Old videos discovered...

Well, if this doesn't bring a tear to your eye... my darling first baby girl Carly and the videos that we shot of her during her first year with us :) Thank you, thank you, to Ken who put it all together for us.... (you'll have to go over to the music player on the right and stop the audio there first.)

Announcing......

COZY SPACE MONKEY PJS!!!!

Carly the 6-year-old's very own blog. Ideas and spell-checks are all her own.....Please leave comments, if possible.... encourage her ambitiousness. :)

Why my shoulders are STILL sore....

We woke up Sunday to a little less mist and dreariness, so the kayaking was ON! We started with a little walk along the piers behind our Bimini Flats digs.

a beautiful look back...

<----THAT'S a lot of goose poop.

And look! We ran into the Lamberts again; they too were taking an early morning stroll.... And no, I'm not stalking them, promise :)

On to the kayak expedition company; where we met John, who was busy with a guy in a bright yellow pick-up, begging for the $12 to get across the bridge-tunnel.

And we're off..... !!!

(I'm a little nervous; had to sign papers saying if I died, it wasn't their fault)

look, all by myself!!

IN the Intercoastal Waterway... where the wind and current were brutal. Really. I was pretty proud that I powered through!

back in the reeds where John is excitingly telling MORE about birds.

listening to more bird facts...

hey, cheese!

Guess what he's pointing to??? The possibility of more BIRDS!!!!

<----- oh,oh,oh.... THERE'S one!!

And a tree stand where some usually are.

Following along behind John again.... he's looking for birds!!

coming back ashore through the slippery muck.... the kind of clay-like sludge for facials that would probably cost you thousands at a spa!

Wow, some sun finally peeps through....

Check out the blue sky and us behind Aqua...

The final shot from the chairs along the bay....

So, what were the kids doing during our 3-day getaway? Nick hung out at the Lundgren's and Carly was at Mom's... playing lots of pick-up sticks and belly- laughing.

they also played a little "salon" apparently. Boy, do I remember the Sunday mornings spent with those hot rollers and toilet paper dangling from above my ears.... ah, good times. :)

So pretty, in Nana's beautiful guest room....

A Bimini Flats kinda weekend.... Day One and Two

After a particularly harrowing ride across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in near Tropical Storm force gales... we arrived for our long weekend at Bay Creek Resort on the Eastern Shore... So, upon walking in to our lovely Bimini Flats suite at Bay Creek Resort, Matt said "Oh, yeah... your job really sucks. Sheesh." See, this whole weekend was a benefit for a little marketing/endorsing I did for the resort this month. They REALLY know how to take care of a couple, huh?<--- This is the Welcome basket left for us in the kitchen!

Oh yeah... we could enjoy the goodies in here for a whole week!

the luxurious bedroom...

beautiful, BIG bathroom.

<----the HUGE shower with a seat, and in the daylight hours, an unnerving view right out into the

marina/harbor.

And a TV??? Woohoo.

CAN'T go wrong with a Bikinitini and Thai shrimp that the beautiful

Aqua restaurant on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. Not a lot to actually see on this night as the wind and rain were coming in SIDEWAYS from the November Nor'easter!

Not exactly sure what happened here... but it looks cool!

The sign and the feline.... that followed us ALL the way back!

No color-correction here... this is actually the color of the marina building we are staying in :)

total relaxation... that's what you get at Bay Creek Resort... AND two TV's to feed your inner ADD.

the lights of the marina at night....

and again at 6:30 in the morning... spectacular!

I was up early (no surprise THERE) to sit by the fire and enjoy the views... we also got the call that our kayaking excursion would be cancelled because of the winds, and the fact that deer hunters were going to be allowed on the Nature Reserve that day... so better to skip it. :)

Took a driving tour around the beautiful grounds...

And into the historic little town of Cape Charles...

<---- Ok, gladly!

Wandering down the lovely main street area, all bundled up, thank goodness... still chilly, windy and WET!

beautiful Sea Glass store.... closed! Shucks.

chilling at a quaint little coffee shop... Cafe Cape Charles and Grandma's Coconut Cake

Part of the railway... they even have dining cars that offer dinner trips on the tracks... and can do pizza parties for kids! How fun!

I love tug boats....

A view down one of the lovely streets....

what a tree!

hubby gazing out at the weather...it's maybe improving a little?

the kitchen area...

the view out the living area window...

what a

great kitchen, with the most advanced, sophisticated refrigrator I've ever seen! It could probably drive us back home to Virginia Beach if we pushed the right buttons.

