Weekend at Lake Winnipesaukee

     We finally got a weekend away from baseball!!  Thankfully, we loaded up the swagger wagon and off we went to Neenies beach house.  Luckily, she wasnt using it this weekend.  The weather was perfect, in the 90's and the beach was beautiful as well.  The doggies came with us and only escaped once...they made some good distance too.  Its amazing the words that come out of my mouth when those little you know whats take off.  I definitely blame Clover because Fenway would never do such a thing.

Hampton Beach Fun

We spent a great day up at Hampton Beach on July 8th.  We woke up early and had invited the ump but he couldnt answer the call.

Baltimore/DC baseball trip

Lyn always says that the summer is over when the fourth of July parade comes rolling in.  I'd just like to say to summer that you have been steamrolling over us.  We are certainly getting the most out of you.    There is absolutely no time to rest and relax thats for sure.  I've been meaning to get to the blog and just keep up with the pictures but even that has been a stretch.  There have been so many things going on.  First off, after Chicago we came home and four days later we drove to Baltimore for Jimmy's baseball tournarment.  The other kids stayed home with Auntie Jo while we toured DC and had tons of fun watching Jimmy play some good baseball in Maryland.  It was like an eight hour drive each way but wasnt really that bad at all.  It was very hot though.  When we were going over the GW bridge the temperature in the car read 106 degrees.
  We got there on a Thursday and on Friday we decided to take a trip though DC and do some touristy stuff.  We went around all the monuments and into the Smithsonian Air and Space museum.  Again, it was a hot day but we still had alot of fun.  Once we got out of DC we had to jet out to Camden yards and catch the Orioles game.  Jimmy's team had purchased a whole block of tickets and we got to see an orioles game.  Jimmy's game was scheduled at 8am the next morning so this made for some very tired boys. 
 
 

Annual Bike ride to school

    Every year around the last week of school we take the bikes to school.  Jimmy's school is so much closer than the girls so this year was just me and my two gals riding the big streets all alone.  it was so cute to listen to Catherine the whole way telling me how much she loves riding her bike to school with us.  She really is very sweet.  Well, we chose the date we were going to do this years trip about two weeks ago..Little did we know it would be a 95 degree morning..just pure sweat the whole way and back.  It was worth it though because they enjoyed it so much.  When we got to the school Catherine was looking all around for her classmates so that they could see her riding into school like a big girl.  It was 100 degrees when i finally skipped out of work early to pick them up.  I went into the school dripping with sweat and their kindergarten teacher saw me and offered to get me some water....after all, i was standing next to the water bubbler.  I guess i looked pretty pathetic walking into the school with my bike helmet on.  It was a great workout though to ride in the heat like that.  Really, the high of the ride was just watching how happy it made my little sweetheart Catherine.  She must have told me ten times how much she loved riding her bike with her daddy.  well worth it!!!

The land of the dollar bill

  This years baseball trip has finally arrived.  It was a no-braiuner as to where we were going as soon as we heard the Sox were going to play at Wrigley.  Off we went on Thursday night and it was pretty painless to get there.  After a short cab ride we went across the street to Lake Michigan and did some walking and hanging out at the water fountain.  We were so exccited to head over to the game.....once there we met aunt jo and her friends feeney and marsha at the cubby bear, which a restaurant directly across the street from the park.  It was a nice, old ballpark and it was so fun to see that old red sign outside.
    Once inside the park it seemed alot more modern than Fenway Park.  It was interesting to see bleacher type seats on the roof of houses across the street.  The people here were generally nice to Sox fans.  We both had waited so long for a championship, they still wait of course. 
    Sixth inning was of course still ice cream time and off Jim and I went into the bowels of the park to find a helmet full of ice cream.  Thats always our tradition.  When we get the ice cream that means we usually go searching for better seats, usually around home plate.  In Cleveland a couple of years ago we ended up in the front row behind home plate on television.  No different this time, we went and found seats about ten rows from the field.  We went up and got umple Eddie and he joined us for the rest of the game.  The sox won the first game and we hung around just long enough for the crowds to thin so the trolley's werent nuts, they were busy enough just not outrageous.

