up by 6:30. Stacie took her mom to an eye doctor's appointment this morning, so I got Malin around for her last day of church camp, and then had a nice morning with the boys. It was pouring rain all morning, so we had to find some inside activities. Darin played with Play-Doh and Gavin spent some time on the Nintendo DS. Then I read some books to Darin before his nap. While he was napping, Gavin and I read a bit of Harry Potter (We've been working on it for a few weeks now, and he's hanging in pretty good), and then built a Star Wars lego set. Once Darin got awake, we loaded in to the Suburban, and headed to Lewistown.
I picked up my suit from the dry cleaners, and then took them to McDonald's for lunch. They both ate good and were well behaved and got rid of some good energy at the play-place. I tried one of their new Angus burgers, and thought it was pretty good. After they had sufficient time to play, we headed back to Centre Lutheran to see Malin's end of week program. It started at 1:30, but we didn't make it there until about 5 till two -- and it was over already. Malin wasn't even there for me to pick up. Stacie and Mam-Maw had stopped on their way back from Harrisburg. So I was quite the bad guy.
But when we got home, the rain had stopped, so I took the boys outside. (Malin was working on a birthday present for a friend who's party she goes to on Sunday). We kicked soccer ball for a while, took some rides in the wagon, and then had an 'artichoke' battle (long story) before heading in for dinner.
We had a pretty easy night with baths and bedtime. Stacie fell asleep reading a book about 9, and I finished up a puzzle game on the DS before logging in here to do by daily blog duty.
The only thing I did today job-wise was to make a handful of phone calls to make sure my references are in order for my interview.
With that, here are a couple of pictures from a journey to Guss Park on 7/8

Day 4

2009-07-30T20:39:00.008-05:00

Had a very nice day with Stacie and the boys today. We took them to see the Popcorn Hat players at Strawberry Square. I thought a lot of the jokes were a little over the kids' heads, but they liked the silliness and said that they enjoyed the show. After the play, we ate at the foodcourt, and explored the mall (Darin must have ridden the escalator up and down 20 times - probably his first time on one!) before taking a walk around the Capitol Building and then losing the Suburban in the parking garage... We parked on level 5, then went up a level to the elevators. So when it was time to leave, we took the elevator to level 6, and went down a level -- no Suburban. I thought maybe I had mis-remembered either the spot or the level, so I walked up a whole level, while stacie walked down a whole level, and still no Suburban. Turns out that they had a double ramp thing going, so you could only get to the even/odd numbered levels depending on where you got off the elevators. So we got back on to the elevator, rode up to level 7, then walked down and found the 'burby right where it was supposed to be. Thank goodness a nice guy saw us wandering around and explained it to us because I was getting very worried! Stopped at Fort Hunter on the way home and played at the playground there for a bit. Darin took a little nap from there to Centre where we picked up Malin from church camp. She had a total melt down (she thought she was going home with Mam-Maw) so the rest of the ride was pretty rough, but she did manage to calm down and take a nap when she got home. I finally got all the software for the new computer, and found all the required cables for both cameras, so I can add some pictures today!
Gavin's new haircut
	Terrible Two's!
Daddy and Gavin vs Malin at the Dutch Wonderland Bumper Cars
Nothing new on the job front today, although I am working on my resume while blogging and playing (losing at) poker on facebook. Talk about multi-tasking!

Day 3

2009-07-29T22:36:00.002-05:00

Today went pretty fast for me. I headed over to State College for an appointment with the folks at PICCC (Private Industry Council of Center County) for a resume workshop. They were extremely helpful, so I now have lots of 'homework' to do. Malin was at church camp again, she came home with a toolbox and a bird feeder that she had made as crafts over the past few days. Aunt Charshe came over and spent the day playing games with the boys. The biggest news of the day is that Stacie took Gavin to the barbers this morning, and Gavin decided to get a mohawk! He had been saying that's what he wanted for some time, and Stacie and I decided that at this age it wasn't really hurting anything - we will shave it all the same length before school starts. It looks real cute. We got a new camera, and I don't have the software installed to pull the pictures off, otherwise I would attach them. That's another thing to put on my to-do list, I guess. Not really anything new on the job front. I got my suit to the cleaners in preparation for my interviews next week, but didn't have time to call in my travel arrangements. I did get on travelocity to see what flights are available from Harrisburg. The cheapest flights? Harrisburg to Charlotte to Philadelphia to Newark to Boston, or Harrisburg to Philadelphia to Detrioit to New York/JFK to Boston with a durations of 11 hours, 55 minutes and 14 hours, 4 minutes respectively. I think that is pretty funny, considering I could drive from Harriburg to Boston in 8 hours!

Day 2

2009-07-28T23:30:00.002-05:00

Well, I have two days of being unemployed down. We had an early start this morning - Darin hasn't been sleeping well lately, and was up shortly after 6. He is on Singulair for allergies (to help him sleep), and we think it may be doing more harm than good. His mood has definitely been off for the past few days, although it could be an adjustment to having me home too. Malin was at church camp again, so I hung out with the boys all day. Our big project of the day was spray painting the mailbox and flag, and stenciling our new 911 address on it (Welcome to 2009, Juniata County!). Stacie made the numbers on vinyl with her Cricut, and I think it looks pretty nice. Malin had ballet and tap tonight after she got home from church camp (busy day), and found out that she was chosen to play a part in the Christmas ballet, so she is very excited about that. Stacie and I didn't have anything planned this evening, so we watched a movie together - 'The Good Shephard'. I thought it was sort of hard to follow, and way too long, but enjoyed it anyway. On the job front, I am interviewing for two positions at Raytheon in Massachusetts on Monday the 3rd. One is a software job, the other is a systems engineering job. I also got my resume to another contact at the ARL.

Back at it

2009-07-27T20:22:00.002-05:00

Well, we've been neglecting this blog for a while, and now that I am unemployed, I guess there's no excuse as to why I can't keep it more up to date. Malin had her first day of church camp today at Centre Lutheran Church. It is run my the counselors at Camp Mount Luther, and runs 9 am to 3 pm, and thoroughly tuckers her out. Marylin MaCoy picked her up and took her swimming afterward, and she was so tired when she got here at 5:30 that she just wanted to go straight to bed.
Gavin spent the night at Nana's house, so he didn't get home until around 3. Nana said he stayed up until 11:30 last night (What are grandma's for?) and pretty much swam all day. He was asleep by about 7:20, which is a good hour earlier than he normally winds down.
Stacie and I had a somewhat quiet day, with two of the three kids out of the house. I took advantage and painted the brick molding around the garage doors, which I had replaced a day last week. I also spent a lot of time with Darin, playing games, building with Lego blocks, and pushing him on his swing.
Stacie made her weekly romp to the grocery store, got some scrapbook stuff organized for her next crop, and spent some time in the kitchen making spicy garlic crackers and ranch dip.
On the job front, I applied to a job created specifically for me by some of my old contacts in Mass, and made some phone calls to and forwarded my resume to some contacts at the ARL, which is Penn State's research laboratory.
Tonight Stacie is watching the Bachelorette finale, and as soon as I log off the computer, I am headed to the basement to work on waterproofing the walls.

