June 2012

The last day of school flew by! Samantha had a friend stay over and Sofie had a neighbor come to play. After playing with the hose, we settled in to watch a movie and stayed up REALLY late (for them). The next morning they were ready for more!

We got to see our friend Naamah ride her unicycle in a parade and spend the day with our friends. I took the opportunity to finally donate blood, which is something that I’ve always wanted to do and will continue to do. Everyone had fun and it was a great family day.

Papa took the girls fishing and both girls said IT WAS SOOOO FUN! Papa found a spot where the fish bite so the everyone got the thrill of the hunt (and release). According to Nana, Papa has been waiting years to do this so it was good for everyone!

Samantha and I are enjoying our piano lessons… it’s going well and I’m glad that I’m doing it. Samantha is very inquisitive and doesn't mind practicing, especially when I begin practicing.

We headed out to a nearby Family Festival at a Farmer’s Market for some fun. Antie She met us and we got cupcakes, our favorite jerky and plenty of fruit and vegetables. The girls danced and played and Sofia clapped watching the fire truck lower their ladder. The heat took a lot out of us, but it was really fun! Check out the free picture of the girls… the “stars aligned” on the first attempt and I love it!

My First Friday with the girls

I finally got a day to engage and explore with my girls... it’s been far too long and I appreciated the time so much! It was a long work week leaving the house before they woke up, but today did make it worth it!

We started off with a leisurely morning, going about at our own pace. I took them to the library to get some new books (Samantha checked out 12 chapter books… we love that she’s a reader!), ran a couple of errands and set out for some fun at my favorite park. We rented a canoe to go portaging and really had no expectations. We crossed the first lake (read: big pond), hiked about a mile to the second lake where we saw turtles and fish and blooming water flowers. It was quiet excepting the birds singing and truly a magical moment. We stopped at a shelter to eat our lunch and the girls wandered a bit. I taught them about why it’s important not to eat berries from a bush unless you’re sure what it is and watched Sofie stand in the water trying to catch a fish. Samantha commented on the birds and how strange it was that no one was around. After lunch, the girls wanted to swim at the beach so we portaged back to return the canoe and they swam. Then we stopped for ice cream on the way home which both girls said thank you for. They said they had fun and glowed telling their dad about our day. It really was an awesome day and I am so grateful!

Our First Time with All the Kids

On Saturday we had all the grand kids to ourselves: Samantha, Sofia, Jordan and Dylan. Wow, it was an adventure. Due to distance and competing schedules we don’t get much time with our niece and nephew, so it was a treat for us. Of course our girls were tired, but they were a great help. Bedtime was late, but everyone slept well and there wasn’t too much separation anxiety for the twins.

Our New Nanny

Lindsay is our new summer nanny and we couldn’t ask for things to be going better! She is fun, always willing to play games and the girls have been out and about enjoying their time with her. Lindsay is loving the time too and says she is learning a lot! My hope is that we will stay in contact with her after she returns to college because she’s a delight! We got right into a new routine with Lindsay starting last week. She is enthusiastic and the week went very well. Lindsay showed the girls her house, chaffeured the kids to and from their activities, made multiple trips to the library (Samantha is a voracious reader) and went to the beach. Yesterday Sofia had a friend over too and since it was a rainy day, they made cookies and decorated them.

They love her and it gives us peace of mind. We are grateful for Lindsay!

Father's Day 2012

Daddy was genuinely surprised by his gift, but I was lucky enough to get the last one at the store for him.  We love him and appreciate all he does for us.  Hopefully all the back scratching we do shows him how much we care!

Happy Father's Day Daddy... we love you so much!

All the dads with their kids at Nana and Papa's house later in the day.

End of School Year Events (On the same day!)

Samantha's teacher is retiring, so some of the parents got together to give her some gifts and throw a party. Her teacher has had a long career and said she could not have asked for a better last class. We wish her well!

By the way, Samantha's last 1st grade report card was stellar. She has a thirst for learning, loves the social aspects of school and is extraordinarily kind. Daddy and I are so proud!

