Fun at the fair

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Tessa

Today we made our somewhat annual (2008, 2013) trek to the county fair. I always think of Rosy when we go to the fair on her birthday weekend. Maybe some day we can go to the fair with her again on her birthday weekend. For now we went with friends instead.

We started at the sheep barn. These guys were all wearing coats. It was a pretty chilly day and we were wearing coats (sweatshirts) too!

Lex found a sign that said they were wearing jackets to keep them clean, not to keep them warm. I guess they were show sheep. :)

This looks like a picture of A, but really it was picture of the guy shaving his cows bottom in the background. There was a lot of that going on today. Elizabeth and I had a good laugh about it. Good times at the county fair.

It was ride bracelet day (the reason we went!) and the kids loved it! They started with the fun house. I love it because I don’t have to say, “Really? Are you sure you want to spend four tickets on that?!?” Instead I just let them ride on whatever dumb ride they want as many times as they want and everyone is happy. :)

The slide is always popular too.

I love that smile!

This picture had the potential to be pretty cool, but not quite. Oh well. They loved the Scrambler and went on it many times! I made them take breaks though, so no one got too scrambled up!

This was A’s first spiny ride. I think he liked it. :)

This year the Ferris wheel was a favorite. (The guy looks like he’s posing too.)

Look at that sky! It was breezy and chilly and threatening to rain all day, but it held off. I’d take that over sweltering hot though!

I brought a picnic lunch (to go with the french fries we bought!) and we settled down to watch a show. This lady had some pretty cool basketball moves.

The girl in the red and white polka dots next to Lex is one of his classmates. She was really sweet and spent some time with us. She wanted to go on rides with Lex, but it just didn’t quite work out. She didn’t have tickets, then the ride was full and he couldn’t get on, and other mis-alignments. She ended up sitting with us for lunch and it was nice to see one of his classmates really being nice and chosing to spend time with him. It also gave me a funny peek into the future. Neither of them really knew what to say to one another and both were a little awkward. He liked having her around though. :)

The kids really wanted cotton candy so we got a little lunch dessert. Lex was curious about how it’s made so we ordered it on a cone instead of in the bag.

They gave him a lot!! Lex likes this picture best, but I like the next one. Therefore I’ll post both. :)

It’s bigger than his head! Good thing cotton candy is mostly air, and he shared happily with Eve. :)

We went back to watch the lady for a few more minutes while the kids ate their treat.

After lunch I decided to buy some tickets and go on a few rides with the kids. I love fair rides! I don’t love the $1/ticket price though. :/ Turns out my arms aren’t long enough to get a three person “us” shot. Where’s Alan when we need him?!

I went on the Scrambler with them, then on the Ferris wheel. Then they went on the Ferris wheel a few more times without me, then Lex was bored and Eve went again on her own!

Lex really wanted me to go on the Wipeout ride with him, so we convinced Eve to go too. I thought it would be like the Himalayas ride (remember that one?!) that she loved when we went to Santa’s Village a few years ago. Turns out it was a bit different and a lot scarier! She kept yelling, “I’m ok, just completely terrified!” Poor girl. She held it together though and survived the ride.

Lex loved it so much he went again on his own!

When ride bracelet time was over everyone was sad, however we wandered over to the tractors and managed to have a little more fun.

Eve waited in line for 40 minutes to get her face painted. The lady does it free of charge and does an awesome job. Eve chose the “dolphin mask” style.

Bunnies for sale. Only $25 each. (no, we did not get one)

On the way out we stopped to visit some young oxen. I’m assuming they are oxen based on the yoke. Does any other animal wear a yoke? The boy was their owner and full of interesting information.

The kids liked getting their hands licked. :)

Home again, home again, everyone was tired and happy. I think tomorrow will be a calmer day, per Lex’s request.

Sciency fun

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Tessa

We are trying to cram as much fun into these last two weeks as possible. Balanced, of course, with as much “no plans” time as possible too. It makes for tricky scheduling!

Yesterday we had to get out of the house and I was feeling a bit cranky, so I suggested we start our day with a trip to King Arthur Flour. No objections from the kids! They were even happier when I let them get anything they wanted. Eve asked if she could have a cupcake (at 9am) and they were huge and beautiful and I said sure. She decided on a whoopie pie instead, while Lex and I both got blueberry scones.

