Summer Vacation - #38

The kids got to spend lots of time with Daddy this morning because I was out at a baby shower. They all went to the park to do some bike riding and then onto Barnes and Noble for some new books. After a lazy afternoon, we went for pizza at Valentine's, ice cream at Doug's, and a walk around the Antique boat fest in Skaneateles. Liz busted a move listening to the big band playing in the gazebo.

Summer Vacation - Day #37

Today we had a pool day at Grandpa's. Aunt Anne, Aunt Peg, Uncle Joe, Megan, Aunt Jaime, Linda, and Grandpa all enjoyed the day with us. The weather was nice and the water was even better. The kids played nicely and loved their grilled chicken dinner. We scooted out early because Laura came over to babysit for the first time so Mom and Dad could enjoy a date night.

Summer Vacation - Days #32-36

I have no pictures for any of these days...................I was working all week. We will be back on the fun train next week.
Monday - The kids stayed with Brian while I was at work. He worked from home and then took the kids to see Cars 2 after work.
Tuesday - Home with Daddy day 2. Both days Patrick went to playground program in the morning, so Daddy just had to worry about Lizzie Lou.
Wednesday - The kids were with Grandpa today. They went swimming and had crepes (which they loved!). The treat of the week was tonight..................a sleep over with Sarah Jane and Will at Ciochi's house. They did great and had a ton of fun.
Thursday - The kids stayed at Ciochi's. They played nicely all day and ventured out to the park.
Friday - Patrick had his last day of playground program today. After playground, Grandpa dropped him off at Aunt Peggy's so he could play with Megan and Liz. This evening we had a nice pizza dinner and got ice cream at Doug's. We wondered around the park, looking at antique boats and throwing rocks in the lake. When we got home we all played in the driveway with Liz's bike and Pat's scooter.

Summer Vacation - Day #31

The kids and I just bummed around this morning. I was trying to be low key because I have to work all week. When Brian came home from golf we decided to go back to Uncle Rich and Aunt Pam's to fish. I didn't fish but did enjoy an hour of paddling ALONE in peace and quiet.
When I returned to the dock, Patrick was excited to tell me about all the fish he was catching. I think he caught 9 total. Right after Patrick finished telling me about all his fish, he caught another!
He'll catch them, but won't touch them.

Summer Vacation - Day #30

(I am kinda bummed that we are already 30 days into vacation - I have to make sure we maximize every minute but don't rush it away!) Today was a super fun day. We went to John and Heather's to celebrate Davis (3) and Leah's (5) birthdays!!
Patrick was the oldest kid at the party and was so good and patient with all the other kids. He did such a good job waiting patiently for all the little ones to make their way down the slip-n-slide.
Elizabeth was a great "helper" at present time.
Elizabeth was soooo excited to give Leah the Barbies and clothes we got for her!
Time for Tangle cake! Happy Birthday Leah!!
Davis had no interest in leaving his new golf club and coming to the table for cake. He is John's son, after all. So, Patrick served as Davis's stand-in. I think he has done this for Davis before.
The girls doing what girls do best, sneaking a peak at the loot in the treasure chest.
Patrick is ready to collect his loot. Candy? Necklaces? Eye patches? What will come out of those pinatas!!
All of the kids loved running around playing on the slip-n-slide, swimming in the kiddie pool, and jumping on the trampoline.
Lizzie Lou :)
Elizabeth giving her all to break the princess pinata.
Patrick, the pinata destroyer! After the pinata was down and the candy grab was over, Patrick found his way back over their and just beat the silly thing with the golf club. He went Goodfella's on the stinkin' thing.
Candy grab!!
This picture is great! Davis, the birthday boy, enjoying a popsickle and a ringpop! Live it up Davis!!
After the party we went to Otisco to have dinner at Uncle Rich and Aunt Pam's house. After dinner, the boys took a ride on the boat and did some tubing. Elizabeth and I went for a kayak ride.
It was a great paddle but we didn't last too long. The wind picked up a bit so it got kind of choppy. I was nervous having Elizabeth we so we spent a lot of time on the dock watching the older kids next door do all kinds of funny tricks and jumps off their dock.
After boat rides we had a fire and enjoyed the evening.

