Our family news

divide and conquer

2011-10-17T11:46:00.002-06:00

Last weekend our clan divided and Jeff and Charlie went to soccer, camping with boy scouts, and hiking--whew! During the campout Charlie got to shoot bows and arrows, bb gun rifles, scavenger hunt, and launch tennis balls from a big slingshot. They also had a bonfire and the next day hiked the cascades to a waterfall. The rest of us headed to Athens for homecoming at Ohio University and time with grandparents and Kelly's crew. The kids enjoyed the parade complete with candy and bead necklaces followed by a picnic at the park. We then headed out to the football game which was fun. Armed with megaphones and a pom pom Cameron and Heather cheered their way through the game. Cameron and Kathryn also enjoyed naps when the game was slow. After the game we stayed for the bands which the kids loved. Heather and Kathryn and I swayed while Cameron perfected his pointing dance and Adam walked around...it was a busy but very fun day!!

pumpkins and apples

2011-10-17T11:17:00.002-06:00

We met up with baby Adam and his parents for some apple and pumpkin picking as well as some rscing through a hay bale maze. Where we parked the kids found a mule and 4 or so goats that they could feed. While timid at first they warmed up and made friends with them. Walking over to the pumpkin patch the kids raced through a hay bale maze--taking cameron through nicely at first then all three racing arounf and playing tag. At the pumpkin patch we searched for pumpkins and attempted some group pictures. Trying to get five kids to look one direction and share their pumpkins was quite a feat!! Once the perfect pumpkins were chosen we headed out to the apple trees for some apple picking. As we were walking the kids walked through some sticky things that got on the kids pants. When they saw them they started panicking, got distracted from finding apples and obsessed with getting them off. Finally they got back to apples and we picked a large bag of tasty ones. On the return walk to the car the kids got obsessed with collecting as many stickies on their pants as they could. Who knew that would be their favorite part of apple picking?! We headed back to Kelly's for the night and then home the next day.

hapy 6 mos kathryn

2011-10-17T10:03:00.005-06:00

It is unbelieveable that Kathryn is 6 months old already. She is such a good baby--always going from place to place for siblings school, activities and little trips. She's so smiley, especially to her siblings, and loves to be held or played with. Kathryn is ready to get moving and wiggles around the room but hasn't gotten up to crawl just yet. She loves her wonk-wonk guys and everything goes in her mouth. She's not that interested in eating but is growing--17lbs 4 oz at her 6 month appointment. You grow girl!!

happy birthday/anniversary

2011-10-17T09:55:00.003-06:00

We celebrated lots of things the end of Sept. We doubled up Jeff's birthday and our anniversary with a very rainy and slightly cold Tech/Clemson game attended by only Jeff, Sara and Kathryn. The game wasn't great but we had fun nonetheless. I kept looking for the other kids during the game.

hat tricks for all!

2011-10-01T11:56:00.002-06:00

Heather and Charlie are doing awesome at soccer. Last week they each scored three goals in their games. Heather's second goal was a misdirected pass (she meant to kick it more to the middle of the field but it went behind the goalie instead!).

Go Hokies!

2011-10-01T11:45:00.003-06:00

We have had some football adventures this fall. Before the season started we went to a team autograph signing and Charlie and Cameron got their t-shirts signed by probably 80% of the team--hitting the big quarterback, receivers, and runningbacks up for their signatures. Headed out to the first game with Jeff's mom we were sure to scalp some tickets however we were not so lucky. We secured two tickets for a good deal, then went to tailgate with some friends and try again later. After some fun tailgating no tickets besides one student were to be found so Jeff, Grandma, and Charlie headed into the stadium and the rest of us rode our bikes home (it's the best way to travel to the games!). It ended up being a very hot day and the little two would have melted quickly so it worked out for the best. The second game we headed to with tickets for all. Heather had two friends who we sat with so they spent some time watching the game and some time braiding each other's hair. The rest of us enjoyed the game and the flyover prior. Tonight Jeff, Kathryn and I are headed for the Clemson game--our last of the season I'm pretty sure. Some of the funnest game moments are when Cameron gets really excited and cheers, Charlie's commentary and questions, and Heathers interest more in the band and helping Cameron find the Hokie bird.

Happy birthday Cameron

2011-10-01T11:12:00.004-06:00

Cameron celebrated his birthday (Sept 15) a few times which made him happy. Aunt Kelly and Adam came over on Saturday before his birthday to share in some monkey fun. He wanted a monkey party so we had his one friend over and partied it up with a monkey cake, hand the banana to the monkey and I hid 6 bananas outside so the kids could find them. He had a good time and enjoyed his singing and cake. For his real birthday we were pretty busy so he opened a few presents in the morning, had a picnic lunch at the duck pond (from BW3's--get it!!), a few more presents opened on skype with Grandma and Grandpa, and finally his oreo ice cream cake after the soccer/football practices. He's so proud to be 3, show 3 fingers and do everything now in 3's. He also finally decided to mostly cooperate with using the potty and is doing pretty well. Accidents happen but we're proud to be in Buzz Lightyear and Lightning McQueen most of the day!!

happy 5 months Kathryn

2011-09-01T19:49:00.003-06:00

Kathryn just refuses to stop growing and celebrated 5 months two days ago. I can't believe how big she's getting with her many rolls and chunky things (don't worry girl I'm right there with you :-)). She's so happy and easygoing and always has a smile for her siblings who are always talking to her and trying to get her to laugh. She's such a sweet baby and I can't imagine not having her around.

football and fiddles (ok viola!)

2011-09-01T19:44:00.002-06:00

Charlie started flag football today (soccer yesterday) and he had a great time. He listened so well to the coach and actually threw the ball pretty well (who knew?!). After her first soccer practice Heather and Jeff went to pick out a string instraument for participation in the "strings project" here at the college. She picked the viola and couldn't wait to get home to practice--even though she hadn't been shown a thing!! Hope she enjoys it!!

preschool

2011-09-01T19:39:00.002-06:00

Cameron got to meet his teacher on Monday and Wednesday went to school for the first time. He was so excited to put on his new outfit, big boy pants, and get to school. He was a bit tentative but armed with his lunchbox (which he didn't need) he headed in, washed hands, and put his crayon by his name. With a hug for mom and a hug for dad we left and he was fine :-). He was so happy when we picked him up and said he had fun on the playground and stories with the teacher. Yeah for Cameron on his first day of preschool!

Ohio

2011-08-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

After the lake we picked up Christopher and headed for Ohio. The kids love seeing their family so it was a great 3 days of fun for them. They immediately gave Adam tons of attention and lots of hugs to grandma and grandpa. Saturday started out with some tennis against grandma's wall which the kids love to do--more balls go over the roof and into the gutter but I'm beginning to suspect that's part of the fun. Saturday afternoon we went to a memorial service for a "grandpa" like figure in our Athens lives. It was just the way Al would have wanted it to be and I'm pretty sure he was marching right out of the church after the trumpets which were playing "When the Saints go Marching In". Sunday we had a party for Adam's first birthday complete with party hats, cake and presents. While Adam liked his presents he wasn't so much into his baseball shaped cake--but we all enjoyed it! Sunday night we took the dad's to a Copperheads game in the rain. The kids had fun and did not want to leave despite being wet and a bit cold. Monday we hung around the house and the kids had more time to play outside, games, and more tennis balls against the wall. Despite grandpa's issues he seemed to enjoy having the kids around and always enjoys Cameron's hugs and smiles. We headed for Blacksburg on Tuesday for a quick turnaround before our next adventure.

off to the lake!

2011-07-30T06:19:00.002-06:00

We started the summer with a trip to Jeff's Aunt's lakehouse. We drove through and visited my parents for a night, dropping off the truck on the way. Kathryn was less than thrilled with the trip and we stopped 4 times on what is usually a 1 stop trip. The trip to Indy the next day was better and we arrived to meet Jeff's cousin and her two boys. While we were there the kids had a great time on the boat and off. All three bigger kids enjoyed tubing and the chant was faster, faster from all of them. Heather and Charlie enjoyed most getting to go without an adult. They also enjoyed the relaxation station which became a launching point into the lake. The weather wasn't perfect but Uncle Bill offered some Angry Birds as entertainment. Jeff's mom came down for a quick visit which is always enjoyable for the kids. The last afternoon we were there they Jeff's cousins brought back the boys and two girls and we had a party of 8. The kids had a great time giggling through dinner, playing on the tubes (although it was a bit hard for so many to share!), and having a movie night complete with popcorn. As always we had a great time at the lake--eating great food, being spoiled on the boat and having some time to relax while the kids played together. Thanks to Jeff's aunt, uncle, and cousins for sharing their piece of paradise, and his mom for coming down as well.

kathryn rolls over

2011-07-26T15:14:00.002-06:00

Since I'm terrible with baby books I have to note on here when exciting things happen so that someday maybe I'll go back and fill dates in in the baby book. So Kathryn will be 4 months in a few days and when I came in from her nap she was on her back--and I put her on the front...so I gues today would be the day she rolled over, front to back, for the first time...

Summer begins

2011-07-12T19:41:00.002-06:00

Charlie finished up baseball to start the summer. He played first base a bunch of times and finally got the hang of it. His first attempt he covered the middle of the base so the coach showed him to stand on the edge and hold his glove out. The next batter hit it right toward Charlie but he ran right to first and put his glove up as the ball rolled by! It was classic...By the end of the season he was fielding and heading to first very well to await the throws that inevitably went well over his head. He had been dying to play catcher and finally got to for the last game. Charlie's hitting picked up again at the end of the season--he really seemed to enjoy baseball this year. With the pool open the kids have been enjoying dips in the pool on a regular basis. Cameron is a little timid but enjoys his time with dad in the pool. Heather and Charlie are confident that they are excellent swimmers however they could use some stroke work for sure!

school year wrap up

2011-07-12T19:27:00.002-06:00

The kids had a great end to the school year. They ended the year with a field day that Jeff helped out with and various ice cream socials in their classes. Their teachers were wonderful and we will never forget Mr. Greenman and Ms. Trotter. Both said that the kids were great to have in their classrooms. Heather and Charlie had great classmates and we can only hope that they will be with many of them next year in their classes as they will both be promoted to the next grade.

mothers day

2011-05-19T13:28:00.005-06:00

As usual I was spoiled on Mother's Day. I got to sleep in then was greeted with crepes, cards, flowers and even a balloon! I got some time to blog and then weheaded out for a bike ride on the bike path. We went out for dinner which was a nice treat to end the day!

kathryn

2011-05-19T13:21:00.003-06:00

Kathryn is growing so fast--7 weeks old yesterday! She is starting to smile although she won't smile for the camera (join the group). She is well loved by her brothers and sister and they still enjoy her very much--although the request of "out her down" is heard from Cameron and the occasional "you only pay attention to Kathryn" is heard by Heather but mostly they love her. She is so sweet, a pretty good sleeper and an excellent snuggler!! Jeff is enjoying his break from school and is spoiling us with his extra time and attention!!

spring soccer

2011-05-19T13:14:00.003-06:00

Heather and Charlie have had a great spring playing soccer. Heather plays with the same kids from fall--such a nice group and much more competitive with the other teams. Heather has done well and seems to have a good sense of positioning (at least on offense!) She got a goal in the last game and has been in position most games to score, she needs a big kick! Charlie also loves to play and is with his best buddy on the black bats this time. since it's 3 on 3 with no goalie Charlie scores frequently. Cameron has been a trooper heading to all the sports activities and cheers for his brother and sister--mimicking the cheers of those around him--including any coaching Jeff might be offering, "heather push up"

easter

2011-05-08T10:44:00.003-06:00

The kids had a nice easter weekend deciding which egg hunts to attend and spending time with their cousin adam. We attended the community egg hunt at the park where they were overwhelmed with eggs. We headed home for a quick lunch then off to the hokies spring game. The egg hunt there was not so great--no eegs for even the fastest hunter heather :-( but the hokies won the game and the kids had fun. The kids were up early and ready to explore their Easter baskets and hunt for eggs! Outside there was first a frenzy--then some egg finding burnout!

visits by the grandparents

2011-05-08T10:07:00.004-06:00

Kathryn has had lots of visitors which has been so much help to the family. The kids have had a lot of fun with the extra attention and helping hands. Cameron has twisted them around his tiny fingers with please of chocolate milk and books to be read.

welcome kathryn!

2011-05-08T09:59:00.003-06:00

So on Charlie (and Sandy)'s birthday baby Kathryn was born. It took all day--longer than the others--but a very easy delivery (thanks to modern day epidurals!!) and we had our beautiful baby girl. Kathryn Caroline weighed in at 8 lbs 7 oz--the smallest of our 4--and came out crying which was such a blessing. Everything went so smoothly and after so much worry everything was fine! Grandma and Grandpa were there to welcome her at the hospital and Jeff's mom brought the kids up the next day to see Kathryn (they even got to miss school). Since she was born at 10:59 p.m. the kids went with grandma's and grandpa to chuck e cheese instead of coming to the hospital (i don't think they minded too much). Kelly came over the following day so Kathryn had a room full of family to start off her little life. She had a full head of hair and was a nice tan (jaundice) and sooo cute!! She got to come home Friday morning but spent several days on a bili-blanket trying to de-tan herself. Otherwise very healthy she was 8-10 at her two week check up. Everyone is so happy to have her home and the kids always want to hold her, attend to her when she cries, and laugh when she does funny baby things (like poop and gurgle!).