Turn off electronics week

2009-04-20T05:43:00.005-05:00

This is the official turn off the tv week, but we were selected by the Lewistown Sentinel to try it a week earlier, so they could run articles on our family.

So, check out the Lewistown Sentinel this week!!

Lewistown Sentinel

We had a great week! I am very proud of my family for doing this!!

Dream House...

2009-03-25T09:12:00.002-05:00

Gavin built his dream house!
Marshmallows and pretzels!

Popcorn

2009-03-20T14:07:00.003-05:00

Darin loves popcorn!
He would eat it all the time.
For a meal or a snack.

Spring and Mud...

2009-03-19T13:22:00.003-05:00

What is it about boys and dirt/mud in the spring?

Gavin sure didn't forget how to play in the mud over the winter!
I much prefer snow to this mess!! But, he was having so much fun!

He was making a volcano and a shamrock mountain...complete with my newly bloomed crocuses.

A simple bath will take care of Gavin...the sidewalk is another story!

Lions Banquet

2009-03-16T20:05:00.002-05:00

It was time again for the Lion's Banquet.
Dad took all the grand kids over the age of 3.
So, he had 4 in all.
Marina had gym first...so she was not in the pictures.

Gavin wanted a tie for the event.
Good thing he did...he was picked to help the magician because of it.

The kids came home with balloon creations and red noses!

Why is my dad is a tux?!?!

2009-03-12T08:36:00.002-05:00

Yeah...we didn't believe it.
He is a hypnotist.
No, really...he is.
He can do stage shows.
This was taken after his first show.
And, I can't wait to see him do a show!

A little late...but, Valentine's Day Fun

2009-03-07T06:48:00.003-05:00

The kids always enjoy sorting their Valentine's Day stuff.
Everyone pretty much adds a piece of candy or two to their cards.
Lots of trading and sharing...even with fun dip!

Darin...

2009-03-05T08:48:00.002-05:00

turned 2!

Wind!

2009-02-12T13:11:00.000-05:00

My goodness this wind today is something. 60 mph gusts!

Our slide blew half way across the yard and some sleds that were left out also blew. I see one of two! But, I am not going out there to look for the other one.

Winter Social

2009-02-06T18:48:00.003-05:00

It has been a busy day for Malin. Tonight was the Winter Social at school. The theme...50s! Of course, we had to go all out!
She borrowed the skirt from the Holdermans since they were 50s girls for Halloween.

Baby Beluga

2009-02-06T14:41:00.003-05:00

Darin's favorite book...hands down!
He curled up in our bed and was singing the other day!
He is too much fun!

100th day of 1st Grade!

2009-02-06T14:20:00.003-05:00

Today was Malin's 100th day of school. They make a big deal out of it. Malin had to take in 100 of something. She went through all of my old buttons and picked 100 of her favorite to take in.
She also was allowed to dress up as if she was 100 years old. We hit up Mam-Maw for some supplies and Malin was so excited to dress up.
As you can see....
pearls and earrings from Malin's Great Grandma Leister
a cane from Malin's great-great-great aunt
hair in a bun
powered hair
a knitted shawl
glasses that were Aunt Beppers
a purse that was Auntie Tonya's

Christmas picture...

2009-01-27T14:27:00.002-05:00

Since I never posted this picture, here is it! Photos from our Christmas photo shoot...

Must get back at it...

2009-01-27T14:07:00.003-05:00

I have been away from the blogging world long enough...I must update!
Where to start...
This winter has been rather uneventful.

Malin has been going to dance on Tuesdays. She has started her recital practicing, so she is rather excited. Wednesday nights she goes to AWANA. She is very excited to say her verses! She continues to love school...Mrs. Smith is a great teacher! Malin loves to read! Fairy books and Magic Tree House are her favorite. Sometimes I can get her to branch out, good thing because she will soon run out of these series! Her arm has seemed to heal, she does not complain about it at all.

Gavin is doing well at preschool. He too has been reading a lot and enjoys doing Malin's school work! He has a space shuttle toy he has been playing with all the time. He has also achieved pro status on Wii bowling!

Darin is talking like crazy. And, getting into things all over! He loved playdoh and markers right now! Last week he slipped on a deck of go fish cards and sprained his ankle. We made a trip to the ER to make sure it wasn't broken. He crawled around for a good 2 days before he would walk on it. It took 2 more days for him to walk on it full time again.

Doyle has been going to some of the Penn State Men's basketball games...they have been beating lots of ranked teams! He is also working on the basement the evenings he doesn't play Guitar Hero!

I have been trying to maintain some kind of a clean, organized house, but am failing miserably! Sometimes I get to scrapbook, too! I am looking forward to a weekend away soon to scrapbook with the girls!

Enjoy the pictures!

Update...

2008-12-03T14:40:00.002-05:00

Malin got her cast off on Monday! Yeah!! After the initial set in the OR, she had to have it rebroken and reset 2 weeks later. The doctor was not happy with the job he had done! OK...she even had to get stuck 5 times for the IV! But, the stinky cast came off and she now has to wear a splint for 3 more weeks. At least we can wash her arm and get it wet. We just take the splint off for a shower!

Gavin is still doing well. Still high energy, but his imagination is amazing.

Darin has been talking up a storm!

Ouch!

2008-10-24T12:31:00.003-05:00

Our dear Malin was pushed off the monkeybars at school on Monday. This picture speaks for itself! Of course, she picked a bright pink cast. She was off school Tuesday and Wednesday, and was so excited for everyone to sign her cast. Daddy is sure it was pretty painful, but she is taking it pretty well. Except for the first day, it hasn't really slowed her down much.

Summer Slides

2008-10-16T19:31:00.003-05:00

As promised. Nothing past 0905 off the camera yet, so this will have to do!

...and July...and August...and September!

2008-10-16T18:31:00.004-05:00

Gosh, the summer just flew by, and now that Mommy has the laptop, Daddy doesn't get as much computer time as he used to! Lets see if we can catch our readers up a bit...