    On Friday night we needed something to fill up our time after the early day baseball game so we decided to take a jaunt out the back door to the old Sears Tower, now known as the Willis Tower.  Not a big fan of heights, I was with two people who could care less about the 103 stories below them.  My heart was racing as I looked under my feet and through the glass bottom floors

     On Saturday morning we got up and out after breakfast and went looking for some bike rentals.  It was darn hot there but we were on the water.  We did find some bike rentals and off we went for about two hours on Lake Michigan.  At one point the ump and JImmy found a beach and dove right in to cool off.  I stayed with the bikes...We were in a city after all. 

Jackie connects

Its so funny to hang around the boys as they play baseball.  Jimmy has done so much work with Jackie getting him ready to play baseball and teaching him how to hit.  You can tell he does this alot by the way he hits the heck out of the ball.  This years T-ball teams switched to coach pitch half way through.  After alot of the kids went from T to regular pitch they usually dribble the ball a few feet.  Not Jackie....He gets in the batters box and just digs in...its fun to watch.

The HIdden Harbor

     My little hippie had another school project where she had to learn about mysteries, specifically in books.  So off she went to the library in the mystery section and came back with a Hardy Boys book, 20 chapters worth.  It took us about two weeks but every night we read a little bit and eventually finished it together.  She would sit next to me and read along with me as I read it to her.  There were times while I was reading the book where I would ad lib the sentence and every single time she corrected me.  Can you imagine that!!  If it were me I'd have my eyes closed or only pretend to be reading along but Laura was actually reading along.  It was a very good book by the Hardy Boys.  She was fascinated that the book was written in 1935 and ALSO she asked me many times why there were NO women characters in the book.  My little hippie Laura is also a woman's rights gal.  She would stop me while I was reading and start asking me about why there isnt a woman as President yet.  She catches right onto the inequalities right away.  We have had to google alot of things such as when women were allowed to vote and how many have run for president.  She tells me she's going to run for president.  I say go for it hippie!! 

  Back to the book, we finally did finish the book after all those chapters and had a fabulous time doing it.  As in any mystery, we would leave the book for a day and then hate doing that but the bed would be calling.  I think the last day we ended up with four chapters in a row in a spectacular ending.  The final part of the project was to do a shoe box relica of the major characters and scenes from the book.  It was a fun book and Laura made it even more fun by laughing about the different characters and settings....She's very smart that Laura.

Jim Baseball tourney in CT

Off we went to the first of many away baseball tournaments for the oldest boy James.  He had a great time playing with all his baseball buds.  The first day we ended up going at around rush hour through Connecticut on Memorial day weekend and the baseball gods must have been looking out for us because we did okay going through the cities.  Just saw one lovely accident but we werent held up otherwise.  The great weather is all beginning as we used both the indoor and outdoor pool at the hotel. 

The first game was on Saturday morning at noon and then another one at four p.m.  His team won both games that day so they made it to the next round.  On Sunday the tourney turned into a single elimination where you had to leave after the first loss.  Our first game on Sunday we ended up losing in extra innings.  I hate to say this but it was kind of a blessing because we got to leave and head home to relieve Aunt Jo who was watching the other monsters.  The kids on his baseball team are very nice and they all get along fabulously. 

We had missed them too.

The food of the weekend was pizza.  I think if I look at one more pizza i'm going to turn into one.  My goodness, I can't imagine how the belt is going to fit around my waist anymore.  Of course it doesnt effect Jimmy one bit but we ate like crap.    A good time was had by all though.  

I love to see him smile while he's playing

celebrating a key late run

The inadvertant vacation...and yes, we have no bananas today

  The ump grooving one into Jack.  On this night Jack played a t-ball game and actually hit the ball over the infielders heads and into the outfield.  He's something i'll tell ya.