Charlie's birthday

2011-05-08T07:48:00.003-06:00

Charlie got to celebrate 3 times (4?) for his birthday. The first week of march he had his best buddy in Blacksburg come over for a sleepover since he was going to be out of town for Charlie's party. We took the kids bowling and they had dinner, wii and a movie after. Charlie was very excited for his first "birthday" sleepover and it was a success. The weekend before his birthday he had a few friends over for a party, similar to heathers they did crafts, played a few games, and of course a football piniata was broken (before Heather got to hit it to her dismay). He chose a sports theme so a soccer ball cake and some football cupcakes topped off the snacks. My sister, Bryan and cute baby Adam came over to witness the chaos that was the "party" and celebrate the kids birthdays. We got to go out to BW3's for dinner (Charlie choice) and watch some NCAA tournament bkball (charlie's choice) to top off the night. Charlie then celebrated once more the day before his birthday, with his grandma hughes who shares his birthday, just in case baby Kathryn decided to be born on his birthday (which she did--next post!!). We went out to dinner, he opened presents, and blew out the candles on his birthday buckeyes--I was tired of cake and he likes buckeyes better anyway. Jeff's mom had angel food cake with strawberries. Charlie is happy to be 6--he can play football in the fall now and is a very smart, kind, and sensative 6 year old.

Heather's birthday

2011-05-08T07:40:00.003-06:00

Heather and Charlie have been anticipating their birthdays so much that they really seem to have forgotten that we will have a baby soon as well! Cameron is so excited for their birthdays because his is "next" little doe he know that September, while "next" is still quite far away!! Heather had a weekend birthday celebration starting with her first soccer game of the season. She did great and had a good time but her attention turned quickly to her party. Finally her friends came over for a party at the house--undersea was the theme and the girls all wore ocean/beach attire. They had a great time doing the crafts, playing the games, and eating cake. The hi-light of course was the dolphin piniata that Jeff made (again!). The girls headed home and one friend stayed for a sleepover. Heather woke up on her birthday with a friend already at hand to play with, crepes for breakfast and the whole day to decide what to do. Jeff took the boys to the Va Tech NIT tournament game (they lost) while Heather chose to go to lunch at subway and head to the mall to do a "paint your own" project that she had been dying to do for her birthday. She chose steak for dinner, blew out candles on her # 8 cake and went to bed a pretty happy newly 8 year old. Hard to believe 8 years have gone by so fast!

cameronisms

2011-02-16T20:50:00.002-06:00

Cameron is at a particularly funny stage right now and continually cracks all of us up. He can lighten any mood by being himself. One of our favorite things that he says is in response to being told he's funny, "not me funny. you funny. me just cameron." Heather and I like to suggest to him that he's awesome, our favorite, or the best (which he repeats back to us--you awesome, etc.) He is also into kisses--sometimes shaking them off when we give them, then other times saying, "me keeping it" and not shaking it off. Now he's into "rubbing it in"--to his own face or to our face when he gives the kisses. He loves to try to keep up with his brother and sister and certainly would not believe that he is only 2 if it were suggested otherwise. He loves to go to the ultrasound appointments with me and can identify the heartbeat and the "baby on the TV". Today he told me that he loves the baby which was particularly sweet.

another month goes by

2011-02-16T20:35:00.002-06:00

January and half of February have passed without any blogging along the way. A lot has happened during these months so I'll try to recap "for the record". Early January I took a quick trip to Texas to see my grandma and my parents who were also visiting. I had a nice time, got a few walks on the beach, and got to visit with my uncles and aunts who I hadn't seen in quite a while. I got to go on this trip solo and managed to finish 3 books along the way. While I was gone Jeff and the kids had a few snow days and made a trip to Ohio to see the kids cousins. As usual the report was that they had a great time together--it's so nice that they have cousins similar in age to play with. When I got back Jeff started his semester and the kids started a few more activities. As of today they finished swimming lessons and the kids made a lot of great progress with their strokes, unfortunately they aren't wanting to take any more lessons so we're done for now. Heather also started scrabble club with her teacher and Charlie continues 4-H. Cameron has started to enjoy going to the "gym" with dad and seems to be doing just fine with the ladies that work there. The kids got their second report cards and of course they were "perfect" in everything. We wonder how they can be soooo great at school but guess it's because they can let loose and be themselves at home. We've attended some winter sporting events including both mens (me and charlie) and women's basketball games against Longwood where uncle bryan works. We wore longwood attire under our Va Tech shirts to be semi supportive of both teams. Charlie, Cameron and Jeff are wrestling match buddies and it gained Charlie a new bike (which is Heather's size) which he won in a free raffle. The kids have enjoyed snow days, early release, and playing with friends and our neighbor. We enjoyed a laid back Valentine's day together with the usual homemade cards, flowers and some chocolate covered strawberries and raspberries as a special treat. We look forward to birthdays, visitors, and a new baby in the next few months.

christmas, new years, catching up

2011-01-08T20:30:00.003-06:00

Whew--I've been really terrible at blogging of late but to catch up as we've been having a LOT of fun! Kelly and Bryan brought Adam over the weekend before Christmas for a few projects and to hang out for a day. The kids of course love their baby cousin and we had fun handprinting sweatshirts for Grandma and Grandpa Mick despite Adam trying to eat some of the paint (it was only a touch to the mouth but it was so fast it surprised us all!). He seems fine and is not turning blue at this point. Some friends from SC came to visit for a couple days which was a nice distraction for the kids from the holiday excitement. It was great to visit with them and reminded us how much we miss our longtime friends but how quickly things kind of fall back into place. Jeff's mom came down two days before Christmas and then the elf himself managed to find our house. Heather wrote a sweet note, Charlie managed a thank you for the gifts comment along with his wish list, and Cameron just kept saying that santa was coming to his house. Of course Christmas morning was great and we actually had no storming out of the room this year-probably b/c the kids got WAAAAY too much stuff which they loved! Christmas night it was off to have dinner with Kip, his fiancee, and his parents which was a nice way to spend some of the evening.

Battling the snow we headed to Athens for a Mickelson Christmas. The kids again enjoyed opening presents and visiting with baby Adam, Kelly, Bryan and tackling Christopher while getting spoiled by Grandma and giving Grandpa lots of hugs. The kids always love being around family for any occasion and it's especially nice when everyone can be together for holidays or other occasions. Despite having only a bit of snow the kids had a good time sledding down the hill that my siblings and I sled down as kids. We headed on to Cincy for new years with some MS friends at CoCo Keys "resort". The waterpark was a great size for the kids and safe enough that the kids could kind of roam a bit on their own. The kids loved seeing their friends and were best of buddies almost all the time we were together. New Year's Eve the kids played at the waterpark and stayed up until 11:45 (cameron) and post midnight for the other two. We traded kids so they could have "sleepovers" in the hotel room and they even slept in a bit in the morning!!

visits with Santa

2010-12-11T20:26:00.002-06:00

We've enjoyed getting into the holiday spirit with a few christmas activities. Prior to Heather's participation in the coldest Christmas parade I have ever seen we stopped for our first Santa visit. Heather and Charlie were happy to sit with him, take pictures and tell him what they wanted. Cameron settled for a five and stood next to the kids (with me not far off) for a picture. The next day Santa was at K-Mart and the kids again talked with him briefly. Since no one was around Cameron studied him for a bit and decided that he would give it a go and sat with him. He was fascinated with the beard and soft suit and pretty cute. This morning the kids school had a breakfast with Santa and we enjoyed pancakes served by elves and reindeer. Santa made his appearance and the kids waited for a visit. Cameron decided he would go first of our crowd and headed right over to sit in his lap. Very cute and I think there may be a picture of all the kids to share. Believe it or not we've actually done some non-santa christmas things including packing boxes for Operation Christmas child for 3 kids our kids ages and making cookies with mom and grandma.

telling the kids "it's a girl"

2010-12-11T20:23:00.002-06:00

So we took the kids to a restaurant to tell them about the baby. Jeff had them guessing at different things we might get them for their birthdays in March..."A pet" from Charlie, "close but not a pet" said Jeff, "a person?" from Heather. "yes" from Jeff. Heather looked at my belly, to my head, back down and up with a great, undescribeable look on her face and I started cracking up. Charlie caught on a few seconds later and they were thrilled to find out it was a girl. Heather would have been "not excited at all" if it had been a boy. Now they're busily trying to figure out names and talking about when the baby will come, how long mom will be in the hospital, and who can come stay with them while we go through that time. It's pretty exciting and hopefully we'll find out soon how the baby is doing.

Time flies

2010-12-11T20:12:00.002-06:00

I guess we've been busy or I don't have as much good computer access as I used to!! We have been very busy since my last post, enjoying time with family and few weekends alone at home (which has been nice actually!) We took a trip to Athens for a 24 hour stint with my parents which included a basketball game and trip to the park in addition to fun time with grandma and grandpa. The next weekend we headed to my sisters for another 24 hour stint which also included a basketball game, some leaf jumping, another park, and pizza. The kids just love their baby cousin Adam and want to hold him, talk to him, and smother him at all times. Luckily he's somewhat used to it at daycare and he is a great sport about it. We tried to get some cute pictures in the leaf pile of all the kids together but there was minimal cooperation on any part so the pics were pretty limited...A few days later we headed to Cleveland for Thanksgiving with Jeff's entire family. It was nice to all get together and hang out. The kids had fun with their cousins, enjoying time at grandma's and also a museum the next day. Maybe down the road a sleepover will be in order! A 2 am trip to ToysRUs increased the "holiday" feel and Jeff and I had some quality bonding time with the other crazy people (we did stay up playing games with his family prior to that!!) Aside from our weekend trips to family the kids are still doing gymnastics (H), Basketball (C), and 4-H both to stay busy.

Halloween

2010-11-01T20:40:00.004-06:00

Prior to the actual trick or treat night we enjoyed some pre-halloween festivities. A few weeks ago we met up with my sister and parents at a pumpkin patch and the kids had a great time at some of the little activities, picking pumpkins and shooting others out of a pumpkin cannon and corn shooter. They loved seeing their cousin and we got some cute pictures of the crew. The kids picked out costumes, Heather a witch, Charlie a Bakugan draganoid, and Cameron a lion. We tested out a few trick-or-treats following their school parties (cute!!) including one at the greek houses on campus, the main street of town, and then the "traditional" neighborhood outing. The kids had fun each time, the first two on our own and in the "hood" with a few different friends. Cameron had no fear going up to houses and did pretty well with his thank you's when prompted. He was a cute little toddling lion although he mostly did not want his hood up so he was in his natural "mane" most of the night.

soooo behind in blogging

2010-11-01T20:32:00.002-06:00

We've been so busy and Cameron doesn't like for me to get the computer out so blogging has become a non-entity in our life. We have been picking up more and more activities and our week includes 4-H after school for both kids, gymnastics for Heather, soccer for both, and girl scouts for Heather. The kids have loved soccer and seem to be developing pretty well. Charlie has a go to the goal mentality while Heather is looking for a pass or kicking the ball ahead all the time. We celebrated Jeff's birthday on a rainy day which ruined our park and picnic plans. Then our anniversary (10 years) plans were also shot when the b&b that we wanted to have breakfast in (the same one we did two days after our wedding!!) turned out not to do breakfast. Still it's been a great 10 years--probably deserves a post on where we've been and some statistics--maybe for 15! We've also enjoyed a few football games and tailgating. The kids have had fun, especially at the second game where we sat with some friends in the end zone seats which were great! Cameron is especially taken with the mascot and seems to spend most of the game looking for him and making sure that all are aware of his location. Despite his interest we haven't been able to get a "hi-5" out of him at the soccer games where we've come close to it. Jeff's been busy with school but has a very flexible schedule and can spend a lot more time at home or doing stuff with the kids. We are loving fall, a few weeks ago took a very nice hike to a waterfall and the kids seemed to have fun skipping along, sliding through a little cave, and having a picnic by the waterfall.

soccer, soccer and more soccer

2010-09-18T09:19:00.003-06:00

Heather had her first soccer practice on Thursday and really enjoyed it. She joined right in with 8 other kids and a coach she didn't know and had no problem with the drills and learning the skills. She had her first game Saturday morning and was really excited. She did pretty well, hesitating a bit when she gets close to someone with the ball but did a nice job kicking it ahead a few times and passing to her teammates. With only 6 kids on the field it is much easier to keep them spread out and passing the ball. Unfortunately the other team was quite good and scored a lot on Heather's team. Although she got frustrated she would just keep at it and had fun. Charlie had his practice and game on Friday night. They practice for 30 minutes and then play after that. He got off to a slow start but scored about 5 goals over the corse of the next two quarters (not that we were counting ;-). For the last quarter he played Jeff told him he had to play defense and pass over the center line to his teammates. He did a great job and really prowled the center line keeping the other team off his side of the field. (they did sneak by once for a goal!!). Playing 3 on 3 with no goalie gives the kids a nice chance to all touch the ball and feel a part of the game. We followed up Charlie's game with a trip to the women's and mens soccer game. The kids had a good time and Heather had all the girls sign a poster with the soccer team on it (the giveaway for the day). The game was exciting and the kids really got into it. We only stayed for a short bit of the men's game and it was fun as well.

Happy Birthday Cameron!