July started out fast with several different Independence Day parties. We ate, swam, and ate some more. Soon after the holidays, both Malin and Gavin started soccer - Daddy helped coach Malin's team this year, so maybe next year he'll have to help out with Gavin's. Gavin did good on defense, but got too rambunctious for offense. Too much chasing the other kids while ignoring the ball. Malin was a great defender too, but then found out that the girl who was playing goalie on her team wanted to try a different position. Malin tried out for goalie, and was chosen! She made a good goalie too. Having two practices a night made for some long evenings -- and then the games started! Of course Malin & Gavin both managed to have games on the same nights -- usually at opposite ends of the county! So Daddy would get home from work, grab a kid or two and head one way, while Mommy loaded up the rest of the kids and headed a different direction. It was quite hectic (Daddy had fun coaching, but must admit he's glad it's over).

Daddy had his annual work trip to Hersheypark the end of July. This year we decided to get a hotel room in Hershey, rather than driving back and forth. It was expensive, but because we were so close we were able to close the park down both nights. Gavin rode the Superdooperlooper - his first 'upside-down' roller coaster. Malin and Daddy got to ride nearly all the coasters, including the newest addition. Darin enjoyed the kiddie rides and the water park. We had fun, but it made for some tired kids (and parents) at the end of the night.

Moving on to August...The month started out with some special Daddy-daughter time. Daddy and Pappy Sam took Malin to 'pole day' at the Pocono speedway. Malin was super well behaved. She really payed attention to the lap times to see who was fastest. She got a Jimmie Johnson hat and shirt, and even picked a hat and shirt for Gavin. Pappy Sam enjoyed the experience too - it was his first NASCAR event, and he mentioned that he'd like to go back next next year.

We kept ourselves busy during the weekends with several camping trips. Mam-maw and Pappy bought a little camper, and we towed it all the way to Mexico (PA) to get some use out of it! During all this, the kids continued soccer, and Malin finished up her summer session of ballet. Also, Daddy got LASIK surgery on his eyes.

September, and the beginning of school (three day-a-week preschool for Gavin, First Grade for Malin) came all too quickly. Malin and Daddy celebrated a birthday, and had a good crowd for their annual party. And let's not forget about the fair! Malin worked all summer on a handful of crafts to enter. She sewed a headscarf and a tote bag, made a latch-hook wall hanging, populated a terrarium during one of our camping trips on the mountain, and decorated a pumpkin. She was lucky enough to win a blue ribbon on every single one of her entries! Gavin didn't get too many crafts done, but he did do a terrarium and decorate a pumpkin -- both of which also won blue ribbons! They both snacked-out with some of their prize money, but we never got around to riding the rides this year.

Well, I am sure we did a lot of other things that I have forgotten, but since I'm tired of typing, I'll try to put together some slide shows of the summer's events.

Thank goodness June is over!

2008-07-03T13:56:00.003-05:00

June is always a busy month. But, this year is seemed especially so!

Last week we finished up swimming lessons and Bible School. Malin passed Level 3 and will be in Level 4 next year in the deep end! Gavin will still be in level 2 since he refused to even try some of the things on the test. Just flat out refused! Sometimes I don't know how to handle that boy.

Bible school was good...not too many kids, but we had fun anyway. Lots of work for me!

Last weekend we went to the Lake with Nana and Pappy Tom and the Aughey clan for a fun weekend. The kids spend Saturday at the beach enjoying the sand and lake. Sunday, they fished a little bit from the boat before we headed home. It was Pappy Leister's birthday! So, we got his coconut cake iced and ready to go. Unfortunately it wasn't long after we were home and the kids all started getting sick. Darin and Mommy on Sunday, Gavin on Monday, and Malin on Tuesday...needless to say, it has been a long week with all of that.

This weekend is filled with picnics, parties, and pool time!

We visitied New Hampshire!

2008-06-25T06:13:00.003-05:00

We have all been excited to visit friends in New Hampshire. It has been 2 years since we were able to stay there. Doyle has gone with Matt to races, but we had not met each other's babies! We, of course, had a blast! The kids are roughly the same ages, so they had a lot of fun playing together.

We went to a Rockin Rib Fest the one night and there were lots of bouncy houses for the kids, balloon animals and a hot air balloon ride. There were also award winning ribs for sale...about 7 different vendors!

Relaxing at Raystown

2008-06-15T20:49:00.002-05:00

This weekend we headed to Raystown with Pappy Tom and Nana. What a fun time we had! Mom and Dad, Christie and the girls, Melissa and the 5 of us were all there. Friday we had a good evening and got Clems for dinner...got set up and stayed up late visiting. It rained some, so we didn't get to build a fire. Malin and the brown-eyed boy stayed with Nana and Pappy Tom in the camper and we stayed in Pappy's big tent with the Holdermans on the other side. I guess Malin and Gavin kept Nana and Pappy Tom up late, but we didn't know! Thanks!

Saturday was more rain, game play, boat rides, ice cream, naps, and fish feeding.

The fun for us was that blue-eyed Darin boy took his first boat ride! (I had my first ride on the new boat!) He was so bored that he fell asleep! He actually loved it, I guess! He even took a dip in the lake.

The camera is not uploading pictures, but of course we took lots of pictures for you all to enjoy of him on the boat.

We even took extra, just for Matt! Yeah...We took pictures of everything and I am proud of it! I even took pictures of everyone on the way home today in the car!

Don't worry, Matt, next weekend I'll take pictures of you and your punks(term I learned from ThePioneerWoman...aggghhh...links not working!) And then, you can be a star on our blog.

Until then, we have a busy week...swimming lessons start (pool #5)!

Of course you will get to see lots and lots of pictures...if the camera uploads them!

By the way...Happy Father's Day! Hope you had a relaxing day and enjoyed watching Jr. win! We were headed to a picnic at Terry and Wanda's (pool #4) when the race was finishing, but thanks to WJUN, Doyle heard the ending.
Since I know Doyle will read this...for all you others you can quit reading here...

yes...quit reading unless you are Doyle.

why are you reading when you aren't Doyle?

Noisy people...

Doyle, hope you had a great Father's Day! You are the best father to my babies, even though you teach them about Star Wars! I love you!

Summer swimming...

2008-06-12T16:49:00.003-05:00

Our kids love to swim. They are little fish. I would love to have a pool! Two of our neighbors have pools, a third one has a little blue blow up thing and the last neighbor is an old couple who I am sure could care less if they have a pool or not! I am a little bit jealous of the pools in the neighborhood.
But, I try not to pass on that jealousy to the kids.

We look for places where the kids can swim. They like ponds, rivers, and creeks, too. When we go away, the hotel must have a pool! The little blue-eyed boy even enjoys taking dips. Malin loves to swim and is working on transforming her belly-flop into a world class dive. I am sure by the end of the summer she will be earning 10s on her dives. Brown eyed-boy loves to wear his goggles and dive for toys. He is cautious when he goes off the diving board and wants to jump to the side, but he is getting more confident as well.