Then it was on to dinner... an official Eastern Shore oyster roast... Oh my did we eat WAY too much.

Got a chance to hang out with the Lambert's too!!

hot and steamy fresh.... right from the bay. Sure wish I could eat like this every day!!

the Nor'Ida floodwaters

A couple more that Matt took

Here's the view from our driveway.... YIKES!

At the neighbor's house.

Elbow Rd's closed

but that didn't stop us :)

Look at that wake! You could boogie board on it!

The chocolate-drizzled caramel popcorn I made... which Matt called "Freakin' GOOD!"

An Aunt Crazy assault!!

Sitting at Johnny Rockets learning the "Chubby & Skinny" routine. This is AFTER Anne and I got kicked out of the playplace there on the 3rd floor... not the kids, US. Just for having a nice, hot Starbucks. Geez, that place is getting more and more anti-paying-customer.

Cheese !

quite sassy

Carly in ketchup. Well, I guess it's just Carl with an overhead "Y"

Walking through a winter wonderland....

This is my favorite; so joyful :)

Don't even get me started on what Matt wanted to caption THIS one with....

Yes, taking pictures IN THE MALL. Even though yet another security Nazi yelled at us for taking some around the oh-so-cool fountain. Apparently it's against "Official mall conduct." We were even handed a pamphlet outlining all the rules. I guess in case there was a quiz later?? Geez.

family fun

look at my big girl, or wait... who IS that in my backyard?? They grow up sooo fast!

Bowling feet!!

First time for the kids... this could get interesting!

Or it could get a little, ummm.... Wow.

Carly doing what she does best... serving beer to Dad. And that's NOT a cigar, it's a french fry.

Helping my little man out

goofy girls

<--- now, that looks like pretty good form to me! However, I sucked. The only person, of the 8 of us, that I beat was Nick.

AND I broke 3 fingernails.

<---- SCORE!!!

Look at those eyes....

my beautiful angel

Camelias in bloom in the park

The kiddos helping me load, unload, and then RE-load all 40+ Operation Christmas Child boxes that my Oceanfront MOPS group packed up... What a GREAT job, I'm sooooo proud!

So, here's a little story... at the lovely Max Media compound, someone put a frozen root beer in the fridge, where it proceeded to explode ALL OVER and no one, of course would claim responsibility.... Soooooo traffic maven Kimi Stevens took up donations for her daughters upcoming Europe trip.... and CLEANED it spotless!!

Yay!!! Spic 'n Span!

Last week, I got to be the fashion photog for Margie's ODFE show at the Resort & Conference Center... took nearly 300 pictures!

LOVED this dress, and these shoes... HOT!

And finally..... my little man's official Kindergarten picture. What a sweetie. Deceiving, isn't it? ;)

The Sistahood, the Cab, and the kids

I'm in, I'm innnnnnnn! The Traveling Pants (must read to understand) finally arrived this past week and I totally plan on making the most of my time with them. At first, they were TIGHT. And LOW. Like, when I sat down? I could feel the breeze blowing down my butt. Really. But I think I've loosened 'em up a bit, and got the hang of wearing a longer shirt with 'em to avoid flashing total strangers, which is always a good thing. I've already worn them onstage at the Ted, to my girls' sushi lunch date, and for our official Wave morning show pictures (coming soon...)

Oh, and I wore 'em to see Ben Bailey....the hunky bad-ass driver of The Discovery Channel's "Cash Cab." We LOVE us some Ben Bailey; even spent lots of time in NYC trying to find ourselves in his yellow cab. He was completely and expectedly hilarious. Nick loves to yell at him on the TV: "Mommy, are you in?? I'm NOT!"

Here's the kiddos staring at the stick-on glow-in-the-dark planet and stars stickers I got for Nicholas under the misguided notion that him having something to look at while he's in bed might actually KEEP HIM IN BED. Not.

The little missy's official Kindergarten picture. I sure wish an adult would've thought to run one of those cheesy plastic combs we ALL got on picture day through the top of her bumpy hair....

Boo!! (and boo-hoo.....)

First off...despite, oh I don't know, a half-dozen cheesesteaks, our Phillies lost last night to the Yankees in Game 6 of the World Series :(

Next year, boys.

Made more jam from the grapes we picked... yum!

look how peaceful the babies are being....

usually lasts about 8 seconds.

goofing off....that's the extent of us "dressing up."