2010-09-18T09:14:00.003-06:00

A bit late but better than never! Cameron turned two on the 15th of Sept. He got a double party, celebrating with Grandma and Grandpa Mick as well as Kelly and Adam. He loved blowing out candles and moved quickly from one present to another. He is a very happy guy--loving attention from his brother and sister and doling out big brotherly love for his baby cousin. Cameron can say so many words I can't even count. He pretty much has a word for everything--and most of it can be understood. He will start to go on a tangent and say lots of words together which is a bit hard to follow. He also figured out how to actually jump and get both feet off the floor and it's fun to watch him demonstrate his new skill. Cameron asks about his brother and sister and dad at least 10 times a day, when I tell him they're at school then he decides we should wait on the porch for the bus to come. They get BIG hugs from him off the bus and he is delighted to have them back home. He likes to walk them to school each day and gets mad if he doesn't get a goodbye hug. We had a second family party with an ice cream cake (the first non-homemade cake any of the kids have gotten for a birthday!) that Jeff and Cameron picked out and candles. We shared cake with the neighbors for a sort of celebration.

first day of school

2010-08-30T13:23:00.002-06:00

Today was the kids first day of school. They got up pretty excited, had a decent breakfast and stood for a few pictures before heading out to meet up with our neighbor to walk to school. They were both nervously excited to get to their classroom but went in/sat down at the table with no fuss or looking back. Cameron and I then walked Jeff to his class and headed home for a bit before Jeff and a highschool friends family came to walk around campus a bit. Jeff's schedule is great right now as he hasn't gotten in too deep with work and can be home much more than usual. The bus should be bringing the kids home soon so we can hear all about their day ;-) I made them each their own pencil cake to celebrate their first day at school.

catching up with life

2010-08-30T13:06:00.002-06:00

We've been very busy since we've moved back to the states. We spent a weekend in Ohio with my parents, brother and sister (and new baby!!) to celebrate my dad's retirement and birthday. It was great to spend time with family although challenging at times as well. The kids love spending time with their grandparents and enjoyed some time for tennis, gardening and playing on the cement by the house. The retirement party was nice and people had very nice things to say about dad as a leader and friend. He had an unprecedented number of years as director (Ok so there was only really one director before him but still...) and did great things for the program as well as his staff. Cameron loved to climb up in my dad's lap and give him hugs--it was really cute--a bit overwhelming for dad at times but much love was offered by cameron. We had a nice picnic for his birthday including some swimming and fun.

We then headed back to our house for a few days before my brother came back east to visit. It was great to have him swimming with the kids and he even set up a tent and they "camped" for a night. Kelly even came over for an overnight with Adam which the kids loved, "Adam coming to my house" cameron said over and over. After we sent them off we headed back to my parents for a night and then up to Mt. Vernon for a birthday party for the kids cousins. They had a great time playing with kids and getting to know their cousins better--never takes long since they are so close in age and they are fast friends. We then headed back home to get ready for the first day of school!!

2 busy 2 blog

2010-08-13T12:41:00.002-06:00

We've been so busy unpacking and exploring our new home and town that I haven't had time to blog. We've had the help of Jeff's mom unpacking and playing with the kids. We've done a lot of typical moving stuff, buying new cleaning supplies, brooms, food, and a few fun things--a big TV, surround sound and loft bed for Heather. We drove through the rain, bought a tarp on the way, loaded it (fortunately not in the rain) and drove through a huge thunderstorm on the way back. Now it's drying in the garage. I forgot how cool (and kind of scary) thunderstorms are when you can see the lightening off in the distance. We are now spending time with my parents to celebrate my dad's birthday and retirement. The kids love being with grandma and grandpa--especially Cameron who will go over to my dad and try to climb up in his lap and just give him hug after hug. Dad's not quite sure what to do with him but it's so cute to see ;-) The kids got a chance to go to the park this morning and then tried out the slip and slide and pool my mom got for them to play with.

cousins and a new home

2010-08-05T06:55:00.004-06:00

We headed for Kelly's to meet baby Adam and the kids couldn't have been more excited. Charlie jumped out of the car and both were running for Kelly's house "baby adam here we come" they shouted. All the kids delighted in the chance to hold him and look at him. Even cameron sat so still as Adam was in his lap and he seemed so proud to have "his turn" to hold the baby. The kids slept terribly and got up early. We took Adam on his first park and beach adventure--he slept and ate his way through the whole thing. The kids had a good time at a cute state park with a lake that had floats and a slide. We took care of Adam while Kelly and Bryan went out to dinner and had a nice walk around unsucessfully looking for geocaches.

Tuesday afternoon we headed for our new house and the kids were again excited. They ran around the empty house looking at their rooms, playroom and the pool. They were so excited to get to try the pool that we had to get in as soon as we had unloaded the car. Jeff's mom came that evening. The next day our stuff from long storage was delivered and the kids loved finding toys and stuffed animals that they hadn't seen in a long time. We got all the boxes unpacked but have a few more moving around of things to do. The kids enjoyed a few dips in the pool and played with our new neighbor. So far the move has been very smooth and we are excited to start exploring our new space.

The Long Trip Home

2010-08-03T05:26:00.001-06:00

Friday morning everyone got up and we frantically finished shoving things into bags. Mid-morning we headed out for final errands and a trip to the park where Heather couldn’t overcome her fear of sliding down that darn pole. It will forever be unconquered!! Our friend made us lunch which was really nice, then Jeff and I headed over to a CE lunch before dropping off our bags. Sad goodbyes after final frantic packing…it’s always the kids who set me crying because they change so much! So a hug from Isabelle was all it took to start the waterworks. We said our goodbyes, one more picture in front of the house, and went to wait for the plane. At about 8 (we’d been there for 2 hours) they announced that the plane would not be leaving until tomorrow and to stick around for a showtime. An hour later we were heading for the Oceanview restaurant for a later dinner and an early showtime. We surprised a few friends, played some games and crashed late—another good “last” night in the Azores! Saturday we got to the terminal at 8, boarded a plane at noon and made it to Norfolk safely. The kids were pretty good on the plane ride as usual. We picked up our car and had dinner with a guy Jeff deployed with 3 years ago and then headed to the hotel to crash (well Jeff took Heather and Charlie swimming and Cameron and I crashed).

Final Countdown

2010-08-03T05:24:00.000-06:00

Our last few days on the island were great! The weather was pretty nice and we got to do the last few things that the kids had to do. Wednesday the kids played in the morning while I ran some errands and we all went to the beach with several families. The kids had a good time and I even go in the water with Cameron—had to do it once before we moved!! After the beach we headed for one final bullfight at a friends in Fontainish which was really fun—definitely a great thing to get in before we left. I ended the evening with one more glee night and then crashed! Thursday—Our last full day on the island we took a few spirit house pictures of the kids, got t-shirts and looked for kindereggs (none to be found) before heading back to base so the kids could play with friends. When we got back we went to a park on base for a picnic then to library time where they did the final library summer program day. It was fun—the librarians Anna and Anna are awesome and we will miss them. Finally dinner at a friends and games, games, games at our house.

making the most of our time

2010-07-27T16:35:00.002-06:00

Friday we made the most of a beautiful day playing outside at a few parks, Heather had her last day of summer school and we celebrated with a picnic lunch. Friday night we took the kids to the pool party on base. Cameron loves the water and can’t wait to play in the pool that we’ll have at our new house. Jeff tossed him up in the air and Cameron would go under and come up sputtering but want more. The other two kids did great swimming around on their own with friends or sliding the slide or off the diving board. There was a raffle for prizes and we won four of the eight prizes (our friends that we came with also won two). Not that we really needed anything but it was kind of fun to win—now where to fit those giant darth vadar m&m guys in our bags…Saturday we packed in a lot of fun starting with a water birthday party in the neighborhood. All the kids got along great and played for hours with water, balloons, slip-n-slides and more. We will really miss the fun neighborhood activities that we’ve become used to over the past 6 years of base life. After a bit of rest we headed out for exploring around the rocks in Porto Martins and our last dinner at a fun restaurant which ended up being full. We managed to console the 5 kids and head to Praia for dinner at another little place. Sunday we did a bit more organizing and then headed out with some friends to a few geocaches and the Angra park. Again the kids played for hours (not quite as peacefully but still very well) before heading out to find a geocache (Which we did not find) and then home for dinner. We found our neighbors playing a game so we crashed their house for games. Yesterday we played around the house then went down to the pidgen park which was on Heather’s “to do” list. Today we headed to a cook out at a new families house in Biscoits. They had a pool and a beautiful view so everyone had a lot of fun! It is a beautiful place here and we will miss it a lot! (oh yeah and we will miss our friends a lot too!!)

fitting it all in

2010-07-22T14:34:00.003-06:00

We're trying to fit in everything the last few weeks we're here. Friday Jeff and I decided to go out on a date for one last time and left the kids to go to a movie with a sitter (cameron sat in her lap the whole Shreck 4 and they all got to see the whole movie!!). We chose a place called the whale restaurant (it has a Portuguese name) because there's a huge whale diving through the outside wall and two dolphins hanging from the ceiling. We sat with a view of Angra and the ocan and enjoyed a delicious "steak on a tile" where we got to cook the delicious steak ourselves. It was probably the best meal (and most expensive) that I've had on the island. After we went to walk the walking strip in Praia and got a crepe with ice cream and caramel--it was DELICIOUS!! A beautiful night with the waves crashing-I am quite certain we will never stay in a place like this again...Saturday we took it easy and cleaned in the morning when it looked a bit questionable outside. Our friends had a going away type cookout and the kids played and played with their friends. Saturday night the kids had two friends over to spend the night and had a great time. In the morning we all headed for a park that the kids wanted to hit one last time, had a picnic, and then enjoyed the beach. We finished up with more playing outside.
Heather is enjoying the last week of summer "school" and had parents day today where we got to see what she had been doing. Charlie and I got the turtles ready to go to his teacher at the Santa Rita school where they wil l live their happy turtle lives. The kids were sad but knowing they were going to some other kids made it better. We've eaten with friends several times this week and have enjoyed a few game nights and just hanging out. We took all the kids and three sets of friends and their kids to the whale restaurant on Tuesday night so that they could enjoy. It was great and Heather was overwhelmed with the coolness of the place.

baby Adam

2010-07-14T03:06:00.002-06:00

My sister had a baby two weeks ago and he's a cute little red-head with doting mom and dad and grandparents. We can't wait to see him in a few weeks until then we've gotten to see him on skype and the kids (especially cameron) like to say "hi" and point to him. Cameron is pretty good at identifying "be be a um" on the computer and now most babies in books are "be be a um". I can't wait to see what he does when he sees the real thing! Congrats to kelly and Bryan and we can't wait to see you guys ;-)

easy mondays

2010-07-13T03:26:00.002-06:00

The kids have settled into playing all over the place on nice sunny days. I usually keep up with everywhere they are but with cameron napping and trying to get a few things done today I lost track. So nice to live in a place where I can let them just go from house to house and run around the neighborhood without worrying that something will happen. The kids are really enjoying their last few weeks on the island. I got to go out with the girls for dinner last night to a restaurant right on the water looking over split rock. We got chicken in a tile and they use roof tiles (not used ones) to cook the food and it was really good! Cool presentation and a nice time with friends who I will really miss (and know that because of the friends that have already left that I miss ;-(). We had a bit of trouble finding the place and stopped along the way to ask a lady with a pot of beans if she could give us directions. She spoke enthusiastically in Portuguese and then got a guy driving a truck to give us directions...you just go this way and then left and it's right there down. Clear as mud--we found it with no problem and a lot of laughs!

sleepover, friendship parties and the island from top to bottom

2010-07-11T16:44:00.002-06:00

Heather and Charlie are trying to have as much friend time as possible so Heather had 3 friends spend the night on Friday. They played outside a lot and enjoyed High school musical as they sang and danced out of tune and off beat--the best way that 7 year olds can. It was very cute and Heather will really miss her friends from the island. Charlie spent a lot of the evening with a neighbor friend as well but decided not to spend the night--although he was enticed to stay with the offer of the wii. Saturday we took it easy and the kids got ready for their "friendship" party. They decided that the "going away" party they wanted to have should be changed to a friendship party. So the usual gang got together and we called it a special party so that Heather and Charlie could feel celebrated. The kids played outside and made friendship bracelets with pipe cleaners and beads. Did I mention that Cameron has pink eye--oh yeah! His assumed allergies seem to actually be pink eye according to our new neighbor the optomitrist. The kids had a great time and lots of fun was shared by the adults as well. I told one of them it was just a cookout and Heather responded, "it might just be a cookout for the adults but it's a PARTY for the kids".

Sunday we got off to a late start but accomplished some new island things (hard to believe that's possible on this little tiny place). We tried to go on a beach that we hadn't been on since last summer but it was closed (due to flood damage in the winter we think) so since it was clear we headed up to the top of Santa Barbara--the tallest point on the island--a volcano. It was pretty cool to be able to see all around the island almost in any direction to the water from a few different vantage points. The kids took pictures of each other and us and we headed to check out the inside of a different volcano. The Algar do Carvo is one of the few volcano's that you can actually go inside and see out the top. We went there with Heather's class and decided to take the rest of the family. It was very cool as anticipated. We headed back home for a short time and the kids played in the neighbor's sprinkler which was lots of fun for a few minutes. Jeff picked up a new couple to the base and we took them into Praia to walk on the beach, dip toes in the ocean and have some ice cream on the walking street. Dinner from the chicken house completes a great day!

On a Cameron note he is becoming very stubborn and exhibiting his free will more and more by running the other direction when told to stop. Throwing things when told "no". and doing just whatever he wants most of the time...with a smile on his face. He's cute but trouble--hopefully his will will become a bit more tamed and will mesh a bit more with mine...

happy fourth of july!!