Summer Vacation - Day #29

Today was another hot one. The kids wanted to go to the zoo, so we did. It was too hot so we didn't last long, only getting to the barn and elephants after seeing the inside stuff. The highlight of the day is that Patrick got a new bike. I found a bike with a bigger wheel base that would last Patrick longer for sale in town. He was soooo excited and spent the afternoon practicing.

Summer Vacation - Day #28

Today was a scorcher folks! All day, Patrick kept asking me what the temperature was and was thrilled when I told him that we hit 100! He knew that it was a historical event and that it hadn't happened since 2002. He retains pretty much everything you tell him, including the comment I made about being able to fry an egg on the sidewalk when it is this hot...............
because about mid-afternoon, out came an egg, on the driveway. Of course it "cooked", over a period of time, and then turned to an orange, crusty stain on our newly re-topped driveway. All in the name of science, right??
Sheila and Ken invited us to Skaneateles Country Club to hang out by the water, swim, and have a picnic dinner. It was a great relief to sit in the breeze, float on a tube with a beer, and enjoy family. Both kids did a great job swimming. Elizabeth even did a distance swim with Ciochi and Sarah Jane.
She made it!
Patrick did his fair share of running off the dock and jumping in the water. It started out pretty timidly but by the time we were ready to go he was using the dock like a runway. Brian was teaching the kids how to skip rocks when they weren't swimming.
Liz getting ready to jump, giving Brian directions, no doubt, before jumping in.
It was a really fun night. We all had a blast and really appreciate the invitation.

Summer Vacation - Day #27

While Patrick was at playground, Liz and I were cleaning out the shed and taking pictures of some things we were listing on Craigslist. Of course, Elizabeth needed her picture taken :)



We swam this afternoon................Ciochi brought Sarah Jane and Will over to swim because it was so hot. When Daddy was at golf league, the three of us sat in the AC and looked at pictures/videos of Disney on the internet. We are getting super excited for our trip!

Summer Vacation - Day #26

Another lazy one :) Just the way we love it. Pat went to playground, Liz to gymnastics and swimming, and then we hit the pool. Patrick got Brian to agree that they should "hit balls" after work, so they headed out golfing. So, Liz and I went shopping, again. When we came home the boys had a surprise fire going.

Summer Vacation - Day #25

No pictures for today. Megan was with us today. Pat should have gone to playground and Liz to swimming, but I kept them both out. There were thunderstorms on and off all morning and it was so muggy that I thought neither would be fun. We hung around after breakfast and then headed out grocery shopping................it was air conditioned and needed to be done. I put the kids in the Wegman's toy room and enjoyed an hour of peace. We made two more stops after that, and the kids were so good that I got them pizza for lunch. In the afternoon they played, watched a movie we rented for quiet time, and rode bikes/scooters. After Megan went home we relaxed as a family until bed. An enjoyable lazy day of summer.

Summer Vacation - Day #24

Today we were going to go to Onondaga Park for Parkway Sunday to ride bikes but opted to stay closer to home and go to Santauro Park.

Watch out! Liz is a speed demon on her bike, talking to herself and pretending the whole time she is riding.
Patrick has taken to riding his two wheeler literally over night. He wanted to take the training wheels off about a month ago (I think because kids at school had). We rode then a bit but he was cautious and unsteady. Now he is doing awesome, riding and turning for a long time, so well.
There are a ton of pictures of him riding, just because we are so proud.
Santauro Park is such a great place to ride. The kids and I were playing gas station, bank, fast food..................all the places they could "drive" up for service.

Patrick just needs a little steadying from one of us and then he is off.







This is my favorite picture from the morning. He is so happy, so proud, and so confident. I can't believe that Patrick is such a grown up kid!

Patrick could have rode ALL DAY. He was so proud of himself. He kept asking, "How long did I ride that time?" He can't get himself going yet, but is so close.
This afternoon we went to Will's 4th birthday party.
It was a pirate themed party.
The birthday boy!! The kids got to walk the plank over a sea filled with gators and sharks! It was a cute touch.
Don't you just love the hook and the patch??
Arrrgggghhhhh, matey.
The kids were crossing with two patches after their first run. I was a bit nervous, it looked slippery, but Pat made it. Watch out for the lizard
Liz worked hard on the treasure hunt that was set up for the kids. It was hard on her little legs, running all over three acres!
Mommy initially told Liz that she couldn't go in the pool. She's testing the waters.
Testing some more........
She is too darn cute to say no to!