Happy 5th of July!! 7-5-2010

Since the 4th was on a Sunday, we celebrated on the 5th. On the 3rd we went to the fireworks in Putnam after working on our fixer-upper canoe at the van den Berg's. The only other people we could've possibly known there were the Adams's, and we actually ran into them. It was tons of fun, but I didn't take any pictures. So, we didn't do our family fireworks until Monday. We invited Nathan and Javier, friends of Miles, to join in the fun. The boys had a blast running in circles around the fountains like tribal warriors. I only took video of that, though.

River Fun 7-5-2010

Gwen Adzima mentioned that she saw a really neat place to play in the river about 15 minutes north of us, so we decided to check it out. Except for the fact that is ran close enough to the freeway to hear it, it was beautiful, and perfect for kids.

Flying with Bro. Mann 7-5-2010

Bro. Mann is a friend of ours from our ward who owns his own airplane. He invited Shayne to fly with him from Windham to Groton and back again. It's great when Dad gets to do fun things on his own, because it happens so rarely!

Goodbye Infant Carseat 6-29-2010

I've had a really hard time giving away Marin's things, and for some reason, giving away the carseat was one of the hardest. Keeping it made no sense, because in a few years it would be expired and no use to anyone. I didn't want to put it up on freecycle because it seems like some people collect things just in case they might need them. I know for sure that there are some serious hoarders on that list! So, I decided to give it to WAIM, the Windham Area Interfaith Mission. They give things away for free, instead of charging like the Salvation Army. I knew that if I were going to have a baby, had no money, and had to go to WAIM to get things for my baby, I would be so thrilled to get a clean, adorable, pink & brown carseat that was only a year old. Marin had a hard time giving it away too, because when I got it out to put it in the car, she wanted to sit in it one last time. I'm not super emotional, but I seriously cried as we drove away from the donation site. I hope someone appreciates it!!

Marin is WALKING!! 6-28-2010

We had just gone swimming at the Adzima's Pond, and decided to stop for icecream on the way home. Since it was Monday, we thought we'd slip in an FHE lesson and call it good. I had just started talking about how learning to do new things can be difficult, and it may seem like you'll never be able to do it, like how Marin was 14 months old and still couldn't walk, when she looked me in the eye, stood up, and starting walking! They were just little baby shuffles, and she mostly just turned in a circle, but she did it! I was so glad that we had our camera with us, and were able to take pictures and video.

Father's Day 6-20-2010

We love Dad! The boys all really enjoy making cards and pictures for Father's Day. They love to watch him open all of their treasures.





Miles gave his Dad a certificate for Shayne to read to Miles. That may sound self-serving, but it's very challenging for Miles to get ready for bed in time for Shayne to read The Lord of the Rings to him, so it's actually a big deal. Dallin gave Shayne a certificate for 1 hour of yard work, free of complaining!

Spring Soccer 2010

Miles has been begging to do soccer, so we finally signed him up. After a game and a practice he wanted to quit. But, the next day he loved it. So that's how the season went. Practice would make him so angry because he hasn't played as much as the die hard New England soccer nuts we live around. I was so proud of him, though, because he would get really angry, recover, and go back for more. It was really good practice in controlling his temper and working at something even if it's hard.

Goodbye Elliotts!! 6-18-2010

We had a farewell party for our good friends, the Elliotts, at the Adzima's Pond. They are moving to Indiana, and we are going to miss them a lot! Of course, I didn't actually get any pictures of them. So, here are my kids instead!

Leonardo Da Vinci 6-15-2010

Miles was Leonardo Da Vinci for the 3rd grade Wax Museum, which is where the kids dress up like someone from history and give a presentation, speaking as if they are that person. He's a big art kid, so Leonardo was a natural pick. Miles wouldn't accept a lot of help on his oral presentation because he always wants to do everything on his own. It ended up pretty funny. Everything Miles does is pretty funny! He left the costume entirely to me, though. I based his costume on a popular self portrait, and I think it turned out really well, except for the scale. I think Miles looked like a giant Leonardo bobble head! He was a hit at the Wax Museum, though, so I can't complain.

FHE Fun 6-14-2010

We played this great game from Shayne's childhood that shall remain nameless (because he doesn't remember!) You have to cut into a mound of flour one by one until someone makes the penny resting on top of the mound fall. Then that person has to get it out with his/her mouth. Needless to say, the boys LOVED it.