2010-07-04T17:26:00.003-06:00

We had a great day--started off by everyone sleeping in until about 7:45 after going to bed at 8 last night (we were a tired group!!). We enjoyed some pancakes and the kids played outside a little before lunch. Jeff took Heather and Charlie to the pool for a couple of hours while Cameron took a nap. After showers we headed to our neighbors for a cookout of delicious food and friends. We really kicked off the day around 6 when we headed for the fourth of July festivities on base which included bouncy castles, face painting, bands, dancing, and lots of food choices (i chose funnel cakes!). The kids had a blast running around with their friends and enjoying the safety that we feel here to allow them to have fun without seeing them every second. Eventually the fireworks show started and like last year here it was great. It's so fun to share the "freedom celebration" with so many friends and people in the military with music and enthusiasm that our little base offers. We had a blast and thanks to all our friends we shared it with--especially those that have spouses deployed right now. Heather made it through with flying colors, Charlie would have fallen asleep if I had let him and Cameron was out but enjoyed the start of the fireworks.

Sao Miguel--by heather

2010-07-04T02:43:00.005-06:00

Heather kept a journal of or trip so we're sharing her version of our adventure--word for word with spelling corrections...

On the way to Sao Miguel
We were waiting for a boat to go to Sao Miguel. We waited and waited. Then the boat came. My dad drove the car in the boat. Then we got on the boat. The boat was so big and long. It took a long time to move. Then it started to move. It was a pretty view from the water. We san on some seats. Me and my mom watched for dolphins. then we saw a lot of dolphins. It was so cool. Then Charlie had daddy play the bean game. Then we saw more dolphins--like a group. Then we had lunchables. Then mom saw one dolphin. She told me and Charlie. I saw two, then three. And the most important thing of all...we saw a whale. It was really cool. I saw a dolphin by the whale. It was so cool. Then we saw a shadowy spot. It was the island. We went around the island and they stopped so we could get out. Then my dad drove the car where we were. Then we got to a house lomebody loaned us. I had some things to eat and I remembered I wanted to write in my journal. That's why I wrote this story.

The second day on Sao Miguel
First we were at the house. Then we got in the car. I was reading a book. We were in the car for a long time mom got out of the car. She took pictures of the flowers. Then mom got back in the car. It took a long time until we got there. I got out of the car and saw a beach because my dad said hat we couldn't go to that beach. so I got back in the car with my dad. We drove longer. Then we got out again and walked down some steps. Then we got to a beach. There was a cave. We climbed up rocks tto the cave. It was raining so we stayed in the cave for 15 minutes. Then we got out of the cave. We climbed down the rocks. When we got out of the cave we saw a waterfall. Then we went up some stairs and in to the car. Then we drove more. We got out of the car and went into a house. It wasn't any kind of house, it was a cave. We went down some stairs into a cave. We got to put on helments so our heads wouldn't get bumbed on a side of the cave. It was really cool. Then we went to the greenhouse. We saw pineapples.

The third day on Sao Miguel
First we went to the furnaces. We drove for a log time then we got there. We looked really close to them. It was really cool and stinky. Next we climbed a tree. We found three holes in the tree. There was a small one, a medium one, and a big one. Me cameron and charlie put our heads in the holes. Then we went to look at the humongous lake. Then we got some food. We got five plums and bread. Then we went over to the ducks. We saw ducks and one cat. Then we went back to teh car and drove to the pool. We got to the pool, mom and dad and cameron had to change into their baithing suits. Then me and mommy and cameron got into the pool. The pool was orange and hot. Me and mom and cameron swam to the middle of the pool. Then we got out of th epool. Then we walked around the lake and saw a waterfall. Then we changed into clothes. Then we went to see a lot of flowers. After that me and daddy and charlie stepped on rocks that were in the water. Then we ate dinner and went back to our house to take showers. Then we watched bakubon. last we went to bed.

The fourth day
First we got in the car. Then my mom told us a story about the princess in the shepherd. They cried for a long time becuase the princesses mother said she could not marry the shepherd. The shepherds cry was green. The princess's cry was blue. The we went where the princess and the shepherd cried. It looked like a lake. Then we went to a whale watch but it was cloudy. Then we ate lunch. Daddy asked if we watned to to to a natural swimming hole . Me and charlie said no. Then we went to the north side of the island but it was raining. Over in the north side of the island we looked for geocaches. Then we went to a rocky beach. Me and charlie and mommy and daddy and cameron found some shells. Net we drove some more. Then we got out of the car and looked at the pretty church. Then we looked for the geocache. Then we took pictures by the ocean. Next we say puddles. We played in the puddles. It was fun. Then we changed into our clothes. Then we went somewhere else to finda geocache but we didn't find a geocache. Then we ate dinner and went to bed.

**heather didn't journal the last two days but we tried to go to another lake and it was really foggy. We headed for a waterfall where we could swim. The water was supposed to be warm but it was cold. We drove up to the north coast and crashed a parade that consisted of lots of horses running through the streets with colorful decorations. Then we headed over to Nordeste where there were beautiful waterfalls, almost got the car stuck, and ate at a restaraunt all on our own. The last morning we went to swim in a pool by the ocean but had to wait for the guy to clean it and fill it with water which only was up to the kids knees when we had to leave. The boat trip back was rocky and no dolphins or whales joined the boat...

fathers day, "graduation", and packing

2010-06-24T17:47:00.003-06:00

We celebrated father's day with a typical island adventure! The kids helped with crepes and happily carried up their cards and his breakfast with hugs and kisses. We headed out with some friends to a bullfight in Angra however it was really hot and the kids were not as interested in the bulls running on the beach and in the water as they usually are so we scrapped that plan and headed for the beach. Cameron slept in the car for a while then joined his brother and sister who were happily playing in the sand and surf. We headed home after that for a dinner of steak kabobs to top off the day. The kids love spending time with their dad and enjoy all the adventures that he leads us on.

Charlie finished preschool on Wednesday with no real celebration. I told him we'd have one but it's been so crazy with packing (wednesday) that we didn't have time to celebrate. I taught him the song that heather sang (going off to kindergarten) but never got him to sing it for me as a "graduate". He had a very different pre-school experience than typically kids have, however I think he really enjoyed the Portuguese school that he went to with several friends. He spent his first day "off" playing with his friend and enjoying the beautiful sunny weather that we've been having. Heather spent her first week "off" at vacation bible school that the chapel on base held and she's had a great time. Despite not being in the same group as her friends she's come home every day to tell me all about what she's been doing and how great it was.

Our first shipment is packed and waiting for a boat to take it stateside. We shipped 3 crates but I'm not really sure what all was in them. The house is still cluttered and we seem to have what we need. This will be a less is more lesson to me--maybe we'll just keep it all crated until we move again ;-). Off to Sao Miguel (another island) tomorrow for more adventures!

lots of catching up to do

2010-06-06T16:16:00.003-06:00

We have been really busy and I've been terrible at blogging!! It's going to get crazier but to catch up on some fun things...

CHARLIE'S A TWO WHEELER
A few weekends ago Charlie wanted to go out and try his bike on two wheels. On a blustery drizzly day we headed out to the parking lot where Heather started on two wheels last year and he gave it a go. His bike is so low that he can touch the ground easily if he starts to lose his balance so once he figured out how to get started he was off. Jeff gave him a few pushes but before the video camera could even get rolling he was on his own with the biggest smile on his face! He still rides with lots of pride that he's mastered this two wheeling task but he's a little crazy with his riding and how fast he goes around our little circle so he's wiped out a few times.

HEATHER CHOICE DAY
Heather had a day off that Charlie still had school so she got to choose what to do. Although the day was again rainy we headed out for some geocacheing with another family. We found several caches and the kids and dads were quite persistent with trying to find them despite the chilly wind and rain. We had lunch with friends for her day of fun.

BASEBALL
Baseball came to an end last weekend. The kids both had a great time this season despite disliking practices. Heather was hitting the ball pretty well and was confident in the field. She got two hits in her last game and got to score twice so she was very happy. She played near the pitchers mound and wasn't quite quick enough for most of the balls that came her way but did seem to enjoy going after them and trying to make a play once she got one. Charlie's game was good as well. He seemed a bit distracted in the field when the other team was batting but he loved running the bases and made sure that I was watching with a "hi mom" and a wave when he headed up to bat. Jeff helped coach each team even though he wasn't "official" and the kids LOVED having dad in the action.

SWIMMING
The swimming pool has opened and Jeff's taken the kids a few times while Cameron's been sleeping. They have had a good time and both kids are going down the slide and off the diving board with no life jackets and even with Jeff standing on the side of the pool (practice so if I take them with Cameron on my own they know they can do it). While Heather played with friends last time Charlie put his face in and started stroking a bit. Mostly he doggie paddles to the side looking tiny in the big pool. This is great practice for when we move and have a pool (fenced) in the yard. Now if putting on sunscreen was so easy!!

FRIENDS
We've tried to spend time with friends as much as possible as they PCS out. It's very sad to say goodbye but we've learned that keeping in touch is possible and although the daily interaction is VERY missed we can still keep up with them and what their families are doing. Heather had her friend over to spend the night as she leaves this week and is planning her own going away party for later in July.

The weather is finally looking sunny around here so we're getting out and enjoying it as much as possible.

first grade field trip

2010-05-26T14:26:00.001-06:00

I got the pleasure of accompanying the first graders on a field trip to two of the caves on the island which turned out to be quite fun. We got to ride a school bus and Heather picked the very back seat for us to sit in. We toured through two caves on the island--the first was the only volcano that you can walk in (?) which was very coo. It was a cave formed when the volcano which is now extinct erupted and you could see out the top where the lava exploded. The second cave was the "gruto natal" which we had gone through with our family. Heather got to crawl through a small space along with some friends so she thought that was pretty fun. We then went to the gardens in Angra to have a picnic lunch and on to a volcano museum which was educational but not so interesting to the kids. We then wandered down to the marina for a short time where Heather played sharks and minnows with the boys--and she kept up pretty well. Apparently she has been participating at lunch time and is attempting to draw in the other girls to help her out. After a fun bus ride home I was ready to crash for the day.

pictures

2010-05-26T14:21:00.003-06:00

Our friend is a self-employed professional photographer (if he's not a "professional" he's good enough to be) and does stock photography which is generic pictures that magazines can use for a small fee--he gets a small fee for them through the website he uses. He has taken pictures of the kids and taken some of our family pics as an unofficial tradeoff. He took a nice family picture and some cute ones of the kids but the kids weren't cooperating with a picture together or with me (oh well). Otherwise we have some cute pictures which I'll probably try to post on facebook...After playing around in his studio and having lunch we headed down to the town below his house--Villa Nova where they were having one of the holy ghost festivals (you can google it to find out more) which are held each of the first 6 sundays after easter. They have huge loaves of bread that they hand out, wagons with food in them for family and friends, and wine that they just pass a cup around and refill--the guy stands there while you drink it which was a little unnerving...It was fun to walk around the Portuguese who were all dressed up and smiling and listen to the little band that was there. They really have fun with their small little festivals and celebrations. The kids liked the ice cream we bought them the best.

bye-byes, birthdays, and base ball

2010-05-22T13:47:00.002-06:00

We spent a lot of our time the last week with friends who left on Friday. We did dinners and games and lots of hanging out. Thursday was my birthday and I got the best of most worlds--the kids made cards which I opened along with a few gifts (wii remotes) while we ate breakfast and they got ready for school. Our friend watched Cameron while Jeff used his birthday pass (supposed to be for his birthday but why not use it on mine!!) and we went to Angra (the "big city" of the island) for some shopping and lunch. We found the oldest jewelry store on the island and I selected my "big" present--a lava rock necklace and earrings. We then wandered around a bit before heading out to a tile shop that we had found on the coast of the island. It was fun to just explore and stop to take pictures on the way back home without kids screaming and wanting to be home, hungry, etc. (although since Jeff and I explored so much and missed lunch we were kind of hungry). Then I got home and played with the kids a bit before heading out to Lucky Squares (bingo that can't be called bingo) with a few friends. Although I didn't win anything it was a fun way to spend the rest of the evening and Rory's last night on the island. Friday we put our friends on a plane and saw them off. I wasn't really too emotional until I hugged little Lanie (2 1/2) and thought about how different she would be the next time (if ever) we see them again!

Baseball on Saturday was great! It was a beautiful day and the kids were excited. Charlie had some good hits although he also missed the t like 6 times before hitting one (he NEVER misses so it was odd!). He also played first base and did pretty well. He got the ball once and ran over to first and then they threw it to him a few times and he picked it up and tagged first--although he was in no real hurry to do so. Heather had a great game also. She plays around a shortstop position (with all the kids playing the field it's a bit hard to tell exactly where she is...) The first ball that came her way she got and ran over to 2nd and touched the base just before the runner for the 3rd out of the inning! She was pretty happy with herself. She only got to bat once during the game but she made a nice hit (i think to the left of the pitcher) and made it to first. She then was safe all the way home on the next few hitters. She seemed pretty happy about the game. Saturday afternoon Heather went to a birthday party at the bowling alley and Charlie and I had a bowling date. It was fun and I even treated him to ice cream (that's how I got jeff!!) while bowling over 100 each game despite losing to charlie in the second game for the first 3 frames (no I wasn't using bumpers.)

bridging and going aways

2010-05-15T17:05:00.003-06:00

Some of our best friends here will be leaving in about a week which is very sad. We very much enjoy what the island has to offer but really almost anywhere the people make the experience great. They have been here since we moved in and both families went through deployments at different times with dad's stepping in as babysitters and surrogates as necessary. The kids have spent time probably 6 days a week together and we will REALLY miss having them around. Jeff's squadron had a going away for several people in the flight who will be leaving so we had lunch all together and then went out to dinner. It was nice to get out without the kids for a change and they were well taken care of while we were out. Today we got up and did a run with the kids--a kids run--where the kids went 1 mile. Charlie was due for the 1/2 mile but we kept both of them together and he and jeff outran heather and mom. Both kids ran almost the whole thing and seemed to have fun. Heather did an art project at the craft center which she enjoyed and then we headed off to the daisy bridging ceremony. Heather crossed over into brownies (very shyly and quickly) with several friends in a cute ceremony with the other girl scouts on the island. The kids and sara ended the day at a going away for Heather's scout leader and then a campout as a last hurrah!

mother's day and art show

2010-05-15T16:42:00.003-06:00

I enjoyed a nice mother's day last sunday starting off with banishment to my room. I was greeted downstairs to breakfast of smiley face crepes, eggs, and bacon with cards and a book from heather. It was a very nice start to the day then we headed to the duck pond to find a geocache which was nicely hidden in the green mossy rocks. With all the rain that we've had the stream was really pretty and the kids had some nice photo ops together. We headed home for a late lunch and cameron nap before heading out to a friends for dinner. Heather and a few girls posed for some pics to be used as possible stock photography--so keep your eyes out for her in magazines ;-). A friend showed us how to make pancit which Heather really liked so despite the effort it takes I will have to try to make it for her. It was a nice relaxing end to another busy day!