After the kids ran around like wild ones for a few minutes we headed up the street to the science museum. The place was packed, but we all had fun.

Eve brought her notebook to make some sketches.

A T-Rex named Sue.

A “What’s hot? What’s not?” selfie.

Lex took Jupiter for a spin.

We went to a Discovery Lab session on volcanic rocks. The lady kept talking about “frozen lava” and it drove me crazy. My kids knew more about the rocks than she did. I think she was new. She clearly had some learning to do. :) Lex left part way through, but Eve stayed for the whole thing. She showed them basalt, pumice, granite, and obsidian. Eve did some sketching. :)

Lex spent most of his time in the Tinkering Lab. The project was to make parts for a pinball machine. They had a bunch of homemade pinball machines set up (six, maybe) and lots of supplies for the kids to make their own components to add. Then the kids could put them in and test them out. It was lots of fun.

Here is one of the machines with Lex’s additions (the red and green parts).

Eve made an intricate decoration with a red flag on top for the pinball machine.

Lex made a ramp and landing zone.

While Lex continued tinkering, Eve and I went to the top so she could do another sketch. She propped her clipboard on the railing and it almost fell off! Well, it did fall off, but on the inside, not the outside. This is her face when describing what could have happened!

She decided to be safe and hold the clipboard in her arm while sketching. I thought that was a much better idea.

Everyone was having fun but we had to head home for their final piano lesson of the summer. Then a little rest, a little dinner, and off to karate where they got belt test invitations! The belt test is next week and they are very excited, and ready!

Fun in the sun

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Tessa

A great day at the lake and a lazy blog post. :-)

My 20th High School Reunion (aka: feeling old this weekend)

Posted on July 27, 2014 by Tessa

So much to blog about and so little time! I have a few minutes so here’s a quick update!

This weekend was my 20th high school reunion. In true small-town style we held it at the local lake with kids and families. It was fun. Of course, with that came a trip to the ol’ homestead. I took sporadic photos this trip, so here’s a sampling of our weekend.

The kids discovered AWESOME new Lego sets waiting for them when we arrived. They were psyched.

Thanks Mema!

Saturday morning we went out to breakfast at a new café in town. It was delicious, and they had a lovely outdoor area. We ate inside because it was a chilly morning, but Eve and Grandpa Tom enjoyed the patio after breakfast.

Grandpa Tom and Eve enjoying a quiet moment.

My reunion was a the lake and I took only a few pictures, all of Eve. There are plenty of pics from others on Facebook, so if you care enough you can find them there. Otherwise just imagine a dozen or so FCS grads 20 years later. Family, kids, BBQ, etc. Good times all around. Eve made fast friends with the daughter of one of my old high school friends. It’s like these two were cut from the same cloth. A wild and wonderful cloth! At one point in the day her friend asks me, “So, are you her aunt or her grandma?” Nothing like a candid 5yr old to make you feel old… er, as I was already there to celebrate 20yrs out of high school! Sheesh!

Wild Child and her new BFF

Sandy girl

Lex had some fun at the lake, but mostly was eager to get home to finish his Lego building. He didn’t hit it off with any of the kids there (the only other boys there were babies and teens) and didn’t get much playtime with Eve since she was off with her BFF. He did a great job of being sweet and patient all day though.

Lex made a movie of his train.

The next morning (today!) Alan and I headed home and left the kids with Mema and Grandpa Tom! Eeek! Lex took a little convincing, but finally decided it would be a good idea. I think I was the only one crying when we left! I have a conference in Boston for the next two days, then I’ll drive back to pick the kiddos up. I’m sure they will have a blast! Hopefully the grown-ups all survive. :)

Watching the ants on a chilly morning.

Good bye, good bye!

After this conference and trip I think I will be home with no plans for more than two days in a row and hopefully find some time to relax, restore, and catch up on the blog! :)

Awesome day

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Tessa

We had a great day today. Great for my social self! The kids had karate camp in the morning and I really had nothing to do, so I puttered and checked Facebook and whiled away the morning. :-) Then I picked up the kids and we went to a free kids concert in the park. We had plans to meet other friends and ended up being a group of six mommas and eleven kids. No one paid attention to the concert! The mommas chatted and chased kids, the kids ran around and climbed trees, and everyone had a blast!

