Bring on Becket!

You like the view, don't you? I can tell you I do!
This past weekend we traveled to Becket, Massachusetts in the Berkshires to spend the weekend with our friends, the Helberg's, at their family cottage. Despite the slightly cruddy weather, we all had a great time! Thanks, Glen, Elaine, Livie, and Derek for a fun weekend!

On Friday night Frank barbecued some ribs for the adults and hot dogs for the kids. It was wonderful to eat freshly barbecued food every night! After putting the kids to bed at night, the adults hung out on the dock around the fire pit. It's times like this that I remember why I love the summer!

Tyler, Olivia, and Derek had a wonderful time playing all weekend long. They were not deterred by the slightly chilly, rainy weather. Every chance they got, they were outside in the water (in their clothes, pajamas, or bathing suits!), or....

Looking for worms to....

Fish with!

We caught both fish and crayfish!

On Sunday the sun finally came out and the temps warmed right up. The kids took the chance to get more lake time in.

Derek getting ready to ride the waves on the Jet Ski!

After taking all of us around the lake for a ride in the boat, Glen found the tube, rope, and the kids jumped in!

Bye guys! Come back soon!

After dinner on Sunday, we headed home. A certain someone (Tyler) was asleep by 6:45p.m.. Wow. I wish I could bottle up some of the sun, fun, and great times to use during those restless nights!

Thanks again Helbergs!

Pop Rockin'!

A few weeks ago my supervisor, Katherine, brought me a little gift. Pop Rocks! Remember those? It had been a long time since I had even thought about them much less had them in my possession! After thinking about it for a bit, the "Tyler Experiment" was born and I promised to report back about the findings.

Disclaimer: No child was harmed in the process of completing this experiment!

The Before picture.
"What are these, mommy?"

The During picture.

"Do you hear that?!? I want more!"

The After picture.

"That was fun! Can I have more?"

Soccer Mom!

After a 13-year hiatus from the soccer field, I made the leap and jump back onto the field. A friend I had worked with at MSPCC would talk about the team she played on every season and ask me to play. I always thought about it but never did it. Until this year. The season started in April and will end this Sunday. I can admit that I will miss it. Prior to my first game another friend told me that it is great to get out and play and if anything it "reminds you that you are still alive each week". She is right.

I grew up playing soccer. I started as a young girl in California and played year round in high school. In college I played intramural soccer. Since graduating from I.U. the closest I got to a game of soccer was kicking a rock in a parking lot! The first game was a shock. Needless to say I am out of shape, I am not a young girl anymore and these women are good. This is no beer league and I thoroughly have enjoyed it. I wish the season was longer and games were more than once a week!
Holding up the defensive zone....

Fighting for the ball...

Taking an on the field break. I have learned to get them in when I can!

At home with my biggest fan! Tyler has had a great time at the games playing baseball and tending goal on the nearby sports fields. It's not a successful week if Tyler does not fall asleep on the ride home! Frank has also enjoyed the games and it has been great to have my own cheering section at the games! Of course it makes is better when you are cheering for an undefeated team. Thanks, guys!

TGIM!

Thank goodness it's Monday!

This past weekend, we hosted a houseful for a weekend of fun. On Friday, Uncle Jim came with Conor and Skylar and Grandma. As soon as the van pulled into the driveway, Tyler went into play mode. There was no stopping until Sunday afternoon! We had a great meal at Mountain View on Friday night, complete with ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. The kids eventually passed out sometime in the 10 o'clock hour after numerous trips upstairs for the parental warnings for quiet!

None of us parents were concerned about the late bedtime. After all, these kids flat out, no doubt, love each other and have a great time together! It wasn't until the next morning at 4:30A.M. that we heard the bedroom door creak and the whispers of 3 wide-awake kids ready to play heading on down the stairs. As tired as us moms and dads were, we corralled them back into the bedroom for a bit more shut-eye. An hour and a half later they were up again, for good!

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, we waited for Papa to come with Frank's Uncle Bill and Aunt Joanne. The plan was for the men to golf for the afternoon and the women to stay at home with the kids. By the time noon rolled around, there was not a toy left untouched in the house and it was time to head out. The men left at that point as well. Luckily the weather strayed from the weekly routine of rain and provided us with some sun and warmer temps.

The first stop outside was Tyler's "worm house". All Spring he has been very into rescuing worms from my garden and placing them into a little area he designated their home. I found bug houses at the dollar store this week and bought three of them. The kids had a blast finding the worms and picking them up with the tweezers. We reminded them the worms needed dirt and the kids filled the containers with dirt and leaves and then kept them out of the sun! Unfortunately we quickly realized that the worm hole was quite muddy (thanks to the days of rain!) and the kids were a mess. Off to another activity-- Slip 'n Slide!

Tyler...

Conor...

Skylar...

A few trips on the slide and the kids were clean again! They even suggested a few trips through the sprinkler when they were done sliding. As you can see in the shot below, boys will be boys...

"Those boys are cra-zee!"

I caught this shot of these two plotting their next trick. Still not sure if I trust them and farther than I can throw them...

We managed to kill almost an hour with the water play. After sitting in the sun for part of that time, I was ready for a trip down the slide. I decided that until I get a fence in the yard I will spare the neighbors of such a spectacle!

Aunt Laurette was not able to make the trip to Wilbraham this past weekend. She stayed at home to take an exam for a job next school year! Good luck, Aunt Laurette! She did send a great arts and crafts activity. The kids painted wooden plates and great boxes. They had a blast making wonderful designs and there was not a drop of paint left when they were finished. It seems that Aunt Laurette was worried about sending paints to our house and the possibility of them making a mess. I have no idea what she was talking about...

Conor, complete with war paint. Did I mention that I set them up behind a bush in the yard and maybe they were not completely supervised? Whoops!

Did I mention these kids love each other? After the paints, it was straight to the tub. For the next 24 hours, they kept up the same pace. Running, jumping, playing, building forts. All I know is that on Sunday afternoon this house had a sign outside that said "Napping House".

Next weekend Frank and Ty are off to New York for the U.S. Open, golf, and Father's Day. I will be here, recuperating!

Little Drummer Boy

Lucky for us, Tyler resurrected his drum and instruments last week. He trekked all the way down into the playroom in the basement to "get something" and this is what he came up with. Frank taught him how to tap his sticks to the count of 4 to start the band and I turned on the 80's channel on television for his to practice to :-). Since he was having such a grand old time beating away, I decided to take the opportunity to get some shots with my new...camera!

After months of research and weeks of testing ones out in the stores, I finally shot the lock off the wallet and took the leap. I decided that a D-SLR was going to be a bit much for me, so I decided on a Nikon P90 with super zoom. It's great! What really suckered me in was the sports mode-- 15 shots in a second! I can't wait to try it out at the rink!