On Wednesday Heather's school did an art show and had an opening night with snacks and art displayed on the walls everywhere. The kids had a good time looking at their friends pictures and finding their own on the walls (We found 4 of Heather's and she said that they were only supposed to have 3!!) She was very proud of her work.

baseball, spelunking and bull fights

2010-05-08T15:19:00.002-06:00

We had a busy week filled with rain and sun mixed in each day--more rain than sun most days ;-( Charlie decided to stay at school all day most days and seemed to really like it so I got a few minutes in the afternoons to myself--and my friends laundry, dishes, dinner...My friend and I have started watching glee and are so addicted--this week we were the moms that get together and watch soaps (i've heard of them) but instead we caught episodes of glee. It was quality time for the kids to play together ;-). Friday Jeff and I went to a yummy asian heritage lunch and then the kids enjoyed the carnival at their school. Just a few games, bounce house. Heather and Charlie did the cakewalk and since jeff didn't know what was going on Charlie picked out some goodies while Heather played the game and actually won! They each brought home a plate of goodies that they "earned." I went out to dinner with some friends afterwards and had great food, company and crepes to top off the evening. I came home to find that Jeff and 3 husbands, and 10 kids had played games until about 10 and then all headed to bed. Apparently it was also boys night and kids night as well.

We started out today with some tired kids and rain which surely would cancel baseball but no. Charlie and the t-ballers were out there playing in the drizzle and wind. Charlie does great hitting the ball although the coach has to be reminded he is lefty (he hit pretty well righty the first game when no one told the coach...). His fielding needs a bit of work as he does not charge the ball and by the time it would get to him usually someone has picked it up and made the play. Apparently he made a nice play at first, picking up the ball and touching the base, however I was tending to cameron so i missed it. Heather followed and the sun had come out to join the game. She didn't get the ball in the field, only one came her direction and a faster boy went and got it--I think she was planning on picking it up if it had rolled 10 more feet...She hit a foul ball her first at bat but ultimately didn't get a hit in her allotted pitches. Her second at bat she made nice contact past the first baseman but wasn't quick enough to get to first before she got out. She was a little sad but seemed to be OK. Jeff decided it was a good day to take tired kids on a hike in a cave with a friend. When we got to the entrance of the cave and looked 20 feet down into a rocky black hole I decided that Cameron and I would not be making this adventure. Heather and Charlie armed with bike lights taped to their bike helments carried on into the cave with Jeff and our friend Rob. They had a good time until Heather bumped her head and they had to turn around. They were in some pretty narrow spots that the kids had to crawl so it sounded pretty impressive that they were able to brave it--not sure that I would have liked it even if I went and Jeff said definitely not for Cameron yet! Cameron and I explored around the entrance to the cave which was quite pretty and watched some doodle bugs crawl around. We ended the day with a street bullfight at a friend's house. Again it was pretty much a social event with a bull wandering through every so often--but still fun and full of Azorean culture. It was a VERY busy day and I am amazed that the kids made it through all of our activity seemingly without any trouble.

the rest of the weekend

2010-05-03T08:32:00.003-06:00

We continued our busy weekend saturday night, Heather Charlie and i made derby hats (after being inspired by some pre-derby coverage) to wear for the Kentucky Derby. They kids had a good time desigining with feathers, beads, foam, stickers and more. Unfortunately I read the times wrong and the derby wasn't on here until 10:20 so the kids watched a movie and fell asleep instead. We got up in the morning and decided to try out a hike that we hadn't tried. We hiked up Mount Brazil which was quite fun. With Cameron in the backpack we made it to the top with minimal complaining. We looked for a geocache along the way but couldn't find it. Then at the top there was another that we found, however it was just a small roll of paper in a film canister that we signed our names on. Heather was then VERY angry that we hiked all the way to write our names on a piece of paper and was a bit grumpy the rest of the way down. Cameron took a nice nap and then at the bottom the kids enjoyed some time at the Angra playground. They fell asleep on the way home and took a nap in the car with Jeff.

Opening Day

2010-05-01T15:50:00.002-06:00

Today was opening day for baseball here--Charlie started the day off with the longest inning of t-ball in history and did great batting but never got the ball hit near him in the field. He seemed to have fun and I think he enjoyed having Jeff out there helping out with the game. Cameron was a good spectator, clapping occasionally while munching on granola bars. My favorite part of the game was where Charlie ran to third and then looked behind him (where we were sitting) and gave us a classic "hi mom" wave with a big smile. Heather's team was next--back to back is kind of nice--she spent charlie's game running with her friends who also have siblings on the little team and warming up with her team before the game. She didn't get the ball hit near her in the field and got two at bats. The first time she swung at 5 pitches but didn't make contact (it's coach pitch). Despite my concern she wasn't upset and just headed back to the bench with a shrug and hi-fived her coach for effort. Her second at bat she hit the 4th pitch foul and missed the next--fortunately they gave her one extra shot for her foul ball and she got a little hit to the third base side. She was pretty excited and made it all the way to third on the next two hits. Both Heather and Charlie were pretty happy about their games and Cameron seemed to enjoy being out and about as well.

a week at home

2010-04-26T07:16:00.002-06:00

sure feels like a lot more but it's just been a week since we got back from our whirlwind trip to the states. We made it on the flight, then got delayed 12 hours (until 1 am) so we hung out at the BWI terminal at the USO and the upstairs play area with a family who was PCSing to Lajes. Jeff knew him from a few trainings and the kids got along well so it was nice to have company. We time adjusted eventually although it was kind of a rough road getting Cameron and Sara back to normal. Heather had her first t-ball practice on Thursday and did really well. Some of the kids told her she hit the ball farther than one of the older boys (she didn't but whatever) and she was pretty proud. It's coach pitch and she probably hit about 1/3-1/2 the balls pitched to her which was pretty good (the coach is apparently a better pitcher than I!!). She seemed to have fun although getting her to the field was kind of a challenge. We had the new family over for dinner a few times and helped them out with figuring things out and they were kind enough to offer to watch the kids when we had the chance to go to an arena bullfight. We took them up on the offer and had a nice time at the bullfight which was really interesting. Some of the guys (the most prestegious i think) rode on horses and tried to place a decorative spear in the bulls back (it's not as bad watching as it sounds). The horses were very impressive doing just what the guys asked them to do and only a few times got knocked by the bull and they were within inches many times. There were also matadors with the capes who distracted the bulls while the other guys entered and exited the ring. Finally there were these crazy people who lined up across from the bull, taunted it into charging and the the lead guy jumped on the bull literally catching it between the horns. The rest of the guys jump on the bull and the guy until submission. It was pretty crazy! Upon returning home we found that Cameron was nicely sleeping however Charlie had thrown up. That was the trend for the rest of the night--well actually cameron joined in a few times. Charlie was much better the rest of the weekend so we hit some birthday parties and time with friends who are leaving. Unfortunately Sunday night Heather decided to join the sick club so it was a rough start to the week.

house hunting

2010-04-17T07:51:00.002-06:00

We decided to try to travel Space A to look for houses at the college town where we will be living next summer. Unfortunately the planes got grounded that we had hoped to go on so we had to leave a bit later than expected. It negated the chance of getting to grandparents, however it ended up working out better because Sara's parents came down and stayed with us. The kids were soooo happy not to look at houses after only 1 day of looking--it would have been quite a struggle to get them through the other 7 houses we looked at. After looking at 3 terrible houses we looked at 2 good ones then a few more that were in locations we weren't sure about (just farther away). After a lot of deliberation we went back and gave a house one more look and made a decision. Along the way the kids got to try out some parks and spend time teaching grandma some new games. After settling on a house we headed on to my sister's house and spent about 24 hours with her and her husband before heading back to Baltimore to try to fly back. Currently we're waiting to see if we will keep the seats we have (3, 4, 5, 6, 7 out of 7 available) on the plane ;-)

easter

2010-04-17T07:38:00.002-06:00

We celebrated a rainy easter with an egg hunt and easter baskets. The night before Charlie said, "how does the easter bunny hop into the house?" Heather responded, "Well it's not actually a bunny--it's a person in a bunny costume." So close yet still so fun!! The egg hunt at the community center the day before Easter was quite fun. The little kids went first and Cameron was more interested in observing than picking up eggs. He did get some but mostly wanted to see what the other kids were going to do. Luckily there was lots of room for the kids to spread out and be their slow little selves...The big kids was another story. The outfield of the softball field was filled with eggs and the kids fanned out along the grass and mass chaos ensued when the "go" was given. Heather and Charlie held their own and got enough eggs to make them happy. Easter morning was rainy so eggs were hidden in the garage--which took the kids a while to find. They were pleased with their baskets and we spent a nice morning with everyone getting along. We shared Easter dinner at a friends house with some other families who didn't have spouses or were unaccompanied--it was a very nice time for all ending with a rousing game of cranium!

charie's birthday party

2010-04-17T07:17:00.003-06:00

Although Charlie's birthday was the 30th we had his party with friends on April 3. Jeff called it the kids "fake birthday". Charlie wanted to have his Bakugan birthday at the bowling alley. Jeff and the kids did another piniata and we made a cake using charlie's bakugan as decorations. Charlie had 15 of his friends and neighbors come and create chaos at the bowling alley. When we got there conveniently there was another birthday party with similar age kids in the 3 lanes next to us--because we weren't enough chaos in our 3 lanes!! Charlie had a great time bowling and breaking the piniata which held strong once again.

Charlie turns 5

2010-04-15T05:14:00.003-06:00

We continued our busy birthday month as charlie turned 5 on March 30. He had some friends come over in the morning to play until lunch. They had a good time being boys (5 year old boys apparently bring new language and gestures to being a boy which I hope to squelch!) and had a nice lunch and cupcakes together. Once Heather got home from school charlie got to open some of his presents which were numerous! He received some bakugon, books, power rangers and a transformer that only Jeff can transform. He went back outside and played with some friends until we had his chosen dinner of steak, broccoli, and tater tots (i forgot to get french fries for him..5 is a new fun age but we hope that charlie continues to be his sweet, giving, loving self and maybe can get a little less clumsy (he is hurt all the time!!)--but we love him anyway!!

more pictures on facebook

2010-03-28T06:16:00.001-06:00

i posted more pictures on facebook because it's easier to upload. If anyone who reads this is not on facebook (i will be shocked!!) let me know if you want more pics and I'll get them to you ;-)

charlie's haircut

2010-03-28T05:38:00.001-06:00

whew! Between Heather's birthday fun I forgot that Charlie got his hair cut (a lot!) I told Jeff when he left and kept saying "short" that I might cry when he came back but Charlie looks pretty cute with his new look. Different but cute!!

Heather's birthday party

2010-03-27T17:33:00.003-06:00

Heather invited 15 of her closest friends and neighbors over for a party. Ideally the weather would have been nice and they would have played outside lots and lots, however it was not great so we started out inside. Filled with "ocean" activities we managed to keep the kids entertained and then let them out after cake to run around and get some of that sugar out of their system. The kids worked on some picture frame crafts, creating creatures from under the sea, pinning the tail on the dolphin and smashing a piniata. Oh yeah and dinner and cake were served also ;-). Jeff and the kids worked hard on a dolphin piniata which turned out REALLY cute and very sturdy. The kids all had lots of chances to break it before our friend helped it with some scissors and serious shaking. He also drew a nice dolphin for pinning the tail on (it was amazing how almost EVERY child was able to find that dolphin tail spot!! The cake was cute--dolphin that jeff drew and some birthday lingo (Really I did stuff for the party as well ;-). All the kids seemed to have a good time and Heather was allowed to have 3 girls spend the night. We borrowed a projector from a friend and the girls are watching a movie on the wall in the garage.

heather's birthday--the day after

2010-03-21T04:39:00.003-06:00

Whew--Heather had a day full of picking what she wanted to do all day long and it wore us out (and her as she took her first 20 minute nap in the middle of the day!!). She got up at 6 and decided she wanted to open presents immediately. I told her she had to wait until everyone was up and she was not allowed to wake anyone up so it was a long 2 hours until charlie rolled out of bed. She opened her presents and Jeff made crepes for a special b-day breakfast. After that she took her scooter out to scoot around and did so successfully for quite a while before falling and running into the house with a scraped knee and hands. Once she calmed down we headed to the arts and crafts center to paint a ceramic cat (heather) and butterfly (charlie) which was what she's wanted to do for her birthday for a while. Then off to the chinese restaraunt for lunch with friends and a garden park nearby to play. Whew!! On the drive back Heather and Cameron fell asleep but upon her waking up we skyped grandma and grandpa mick so they could see her open presents. Then she out back to play with friends. When we made it to dinner more friends came over for Heather's chicken leg, green beans, and mashed potato dinner followed by cake and candles. Finally our neighbors fired up their firepit and had s'mores (doesn't get much better than that to end a b-day). A campout and a movie in the family room with dad ended a seemingly perfect (minus scratches on the knee and an Ohio loss in the round of 32) day! Happy birthday to our little girl!!