Eve and her BFF

After the concert we all went to the pool. It was a little too cool for me to swim but the kids loved it. I was too busy hanging out to take pictures!

We had to leave at three to pick up two kiddos I’ve been babysitting this week. On the way home I stopped for ice cream with four very excited children! I was a little nervous about what to expect from four over-tired, ice creamed up kids, but when we got home they all plopped down and played with Legos. Eve spent some time in the bathroom combing her dolls hair and singing to herself. A sweet self-imposed break from the others. Then we even had a great night, no fights, no fusses, all happy and fun.

Happy summer vacation. Happiness is.

Shelves

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Tessa

IKEA shelving! My project for the day! I bought these used and built them today. I love it! We aren’t going to use it as an entertainment center, just as storage shelves in the basement.

Garden update

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Tessa

We planted flowers, but veggies are growing! Hmmm…. Crazy garden!

Ruggles Mine

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Tessa

Yesterday was a beautiful day so we took a trip to Ruggles Mine. Everyone was pretty excited for the outing. We packed a picnic lunch and our rock collecting gear, we studied the rock guides, and we slathered on the sunscreen.

Lex was filling his sample jars with mica before we even got out of the parking lot!

The view is just amazing! All the way around.

We started with a picnic lunch, despite protests from the kids, who were super eager to get into the mine!

Almost there… must pose for a picture first.

Or a few pictures. :)

Into the mine! At last!

Dad, pausing to explain something on the ceiling to Eve (who you can barely see in the shadow).

Don’t hammer on the pillar!

First stop, into the caves to check out the water level.

This picture cracks me up because Eve looks so delicate and pink. She brought a stuffed animal in a carry bag and just looks delicate. That lasted about a minute before the toy went into the rock bag and her hands were filled with tools!

In the caves.

Handsome boy, always happy to smile for the camera.

Dad, chiseling away what we thought was beryl but maybe wasn’t.

Lex, working hard on a big block of quartz. I wanted to just take the whole thing home!

Eve, hard at work, or so it would seem. When I got a little closer I discovered the true story.

This is her “I’m a little embarrassed” smile. Turns out she had hammered the chisel straight into a crack in the wall with no clear idea how to use a chisel or how to get it out of the wall!

Grandpa Tom to the rescue. He got the chisel out and gave her a lesson on how to use it.

I think these holes are so cool. I always imagine ancient cave dwellers living in them. Turns out it’s just the results from past blasting. Still pretty, but a much less cool story.

Nice find, Mema!

Miners, hard at work.

Looking back towards the entry.

There is a kid-sized tunnel that runs in the rock. In the tunnel is one little window for peeking out.

The end of the tunnel. I went through a few times, but as a semi-tall person I had to stay bent over for most of the path. Not the most comfortable, but it is pretty cool inside.

I love this big sheet of mica, also known as isinglass (Mema, I Googled it!) It is super fragile, but thanks to Mema’s good ideas it survived the trip home and now decorates my shelf.

Eve took it upon herself to help this little creek flow better. All along the way she moved rocks, terraformed the muddy banks, and did what she could to assist the creek. Thoughtful girl. :)

Mema The Brave offered to hold the chisel while Lex hammered off a piece of this quartz. I’m happy to say it was an injury free day!

Near the end, looking back.

Grandpa Tom found this big rock full of mica. He and the kids chipped away at it, creating beautiful mica glitter.

We made it to the end! Time to refuel before turning around and heading up the hill, carrying bags full of rocks!

Happy miners!

On our way back up the path.

Me and the kids.

Eve was happy this day that we both were wearing “hats with brims that go all the way around to protect our necks and ears.” All those times I encouraged her to wear a hat with a good brim and she remembers and encourages me as well. :)

This rock was full of names and initials. Dad added a few of his own.

T + ME

Awww… the cute couple!

We all worked together to carry five bags of rocks out of the mine!

Back at the top we flopped down to watch the information video and rest!