Off to the Norfolk Yacht Club, just me and Carly with the Bejarano's. Yep, Nicholas had another come-to-Jesus meeting with Matt after FLIPPING out that afternoon. Actually it was more of a go-to-Hardee's meeting, but you get the idea. He's a tough kid to parent.

Carly went in the Haunted Tattoo Parlor....

Now THAT'S a sugar cookie... my dear.

My little Dorothy working on her monster... and my much-needed Cosmo.

The girls put the finishing touches on their treat bags.

Back at our house and all dressed for a night of Trick or Treating...

awww....so sweet.

Sunday saw me and my Traveling Pants (more to come later) on-stage at the Ted Constant Convocation Center to intro the big Sesame Street Live show...

<---Here's what happens to a Dad trying to pay attention to a kids' show the day after the ballgame runs past midnight.

Carly setting up her cool dollhouse... she and Nick are having so much fun with this. It's awesome to see what they're using for furniture. Balled-up paper, Lego's, anything Polly Pocket, Matchbox cars... etc.

Mini-me and Mini-NOT-me

Here's me and Carly shopping..... although as Cheri pointed out; it's a little tough to discern who's who in this strip.





She does seem to be turning into, not surprisingly, quite the little mini-me. At least until the other day, when I was putting some little pink butterfly clips in her hair, and she looked in the mirror and said "Ewww... that's too poofy, Mommy. I don't like poofy; it makes me look like a doofus."
WHAT??!!?!? I'm sorry, but being a fan of the "Big Hair era" I'm not sure I understand that sentence....

<---- This is NOT me in the great 80's, by the way.... but pretty darn close.

downloading the iPhone

First off, I have the best job in the world....hands down. The experiences I've had are priceless; sometimes the pictures that go along with the experiences aren't so much.

Our view this morning from our "broadcast center" at the opening of the Coast Guard exchange. Facebook comments included "staff meeting?" and "No, actually, a manager's meeting."

Then this on Tuesday. Some genius put a root beer in the freezer in the Max Media break room, then stuck it in the freezer. KABLAAAAM. Yep, the CDC has now officially quit stressing over the Swine Flu and has turned it's attention to this biological disaster.

Here's me one morning after Mr. Lamb asked me "hey, can you come to the kitchen and look over my shoulder while I make coffee? Just want to make sure I'm doing it right..." He's lived and experienced all his life and can't quite yet master MAKING A POT OF COFFEE???

<----Yep, back off...he's blazing. Especially after eating olives and broccoli.

And below is a shot of what, on a daily basis, I retrieve from his bed. HOW is it possible that he sleeps in here without bruises, cuts and scrapes??

One day last week, coming home from Mom's and the kids spotted a spotlight in the sky...we decided to jump in the car and try to find it. Twas right up the blvd. at Hall Nissan on Bonney Road; they were fascinated that that giant streak of light could be seen so far away and was only because of a little "candle" :) And it reminded me of nights doing the same thing with my Mom, Dad, and brother... although we often ended at Krispy Kreme. I left out that part. Maybe next time.

<--Ok, I SWEAR the car wasn't moving when this was taken....sitting still in the driveway, promise.

And on that recent rainy, rainy weekend the kids were climbing the walls...so out they went. Fun! Wet!!

Just another shot I loved from the MOPS hayride... look at him. So 'whatever' about being in that crazy carfull of babes.

Did I already post this one? Maybe. Anyway, it's a little Snow White raiding my closet!!

Well. This is what happens when, 8 or so years ago...you start to forget what the doctor told you about drinking so much tea, coffee, and Coke. Matt wakes up Saturday morning (when I was getting ready to go to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure) with a KIDNEY STONE. Those words have to be in all bold caps, because that's apparently what it feels like. KIDNEY STONE. See? You can almost sense discomfort when you see the words KIDNEY STONE like that. Poor guy. We bundled up the kiddos, drove him up to the emergency room. The kiddos promptly got turned away for being too young to handle the possibility of SWINE FLU. Hey, there's another bold caps word.

So I ran off to drop them with Mom for a few hours. When I got back to the ER, he was all checked-in and drugged up but still hurting... ended up being there a until just before noon; released with a string of Rx's and the promise of a call to the Dr on Monday.

We'll skip all the explicit stuff that happened later in the day and just say "everything came out ok." And it was a lot smaller than you can ever imagine.... people compare KIDNEY STONES to childbirth, but let me tell you... what came out of me weighed near eight pounds.