So far the kids have been in 3 different pools. I am sure by the end of the summer that number will be more like 10. I wish it was only 1, but they have fun!

Summer "Vacation"

2008-06-10T10:00:00.002-05:00

Ahh...summer vacation!
How nice for the kids!

Malin and Gavin have been playing so nicely together...they even let Darin join in the fun! The other day we moved some furniture around. Darin crawled in before I could get it all back together...

Right now, they are wrecking their rooms, but they are having a great time playing! I don't even go upstairs to see the carnage. They have been to Florida and back several times visiting Mom-Mom and Pap-Pap, they have been camping, they have been to California, they visited the library and got new cards, they sang the National Anthem, they have been to the moon, too! They have been parents, kids, teachers, pilots, drivers, you name it! They have suitcases packed with who knows what! It is so fun to just hang back and listen to them as I sit with my feet up sipping my sweet tea! The sound of kids playing nicely together...sweetness to my ears!

The month of June is crazy busy.
Malin is going to Bible School each night this week.
We have haircuts scheduled.
Darin's dr appointment.
Dance open house...must get tap shoes and a purple leotard.
Camping this weekend.
Swimming lessons.
New Hampshire for the weekend.
Our Bible School and more swimming lessons.
More camping...

Somewhere in there I must get the computer room painted...it has been waiting since March!
Railroad ties need yanked up
Weeds need killed
Laundry needs put away
Kids need played with

It's fun to be busy in the summer, but it's times like this when the kids are playing together with their things, that are the best times of all!

Dance, Bee Sting, and Relay!

2008-06-08T12:01:00.003-05:00

Yeah...all together...what a weekend!

Malin had her dance recital yesterday (2 of them!). So, we had stage practice on Thursday, Dress rehersal of Friday night and 2 recitals yesterday. Needless to say we were home no earlier than 10:30 on any of those nights, and up at our regular time! Can you say crazy!

Her recital was very nice. She danced to "All Through the Night"...the lullaby version. The slide show is from that.

Doyle had the boys while I attended the dance events. Friday night he went to Nana and Pappy Tom's to swim with the boys. He had blue-eyed boy and backed into the side of the pool where some flying, stinging object got him. He said it really hurt, so he got out, and took some benadryl. By the time he got home, and got the boys to bed, his armpit was swelling. Remember I am at night 2 of marathon dance stuff... When I get home, I just want to get to bed...long weekend ahead. Well...Doyle says..."Come here and look at my armpit...it's the size of a grapefruit." WHAT???!?!?!?!? Yeah...when I turn the light on...I see what he means...and his face/neck were also swelling. I called mom and she headed in. Then, we called the doctor...yeah...we know who to call first! Anyway, the dr on call said he would probably be ok, but we might want to go in and get checked out.

Malin was all concerened and asked Doyle what stung him. He mumbled something to her along the lines of "I don't know, I couldn't see him." She heard "a cam sam." So, she told everyone that a "cam sam" stung him. Remember...she had been up 3 hours past her normal bed time for the second night in a row and Doyle was in some sort of allergic reaction state. I was mad because I just wanted a nice soft pillow and instead I had to drive to the ER!

We were actually in and out rather quickly. Doyle was given a shot (I was a little bit disappointed in the size of the needle...it didn't even really qualify as a needle) and some benadryl. They observed him for awhile and sent us on our way. We were home by 1AM. He will the be proud carrier of an epi-pen now, too. I heard those suckers hurt...I hope I am around to give it to him if he ever gets stung again...but, lets hope that doesn't happen. In case you were wondering, I am trained to give them...I had a class on them when I taught at Willow Hill. I may even have a certificate to prove it!

Early to rise on Saturday...we headed to Lewistown for Relay for Life. It was stinking hot...like Georgia hot...like 102 and humid hot! I walked 2 laps and called it a day. I bought a snowcone and watched the others walk! It was so hot that I think attendance was way down. But, they still raised a good bit of money to fund the fight against cancer. It makes you think just how much impact cancer has...we walked on the team that was started by Deb Tabb in memory of her husband, George, who died of cancer. We love to participate in this event. I hope the kids are understanding what this is for...they love to see the activities and play the games people have, and eat the food that is for sale! We hope they never have to realize first hand what it is all about, but we do hope they demonstrate caring for others and help others fight their battles.

Lake Tobias - Take 2 for Mommy

2008-06-06T12:01:00.002-05:00

Gavin went to Lake Tobias a few days after Malin did...I got to go along again! This time we drove and took Mam-Maw and Darin along. Mom had not been there since I was little and she went with the Brownies! So, a lot had changed for her...not much for me except a baby goat was born in the last week! :)

Gavin enjoyed the animals a lot! I am sure he won't mind going there for the next few years on his school trips!

Enjoy round 2 of the Lake Tobias pictures!

Lake Tobias...Take 1 for Mommy

2008-06-06T10:46:00.002-05:00

Malin took a field trip to Lake Tobias...third straight year she has been there! Not much has changed, but they do have lions, tigers, and bears now! Oh My!

I went along as a chaperone. The bus was quite full and many had to sit 3 to a seat. The weather was nice...no rain, but it had rained the night before. It was windy, so it was a bit chilly at times. When we got there we headed to the petting zoo. Of course since it was first thing in the morning, they were quite hungry. A goat chewed a hole in Malin's new Fermanagh shirt.
From there we headed to the bus ride. It was fun! Lots of hungry animals in the fields today, too. We fed them more rye crisps! The kids tasted them, too. Not too bad they said.
Then it was off to see the reptiles...not sure why they call it the reptile show...it includes birds, a three-toed sloth, and a porcupine along with the snakes and crocodile.

Malin's got the SPIRIT and Gavin is a STRAW PIG...

2008-06-05T21:25:00.005-05:00

I know they really should each have their own post because this is just such a big deal for both kids, but hey...at least I am blogging about it within a day of it happening! Both kids have finished up their year end activities and school is officially over! Gavin will be going to preschool 3 mornings a week next year and Malin will be in first grade. Both had great times in school this year and are already looking forward to what next year will hold.

Malin had an awards ceremony yesterday. She got the SPIRIT Award! She was sooo excited, she could hardly contain herself! She is super excited to have her picture in the paper, too. So, look for it in the Juniata Sentinel!

She also had fun day. I was able to help...she here is a picture.

Gavin was the straw pig in one of his plays. We were concerned that he wouldn't do it, but he was awesome! He really spoke his lines well! Then they danced to a few songs and did the limbo for us. Pure entertainment!

Eyes and Such

2008-06-03T21:04:00.003-05:00

What am I going to do when he starts making more demands on me? Just look at that face! Those eyes...oh my...what is a mother to do?