I “carried out” way more photos than rocks! Many of these are probably exactly the same as I took when we went to Ruggles Mine two years ago, but I’m not even going to look or link back to that post so they’ll all seem fresh and new. :)

After we got done mining we had another snack, then headed home. Along the way we passed a cool looking playground so we made a quick stop. The littles in our group still had plenty of energy to burn! After that stop we decided ice cream was in order. Sadly my camera broke at the playground so I didn’t get any pictures of the rest of our day. You’ll have to just imagine our delight at eating ice cream by the lake on a beautiful day!

We got home in time to unload, unpack, and order pizza for dinner! A good day was had by all! I love summer vacation!

Arizona trip (final day and heading home)

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Tessa

This last vacation post will be quick one. The last full day we were there was a quiet one. We took it slow in the morning… maybe did something else that I’m forgetting at the moment… then went to Amy’s house for the afternoon. We swam and ate and had fun. Alan and Ian bonded over World Cup soccer while Amy and I discussed daycares and family planning. You know, the usual stuff. Lex discovered their X-Box Knect and played some fun racing games. We had pizza for dinner. It was a great final day in Arizona!

We had fun with this little guy. Where’s the toy?

Eve regressed to her baby self. :)

Andrew loved Eve’s glasses. She thought it was hysterical that he kept pulling them off. :)

There’s the noodle pony picture I was looking for!

This was a total snapshot that ended up looking really cool!

Lex was feeling a little grumpy (not enough sleeping, perhaps?!) but cheered right up when he discovered they have an X-Box.

Monday finally arrived and with it came goodbyes and long flights.

All the animals say good bye.

Eve said the animals (Dolphy, Bamboo, and Jeesis) were all very sad to be leaving Arizona.

Long flights on a plane that had seat back screens! Movies, TV, music, games, and more! Alan watched TV, the kids played games, and I did enrichment activities! Ha! I played Bejeweled and read magazines while my kids were glued to the screen! It was a great flight! :)

Ooohhh… screens on the seat back = happy children!

He sat upright in his seat for three hours playing games on the screen, and he was one happy flier!

This is my favorite part. Years ago when I flew to Europe they had one of these and I loved watching our path. This is the first plane I’ve been on since that had one. I wish all planes did!

What’s with the crazy circle fields below?!

We made it safely home. Our flight arrived around 111:30pm. The kids and I waited for baggage (which went awesome and smooth this entire trip!) while Alan hiked to long-term parking to get our car. He’s a good man. Then we made a stop at McD’s for a late-night snack that we all regretted and headed home! It was very late when we finally rolled into our garage, but everyone was safe and happy. We are an awesome traveling family! We’d be a globe-trotting family if only it weren’t so darn expensive!

Up next… a vacation in Franklin! Blog post coming soon! :)

Arizona trip (Sedona and the Grand Canyon)

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Tessa

We decided to extend our vacation through the weekend so we could go to the Grand Canyon together as a family, once Alan’s training was complete. Every time we mentioned the trip to an Arizona local they said, “Oh, you have to go to Sedona too!” Well, ok. We left bright and early Saturday morning with the intent to drive the four hour drive to the Grand Canyon via Sedona (making it more like a five hour drive), stopping for lunch somewhere along the way.

Cacti!

More cacti. It was everywhere and we took a lot of pictures, but I won’t bore you with them all. :)

Approaching Sedona. Sorry for all the car pictures. The AZ DOT said the road north of Sedona, leading to the Grand Canyon, was impassible, so we had planned to have lunch in Sedona then go back the way we came to the highway, then on to the Grand Canyon. My plan was to stop on the way back at a viewing area and take pictures, and let Eve out of the car to find the red rock she so desperately wanted. However, when we got to Sedona a chipper young girl at the information booth swore the road was open and the view was amazing, so after lunch we proceeded north. Sadly there were no more Sedona viewing areas from there and no more opportunities for red rock collection. I owe Eve another trip to Sedona!

Nearing Sedona. The rocks became redder and much more impressive.

These kids are AWESOME travelers!

There were about five hundred (or so) rotaries on the road to Sedona. I thought at first my navigation was broken and repeating itself, then I realized there were just that many traffic circles! They really DO NOT want you driving fast on that road!