Oh, italics...I forgot about italics. Ok, so then CHILDBIRTH actually gets bold caps and italics. :)

Poor kids couldn't understand what was really going on... so out they went for some chalk-on-the-driveway fun.

He's much better now.... very much muchly better. Why? Because the Phillies are in the World Series! And for the second time in a row!! And ending a season that actually saw us at a game!! So, needless to say, it's exciting around here.... Last week, unfortunately he had a death in the family (Uncle Danny....) and went up with his family to the funeral in Pennsylvania. The Phils were, at that time, battling the Dodgers I think, for the pennant. Of course, on his way up, he swung by the field just to "feel the vibe"....

So, the "cheesesteak count" is underway. So far, two. And the series is tied. :)

from the sand, to the banks, to the vineyards, to the treats!

It started Friday with a great time at Carly's "Read to Me" at school, then a surprise call from Kristen to meet 'em at the beach!

It was sunny for a bit, but turned a bit gray and chilly! But that didn't stop the boys (or the pup!) from frolicking in the waves and sand....

Well, maybe it stopped the girls a bit ~ or at least this little girl who would much rather towel-huddle. And pout a little.

She got a little company later when Mrs. T. went back to the chairs to relax.

group shot; such FUN!!! We could barely even remember the last time we'd seen each other... one of our weddings maybe???

Craziness considering we all but grew up together....nights at church, youth mission trips, weekends at Aydlett, sooo much history! It was great to reconnect!

Then a great Saturday night at the Kocan's new place. A haven for the fishing type...

say ahhhhhh...

my favorite little angler

then time for a little kiddie hide-and-seek...why do kids think behind trees is the ONLY way to go??

Sorry dude, Cecelia spotted you. Again.

Now we're picking grapes at Blackwater....

Meh.

<--- future sommelier?

that's some face

and of course, during the 15 minutes we were actually outside there, THAT'S when Mother Nature sics the cold front on us... brrr, brrr, brrrrrrr!

gotta do something to keep the blood flowing :)

Ok, now honestly. Do they get any cuter than this?? No, they don't. Hold on, my heart is starting to swell up....

Ok, I'm back. See those kids there? I made 'em :)

See these kids here? That's all Matt's doing.

off for some fun at the CCPK Trunk 'n Treat

Meredith and Tim's trunk was awesome-scary!

Carly digging through spaghetti for some "eyeballs."

That's my girl.... and please skip that icky SpongeBob crap and go for the Skittles and KitKat.

A pirate goes a'cake-walkin'....

and then gets locked in his carseat. Arrrrrrgh.

And I don't really know about this one. Just laying on the floor eating his Boston Creme pie. Or wait....looking up his sister's skirt?!??? Stop it, Nicholas!! Geesh.

It's Monday! So what? Still plenty to smile about :)

So when Carly's sitting at her place at the dinner table, she has a perfect view of a cutting board that was a gift(thanks, Jill!).... and I could see her studying it the other day. She says "Mommy, that says "May your glass always be half full, right?" And I said "Yep, sure does.... that's just a saying that people use to remind themselves to look on the positive side, or happier side of things." She thought for a moment and said .... "Well then, shouldn't it say 'May your glass always be ALL full?' That would make ME happiest."

And you know? She's right!










And finally... I don't usually laugh out loud at newspaper comics, but this just cracked me up. Is that Nick or what???

Citizen Carly and a friends hayride

Carly was honored as the "Citizen of the Quarter" for kindergarten and we all celebrated at school Tuesday morning with a family breakfast....

which we had to pay for. But get this... ALL four of us ate for $4.25. THAT'S a bargain! :)

Yes, my dear; you need to go up to the stage just for a bit so we can clap for you and your fellow "citizens."

Then it was off to Hunt Club farm with the Riegle girls for a MOPS hayride.... Nick looks thrilled to be the only dude. One day, though... he'll be soooo excited to be in a van full of cutie babes..

Meredith, Keegan, and Avery

The best part was definitely throwing the hay.

I hope she realizes.... oh yep, she does. Hay can make you verrrrry itchy.

Careful, Nick... be a gentleman! I'm pretty sure he was just checking to see if Abbie had a pizza in her belly button like he does.

the girls head off to the chicken coop... Abbie needed a little reassurance... I don't blame her, some of those birds were nuts!

<---That's an odd chicken....

more fun in in the hay...