Happy Birthday Heather!!

2010-03-20T02:14:00.003-06:00

Seven years ago at 2 am Heather joined us and has been a presence ever since! She started out baby HAH (which she hates us to mention) then turned into a curly haired toddler with lots of energy and smiles for everyone. When we moved to MS she got a little bit shyer but still loved her friends, preschool and playing outside. Now she's a big 7 year old filled with her own ideas and attitudes.

Dad's back!!

2010-03-20T02:01:00.004-06:00

Yeah! About two weeks ago Jeff called to say he would be coming back a week early. I was very excited but didn't want to get the kids hopes up in case flights got cancelled as they often do so we continued to count down to the 19th. Finally Jeff was almost to his last leg so last Friday when Charlie got home from school I asked him what was the best surprise he could think of: "going to Disney" no "going to grandma's" no we're not going somewhere. "grandma's coming here" no not grandma. "daddy? We already know daddy's coming" but daddy's coming today. "TODAY" then lots of excited jabbering and celebrating in his seat, "oh yeah, daddy's coming today. oh yea" Same question to Heather, "dolphin stuff" no "pet shop stuff" no it's not a thing--Charlie--we might be going to Disney. No it's not going somewhere. "Daddy's coming home" TODAY. Heather then jumped from the couch to the floor and ran in circles until I finally told her she needed to settle down and stop. We went out to the base food place for dinner and headed for the airport to find out Jeff's flight was delayed 2o minutes--ugh--45 minutes to kill in the airport!! When Jeff finally walked through the doors the kids ran over to give him hugs and Cameron walked right over after Heather and Charlie gave him room. He gave Jeff a hug and stayed with him and they've been best buddies since. Thank goodness for Skype and phone calls to keep them connected!! We got home and Jeff enjoyed the sings and decorations we had put up in addition to his favorite yummy treats. Everyone enjoyed the weekend together and things have fallen right into place like he never left. He had to go into work a bit on Monday and Tuesday but has the rest of the week and next week off. We spent the week doing fun things like playgroup, lunch with Heather, and taking Charlie to and from school. Fun fun, fun. We're sooo glad to have him back!

olympics

2010-02-28T16:16:00.003-06:00

I forgot to mention that we've been watching lots of the olympics in tape delay. Charlie can proudly share which curling team is winning the game as well as the round (although we don't know what things like "shot rock" and moving the first stone mean), tell me if the racer in downhill/speed skating/other timed sports is beating the first place time (green vs. grey times shown as the split), and groan if ice skating is on...Both kids can identify if the participant/team is a US, Canadian, or German (Heather's girl scouts did a project involving Germany) by the flag shown by their name. Charlie also likes to taunt the other teams, "oh yeah, oh yeah, you can't catch up now. You can't get us!" The highlight for this year's Olympic watching was when the announcers were talking about figure skating and mentioned Sarah Hughes and the gold medal from 1992. Heather looked at me awestruck, "you won a gold medal". For a moment (before explaining to her that there were other people with my same name) I thought I had!

Busy weeks

2010-02-28T16:05:00.002-06:00

We've been busy with recovering from various ailments the last two weeks--runny noses, coughs, fevers--but nothing too serious. Last weekend was a girlscourt weekend with cookie sales and thinking day. It's fun to see Heather with her friends and be part of their activities. It's a little hard since there are two distracting brothers who aren't that interested in girl scout activities but they have their own fun during that time. Heather was home from school Monday and Tuesday last week and REALLY wanted to go back. Meanwhile Charlie didn't think it was fair that he had to go while Heather stayed home--couldn't please anyone. Both of the past weekends we've enjoyed movie night on Friday with friends trying to keep us busy, and Saturday dinner with another friend whose husband is also deployed. Heather thinks that it is essential to have as many meals with friends as possible and dinner at home without friends just doesn't cut it. Unfortunately it's been pretty rainy out with the sun peeking through but never really drying things out enough to play so the kids and I have been playing lots of Wii and keeping up with Junie B Jones activities as well.

Cameron is into cleaning. His favorite toys are brooms, vacuums, dustpans and mops. I think he's spending too much time with my friends whose houses are very clean...He's really funny and wants to do what the big kids are doing. Two new teeth are coming in which should look pretty funny with three on the bottom and one on top. My friend taught him to put his fingers together to indicate more when eating so he delights in demanding more and insisting all done (waving hands in air) during meal times. When I vacuum he runs in front of the vacuum when there is something in the way so that he can put it away/throw it away as necessary. He also thinks he should be able to sit in big chairs at the table, play the wii, and type on the computer.

We're counting down the days to birthdays and until jeff gets home (hopefully for Heather's birthday if not sooner).

Sharing milkshakes and cameron in the cabinet

2010-02-13T17:52:00.001-06:00

I guess we've been busy...

2010-02-13T17:41:00.002-06:00

Wow--almost 3 weeks since I blogged?! Crazy. I guess we've been busy with life despite not seeming to have a lot of activities scheduled. The kids have been out of school for many days with various parent teacher conference days, holidays, and teacher work days. I conferenced with Heather's teacher which went very well. Her reading has gone up and she tested into a 2nd grade reading level which makes me much more comfortable going to a new school next year. She's also doing great with timed math tests (really--timed?!) and all areas of school. She seems more comfortable going to school but really enjoyed it when Cameron and I came to lunch last week. Charlie also has gotten back into the school routine although he enjoys his days off as well. Here on Terceira they celebrate Carnival which is kind of like Halloween and Mardi Gras smashed together (i think). Charlie wore his Power rangers outfit and his class had a parade around the neighborhood.

Last weekend we went Geocacheing with some friends which was really fun--the kids had a great time running to the spot and Heather even found the treasure box. I definitely see this in our future when Jeff gets back...Heather's had a lot of girl scout time selling cookies and having meetings. Last night we had pizza and movie night at a friends where Cameron loves to go. He often tries to head there when we get out of the car or he makes it out the front door. They'll be moving in May and we will surely miss them. Today we went for a walk to the post office in the rain (charlie grumbled most of the way and Heather was in a surprisingly good mood since we got pretty wet), made doughnuts and sugar cookies and celebrated our friends promotion with some of the squadron families and neighbors. It was a really good time despite the fact that the adults were outnumbered.

what's new

2010-01-27T15:51:00.002-06:00

When we get back into the routine of single mom survival things remain busy but time for blogging decreases. Over the weekend we enjoyed a few activities on base including bowling where both kids beat me as I bowled terribly. Saturday night since the weather was pretty good our friends had another pizza and "drive in" movie night on the side of their house. Heather was into it, unfortunately Charlie and Cameron were not so we came in and played the wii (charlie is now obsessed with the levels on Super Mario and he's slowly sucking me in!!). Sunday morning was nice so we walked to a nearby park with the Cullens (the pirate ship park) and all the kids including Cameron had a really good time climbing, running and sliding. The kids aren't that excited to be back in school but are going more willingly and less complainingly.

Yesterday was a good mom day as I took Cameron to playgroup where he seemed to like the singing time and kind of played with the toys during the hour we were there. I then left him with a friend and had lunch with Heather at school (she had told me over the weekend that I was the ONLY mom who hadn't come to lunch or classroom--not true at all!). It was fun to see how the kids interacted with all of Heather's classroom of boys on one end of a long table and the girls on the other. Then when Charlie got home Cameron took a nap and I played the wii with him. Everyone got some "mom time" doing something they like which made for a nice day. After Heather got home we took Charlie to get his hair cut which turned out pretty well. Today Charlie had a friend over after school then we all went and got H1N1 shots followed by dinner at the club with friends.

back to the routine

2010-01-21T15:05:00.003-06:00

We're getting settled back into our routine of out the door for school, out the door for school, pick up, pick up, homework, play, dinner...The kids were reluctant to go back, Heather because she had a different teacher and didn't want to read her journal out loud in class and Charlie because Heather was. Both had great first days back on Tuesday and seem to be at least agreeable to continuing with their education at their respective schools. We've had nice weather mixed in with the rain and the kids are enjoying time outside between the raindrops. Cameron likes to climb up the big climber and slide down the twirly slide face first. I have to catch him in the middle to make sure he doesn't twist upside down but otherwise he's really enjoying his new trick. Today was "men's friendship day" or some such day in the Azores--the men go out to eat and party on their own. Women's day is next week. Charlie's school celebrated by making canes and having a contest with the kids voting to see who's they liked best. We made a "cane" more like a walking stick twisted with ribbon in the colors of Portugal and with his male classmates names glitter penned on some of the ribbon. It was cute and Charlie won second place based on teh kids judging. The kids I believe judged the American kids first--the Portugese kids seem to love the 4 American kids that go to school there which is really sweet. Charlie also got a report card from school which indicated he was somewhat timid and shy, however he knows how to show his feelings and have "democratic values such as sharing, consoling others, and the spirit of helping each other". Cute!

back "home"

2010-01-16T16:32:00.002-06:00

After we arrived home the kids were wired to see what santa left here for them, start unpacking their new toys and see their friends. We took it easy the first day and everyone took naps. Unfortunately at midnight all 3 kids were wide awake and despite falling asleep in their own rooms again eventually at 2 am I woke up to all 3 in bed with me!! The next day Charlie woke up and threw up (lovely) and Heather continued her runny nose so we lay low. The kids again had trouble falling asleep and slept in until 9:30 today. Determined to wear them out we went with friends to the duck pond, took a lunch break and got right back out to enjoy the beautiful mid-50's no wind weather we had with the neighborhood kids at the playground. We finished up the activities at a Mexican restaraunt with two other families and were outnumbered by kids but everyone had a great time. It's funny eating out here--when we go at 6 we pretty much have anyplace to ourselves and occasionally other Americans who have ventured out. Campout tonight in our room before we start on a more regular schedule again. Both kids say that they are not interested in going back to school (Heather is sure we should homeschool!!) so we'll see how the next few days go...

The final leg

2010-01-16T16:21:00.003-06:00

The final leg of our journey "home" was as eventful as the others. The kids were again excellent throughout the adventure. We checked into the terminal to find out that a space a flight had left for here about an hour before we got there but that the one the next day may or may not have space. After checking into the hotel I took the kids to Chucky Cheese (they loved it!!) and we crashed. We hung out in the hotel for the morning, returned the rental car, took a taxi back to the hotel, collected our luggage then headed on a shuttle with the nicest driver ever back to the airport. Apparently we were well known as the lady who had helped us at the airport the day before and answered my questions about the shuttle told him that we were a "cute" family and that she hoped we could get on the plane that night. After lugging our stuff in we hung out in the family area for the afternoon and evening. About 7 we made some friends and started waiting for them to call us and finally at 9:45 after thinking we weren't getting on they called several names--the kids were estatic at finally getting on a plane and got stuff together with a very kind lady who waited with them while I got our tickets and luggage checked. We were the last four to board the plane and unfortunately were placed on four aisle seats one behind the other next to people who were not interested in switching so that we could sit together. The kids shocked me by simply sitting down next to their respective strangers (it was 10:15pm at this time) and getting their drinks and gum out. Right before falling asleep Charlie said that he wanted to sit by me--the slept the rest of the flight until we touched down. Heather woke up about 30 minutes before landing and was so excited to get home that she was all smiles. The stewardess helped us off the plane (as if we needed help!!) and two very kind friends met us at teh terminal to help schlep our bags to the car. Our trip was long but fun--and would have been completely impossible if from start to finish we had not had the help from friends and family to make it through.