Sedona rocks

More rocks.

Can you imagine this in your back yard?

Coming into Sedona. Sorry for all the car pictures.

We had lunch at a place called Wildflower. Basically a Panera-type restaurant. It was yummy. We ate on the deck and the view was fantastic! I think maybe we were looking at Castle Rock on the left and Cathedral Rock on the right. Maybe.

They had bagels, of course, but they were happy.

After lunch we followed the information girl’s advice and headed north through Oak Creek Canyon. The roads were narrow and twisty, and the views were amazing!

Heading out of Sedona, towards Oak Creek Canyon.

The rocks and vegetation out here are just so different and so interesting. I wonder if AZ natives feel the same when they drive through VT?

Oak Creek Canyon

Alan held down the button and took about 20 pictures in a row, trying to get a nice family shot. It didn’t work, but looking through them all is hysterical. I won’t bother posting all of them, but this is probably the best one.

After watching us laughing hysterically trying to take a selfie, a nice couple passing by offered to take a picture for us. :)

The kids enjoyed the view. Lex said that Oak Creek Canyon make Quechee Gorge look small by comparison.

Yep, I think I’d agree with him!

Jeesis enjoyed the view. Bamboo is next to her on the left. I was terrified Jeesis would go over the edge and that would be the end of our family vacation. Thankfully everyone survived the canyon!

See all those road switchbacks? Yep, we drove that road!

Now, finally, off to the Grand Canyon!

As we approached the Grand Canyon the terrain leveled out and became more scrubby.

The goal was to get to the Grand Canyon in the early afternoon, stay a few hours, have dinner there, then head home in the dark. We got there a little late, but otherwise did ok. I took a million pictures and it’s hard to pick the best ones….

So pretty.

Sometimes there were fences, sometimes there were no fences.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

A family selfie at the Grand Canyon. We got a better one taken by a stranger, but it’s on my phone and may or may not make it to the blog.

The rock formations are just amazing.

We waited awhile to take a picture at this spot. We waited for a group of pretty young Italian (?) ladies to take 1001 Facebook photos. I think my kids are better than any of their photos! :)

Eve was apparently watching closely because she very much wanted a picture here without Lex. When he walked away, she whipped out this pose… just like the young ladies before us. Sigh.

See the people down on that ledge?! Thanks, but no thanks!

Another one, no fences, no fears! (and probably no kids!)

Grand Canyon

Alan and the kids. Hold on tight to those kiddos!

Here is Lex’s Facebook profile picture!! :) (He wasn’t really THAT close the edge, FYI.)

And Alan’s FB picture! :)

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Last summer Lex had a pretty bad reaction to a bee sting and this year he is really jumpy around any flying, buzzy thing. At one point we are standing on a ledge, overlooking the Grand Canyon, and a big bug buzzes right by. Lex immediately starts spazzing out and trying to run away. Alan and I of course freak out a bit, because he is jumping around and running on a ledge of the GRAND CANYON! I got him calmed down, away from the ledge and the flying thing, and tried with all my terrified momma-heart to explain to him taht a) it was NOT a bee and b) a bee sting is better than falling off of the ledge into the GRAND CANYON! He was not convinced and decided to play it a little safer and stay away from ledges and bugs, to the best of his ability. Poor kiddo… but also a very smart kiddo!

Poor Lex. Do you see him up there?

It amazes me that such a wide variety of vegetation can grow along the side of a cliff.

Who holds the key to the future of the Grand Canyon?

Apparently Eve does!

Lex likes the science.

They brought their own money for gift shops on this trip. Eve bought a stuffed animal everywhere we went, including a humming bird from the Grand Canyon?! Lex was a little more thrifty with his money, but he bought a multi-purpose safari tool (compass, light, etc.) at the Grand Canyon.

We lasted about two hours before everyone was tired and ready to go. Truthfully they were tired by the time we got there and Eve was in tears within the first 30 minutes. Family vacations, ya know. But we powered through and had a great time! We stopped for pizza on the way out, then hit the road for a short, 4hr trip back to the hotel! Eve conked right out, but Lex stayed awake for the whole trip and we all went to bed around midnight.