What a fun day!! Mops kids:

Keegan and Avery, Mya, Owen, Abbie and Anna Grace, Claire, Carly and Nick

More Carlyisms and other oddities only heard around our house

"Mommy, my toys are the girly ones and Nick's are the boyly ones."

"When I hear this song, it makes me want to say my prayers..." (when listening to Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine.")

"Stop playing with your castle, Nick!" (Don't ask. Well, ok I'll tell you. He calls his boy parts his "castle.")

"So, boys are really just around to make girls smile and fall asleep, right?" (what she asked after watching some Disney princess movie... I really hope those tales aren't ruining her for any future real, actual relationships.)

"Nick is really hangry." (when he's so starving that he actually gets mean.)

"You need to turtle your shoes."

"Honest, kiddos. McDonald's is closed on Tuesdays... you didn't know that?" (heard from me one Tuesday after 20 minutes of begging and pleading from them to go for Happy Meals.)

"EWWWW, Mommy!! I found Nick's boogie spot!!" (what happens when Carly discovers the new place on the wall where Nick's chosen to wipe his nose residue.)

"Mommy, you make a difference." (after seeing me reading an article about how Mops Mommies make a difference in their community.)

Sweet things

The Barbie gals are going for a spin! Look out... and Ken, sorry you're still upstairs. Please have dinner on the table and the yard mowed by the time we girls get back!

Carly-girl reading her favorite Princess (but aren't they ALL) book... the monkey pajama's kill me. SOOO cute. Shhhh... I even ordered some for me. We're gonna be PJ twins!

So, at choir on Wednesday, Miss Jenny asked the kiddos to draw something that God gave them, that they needed... not wanted, but needed... Look how sweet!!

This one's even BETTER!! I think his "creative gene" finally might be kicking in. I actually see discernable mountains AND a waterfall!

And hey! It's Katie's birthday week, too! We had a fabulous day at MacArthur... lunch at Burger King, first.

Presents and running around, too. :)

Then off to the Bear Factory... Nick's first time, he was SOOO excited! Pandas and whales for the boys, lambs and bunnies for the girls!

spin around, make a wish, hands in your ears, touch your toes... this was quite the workout!

squeezy soft!!

All done! Well, almost... most generous Suzanne took the girls to Children's Place for a shopping spree!! Just wait till we get those beauties together for a photo shoot in their matching outfits!! :)

We LOVE you Suzanne, Katie, & Snowden!!

the final celebrations... and then we're done for another year, right????

The Barbie cake rides to the party... that's how she rolls (gag).

Her pick for party place was Kangaroo Jack's... a big ole jumpy, bouncy place that mixes up kids' stomachs and wears 'em out.

Some sibling love...

buds from "back in the day..." (of preschool)

wow, that does NOT look like fun to me... and look how brave Nick is!

see, this just looks like carnage to me....

Awww, Daddy's here!!

And I kinda wish that I had one of the netted things in the house. I like the look of that. :)

Caroline and Carly again

Wow, look at all those girls driving!

Look at that face... that face says "Mwahhaahaaa... you're going to be picking up pieces of this for YEARS to come..."

Cinderella!!!

A sight rarely seen, I'm actually IN a picture!! !

Nick says "can we PLEASE get ON with this??? I'm starving."

The Riegle girls make the cutest cards.... and I LOVE Abbie's shirt! I want one.

I wish I'd gotten a picture of the monkey pj's from Kaylee and Bryan... they are precious!! But I'm sure you'll see 'em in pix for months (and maybe years, if I know her) to come. We LOVE our monkey pjs!

finally pizza...

Daddy lights up the Barbie...

pondering her wish... make it a good one, hon!

I wish this one was in focus, would've been really cool.

out she comes, and Carly is NOT letting any go to waste... oh no, not my girl.

thanks guys!

now on to the classroom to bring cookies and CapriSuns for her buds. She walked around Mya "the Sun" 6 times! The class sang to her, and all the kids made happy wishes for Carly.

Sweet little Mya then raised her hand and asked "may I sing to Carly as well?" and then sang to her in Hewbrew!! It was stunning!!

Ok, so what do I do about this. At least HER reaction is appropriate.

Now she's "Two Hands Old"

Our traditional kissy face :) Thanks Mom!

I love these faces :) It's more Tinkerbelle!

We LOVE Paul Frank!

The family celebration. First planned for Ruby Tuesday, but being the girl that she is... was swayed by an Olive Garden ad about the "never ending pasta bowl..."

Roxy rules!!

