Kiddos

Every year, after the parade, I have the kids pose in front of these lilacs for a portrait...

Drawing

I don't like it Buddy, I LOVE it!! Thank you!!!!

1st Ride

It's hard having a birthday during the winter 'cause you can't play with all your new 'toys'....he was very patient & waited until most of the mud had dried up for this much anticipated first ride! He decided that he really likes his new dirt bike!!

FINALLY!

We have a lawn again!!!!

We are all very excited to see it...it might not be green, but at least it's not white...

Another cold, wet, YUCKY day!

Therefore, I'm posting a photo from a wonderful day spent at the oceanside with my boys this past summer. We were roasting HOT & I can't wait to feel like that again!

Enemies Beware!

They've built a catapult...

Great job, guys!!

A Boy & His Dog

Yesterday afternoon my younger son & I took a short trek through the snowy woods. It was tough breaking trail for us, but even more so for poor little Izzy! She had to stay right in our tracks, but she wouldn't have wanted to miss such a fun adventure! She is such a bundle of energy!!

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

I can't believe it's been 12 years already...

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Today we spent the day at the Animal Kingdom...we loved seeing all the animals and this 3-D bug show was hilarious!

Warm, Sunny Florida - NOT!

Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that we Mainiacs were coming down here for a vacation from winter. Oh well. The boys don't care if it's only 41 degrees Farenheit. There isn't any ice on the water, which means it's SWIMMING time!! They are CRAZY!!!!

First Day of School

I can't believe that summer is over and another season has started! Fourth and fifth grade...it seems like just yesterday they were babies...

Welcome to McLaughlin Gardens

This week I chaperoned during a field trip with the 2nd & 3rd grade classes . Over the next few days I'll show you some of the things that we saw!

Red-Spotted Newt (Eft Stage)

Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) This amphibian is greenish yellow in its larval stage. It has two grayish lines, located just off center on either side of the back. The lines run the length of the body. At hatching, the larva has gills and just a hint of forelegs. Two to three months into the larval stage, the forelegs and hindlegs have been developed, the gills are lost and the skin becomes granular and textured to the touch. At this point, metamorphosis takes place. The land-dwelling red eft stage is entered and the body becomes a brilliant red to orange-red. A row of black-bordered, round red spots appears on either side of the back; the belly is yellow during this sub-adult stage.

At the end of the eft stage and within a week of entering the water to live out its life as an adult, the skin becomes smooth, and the tail fin develops, becoming compressed vertically to look rudderlike. Its color now is drab-olive to yellowish brown or dark brown. The belly remains yellow and is sprinkled with many small black spots. A row of red spots, bordered with black, also covers the newt’s back on each side. In neither the eft nor newt stages are the costal grooves distinguishable.

Boys will be boys...

Our youngest was bored the other day...so, he dug a hole!
If only he would apply as much enthusiasm to his chores...

The Duckling Whisperer

Remember this post from last spring? Our youngest is spending lots of quality time with our new ducklings.

Couch Potatoes

In a very rare moment of quiet, Rusty and our oldest watch television.

Now, it makes sense...

Once the blue feather was attached backwards, it was wrapped around and around the hook in the other direction. This caused it to stick out all around and resemble a big fuzzy caterpillar - tempting bait, if you are a fish. As I mentioned yesterday, this fly ended up being one of his favorites. He didn't keep his favorite flies. He gave them to my husband and I, with instructions to keep them safe. He has long since learned that fishing lures get lost in the weeds...

Learning patience...

My younger son was having a hard time listening to his teacher (The teenaged boy on the other side of the table.) and following his instructions. He had just been told to attach that blue feather onto the fly backwards, which was different from the last fly he had made and he didn't think it was a good idea. I suggested to him that he should be patient, follow each step properly and see what happened next. Tomorrow I'll show you the next step, which he thought was very cool. This fly ended up being one of his favorites...

Cakes

The boys each made a cake to display at the Blue & Gold Ceremony that was before the Pinewood Derby on Sunday. Yummy!

Superstar Basketball

Yesterday evening we were treated to a hilarious game of basketball! The Harlem Superstars played against some of our local school teachers to help raise funds for the Oxford Hills Athletic Boosters. Our "Oxford Hills Dream Team" actually didn't do too badly for themselves and made some great shots, occassionally even surprising the Superstars with fakes and low passes. But, alas, they were no match for the exceptionally talented and TALL Harlem Superstars and lost by almost 50 points. Throughout the game, the players put on several funny skits and the crowd was invited to come down onto the floor and dance periodically. It was a really fun show! The boys each bought a souviner basketball, which they took to each player for an autograph. They were so pleased to get signatures from each one of them! And, they really wanted a picture with 7-foot sensation Ricky Lopes, one of their favorite players. The boys are only hoping that someday they can play basketball half as well. As soon as this picture was taken, they took off for the nearest hoop to show off their skills. I apologize for the quality of the photo. Hubby only had my little 'point and shoot' in his pocket and I was just happy to have any sort of camera to record the moment, since I forgot my good camera. And usually the point and shoot does better than this. Not quite sure what went wrong. Oh well...