Everyone always comments on the kids' eyelashes. They all got them...long, curly eye lashes. Doyle and I both have long eyelashes, so I guess we can both claim them. But, the color of those eyes...I have brown eyes...no mistake about that. Doyle's change between light green to hazel to army green...depending on the color of shirt he is wearing or his mood. But, somewhere along the lines our littlest one got the blue eyes. My mom has blue eyes, but they much lighter. I think this will be one way to distinguish the boys..."Hey, brown-eyed boy...hey, blue-eyed boy" I think it will work better than calling them by their names...it will be less confussing to me I think. Because the name thing has already started. I don't have a Gavin and a Darin...I have Garin and Davin and a you name it. But, their eyes will always be brown and blue...just a thought...I get back to you as to how it works.

Sorry for the ramblings...it has been a long day. I moved the house around a bit today...and I just wanted to blog since it has been quite a long time and lots of field trips later.

School is winding down and both kids have activities tomorrow... :)
Brown eyed boy is the straw pig in the Three Little Pigs tomorrow at preschool. He should be great! He requested the pretzel/Hershey kiss/M&M thingies for his treat. They are cooling.

Malin has fun day tomorrow and I will be helping with that...rain or shine! Pray for shine!

Blue-eyed boy will be tagging along to the fun activities of his older siblings. Fun for him!

We are an aunt and uncle again!!

2008-04-30T20:31:00.003-05:00

Yeah...Beth and Nick finally had their baby today! Beth was due on the 20th, so we waited extra long!
She had a girl...Thea Mae at 11:36 this morning. She weights just over 8 pounds and is 20 inches long. She has some dark hair on her head. The kids and I got to see her tonight. That was a trip in itself! Anyway, she is a cutie!! Beth is doing great. I took lots of pictures, but am too tired tonight to upload them. Doyle went to Blue Man Group again! This time he went with some friends. I am sure he will enjoy it again.

I'll post pictures of the cutie tomorrow.

We wii

2008-04-25T20:48:00.002-05:00

Yes, we got one...
A friend of Doyle's picked one up a few weeks ago.
This is what Doyle has been doing in the evenings...

I know I promised a new picture, so this one is from tonight. I know it is not of my kids, but it is of someone's kid!

Malin and Gavin are overnight at Nana and Pappy Tom's tonight to head to kid connection tomorrow. Darin is sound asleep. I am getting some scrapbooking done and Doyle is doing lots of different things in between playing Wii.

Pictures of the kids...

2008-04-24T14:59:00.001-05:00

Getting caught up still!

Tomorrow I promise some more recent stuff. These aren't actually too old, but I'll take new ones tomorrow!

Malin had her curriculm fair the other night. She had a good time showing off her work and watching the other things that evening. Gavin enjoyed himself, too, especially since he got to go to school on Tuesday to help with planting the class garden.

The weather has been beautiful and the flowers are in full bloom. Unfortunately, the kids and I are having some allergy issues!

Until tomorrow...

Lists...

2008-04-23T08:03:00.003-05:00

Lots of blogs have lists…lists of just about anything. I make lists. I like lists. Doyle does not like my lists, but I do. So, I thought I would start one for me (Stacie) on the blog. Just things to do. I won’t call it my bucket list, it's just a list of stuff...a list in no particular order…just ramblings. Of course, I want to share many of these things with my husband and kids, but this is about me…they can make their own lists! I am sure this will be fun to look at later. This is my list for today. Tomorrow it might change!

1. go to greece
2. host a dinner party with eight people I don’t know as well as I’d like
3. have a huge kitchen
4. cook awesome meals from scratch
5. carve my body into a state of fabulous
6. ski
7. grow mint
8. make mint tea
9. grow sunflowers
10. read the Bible from beginning to end
11. get more current with my scrapbooks
12. learn photography
13. give more stuff away
14. read more
15. complain less
16. take my kids on awesome adventures
17. thank God everyday for something
18. do crafts with my children
19. run a 5K
20. coordinate my decorations in the house
21. have a clean house for at least 18 hours in one day
22. see the redwoods in cali
23. see the mississippi river
24. get a photo wall
25. hug my sisters
26. make homemade bread on a regular basis
27. get the video camera out more often
28. coupon like crazy to get stellar deals
29. drink wine and like it
30. quit holding grudges
31. garden
32. fill up my ipod
33. go shopping in NYC and buy something crazy expensive
34. get a tiffany’s something for my daughter
35. display evidence of my grandfather’s love of hording
36. get a nice tan without damaging my skin
37. wear high heels and attend a fancy event
38. take great portraits
39. own a cool backdrop even if it is just a sheet
40. volunteer
41. teach my children the value of volunteering
42. give big
43. play the violin
44. track my history
45. reduce my carbon footprint
46. go fishing and catch a big one
47. revisit germany
48. attend different churches
49. spend more time outdoors
50. read more books
51. play tennis again
52. and be good at it
53. learn to not follow a recipe
54. place more trust in God
55. read the classics I should have read in high school
56. teach my kids how to play poker
56.5. learn to play poker so I can do #56
57. learn all I can from my parents
58. plant trees
59. keep up with the laundry
60. visit Alaska
61. attend a taping of a tv show
62. take a long train ride
63. have a long romantic dinner with my husband at a very expensive restaurant
64. visit pearl harbor
65. visit new Zealand
66. rv
67. give strength to someone feeling weak
68. drink more water
69. eat less food
70. enjoy leisurely time with the family
71. attend funerals
72. send cards and letters in the mail
73. remember birthdays
74. get over my fear of heights to be able to climb mountains
75. ride the Tube in London
76. start selling items in the basement
77. nurture self confidence and humility in my children
78. get a sewing machine
79. use the sewing machine
80. shop at goodwill more often
81. grow old
82. say I love you more
83. clean like my grandmother
84. save money wisely
85. own rental property
86. learn how to fix a computer
87. get up every day by 6 am
88. see more concerts/plays
89. kiss the kids
90. learn about birds
91. recycle more
92. make my bed on a daily basis
93. watch a space shuttle launch
94. visit national parks each year
95. go to Ireland
96. listen to classical music and appreciate its structure
97. fix up a room in record time
98. allow myself some me time and not feel guilty
99. get a pedicure…its much needed today!
100. update this list next year

Random Things

2008-04-22T09:23:00.004-05:00

Easter pictures...Nana Noerr got the outfits for the kids for Easter! The kids looked adorable! Too bad Easter was so early and there were no flowers outside to take pictures with. But, they still looked adorable!

