NYC

I am sure that I will have a few more posts from our visit to the city, but it is way too late to even think about doing it tonight. However, I just found this cute pic in my phone and before I accidently erase it, I wanted to post it on here. The kids were so great today...they even took over an hour nap in the stroller. One of the highlights of the day was our trip to FAO Schwartz...they were in dreamland. This pic was taken of Lily and I dancing on the "Big Piano" (famous from the movie "BIG"). Stay tuned...

Around the Campfire

After dinner, we sat around the "campfire" grill to digest our food. The kids played in the tent and ate smores while the adults tried to carry on grown up conversation. It was so sweet to see the kids playing and having such a great time. It was a perfect ending to an amazing day.

Nothing Like Family...

Aunt Peggy, Uncle Bob, Ally, and Mallory came down to the lake to visit on Friday. The girls spent their time loving all over the kids. Aunt Peggy and mom worked in the kitchen preparing dinner while Uncle Bob helped the kids practice casting. They are actually getting pretty good at it (and were pretty darn cute doing it too)

Daddy Duty

9 Holes of Golf and the daddies get the distinct honor of taking the kids for a swim in the 64 degree water. Hey...the moms earned a break, right?

Lifelong Friends

Kelly and I realized that we have been friends for almost 25 years...that is really scary and makes us feel terribly old. On Friday, Kelly and Brent took the day off and brought the kids down to play at the lake. It was such a great day. Despite a brief afternoon shower, they loved playing with the rocks and chasing the ducks. We wrapped the day up with an awesome dinner.

Baby Jaxson

I had to be sure to post something about our new addition to the family. It was great to spend time with Jax, my new nephew. He has such a sweet disposition...we hardly knew he was there all week. He seemed to be rather fond of his Uncle RobBob (that's what AJ calls Robbie). The kids all loved on their new cousin and inducted him into the family nicely.

Dear Friends

We had the chance to stop by the Roesch's on the way home from the outlets. It was great to see them and let them see the kids. They both kept Mr. Roesch busy getting trucks and singing songs.

Shop Til You Drop

Today was a rainy day so we decided to head over to the outlets and do some shopping. I think the kids could have used the day to rest. Everytime they got in the car, they fell asleep. We did find some great deals though!

Camping Out

We finally got the tent set up in the backyard for Tate. He was so funny the whole night. I packed him a cooler and told him he didn't have to come in for dinner. He sat out in his tent drinking juice boxes and eating cookies. After we came back from Open Swim I went out with him and watched a DVD in the tent. When it got dark, he wanted to bring the tent in to his room to sleep inside (which we did). He felt like it was his special treat as the oldest to have so much independence. How cute is he?

Open Swim

Tonight we headed up to the student center for Open Swim. We had a great time. We tied noodles around the kids' backs and they all were swimming around by themselves (with the exception of Lily who is a big scaredy cat). The best part of the night was when I beat Robbie, not once, but twice is a swim race. And when I say "BEAT" I mean by several yards. He's pitiful.

Time Out, Crack, Donald, and Sunscreen

Today was a random day at the beach where a lot happened. We started our swim time with a time out for Tate at the picnic table. This was his consequence for the meltdown at the ice cream stand last night. After his 10 minutes of chill, the kids all resumed their playtime on the beach. We couldn't help but laugh at AJ's swimsuit that is a little too small and showing plenty of "CRACK". Lily couldn't completely relax because of her extreme fear of birds...yes she developed a fear of birds at Disney World in December, but she now is afraid of ducks. She has named them Donald and everytime she sees one, she climbs up in my lap. In all the consuming efforts of taking care of the kids sun needs, I tend to forget my palest skinned child...my husband. Thankfully, today I remembered before he got torched.

Canoe Ride

This morning we decided to take the kids on a canoe ride. They had a great time just chilling out on the water. At one point, they all three got brave and straddled the two canoes, dangling their legs in the water. It was the perfect setting for a memorable day!

Seneca Farms

After the race, we headed to Seneca Farms to celebrate our victories with some ice cream. After a brief Tate meltdown, we managed to get some yummy ice cream. Just what the kids needed to end a long day!

Winners' Cup

Tonight Aunt Lynda, Uncle Rick, PiPi, and MiMi came over to the cabin. We took the kids to ride go-karts. In the first heat, Heidi sealed the win in the last curve while PiPi came in last place. In the second heat, Nonny and Lily claimed the victory and Aunt Lynda rounded up the back. It was a great time!!!

Beach Toys

A trip to Walgreens and $12 solved all our woes at the beach. We bought some buckets, shovels, and toy boats. The kids loved them and there was enough to share with everyone.

Go Fish!

Yesterday morning we started the day on the docks. Heidi was trying to show Tate how to to fish. For once, his patience was not the problem...instead it was the wind. They had to settle for seeing some fish from off the boat. Lily and AJ were content just to sit on the shore and eat snacks.

Nature Hike

Tonight we took an after dinner walk. Nonny came up with a nature scavenger hunt (Thanks to SuperNanny!). We had a list of ten things we were looking for. After we found #1, a tree, Tate insisted we could not check anything else off the list until we found #2. He would not let us go out of order so we spent the whole walk looking for a squirrel. We decided to keep hunting tomorrow.

Lakeside

We all have those places that bring us a sense of peace. The Finger Lakes during the summer is that place for me. And having the kids there, playing in the water while the boats were flying by was such a wonderful feeling for me (I think they had a pretty good time too :) I know this is going to be a great week. I am so happy for my kids to spend time with their cousins.

PiPi Turns 80!!!

11 hours later and we finally arrived in New York just in time for PiPi's 80th birthday party. Of course, the kids were wired and running around like crazies. It all started with some balloons and too much sugar. We managed to sing Happy Birthday, give PiPi some love, and load the kids up in the car for another hour drive to the cabin on the lake.

Happy Birthday Shower Uncle Adam

On Saturday, we had a wedding shower for Uncle Adam and Erin. Because there was cake and presents, we had a hard time convincing Tate that it wasn't Adam's birthday. It was a great time to see friends and family. Miss Lily stole the show as she ate everyone's food. She even managed to swindle $20 from her Papaw...we still haven't figured out how she did that one.

Fore!

This weekend, Robbie took Tate to buy his first set of golf clubs. After a rainout trip to the golf course, the boys decided to take a few swings in the front yard. Of course, Lily couldn't let the boys outskill her so she got out there and showed them how its done.

Annual Beach Trip to Ohio

Yes I know there are no beaches in Ohio, but this year we did not head to the beach with Robbie's college roommates. Instead, we opted for a relaxing weekend at the Pittser's house in Ohio. We laid by the pool and slept in (since we had no kids :). While the boys were away at the Reds' game and golfing, the girls sunbathed, shop and got pedicures. The kids enjoyed their weekend with Mamaw and Papaw and celebrated Father's Day with a lunch at Rafferty's for daddy and Papaw. Sorry no pics for daddy day...the battery died on my camera, but I do have a shot of the boys before they left for the game. Thanks to Pitt, they were all able to become Reds' fans (like it or not) with t-shirts he hand selected for them. Stay tuned for some blogging of our NY trip!!!

Bye Bye Mommy!

This weekend was a first! Due to my required attendance at Driving School (way too long of a story), Robbie had to take the kids with him to Kentucky while he played in a golf tournament. It was really strange being home without kids or husband, but I managed to survive. I sure was glad to hear their pitter patter last night when they got home.