Thanks, Grandma! Can't WAIT for all her bonds to mature! (and her, too!)

the Disney overload begins....

excited over Barbie and a Littlest Pet Shop

A ONE OF A KIND seatbelt...belt!!

they liked to play phone with it... hello? Can you hear me now?

She also has a Cinderella dress that now fits her... and isn't a midriff belly mini-skirt.

walking out with the loot..... and discovering MORE! Her very own dollhouse.

Jenny Lamb says "What was this... Christmas??" Almost! Can't wait to get this upstairs with the Polly Pockets and babies....

Thanks to all!

She's STILL five!!!

These are the days leading up to Carly-girl's big 6th birthday!!

Matt's making apple pie with the apple's we got from Carter's Mountain...

Little fingers just itching to dig in...

oh my does that smell yummy....

"Make-A-Scarecrow" for CHKD! I've seen this advertised for years and finally signed up to do it this year.... here's the finished product. He's cute, huh??

Let's go back in time and see.....

Please slap me next year if you hear me say "Hey, let's go do that scarecrow benefit again at McDonald's Garden Center... come on it'll be fun!" Seriously, just slap me. I'll write a check and be done with it.

He's starting to take shape! Although, this is the first of about EIGHT freakin' times we stuffed and unstuffed him. Couldn't get the right pants, couldn't decide if his shirt should be tucked or untucked, couldn't keep the kids from hurling straw at each other. Remember, slap me.

almost done!

Now, let's get the heck out of here before we end up divorced, and putting the kids up for adoption....

:) Kidding, honey. I love you. :)

Here's our judging room for the Bra-Ha-Ha... Dick, Paul, and I were on the celebrity judge panel for this amazing event that showcased 36C bras all decorated by women, families, co-workers, etc to honor breast cancer battles, survivors, and the quest for a cure.

Then we were out live Saturday morning for the Morning Wave show on location... MacArthur Mall Center Court... they'll be on display until the 17th of October.... do yourself and big favor and go check 'em out!

The bossman

I took the little paintings I picked up in Rome YEARS ago and made a little framed sign for Nick's bedroom....

Hey, we're at STP!!

Who says ex (I kinda doubt THAT) druggie rockers don't have style!??

Look who we ran into!! It's Mickey!! One's of Matt's oldest and closest friends from WAAAAAY back.... they haven't seen each other since nearly right after our wedding; it was so cool to catch up with him. Boy, are there some stories to tell about the history here.

waiting for the show.... crummy iPhone pix.

Day 2 and 3

Wow was it cold when we woke up.... Matt quickly got a fire going to warm our little icicle bodies up!

I am SO glad we brought these scooters.. it really gave them something physical to do at the

campsite. Oh, and something to yell and fight over. Nothing like hearing your son scream "I WANNA RIDE THE PINK PRINCESS ONE!!!"

yep, there's my boy

and I'm guessing maybe this buck had to p too?

a most wonderful breakfast followed by a drive down the hill for some scenery!

cheese!

for the best saurbraten and spaetzel around, head to Edelweiss... we've been coming here for years!

we're on a hayride! And don't look now but I think farmer blue is going to drive us thru a creek!!!

me and my treasures

Eureka! She found the perfect one!

the bigger, flat ones are called "Cinderella" pumpkins. Don't say you never learned anything from this blog :)

farmer Blue and Carly girl

My scaries!

Stickbug! He sat there at the top of tent ALL WEEKEND!

relaxing with my little guy, isn't he just a darling??

He's a darling that HATES to be filmed... and spent the better part of a half hour being chased by his papparazzi sister.

"I SAID NOOOOO PICTURES!!!!"

ok, on to some dinner prep.

lamb steaks with mint and rosemary over the fire.... nothing better.

Camp chair fail.

a little dusk scooting around the grounds....and warming feet by the fire.

Boo!!! Nick kept us on our toes with his scary Bogeyman impression.

Carly loved the flashlight in the tent and using it to try and spook us.... there's a face!!
And there's one tired little boy...

We woke up the next morning slowly, but a bit warmer and started the long process of breaking everything down... sniff, sniff. Oh, and Carly looked over at me and told me my hair looked like the skunk from "Over the Hedge." Thanks.

nick doing tai chi now?

goofing around with Daddy

Carter's Mountain... quick trip in and how cool! Apparently I'm totally late to the party for this place. Everybody's heard of their apple cider donuts already, huh? Well, it was my first time and oh my will I be back... wonderful! And washing it down with a cider slushie seals the deal.

Mission accomplished.