Sofia's spring program was tonight, so all the grandparents came with us to watch Sofia perform. She sang, danced and knew all her moves. Afterwards, we ate and the kids ran around like maniacs. It was entertaining to watch! Unfortunately the video of that performance is too long, but you can see one of her home exhibitions, this one to Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger".

Memorial Day Weekend 2012

Since we didn’t want to be around the house all weekend, we opted to show our kids “up north” and take them to Lake Superior. Sofia referred to it all weekend as the ocean, then on Sunday it became “her ocean”. We left right after work on Friday and got back Sunday evening. It was an adventure and even though it didn’t feel like it at times (yelling due to not listening), we all had fun and made some good memories. There was also an incident that will not be discussed. The weather was cold and windy on the way home, but Saturday was perfect for being outdoors the entire day. That gave us Monday to recover and relax. All of us have been tired and our schedule has been crazy (though with good things). The testament that the girls had fun was when they started listing off our activities to Nana and Papa when they joined us last night for dinner.

Here’s some of what they mentioned:
- They got to sleep in bunk beds!
- Rock climbing at State Parks (Meaning we narrowly saved ourselves from getting soaked and made our own way on the beach.)
- Hiking at a few State Parks (Tettegouche, Temperance, Gooseberry Falls)
- Tram ride up the mountain
- Alpine slide (We’re definitely going back for that. Samantha loved being able to do it herself and Sofia loved going with her dad.)  You can see the video at the end of the post.
- Swimming
- Toured the Split Rock Lighthouse (The girls really liked talking to the "characters" from that time.)

Fonzie goes to sleep

We put Fonzie to sleep yesterday and we all miss him so much. All of us were in the room with him when he died. He was our dog, part of our family. We all talked a lot about him last night and Sofia said this morning that he was her brother. Samantha agreed with her. Daddy and I still think every jingle is Fonzie's dog tags.  I don't know when or if we will get another dog. Fonzie had such a great disposition and was very tolerant of kids... He left such a void that we are all feeling now, but time will tell and we are all too raw from the loss to make any decisions. For our last day with Fonz we took him to his favorite place on earth... The dog park. He played with the other dogs and smelled everything, as per usual. Since it was such a hot day and the age he's at (over 100 in dog years), Fonzie was worn out pretty quickly.

I'm grateful to Fonz for forcing me to get over my fears of big dogs, for teaching me how to live in a pack, and all the years of annoyances, adventures and love.  In all the walks he went on, someone always pointed out his beauty. I'll never forget the strange looks from people whenever we went rollerblading, or correcting all the folks who thought he was a wolf. I'll remember the times he ran over our kids and others, the wrestling matches and his reaction whenever Daddy said he was going to pick him up (Fonzie would run).
Fonzie is forever a member of our family and is forever loved by us. We will miss you Fonz, so much.

Rest In Peace, old friend. 

Grammy turns 70!

Grammy is 70!

Happy Birthday to Grammy!

We took her out to dinner and she appreciated the firework for her:

In true Grammy fashion, she informed me on Mother's Day that she was expecting another poem, so as "requested", here it is.

A POEM FOR GRAMMY’S 70th BIRTHDAY!

Just a few notes about my mother

Who I’m often told is like no other

She’s stubborn, fun and not a quitter

Even her crazy daughter didn’t make her bitter

To be a grandmother, she didn’t expect

She loves to spoil them, as she can

Her granddaughters are full of love and respect

Many more adventures is their plan

You have to love her

She is a trip

She sticks by you

And will never flip

Nothing keeps her down

She is compassionate and funny

It’s been hard for her to say no

Remember my cats and pet bunny

Grammy is cherished and loved

Full of support, not afraid to defend

She is a force of nature

And remains my closest friend

She offers to clean up when no one else will

Helps those in need with rides or a meal

A treasure to her community

She is the real deal

To say I am grateful is an understatement

She gave me my fire, helped me let go of my wrath

Fought for me against the establishment

And somehow managed to keep me on my path

70 years old, Oh my!

How the time has flown by!

All I can is HOORAY FOR MOM!

For all the years she has kept me calm.