Kelly's house (see below for the beginning of the saga)

2010-01-10T19:54:00.002-06:00

Despite having this unplanned trip we are having a very good time. Bryan and Kelly have been awesome about letting us crash and playing with the kids--it's almost like they are enjoying it as well ;-). Thursday we recovered from our crazy day prior and went grocery shopping and watched the national title game. Friday we hit a few stores and the library then had a party with Kelly and Bryan that night. Saturday Heather came down with a cold but we headed for Lowe's and built some fun free projects followed by some football watching and playing by Charlie and Bryan. Today we took it easy--Heather has gone through 2 tissue boxes in the past 24 hours which has to be some sort of record! I've made tentative plans but we are going to try to get out on a rotator through Norfolk on Tuesday night. Fingers and toes crossed! Big thanks to Kelly and Bryan for letting us crash at their place!

stuck in the states

2010-01-10T19:43:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately as we waited to board we were informed that the plane would be delayed for 3 hours. Not a big deal as there was still a flight with 83 (supposedly) seats going out that night. When it was cancelled the kids and I hunkered down in the family area which was quite nice and prepared for a long day. We had lunch in the terminal, bonded with fellow passengers and waited for our turn. The kids played and played, refused to go to bed, and when they started roll call at 1:10 announced there were 8 seats on each of 2 planes. A quick headcount told me we were not getting on a plane that day however they said they would try to make seats available. By 2:00 it was apaprent that 13 of us would be left behind and I got a bit panicky. Putting our heads together, along with those of some of the experienced and informed hoppers we decided our best bet was to get to dover (no rental places open so we had to hire a shuttle) and try a flight out of there. We left the terminal at 5 am--kids all still awake and running through the playplace except cameron who had had a full night's sleep--did I mention that heather and I had both been up for 24 hours and charlie had slept for about 2?! The kids all crashed in teh shuttle and we arrived at Dover to try the plane. After about an hour of waiting they informed that the flight would be delayed 24 hours. So swe rented cars and headed for Andrews (we were with another mom whose husband had taken the last spot on teh azores flight, her two kids, and four other adults) where another plane was supposed to depart at 5. We turned in our rental cars and waited for the roll call hopefully. They announced that there were 8 seats on the plane and I knew we weren't getting on again. They then decided that the plane was no longer going to the Azores but straight to Germany so our friends didn't get on the plane either. One of them drove me to get a new rental car and I met my sister and headed for her house 3 hours away. The kids were AWESOME throughout all of this. Heather had a melt down or two but that was to be expected and she pulled it together. She expressed all the frustration I was feeling but unable to express otherwise we would have all fallen apart. I was very proud of how well they behaved and what troopers they were through the whole ordeal although had we not a promise of meeting Kelly there would have probably been disaster!! Five of the others headed back to New Jersey to try to catch one of the flights which had been delayed. I opted not to do that b/c I couldn't handle not getting on another flight (number 6 in 2 days) and followed Kelly to her house, arriving after 39 hours of no sleep with maybe 1 hour bad snoozing in the shuttle the previous morning.

last few days in the states

2010-01-10T19:37:00.004-06:00

We started out the new year watching the parade with the 110 and enjoying the floats. The kids always like that kind of thing so we made the most of it. We had to leave earlier than planned so I did some packing, last minute shopping, and the kids enjoyed grandparent time. My parents were kind enough to drive us to New Jersey to try to catch the flight from there on Monday morning so we headed out on Saturday on a 10 hour tour. The kids did great with minimal crying and were so glad to get to the hotel. In the morning we swam then went to the base to check on the flight. Everything seemed good so we got our TLF, groceries and settled in for one last night together. Just before bed I called to find that our flight had been cancelled and tentatively rescheduled for 1 am on Wednesday. We enjoyed one more day together finding things to do in the condo, watching movies, and eating. Just before bed I checked on the flight only to find out there was a flight at 6:30 am. Mom and I frantically packed up and went to bed around midnight. At 5 we got the kids up and headed for the airport. Everything seemed good, we were selected for the flight which had plenty of seats, said good byes to grandma and grandpa, got checked through security and ready to board the plane.

2009 highlights

2009-12-31T21:53:00.003-06:00

There have been lots of great/big things about 2009--I thought I'd do a "letterman top ten" for the blog...however mine are in no particular order and may be changed as I reflect on this post in the next few days..

10. jeff deploys to iraq (ok this isn't great but is certainly memorable and big so it should make the list) and we learn to use skype and manage 1 minute phone calls
9. Thanksgiving to christmas holidays for the rest of the family in Ohio and Hilton Head--thanks to everyone who traveled to join us in this month of adventures!
8. making new friends in the azores and keeping in touch with previous friends through facebook and e-mail
7. watching the kids play t-ball and soccer as well as biking, tag, and climbing on the playground outside
6. experiencing a new culture and language
5. enjoying the rainbows that show up during the months and months of rain that we experience...
4. Firsts--heather lost her first tooth, charlie started portuguese school, cameron started crawling, eating, walking, birthday
3. enjoying time in the Azores--hiking, beaching, socializing
2. trip to crete
1. trip to Disney

I hope that 2010 can bring as much fun with family and friends as 2009.

last few Ohio days

2009-12-31T21:50:00.003-06:00

What we thought was going to be a week with my parents turned into a much shorter time when we found out that the plane would leave on the 4th of Jan instead of the 7th. Ugh! Instead of relaxing I've been frantically packing up christmas gifts and contacting people to help us at both ends of the journey once again. Mom has been trying to spend some extra time with the kids while I pack to get us ready to get on the road.

christmas

2009-12-31T20:13:00.006-06:00

Christmas Eve we left Jeff's mom's house and headed for my parents for Christmas Eve service at church. The kids were really well behaved and Heather read and sang the songs while Charlie followed along. We managed to not set the church on fire and enjoyed a quiet moment with the lit candles and Cameron on the floor eating raisins. We got home, the kids made a last minute note to Santa, left cookies, milk and carrots and tried to settle down for bed. That was quite a challenge and Santa wasn't able to come until after 10:30 pm. Heather was up at 7:30 hoping that the DS was under the tree. We got everyone up and headed off to see the surprises. Not wanting to be held up by the Santa note (which was the most exciting part last year) Heather ran upstairs crying that she just wanted to see what was under the tree. After calming her down we headed down to check out the gifts. The kids were delighted with the barbies, bakugon, books, socks, and more that santa left unwrapped by the tree. We dove into the presents and the kids were delighted with all their presents (even no mention of no DS!--santa just didn't think it was necessary). Cameron had no interest in the present opening so he just roamed the room looking at everyone else's gifts. Cameron was most interested in the bear that Jeff sent, only after he heard Jeffs voice coming from the box ;-) After all the presents were opened by the kids the adults started in on theirs as well as opening the kids toys to play with. Mom fixed a nice Christmas dinner and we all relaxed. We were able to skype chat with jeff and despite the distance it was good to have him join in the christmas day festivities. The rest of the time my sister and brother were here we spent doing some shopping, some football cheering and I even had a sibling lunch with Kelly, Bryan and Christopher (heather was not happy to be left behind!!). It was sad for all of us to say goodbye to Kelly, Bryan and Christopher but thanks so much to them for their help with the kids and the time they were able to spend with us!

cleveland fun

2009-12-26T20:20:00.004-06:00

We had a great--albeit short--trip to Cleveland for Christmas with the Hughes family. Because of schedules and the unknown of leaving it was a very short--but packed trip. The kids had a great time playing with their aunt and uncle and enjoyed time with their cousins as well. Highlights for the trip included a trip to Chucky Cheese, playing the wii, puzzles, making a gingerbread house and of course opening presents at "early Christmas" as Heather dubbed it. It was pure present unwrapping chaos as two 6 year olds and 2 4 year olds dove into their presents with Cameron walking around supervising and choosing not to touch his. After present unwrapping and testing we had a great meal and enjoyed some time to relax while the kids tested out their gifts. Heather and Charlie and their cousins played really nicely together once again. They enjoyed some Mario cart with Ashley and Jeremy before bed.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2009-12-19T21:17:00.003-06:00

The kids were delighted to wake up to about an inch of snow on the ground. They made the most of it building the snowmen pictured as well as sledding (not pictured) down the hill behind my parents house. They did it together and individually and got along very well the whole sledding time. They also managed a small snowball fight which did not end badly. After that we went to another basketball game where santa greeted us at the door. Heather has become reluctant to "visit santa" but did choose to sit with him over stand next to. Cameron was very hesitant and forced me to be in a picture with him...tonight we watched for Jeff on the WWE special salute to the troops. My mom saw him more than I did but it was fun to try. We may have spotted him next to a flag--if not that guy has become my kids dad for the WWE event! yesterday the kids put peanut butter and sunflower seeds on pinecones that they rescued from hilton head and the lucky recepient was this squirrel.

christmas is really coming

2009-12-18T20:29:00.003-06:00

The kids got even more into the christmas gift spirit yesterday when I took them each to the store to pick out something for each other. I decided last year to let them each pick out a gift for each other and for cameron. They delighted in picking out the perfect gift for their siblings which was really nice. They took their time and despite Heather knowing exactly what she wanted to get for charlie and charlie picking out exactly what Heather told him she wanted they perused the aisles to make sure they got the best thing. Continuing the holiday spirit we were visited by Mrs. Claus--a friend of mom's--and her beautiful costume. In the afternoon we went by my elementary school so Heather could see the school that I went to and we could exchange books with my first grade teacher who gave some to us for Heather to read (she teaches second grade there now). We went by my first and second grade class and I got a glimpse of what it would be like for Heather to be in school there. I think she would have been Ok but I think that staying in the Azores and coming for an extended holiday was still the best decision in most respects. Back in the holiday spirit we went to my mom's friends house who has like 30 christmas trees of all sizes decorated in a variety of themes. Mrs. K also let them decorate healthy cookies which they enjoyed almost as much as picking out a candy cane and ornament off a special tree. We then went to see the christmas lights at a house nearby that goes all out and synchronizes their lights to music (like the old beer commercial) and it's awesome. The kids enjoyed it as did myself and my parents. Despite all this holiday fun Heather is doing pretty well keeping up with her schoolwork that her teacher sent as well as reading her first chapter book on her own--frog and toad...

At some point in the last few days we also decorated the christmas tree. The kids enjoyed looking at the ornaments and we did the not breakable set and sill managed to break some ;-(. Cameron liked to just carry them around but Charlie and Heather did a good job getting them onto the tree. We had cut the tree down with mom and dad before thanksgiving.

basketball game

2009-12-16T22:14:00.004-06:00

We had a lot of fun going to a basketball game tonight. The kids watched the whole game and only asked once how much longer. The most fun was seeing the bobcat and watching charlie and cameron dance and show their enthusiasm for the ga.me

fun, fun, fun even in the lack of sun

2009-12-14T21:41:00.003-06:00

So we didn't get a ton of sun during the rest of our hilton head trip but we did have a great time. We headed out to the beach Weds. morning for a short time before Kelly and I escaped with Cameron to the outlets. We didn't do so well shopping but did manage to spend some money and get away from the chaos of my kids. The kids were treated to a trip to the children's museum where they played in sand, did projects and had fun with grandma, grandpa, and their great grandma. After dinner we headed again to the indoor pool to let the kids work off some pent up energy. The next day we went with my sister and dad to play some tennis. Heather and Charlie have been very into playing tennis on this trip and enjoyed a trip to an actual court. The afternoon the kids waited eagerly for our friends to come and were not disappointed when they arrived. Despite Heather saying that she didn't remember them the kids fell right into step with one another just like before we left MS. We headed to the beach even though it was windy and were rewarded by dolpins swimming by. After the kids toes got numb we came back in and had dinner with my family and then at 8 (yes pm) we headed to the pool which was fun as always. I got a chance to visit with Heather and Scott after the kids went to bed which lasted waay too long into the morning...Friday we got off to a late start as the kids had been up so late and eventually went out to explore. We attempted to take pictures at the lighthouse but it was cold so we headed over to a park to let the kids run around. They had a great time and despite the cold lasted for quite a while. We then headed over to the "north pole" where the kids got to see Santa. It was pretty cute. Since my camera wasn't working I didn't get great pictures but may have some posted online soon. Heather and Charlie talked and posed with him and Cameron had a lot to say to him--from about 4 feet away. He was pretty funny and given his liking for guys (he loved scott and my brother) it's good santa is a guy. We finished the night with pizza and a movie and 4 kids trying to sleep in the same room. Saturday we headed out to Savannah to some holiday festivities there. The kids got to make some ornamants, saw Father Christmas, decorated a cookie, and got their faces painted. They had a good time with lots of treasures to bring home. That night the kids got one more dip in the pool, movie and sleepover before we all headed our separate ways the next morning. It was a great trip and I'm so glad so much of our family and our friends were able to come together! We really missed Jeff and Bryan but hopefully we'll all be together on the next family trip!

tuesday night already?

2009-12-08T20:37:00.004-06:00

Wow--time flies when you're having fun--and boy are we having fun! Yesterday Heather enjoyed an early morning walk on the beach with kelly and grandma while the rest of us enjoyed some extra sleep. After making necklaces at the "kids craft" area the kids enjoyed some ping pong and were ready to hit the pool. We diverted to the beach and the kids had a blast jumping in the waves with christopher. they would run in, jump over a few and then run back out. Cameron preferred chasing the birds and making kelly chase him. The kids all enjoyed playing in the sand and building/destroying sandcastles. Before mom went to get my grandma we played some bingo. Today we had a bunch at the pool, won a towel and t-shirt for my mom and dad and got some free postcards for the kids. We went to the indoor pool and the kids showed off their diving for the bottom skills as well as swimming across the pool skills for GG. Once we got back Cameron was exhausted so he took a nap and charlie a break while the other two explored the beach with the family. After wearing GG out with some Bingo the kids ended the day watching a few christmas shows. Not a bad day at the beach!

life on another island

2009-12-06T21:23:00.003-06:00

We're enjoying Hilton Head Island very much--wishing Jeff were here to play with us but enjoying time with my side of the family. Yesterday the kids excitedly woke Christopher up to go check out teh indoor pool. The kids really enjoyed the pool, showing off their swimming skills--Heather actually using strokes and Charlie doggie paddling as fast and well as he could. Both were putting their heads underwater and blowing bubbles like summer swimming had just ended! Cameron also loved the water. There was a step that he could walk on which was about 10 feet long. He enjoyed walking back and forth as well as looking at me and stepping off, going underwater and smiling when I pulled him up. He has no fear of the water and getting his face wet is no problem for him. After the pool and lunch Heather and grandma headed for the beach. Both are avid shellers and delighted in showing us their treasures. After warming up they headed back with Christopher and found starfish and sanddollars which were alive so they threw them back into the ocean. We met Kelly and then headed out to see some local christmas lights and get some barbeque. Today we did much of the same, swimming with the whole group in the morning (i even enjoyed a few minutes in the hot tub) then the kids went with grandma to the beach for shelling. After a good seafood dinner we came back to watch some football and play the bingo game that the kids picked out from the lobby. The kids love spending time with their grandparents and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Christopher. It's nice that despite the distance and infrequency of seeing them this year they still feel so comfortable together that the biggest problem we seem to have is who sits by who at dinner, in the car, and shares rooms at bedtime...

