Monday, September 29, 2008
Trucks, Dirt and More Dirt
What could be more fun than climbing on dump trucks, diggers, honking snowplow horns,and exploring firetrucks? Climbing huge dirt piles, stomping in mud puddles, and spending time exploring a quarry! Throw in some ice cream and it is the best time ever!!
Our trip down into the quarry started on a school bus. Patrick was very excited. After all, he isn't five yet but got to ride on the bus anyway, just like his big friends! Driving through all the huge piles of gravel was also really pretty cool.
Once in the quarry, we got to climb all over trucks, pretend we were driving them, and even honk their LOUD horns. We climbed over pick-er-up trucks.....
and climbed under snowplow blades.
Any good trip into a quarry wouldn't be complete with an ice cream cone.....chocolate for Patrick and vanilla for Elizabeth. It was good! And, we found something way messier to do than ice cream cones....
but first a cute new shot for the kitchen....careful Patrick, this is rivaling the cake face shot!
After ice cream we met up with Sarah Jane, Will and Uncle Mark. Here's a nice meeting of the minds in a mud puddle, where else.
Next, after our feet were nice and wet it was off to the giant sand pile to dig for diamonds! Sis loved it....
so did Pat, even though he was scolded three times for throwing the sand. (He was digging like a dog)
Patrick and Elizabeth spent quite a bit more time splashing in the giant mud puddle. The shot above isn't the most focused but it really shows the intensity that Patrick had the whole time he was in the puddle. Can you tell, he was playing Hulk.
Sissy was DIRTY and she loved it. Later, when I rinsed out her sleeves before washing her muddy clothes at least four good sized rocks fell out of her cuffs.
Did we mention that there was a cool obstacle course made from giant sewer tubes?? It was FUN!
Elizabeth loved it too, once she figured out how to slide down.
Back at the car each kid was stripped down, given a juice box and totally wiped out. It was a great day. You should have seen the ring around the tub when we got home!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Momentary Lapse of Mommy Reasoning
Sunday, September 21, 2008
An Apple A Day
Sunday was our annual trip to Beak and Skiff to pick apples. We have enough to give away, eat for weeks, and make lots of sweets. The kids had loads of fun in the orchard, picking lots of apples, throwing them in the bag and snacking away. Patrick made a friend, Dillon, who is the grandson of a woman I work with.
LUNGevity Walk
Aunt Jaime organized a team to walk in the LUNGevity walk in honor of Cheryl, so Patrick, Elizabeth, and I headed out to walk with the team. Brian was doing his own version of good deeds by playing in a charity golf tournament. We got to Long Branch Park ready to walk and excited to see our family. It was a beautiful day too, which made it all the better.
On your marks, get set.........wait a minute. The race can not begin until all walkers are ready to walk, meaning.....hands out of your pants. Nice, this is my son, or should I say Brian's son, at the starting line for the walk.
Patrick and Megan started off with a bang....they wanted to run! Peg and I kept up with a nice speed walk. The run lasted about 1/4 mile, and then Patrick was DONE. I think I promised Pat everything under the sun if he would just keep walking. I don't know what I was thinking, not bringing the double stroller. I guess I just thought he was older than he actually is. Well, Patrick became very slow, dragging his feet and even sitting in protest quite often. I killed my back with all the carrying, piggy backing and shoulder riding I did. The kid weighs more than 40 pounds. We didn't even make the turn. We sat and waited for Aunt Jaime who was pushing Sissy. For a while Pat and Sis rode in the stroller together but then Pat was back in my arms.

Elizabeth had fun walking with Aunt Jaime, Linda, and her new friend Chrissy.
OMG - Patrick and Mommy are dead last. Yes, Patrick and I were the last two people in the walking portion of the race. The only reason we were even able to get across the parking lot to the finish line was because I bribed Patrick with a Build a Bear. At least Daddy had fun golfing......by himself!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Happy Birthday Sarah Jane!
Saturday was Sarah Jane's third birthday party. The weather held out so that no one in the bouncey house got rained on.
Elizabeth loved being in the bouncey house, even if she need a big boost to get in. She jumped right along all the big kids, loving life. Patrick had a lot of fun at the party too. I didn't see too much of him while we were there.....he was either in the bouncey house, or following around his older cousin Tim.
Sara was showing Sissy her three birthday cakes, yes, three birthday cakes. If this is the pattern, I'll make sure I am at all Sara's birthdays! I had the one with the drippy caramel....it was delicious! They should all be delicious....Biscotti cakes always are.
Will and Elizabeth did a great job of scooping up all the frosting that was left behind after cake and sucking it off their fingers! Yum!
Patrick emerged just in time for the Princess Pinata and filled his pockets with candy and prizes (most of which he lost when he went back in the bouncey house)
Elizabeth bullied right in on the candy action and made up for the lack of pockets on her dress! Thanks for the help Tracy!
First Fall Hike in the Woods
Patrick and Elizabeth did a great job of taking about a pile of firewood Tom had laid out. Patrick was calling it our camp out spot. You know he is imaging that long twice as high with flames.
PAL goes back to school!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Lots of Fun in the Last Days of Summer
I have to go back to work in less than 12 hours and am really sad to see such a fun summer end. Patrick, Elizabeth, Brian and I have really had a lot of fun in the last 10 weeks. I wish we had 10 more ahead of us. Oh well. Here are some great moments from our last week of summer.
Elizabeth doesn't talk as much as Brian and I think she should at her age. However, this summer we have really see her learn to deal with that, find lots of other ways to communicate with us, and add a few more words to her vocabulary....ghost and ball. She is a great helper and so darn cute, all the time.
The kids had lots of fun attacking Uncle John at a BBQ at Grandpa's house. Uncle John is good for that sort of thing.
Helping to make a fire. All three carried the wood from the shed very well.
Patrick really isn't into eating the marshmallow's that he toasts, preferably burns. He just likes the burning torch an inflamed marshmallow makes. This is his "Why can't I carry around a flaming marshmallow?" look.
On Thursday we went back to the NYS Fair with Pop-Pop and UNCLE BUDDY! Patrick must have said Uncle Buddy 5000 times....he was so excited to hang around with him. I didn't take too many pictures on this trip but did get some of us visiting, and feeding, giraffes and a zebra. Had to preserve the moment after the enternal walk it took us to find the stinkin' - literally and figuratively - animals.
After a whole summer these two pictures are proof that Pat and Sis can read and play nicely together. They are becoming great friends although Patrick still reminds Elizabeth, daily, that he is the big brother.
After a long summer I have also stopped questioning when Patrick appears missing his pants. I should write down his responses....they are quite funny.

Today, Labor Day, we relaxed at home. Grandpa stopped by, we played with all the water toys, and made chocolate chip cookies to bring to all our friends at Sara's when we get back into our routine tomorrow. We had a wonderful last day of summer.
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