Today is Earth Day...do something for the earth today. We have been trying to we more aware of what we do. Living in Massachusetts we really got on to recycling. So, we recycle a lot and most weeks we have more in recycling than we do in garbage and that is with the diapers. I had wanted to switch to cloth diapers, but I just didn't think I had the time to devote to the additional laundry. We use "green" bags at the grocery store and sometimes I even remember to take them to other stores as well! We went this morning and picked up a few bags to take to the ladies who sew at Church. Malin took a flower to school to plant in the garden that her kindergarten class takes care of. She saw lots of flowers she wanted to buy, but she finally settled on a daisy type flower. She had wanted to get a butterfly bush, but I said, no. They will be releasing butterflies when they are ready, too.

My goal around the house is to reduce the amount of products that we use that have HFCS in them. It is amazing the amount of food that does! We already do not buy the juices for the kids, so that is easy! It is in applesauce, snack crackers, canned fruits, even a can of kidney beans that I looked at had it in! I will never completely get rid of it since it is in Heinz ketchup and Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing! Two condiments I can't live without! Well maybe I could give up that brand of Ranch, but not the ketchup! Anyway, I know it may increase my bill at the store, but I am glad that we have a choice of food products!

Today is the Pennsylvania Primary. I am not too excited about it, since I am registered Republican and we already have a nominee...but, I will still go vote since there are other elections going on as well. I will be glad to not see the Hillary/Obama commercials and here about their "criss-crossing the midstate" reports!

Still no baby Beward...anxiously awaiting becoming an aunt again! This will be the first time I will be able to go to the hospital and see a new niece or nephew...exciting for me!

Happy Earth Day!

Basketball party

2008-04-21T10:12:00.003-05:00

Doyle hosted the 3rd annual JHS 1991-1992 basketball team party.
As always there was lots of food...note to self - take a picture of the food tables (all 3 of them) next year.

Doyle goes to Martinsville (3/27 - 3/31)

2008-04-18T22:08:00.002-05:00

Here is her picture

2008-04-18T13:30:00.002-05:00

This is the actual picture...for some reason, things were not uploading. After 4 tries I did a different picture so, that was the wrong one!

SPRING!

2008-04-18T12:06:00.003-05:00

Next week is the curriculum fair at Fermanagh...it is what the science fair used to be, but now it can be any subject. This year it is still science related...Conservation.

One of the activities is a photography contest. The students had to take a photo of something to do with conservation - new growth, plants, rocks, birds, recycling, etc.

Malin had a blast...here are some of her pictures. The first one is the one she picked to take in.

Malin...our girly girl!

2008-04-10T09:22:00.004-05:00

Malin loves all things girly!
If asked what she wants to wear to school, she will answer a dress. If she sees something sparkly, she thinks it is the best thing in the world. Pink is the only color! And, Hannah Montana is awesome and Malin knows all the words to her songs! She looks forward to her weekly dance class and now knows the whole routine for the recital. She will even get to wear a pink outfit with a big jewel! A princess's dream!

She had a friend over for her first non-cousin sleepover...they did all things girly including making over Gavin and themselves, dressing up, singing Hannah, and dancing in their underware!

She loves to bake, draw, color, and make things. Don't get me wrong, she holds her own with Gavin, but she would rather tell him to get in the mud and watch him get messy, than get messy herself.

Gavin...

2008-04-10T09:02:00.003-05:00

Gavin...gotta love him!

Yes, Gavin gets into a lot of things and keeps us on our toes. He is our ball of energy, gotta watch him, all boy!

Even when he doesn't take thing apart to figure them out, things happen to poor Gav!

Here, a ketchup bottle exploded on him! He loved it! Mommy and Daddy did not! It was all over not just Gavin, but the kitchen and dinning room!

We're Back...Let's start with..."Darin is 1"

2008-04-10T08:34:00.003-05:00

Just some pictures of Darin turning 1! In case you didn't remember it happened on February 28! Thanks to all who did remember!

Darin celebrated on his birthday with a small cake and a few packages. Then we had the family all over later. That day, he got a fever and slept through most of his party! Poor Boy! We had to start the cake without him and Stacie went in and woke him so he could enjoy some more party!

He knows how to blow like the wind, but since he was sick, he was not in the mood. He also holds up one finger, but again, he didn't feel well, so he didn't demonstrate all the work he had been doing to get ready for his big day!

Four days late

2008-01-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

Malin's front teeth have been wiggly for quite some time now. Ever since Thanksgiving, she's been hoping that she would be able to sing the 'All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth' song. Christmas came and went, and her front teeth were still in her mouth. Finally on Saturday one of them fell out!

Christmas Eve...

2007-12-29T10:11:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve Day Gingerbread House...

2007-12-29T09:45:00.000-05:00

I went shopping to Costco on Christmas Eve...they didn't have what I went for, but I did find this Gingerbread House kit on sale for $2.97. I thought it would be fun to do...I mean...it was Christmas Eve...what else did we have to do?!?! The kids had a blast and so did Doyle and I! Gavin ate lots of candy, but did manage to help a little bit! It fell apart a little bit on us because we failed to read the directions where it said to let it set for 15 minutes before adding candy! Oh well...we had fun. Maybe we will even do it again next year!

The Boys

2007-12-15T20:12:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures since we haven't blogged in a while. A sleeping babe; Gavin at his pre-school Christmas party, and then enjoying the first snow of the year; and unwrapping Darin's first present from Santa at Daddy's work Christmas party.

Early Christmas

2007-12-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Wow, somehow we managed to whiz right by Thanksgiving without a blog update! Oops! This past weekend, we attended a Childrens' Christmas party sponsored by Daddy's work. We took in a magic show (Malin was chosen to go up on stage as an assistant!) and then all the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. Someone from Daddy's work snapped this picture of all of us while we were enjoying cookies and snacks while waiting for the magic show to begin. Daddy found the picture at work, and emailed it home to post on the blog! It was a busy day, but the kids all had fun.

Happy Birthday Gavin...

2007-11-10T11:54:00.000-05:00

I'm blogging from my new laptop, and I don't have any photos on it yet, but, I wanted to update the blog...photos are to hopefully come later!

Gavin turned 4 this week, so I'll write about him! Happy Birthday, Gavin! He got lots of cool stuff for his birthday. We set up a sandbox last weekend for him, and he loves it. Unfortunately, our mild weather has come to an end and it is a little bit chilly to sit and play in a sandbox, but he enjoyed it last weekend before it got cold.

His favorite gift was his "very own Webkinz". He opened it and said, "It's my lucky day!" Too cute. He also got a bulldozer, speedstackers, and a 'Cars' sleeping bag that he has been playing with a lot. He has some snow castle making toys to use when we get snow, too...lots of new clothes, bandaids, toothbrushes and toothpaste...all the stuff on his list!