New York June 2010

My good friend Jenny, who has been running with me for a couple of years, had her heart set on running a race in New York City before moving to Indiana. I thought it would be fun to make a trip out of it and invite anyone else who wanted to run or just come for a fun weekend to say goodbye to Jenny. So Crystal, Amber, and Jessica came too. We drove down Friday morning, did a session at the temple, and played the rest of the day. Saturday morning we ran the race. After playing all day Friday, my legs were not exactly happy with me. The first mile was horrible, but by the second half of the race, I felt pretty good. We stayed in New York the rest of the day and didn't get home until 3am! We were all exhausted at church the next day, but it was SO worth it!



The Manhattan Temple



Amber, Crystal, Me, and Jessica outside Radio City Music Hall



The view of Central Park from our hotel



Jessica, Crystal, Jenny, and me outside the Guggenhiem Museum. I have wanted to go into that museum my whole art loving life, and I still haven't been there! We decided to come back the next day when it was free, but we couldn't fit it in. At least I got to see the outside, which is better than I did on my honeymoon 13 years ago.



Isn't it just crazy?! I love Frank Lloyd Wright!



Outside the Met



Coordinating cell phones before wandering on our own for a few hours.



This is the painting that Shayne and I bought a print of on our honeymoon, which started our art-print-buying-on-vacation tradition. It has always hung in our baby's room. First Steps by Van Gogh.





I love Van Gogh's impasto. I just love sculptural paint!





Ah, Cezanne. . . .



I looked all through the glass case storage area to find George Inness, and I found some great pieces along the way. Instead of boxing things up and sticking them in a room somewhere, the museum stores pieces in rows and rows of glass cases. I guess they're renovating the American section. So, here is Robert Feke. . .



. . . and John Singleton Copley, the artists I did my final paper on for American Art History. Oh, how I loved that class! (Doesn't Copley just rock compared to Feke!?!?)







And here he is!! His pieces were on the LAST row of the glass cases, and we found him 10 minutes before closing!



St. Patrick's Cathedral - our honeymoon hotel is around here somewhere, the New York Palace.



Rockefeller Plaza



Race Day!



Look, we're running! Can you tell? (sarcasm, sarcasm. . . .)



Yeah!



And now we're done!



After walking around on Friday, our feet were killing us. So, we opted for more practical footwear on Saturday.



Ellen's Stardust Diner was so amazing. The wait staff are all Broadway singers, and they sing the whole time! When we came in, someone was singing "Part of Your World" from the Little Mermaid, one of my favorites!





They take requests, and these two servers sang "Lily's Eyes" from the Secret Garden for me. It was so beautiful I wanted to cry! It was SO worth the over-priced food.







Times Square with Jenny



Brooklyn Bridge - We found the nicest New Yorkers on this trip. We were trying to get to the bridge from the subway stop, so we asked someone for directions. After walking for about a block, this same guy comes running up behind us to tell us that he pointed us in the wrong direction. Who says all New Yorkers are mean?!?



We went to the Woodward Gallery, where my friend Margaret Morrison exhibits her art, but she only had one piece currently on display in the office. Her agent directed us to the Gourmet Garage, where she has some pieces installed, and recommended we stop at this candy place called Papa Bubbles. It was a great walk through Little Italy and Soho.









The Gourmet Garage









Gelato in Little Italy





My kids have read "It Happened on Mulberry Street" and "The Castle on Hester Street," so I thougth this was pretty funny.



Do you see the castle on Hester Street? Me neither.



Mmmm. . . .



We wanted to go to Battery Park, but we only had time to jump out of the subway, take a quick picture, and grab the next subway up town to see South Pacific at the Theater at Lincoln Center.





These pictures are from after the show (which was fabulous) because our train decided not to stop at Lincoln Center. We had to get off at the next stop and run 7 blocks (as if we hadn't run enough that day!) to pick up our tickets in time!

After the show, we picked up the car (which we had parked for free on the street somewhere in the Upper West Side) and headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags and get another Gyro before going home. The Gyro's were amazing! It was such a great trip, but it made going back to real life really difficult. Two whole days of doing whatever I wanted spoiled me for at least a week! I'm so grateful to all our great husbands/parents for watching all of our babies so we could have this awesome girls' getaway.