traveling to hilton head

2009-12-04T20:48:00.005-06:00

our adventures continue as we traveled with my parents to Hilton Head for a week at their timeshare. We started off mid-morning on thursday and the kids did pretty well in the car on our drive to visit virginia tech. We drove through the campus and did a little traveling through the community and found some very nice people. The area is beautiful and the people were really nice--definitely a small college town which I can see us living in. It would be VERY different from the military community we will be leaving--then going back to--but seems like it could be quite fun for a few years. The trip from Blacksburg to Charlotte was a bit more tiresome as the kids were growing restless. A movie for the big kids and some hard work by me led to minimal crying before we pulled into the hotel. Cameron enjoyed exploring everything he could get his hands on in the hotel, his favorite a tissue dispenser located below the sink. We finally settled in and in the morning the kids made the most of the continental breakfast eating bagels, mini-waffles, mini-doughnuts, hard boiled eggs and more. Back in the car the kids picked at each other, "she smiled at me. He touched me. Don't say that. Don't sing..." ugh! We stopped just outside Hilton Head at an outlet where grandma let the kids each pick out a few school clothes and I found some cute shirts to take a picture of the kids in. Cameron enjoyed trying to pull clothes from the bottom of the stack...Finally we arrived at my parents BEAUTIFUL timeshare. It has a lovely lake in the middle and all the makings of a great week! We can see the ocean from our room and the kids had fun exploring the different rooms. We didn't get a chance to check out the indoor pool but did get to watch some football which Charlie really enjoys. He seems to understand first downs, touchdowns and interceptions. Cameron very cutely raises his hand over his head for touchdowns and is putting his hands over his face and saying his own version of peek-a-boo.

backpacks from dad

2009-12-02T21:16:00.002-06:00

Before we left for our trip the kids got these backpacks from Jeff. They were REALLY excited and wanted to show everyone their new possessions. Heather's sports tinkerbelle, cinderella, and aurora (?), Charlie's has lightning mcqueen and maeter, and Camerons pooh, piglet and tigger--very cute! Thanks Dad!

fall leaves

2009-12-02T21:09:00.002-06:00

While we were at Kelly's the kids enjoyed some fall leaf jumping. Kelly raked some nice piles for them. Cameron was not such a fan but did sit for some pictures.

fall

2009-12-02T20:51:00.002-06:00

Since we're in Ohio the kids have been enjoying fall weather. While it's been a bit cool we've gotten outside to play almost every day. Yesterday the kids enjoyed some tree climbing in the same tree that my sister and I used to climb. It's a bit more of a challenge now without the ladder or the extra branches that used to be there but the kids seemed to have a good time. Sitting still as a group for pictures was a challenge though. Yesterday we also met up with a friend and the kids got to have McDonald's happy meals as a treat--those toys are even more exciting when you haven't seen them in almost a year!

Cameron has had so much fun discovering new things--the birds at the birdfeeder, the cat and dog--which he delights in squealing and pointing at when they come in the room--as long as they aren't too close, the stairs without a gate, the fireplace. He's started giving hugs to everyone and identifying them by name when told who to hug. Grandpa has been tracking him around the house to make sure he doesn't get in trouble and both seem to enjoy the extra attention.

Thanksgiving, football and COSI

2009-11-28T21:38:00.004-06:00

We had a very nice Thanksgiving at my parent's and joined by Jeff's mom. We spent the morning watching the Macy's parade footage and talked to Jeff (he had turkey which wasn't great and pumpkin pie without any whipped topping which he thought should be illegal) The food at ourmeal was plentiful and although the kids were a little restless before we started eating we all enjoyed a delicious meal. After stuffing ourselves with stuffing we watched some football. The kids have been wanting to hit tennis balls so for the second afternoon we went out to the cement by the house and they hit tennis balls at the house. They mostly got excited to hit them over and then go get them. Both are hitting quite well and enjoy doing "downs" as well as whacking it. Nets and courts should be introduced soon...

Friday morning the kids enjoyed some flakes of snow that were falling, enough to go out with grandma and make little snowmen from the snow on the windshield of the car. They were delighted to see the white stuff and they hope that some will follow for christmas. After they warmed up a bit we bundled up again to go see the Ohio football game which was really fun. We made it for the first touchdown and the kids lasted the whole game and the band postgame. Cameron danced to the band, Charlie watched for first downs and passes and Heather snuggled in Kelly's lap and had a good time.

Today we got up and headed up to see the kids cousins and Jeff's brother and sister in law and enjoyed a day at COSI. It was really fun for the kids to play together and explore the science museum. Heather and Charlie wandered through with their cousins, holding hands and trying to keep up with each other. They enjoyed yo-yos, tops, and etch-a-sketches at the toys through the ages part, submarines in the oceans, a coral reef movie, space and bodies. There was also a kids room where they could run and play and build with activities for just their age. The kids really enjoy spending time with their cousins and look forward to seeing them again closer to Christmas. After the museum we went to dinner and all the kids were very well behaved and enjoyed milkshakes to top off the day. The ride home was less than stellar. Cameron was fussy most of the way but didn't really start wailing until about 20 minutes from my parents--oh well, the rest of the day he was great!!

basketball and pies

2009-11-25T21:32:00.002-06:00

So far the kids are having a good time at grandma and grandpa's house. They're not quite on the time zone that I would like to be on but are so busy having fun they don't have time to be grumpy. Monday night we took in an Ohio basketball game which all the kids enjoyed. Heather and Charlie actually seemed to have some idea of what was going on in the game and enjoyed the O-H-I-O cheers while Cameron liked climbing around the area in front of us. On the way home mom commented on the fall and that the kids really hadn't had fall in a while to which charlie responded, "we learned about fall in school. they showed us pictures." I started cracking up!! Tuesday we checked out the park with grandpa and the kids did lots of climbing, sliding, and arguing (how can you argue at a park on a nice day?!). Cameron especially enjoyed sliding down the slides superman style while grandpa slowed him down at the bottom. He got the idea of how to run back around and climb up to the top of the slide ready to try again. It was quite a nice day to play outside and the kids made the most of it by hitting some tennis balls with grandma when we got home. Heather was most proud that she could hit it over the house and both kids seemed more excited about the ball finding than the ball hitting...Today we ran some errands this morning. The kids got to pick out apples at the farmers market and corn for the squirrels so they won't eat the birdseed! They spent most of the day asking when the "other grandma"--ie the one that doesn't live at the house they are in--was coming. Finally after making some pies (Heather pumpkin; Charlie apple) and hitting some tennis balls once Kelly and Bryan arrived, grandma came. The kids had wanted to have a cookout so we had hotdogs and s'mores cooked over the fire pit in the back yard. It's so nice to be able to share time with all the kids grandparents and we look forward to a healthy (or not) day of eating for Thanksgiving! All grandparents had to give hugs and tucks at bedtime to three tuckered out kids!

Travelling to the states

2009-11-22T20:34:00.002-06:00

The kids and I had a fun adventure getting to the states. It started out nicely when I found out I was mis-categorized for Space-A and ended with a very nice man at the post office pulling out our package (without even a slip) and it had the backpacks that jeff had made for the kids in it. They were VERY excited and we set immediately to packing. during our trip they got TONS of comments on how cute they were (the backpacks) and were proud to say that they were from their dad. While all 3 kids were in the bathroom the fire alarm went off. I couldn't figure it out and the fireman on the phone said to change the batteries. Not able to get the cover off I took the kids to our neighbors (who's kids were also in teh bathtub at the time) and he went over and took care of the alarms (which needed a new battery). The next morning the kids went off to school and I cleaned and packed. I felt pretty good about how things were going so I went to the CE luncheon (holiday). I got to the airport and got seats on the plane. My friend kindly watched the kids and then brought them to the airport once we had seats--which were not together. I couldn't get the e-mail out that I needed to send so as we were getting on teh plane I called and my friends husband--I was that person getting on the plane with 3 kids talking on the cell phone...We got to our seats and there were 3 and one across the aisle. Once we got switched we couldn't have 8 in a row--very confusing! Then Charlie needed to go to the bathroom and during the ride I spilled a bit of Pepsi on Heather. Otherwise the kids were great and slept or were happy almost the whole way. We got off--with our bags and my parents and sister were there to greet us. The kids were estatic to see them and hugs were had by all. My mom drove us to my sisters and we arrived around 2 am her time--did I mention that was about 6 am our time?! The kids slept but were up by 5:00 am. We hung out at my sister's new house and had lunch at a friend of my parent's houses. Early bed for all--and Heather was up at 4 am this time. After everyone was up we toured the university that my brother in law works at and let the kids play at the park for a while. My sister also raked piles of leaves for teh kids to jump in. We got in my mom's car to head to Athens for a few days before thanksgiving. The kids were GREAT in the car--continuing their stellar record of travel. All in all the trip was pretty good but we all definitely need some rest and down time before any more chaos.

sleepover--or not

2009-11-11T18:06:00.002-06:00

We had a busy weekend--really week since the last post! Heather and Charlie tried to have a sleepover on Thursday night since Heather didn't have school on Friday. Each had a friend come over and they did really well. The 4 year olds were asleep by 8:30 and the 6 year olds an hour later--even Cameron was sleeping! Unfortunately one of the kids woke up with night terrors and her dad had to come and get her--it was pretty scary, I couldn't seem to wake her up--and of course Cameron woke up as well...My friend came over to help out and ended up taking her sleeping daughter home as well just in case she woke up too. So after getting 5 kids to bed we woke up with 3...Since Heather had the day off we went to the beach and played with a friend for part of the morning and picked Charlie up for lunch-n-bowl with some other friends. That evening we had a campout to top off a busy day. Saturday we took it easy for the morning then headed to the Praia walking strip with bikes and friends. The kids rode, walked, and stopped for doughnuts (which we made earlier) as a snack. After a brief play on the beach we headed home for a quick clean up. Since it's getting dark early our friends had their "movie night" outside, hanging a sheet out a few windows and using their projector to show a movie on teh side of the house. The kids thought it was great and most sat for the movie. Sunday we played outside and had a picnic for lunch. We've been trying to enjoy the weather as each day gets a little rainier and windier. "winter" is coming...

Tonight a friend's husband kindly kept 6 kids and I went out to dinner with some friends. It was really nice to get out and enjoy adult conversation (ok so some of it did involve kids and school) at a nice restaraunt. Steak kabobs, fried potatoes, and caramel fondue (not as good as it sounds--the fondue only) was a great treat for all of us!

morning walks

2009-11-05T06:12:00.003-06:00

One thing that's helped me keep my sanity while Jeff's gone is to walk/run (much more walk than run) after charlie goes off to school. The days that I drop him off I go to Praia where the pictures are from and walk along a new path along the beach. On days like today it's well worth it with the waves crashing and the ocean spray in the air and the sun shining. Sanking along the coast in the first picture is the path i walk on and the second is Cameron at our harbor starting point. People were actually swimming but they must have been crazy! There's a little "gym" on the walking path where there's always a few older people excercising. I do a few of the "machines" if Cameron is cooperative but I'm not even sure how to do many of them. Listening to Kokomo and Brown Eyed Girl I ran a bit and enjoyed being here. It's no picnic without Jeff and I sure wish our family were closer but it is an enjoyable adventure. Now I just have to remember to find this blog for the days that "winter" sets in...

trick or treating

2009-10-31T18:29:00.002-06:00

Fun videos

2009-10-31T18:18:00.002-06:00

Cameron really enjoyed trying to carve the pumpkins with Heather

halloween ends

2009-10-31T17:31:00.006-06:00

We had a great day today although a not so great end ;-( The kids started off with a soccer party and got trophies and pictures. The banquet went about as the season did--our coach tried but wasn't quite on top of things and the other coach was excellent which just made things that much more difficult. Fortunately the kids didn't seem to notice too much so it was just a differential for this mom who really thinks both the kids could have learned a lot and Heather maybe more interested if she had been "coached" otherwise I think its the end of that girls soccer road...Then we scooped and carved pumpkins in pretty simple designs. Charlie doesn't like scooping but Heather says its her favorite part of Halloween so she happily scooped out seeds and "guts". Charlie helped me carve a pretty simple design and did well. Heather drew lots of dolphins and a squid which were kind of cute. We did really miss Jeff and his great pumpkin carving skills and I'm not sure that the pumpkins were even picture worthy (note--no pictures!). Heather was in her costume by 1 with nowhere to go and we watched the AFN halloween marathon of Charlie Brown, Scooby Doo and other halloween cartoons. Trick or treating was fun. Heathers friends Alyah and Zoey and their parents came over for a quick "dinner" and trick or treating. Jeff called and got to see the kids in their costumes but just briefly as we were heading out the door. The kids did great through the neighborhood even with some scary masks handing out candy and creepy music. We saw lots of their cute friends and Cameron enjoyed a cat nap (ha--he was a tiger!!). After we got back Charlie put in a movie and Heather, Cameron and I passed out candy to the Portugese kids that came our way. It was said that there were 1000 people at the middle gate but we were not swarmed at our house. Once we got rid of all our candy we headed inside to talk to grandma for a bit and pushed our luck with a campout. The first cancelled campout in the history of such events as Heather and Charlie could not get their blankets and such set out. It was devestating but hopefully a good lesson on getting along...