He had a cake shaped like an ice cream cone...cute, if I may say so! Chocolate ice cream and raspberry! The kinds he likes to get at Mexico Market.

In keeping with the ice cream theme, we made cupcakes in ice cream cones for his treat to take to school. They looked so cute, but I don't think I will make them again! He was very excited to have a party at school...he got to blow out candles and get a special treat bag from the teachers. He got a Curious George book and since he has been really into Curious George lately, he was super excited!

Since it was his birthday, we measured the kids on the wall. Gavin is growing taller, but at 4 he is exactly the height that Malin was on her 3rd birthday! Funny! He is still a bit taller than average, but I think his older sister will continue to tower over him.

We were told lately that Gavin acts just like his father did when he was young. Just very inquisitive and curious and intelligent. Well, this week, Gavin had a timeout in his bedroom. I told him that he could come downstairs when the clock said 4:55. I went out the door and just waited to make sure he wasn't going to follow me right away. I heard noises from inside and knew right away what he was doing...he moved the stool over to his dresser and changed the time on the clock. I quickly went downstairs and sure enough, he was not far behind. He said it was 4:55 and I said how did the time go so fast...he said, "because I changed the numbers!" AGGHH!! What do you do in times like this!?!? Part of me can't wait to see what great things he does in life, but it scares me to death! I know he will survive, but I don't know about his mother! If the next 4 years are anything like the first 4, we will have some great times! Here's to you, Gavin! Thanks for the energy and excitement you bring to our family! We love you!

Trick or Treat

2007-11-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

AHHH...how cute!
Malin saw these wings in a magazine and knew exactly what she wanted to be...a butterfly. So, I made them...not too bad! Gavin wanted to be a ghost, but kept changing his mind...me did this last minute. He kept sticking his lips out through the hole in the sheet! Funny kid! Darin was a pumpkin this night, but he was also in a lion costume...but, I didn't get any pictures of that - Dad did though, so maybe they will appear on his website sometime soon!

Halloween Parade

2007-11-01T08:41:00.000-05:00

From the halloween parade at school yesterday. Malin's class led the parade through town.

Scrapbooking!! Yippee!!

2007-10-30T08:32:00.000-05:00

I've had some time to scrapbook lately! Yeah...actually...I haven't really had the time, and am behind on my laundry, cleaning, etc. But, who cares...I needed some thearpy!

These layouts were all done using my Coordinates Collections kits. I love getting these kits in the mail each month, but since I haven't had much time lately, they were piling up.

The first picture is using some older kits from 2006 - told you I am behind!
The second one is also from 2006 - it is called Boho Chic.
I love the next one because we don't get to see this side of Beppers often enough...the kit I used is Radiant from May 2007.
The last one is dark, but I liked it...I used the June 2006 Butterfly kit with some addons.

No Purple Dogs Allowed!

2007-10-23T11:25:00.000-05:00

Gavin has been making creations in the basement. He has a supply of wood, nails, and a hammer and he goes to town. The other night we went to the "free wood" box near his school and stocked up. So, he got right to work making a sign. He found some chalk and wrote on it. When we asked what it said...he said, " No Purple Dogs Allowed!" We tried to put it in the ground out front, but it wouldn't pound into the ground without breaking. We told him we would try again...so, until we get it up, I hope we aren't invaded by purple dogs! :)

Penn Skates

2007-10-16T12:04:00.001-05:00

Sorry the pictures are sideways...I'll try to fix that! :)

CCC Contests...

2007-10-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

I love to visit Coordinates Collections and today they were doing a cyber crop. I had a few minutes to crop today, so I did. Then, for some reason the site wouldn't let me upload my layouts! So, I'll show them off here!

The first one was to do a fall layout with 2 different ribbons...chipboard in your title, paint, and 3 or more photos! I did it all...for 11 points.

The second one had to have 3 patterned papers from 3 different manufactures (Basic Grey, 2 Daisies Designs, Scenic Route, Heidi Grace), 2 different colored brads, 2 embellishments from 2 other manufactures (Gin-X, Making Memories) and rubons in my title...11 points again.

Doyle's 15th year reunion

2007-09-17T20:37:00.000-05:00

Took some pictures from Jon Whitsel's website and moved them here for you all to see...Thanks Jon! If you want to see more pictures...check out Jon's Website

I think everyone had a good time. We did. Doyle won a gift basket...tickets to the Winter Ballet..Malin was thrilled!

Darin's slide show!

2007-09-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

Darin went to the doctors this morning for his 6th month checkup. He weighed in at 21 lbs 9 oz. And, he is 28 inches long. He is growing fast! He got 4 shots and a prescription for floride! All looks well. We visit the eye dr on Monday to get his lazy eye checked out...we are hoping that his muscles are getting stronger and that we won't have to have anything done. Other than that, he is sitting up all by himself and is enyoying chewing on everything - but no teeth, yet.

Gavin is off to preschool

2007-09-10T12:00:00.001-05:00

He was very excited...let's hope he is when I pick him up!

Happy Birthday Malin (& Daddy!)

2007-09-05T08:31:00.000-05:00

Here's the birthday girl.
6 years old.
All excited.
Ready for school.

Well...Daddy felt a little left out that I didn't get up to get a picture of the birthday boy. We will get one tonight. But, I just realized that Malin has 3 fingers up on each hand...Daddy is 33! How neat! So, I guess the 3.3 is for him, too!

Big Day Prep Work

2007-09-04T21:40:00.000-05:00

We made cupcakes with what else but PINK sprinkles and M&M pretzel things for Malin's birthday treat for school tomorrow. She was so excited about it! We are also taking in clear Kool-aid. It is hard to believe that she will be 6! And, that her Daddy will be 33! Happy Birthday you two!

Free Rides

2007-09-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

As always...the free "rides" at the fair are the most popular!

Blue Ribbon!

2007-09-03T20:10:00.000-05:00

Malin won a blue ribbon at the fair!
When we went to the mountain for Mom's birthday in August, we gathered up some neat, small plants to put into a terrarium to take to the fair...and Malin won! She was so excited. It was the only thing we entered in the fair and we are pumped to get started on all kinds of things for next year! Hopefully we will!

Malin's off to school!!!

2007-08-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

The kids!

2007-08-28T18:57:00.000-05:00

Don't we have cute kids?

He's 6 months old!

2007-08-28T18:54:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe...Darin is 6 months old today! Wow...time flies! We will have to post the photos of Malin and Gavin that we took when they were this age - same photo pose - same couch, etc! But, of couse, they are not digital!
You can tell they are siblings!

Happy 24 Beppers!

2007-08-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

The kids decorated a cake for Aunt Beppers 24th birthday! They had a blast...in fact after this picture was taken, they added purple to the cake yet. It was beautiful!