  So again the vacation continues.  I realize how much i'm going to miss my partner in crime once he goes into school full time.  Imagine the boredom if I had to get stuck at home with no kids and/or nothing to do.  Maybe i'd find something to do but i'm sure it wouldnt be as much fun.  Today, Jackie had to go to preschool until around noon but again I grabbed him and out to the the river we went for a picnic.  Of course we brought some bats and balls, soccer balls and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The ump called about the time we got started with the picnic and joined in on the fun and festivities.
  This morning while Catherine was getting her stuff ready for school, she was looking for something to make for lunch including fruit or snacks.  Well...she made one heck of a mistake.  There i sat, around 7a.m. at the kitchen table reading the news on the computer and drinking my coffee.  Catherine, all sweetness about her, asked me the question i've been waiting to be asked my whole life.....she's lingering around, just going through the cabinets, looking for things.  I'm watching her and she says...."hey daddy, do we have any bananas?".    Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....can you imagine my luck!!!  Catherine, yes, we have no bananas today......
We have a muttons, and buttons,
And kippers with zippers,
And pounds of devaluated pounds
Banana: S T I N K !
They aint no stinkin bananas!We got pickles and crocks;
We got bagels and locks;
A bagel that's-a done-a dipped in cement.
We got delicious knishes and kosher champagne
but yes Catherine, we have no bananas today !!!!!!!!!!!!!.
....imagine all those years of useless information finally coming to use.

kids at the coffee shop

Its been quite a long time since all of us went to the coffee shop together.  We had to go to the bank and they asked if we could all go.  Amazingly, nothing was broken and the complaints were few....welllllllll

Random thoughts on a Day out with Jack

     In February I was presented with a sheet in which to pick my vacation weeks.  This seniority thing is great because I can throw a week or two out there just for the hell of it.  This week is one of those weeks.  So I sit here on some idle Monday at 10:20am and after I've put all the kids on the bus, drove Jack to school and taken a shower, I realize that I am home alone for the first time in about six months.  wow what a lovely white birch we have in the front yard.........its the view with my butt on the couch.
     I was driving Jack to school this morning and he asked me if Umple Eddie was coming over today.  He told me that he wanted to go get some hoP dogs with the ump today.  I told him that I shouldn't be eating any more hop dogs because i'll get fat.  He told me not to worry because i'm already fat.  Lovely child!!  He is loving his T-Ball team.  Yesterday he crushed a ball out to the outfield.  He winds up so far back and just slams the sucker.  He has a very impressive swing but i'm not biased at all.
     This morning I had a visit from all four of them in my bed at varying times....it started with a number 6 on the alarm clock.....James informed me that he needed a dollar for lunch as usual.   Laura, hearing this, comes into the room and tells him that he should pack a snack and save me some money.  so cute.  Catherine follows in and tells me she needs money for lunch too....FIVE DOLLARS.  I made the mistake of being too generous last week and its going to cost me. 
     After they all had left, Laura came back in and plopped her pillow down right next to me.  She told me that she couldn't believe that she had woken up early and went in the back yard room couch with the dogs.  She had put a blanket on her and the dogs lay on her feet.  She was so surprised that she fell asleep that way.  Now she is thinking thats the magical way for her to fall asleep.  I walked them all down to the bus stop before riding Jack to school.
      When Jack got out of school today we ended up going to our old friend Black Gordon. Of course we made a couple of pit stops along the way too. 

  Our friend Bridey took this picture for us.  Jack is kind of shy towards her so i'm thinking she's another girlfriend of his.

  At some point in our lives we learn that french fries dont go with pancakes.  Dont you hate the people that ultimately tell you that. 

  Jackie Loves this guy Eddie.  Eddie rides around in his skateboard and is just so very fun.  Best of all he digs Jack.  Jack dont care who he is talking to when we come in, he just runs right up to him.

  I"m going to have to turn him in on this one.  He wanted to go up higher on the train today but we kept him at this level.  He's very comfortable around this train because we've been going to it for so long.  There is just something about this train that warms the heart.  I am absolutely enjoying enjoying every second we get to spend on it.  I absolutely know that one day they wont want to come and see some dumb old train that just sits there.  It has done us well for about 8, 9 years now.  Many times we just sit and look at it.  Other times the kids just climb up all around it.  Jimmy isnt interested at all unfortunately but the others still like coming here and climbing on. 

 
  Another day of fun !!

Catherine's Opening day

      After some rain postponements, Catherine's softball season was a go today.  They switched alot this year so the first year girls have t-ball softball at age 7 even though she had coach pitch last year.  She has a very good swing already.  During her second at bat she knocked it to the outfield.  It was quite a blast.  Nana showed up after going to an Apple Blossom parade with the cousins.  Jack got to see his other cousins here and they could be heard a couple of counties away.  The field is right on the merrimack river so jack had to be restrained.  He was pointing to something here but i'm not quite sure.

      She is so sweet out there in the field. 

 Some of my favorite girls showed up to cheer on their other cousin Katie.