Hot day here today. We are headed to Lewistown shopping a little bit...kids will go to Nana and Pappy Tom's for a quick dip in the pool. Then we are headed to McAlisterville for a party for Amelia's 2nd birthday....more swimming there! Darin has been doing lots of new things - he is sitting up all by himself now. He seems much quiter then the other 2 were at this age, but I don't think Darin can really get much in...he just likes looking at all the action around him! But, when he really wants our attention...he knows how to get it!

More racing...

2007-08-21T20:05:00.000-05:00

24!

2007-08-21T20:02:00.000-05:00

Poconos...Doyle got some good photos

2007-08-21T20:01:00.000-05:00

For those of you who are Jr. fans!

Mommy did some scrappin!

2007-08-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

The last time I got to scrap more than a few minutes was before Darin was born...so, I made some time the other week when Doyle was racing and Nana had the older 2 kids! Here are some things I did.

First Cereal

2007-08-21T19:48:00.000-05:00

Darin had his first taste of cereal the other week...just thought we'd share a photo!

Hershey

2007-08-02T05:07:00.000-05:00

Went to Hershey Park the other week for Doyle's company picnic. These were about the only pictures we managed to take! The kids had a blast as predicted. We went in Thursday evening from 7:30-10:00(closing) and then went back for the day on Friday. We rode the rides near Founder's Circle on Thursday evening and then did the rest of the park Friday. The new Boardwalk section is something. Lots of water! The kids played there the majority of the day until we dragged them away for the roller coasters. The Holdermans and Leisters joined us for the day, so there were plenty of adults to watch the kids. Gavin's favorite rides - Coal Cracker and Tilt-a-Whirl. Malin's - Superduper Looper (Her first upside down roller coaster) Everyone was at the Boardwalk section of the park, so the "old" section with the roller coasters was empty. They rode those rides over and over and believe it or not...they didn't even have to get off and back on! We closed the park again of Friday! They had a blast, but were super tired!

Exersaucer

2007-08-02T05:01:00.000-05:00

Darin was in his exersaucer for the first the other day. He loves it! That is good for me, since is has outgrown the swing and with the two older ones around, the floor is not the safest place!

Gavin at Soccer Camp

2007-07-14T08:24:00.000-05:00

We took Gavin to soccer camp at he Lions Den this week. I thought he would really enjoy it, but Monday he would not participate. However, he sat and watched and he could tell you all the rules to each game they played. He kept asking me about strangers the rest of the day, so I guess he didn't want to talk to strangers - especially ones with a British accent! But, Tuesday, he played the whole time. And, he had a blast! Very hot, sweaty, and tired until he was finished. The rest of the week went alright, too. He warmed up to the coach and the other kids. Some of the other kids were intimidating...a group of 6 boys ages 3-5 would be to Gavin. And, when Doyle and I were talking about who the kids' parents are...they are a bunch of intimidating people when it comes to playing sports...we will let Keith see if he can name any of the kids/parents/grandparents without any help.
Gavin held his own. He was very excited to get a shirt and the ball signed by his coach. Each night when I was putting him to bed, I had to do my best British accent and pretend I was the coach. So, I guess he enjoyed it after all.

Darin's First Dip

2007-07-14T08:15:00.000-05:00

Darin went swimming for the first time this week! It was so hot at the beginning of the week, that we decided it was time to let him in the water, too! He had a good time...as always...just as happy as could be!

Hands on Museum

2007-07-14T08:03:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, yes, I know...a whole week without posting...

We went to the Hands on House in Lancaster. We had already hit 3 museums, so we thought we might as well hit one more! The kids as usual had a blast...lots to do...sort eggs, paint their faces, play dress up, do a giant light bright, find bugs, work an assembly line...etc. These are pictures of them in the garden outside. They used little kits and found bugs outside.

Gross Wedding

2007-07-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

The reason we were on Cape Cod in the first place was to attend the wedding of a close family friend, Geoff Gross. We had never been to a beach wedding before, and to tell you the truth, Daddy wouldn't mind going to weddings if they were all that way. No uncomfortable pews, the ceremony is short, and you can plop the kids on the ground with some sand toys! Also, it's not often you can acceptably go barefoot in your Sunday best! Of course, Darin had a diaper blow-out right as things got started, and then returned from changing him just in time to see Gavin not quite make it to the potty, so Daddy didn't really see that much of the ceremony. But everything was very nice. Here are a few snapshots from the wedding.

The restaurant that held the reception was just up the beach from the ceremony, so we didn't have far to go. The Leister/Holderman/Kint clan had a table together, and we all had quite a feast. raw oysters, cheese & crackers, clam chowder, Steamed shrimp, lobsters, and mussels, barbecue chicken breast, and much more.

We had our hands full keeping Gavin out of the cake - that's all the poor kid wanted. They cut it early in the evening, but didn't serve it until quite late. Finally at about 10:00, Gavin sobbed, "Daddy, can you just take me home?". Mommy dropped us off back at the hotel and he was asleep in about 10 minutes. Mommy did remember to bring a piece of cake home for both of us, which we ate the next day.

The D.J. was quite good, and since more or less everyone from out of town, the crowd stayed late. Malin found a twenty-somthing friend who was willing to dance, and just had an absolute blast. The pictures below were from 'Wooly Bully', and 'The Twist'. Daddy fell asleep with Gavin, so I'm not sure what time the party ended, but it may have been after midnight...

Day at the beach

2007-07-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

Mommy blogged a handful of photos at midnight last night since she wasn't sure when we'd have time to get back to it. But Nana took the two older kiddos today, so Daddy has some time.

We spent the day at the beach at Sanwich, MA, Cape Cod on Saturday. We were originally just going to walk out and see the ocean and then go on to other things, but the weather was so perfect and the kids were so excited to get wet that we ended up just spending the whole afternoon there.

Darin at Museum

2007-07-04T00:17:00.000-05:00

Still more!

2007-07-04T00:11:00.000-05:00

More...

2007-07-04T00:09:00.000-05:00

Providence Children's Museum

2007-07-04T00:06:00.000-05:00

Just some photos of our trip to the Children's Museum in Providence. We spent about 5 hours there! The kids had a blast and as you can see...we had it pretty much to ourselves at times!

Wedding

2007-07-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Just a bunch of photos from the wedding...what fun to attend a beach wedding! The wedding was right outside the resturant where we ate...so we didn't have far to go. The kids had a blast! Gavin with the sand and Malin dancing the night away!

Vacation!

2007-07-01T16:42:00.001-05:00

We are at Cape Cod for a wedding! Lots of fun! Lots of photos to upload, but, we forgot a card reader...so, look for those later!