This weekend was not the normal 3 day weekend for us. I had stayed home on Tuesday with acold with Liam so I worked Friday while Erin did some major cleaning in the kitchen on Friday! When I called Erin she was ready to go ut to eat Friday night so we had a nice meal at Applebees and decided to stop by WalMart for a birthday gift for a fellow geocachers son who was turning one. We also picked up some supplies to repaint a White Travel Bug Jeep that had been given to us to move on. It had some paint damage. We stopped by the DVD bin and Erin playfully tossed a cheap DVD my way called the Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. We got home and got Liam to bed and watched Super Guy Behind the Cape. It was a quirky Mockumentary I had picked out that Erin found the humor in. It was about the real life of a real life super hero. Full of wit and play on our love of super heroes. After this I started the Widow movie and it sucked us both in wity good acting and a great story until well after 1 in the morning!

 

On Saturday we puttered around the house until it was time to attend the birthday party! We had a lot of fun watching a one year old with his cake. Our geo-friends the Proffens were such gracious hosts and their family on both sides made for a delightful afternoon. Liam loved the playground and flirting with one of the daughters of another geocaching acquaitance.  We stopped for some groceries on the way home and saw one of our fellow Bradley birthing students and her daughter! We also stopped by Blue Wind for a Gift Certificate for the Tavern. Erin was impressed with it and glad I pushed her for a FTF (First To Find) prize.

 

In the evening we played with Liam and watched him enjoy a video I had downloaded with music! He is getting to be ever the ham. After Liam went to bed Erin and I played the wrestling game. We have a league going and now we are booking some really good matches and cards and the title belt means something!

 

Afterwards poor Dakota had a rough night. She had strained her neck or her teeth were bothering her but Erin slept with her either in bed or on the floor all night consoling her and keeping her calm.

On Sunday I almost thought to not hide Erin's new cache. It looked to be another rainy day and we were all lazy in the morning eating Erin's awesome pancakes and watching TV. We finally decided that since the weather was good Erin would research the puzzle for her new Tavern cache and I would guinea pig the puzzle. Once satisfied we set out for a good hike after lunch with a well napped Liam. The Tavern was intended to put the hike back in caching in St. Mary's County. Not a backbreaker by any means but a solid 1.1 mile round trip hike. We enjoyed being in woods and meadows with Liam strapped in his chair with me and his mom for some of the trip. The Tavern is one of the best all round caches we have ever put out and I am proud of Erin for throwing this together. It combines a puzzle, crossword search, and a keyword translation to get to the hike. We have loaded it up with two 2005 White Jeep Travel Bugs. Erin repainted these in a new scheme that puts a little classy customization to them.

 

 We also put in two MGS Coins destined for Perry (yiprip) in Pennsylvania and our brother Brian (longfoot) in Wyoming! These are very special as they are part of a limited edition set of 2000. If it wasn't for the donation and efforts of a fellow Maryland Geocacher this would not have happened because of the exorbitant expense to get them minted. We will keep one for our geo-vest to carry with us all the time.

The hike was really nice and we tried for part 2 of a 5 part cache by Woodysix8 but realized after an attempt of help by him that I had misinterpreted a subtraction sign as a hyphen on the cache page.

On returning home we ate pizza and Erin talked to her Mom and Dad. We are SO lookng forward to a great Labor day weekend with them next week! Erin and I then got the Tavern on line and I got this Blog done and off to bed for a new work week!

 

 

 

*********       New Movie and picture in Liam's section   ************

********  New Draggin Ballz Bowling Page added to the site!! ********

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Had a short but packed weekend in store.  Russ cousin Chris called and said there was a rumor that another Cousin from his Step-Dad's family had been shot but had heard nothing in  the news. Russ tried to find details out that weekend but his Step-Dad Ronnie called and confired it Sunday. Friday night, Russ and I had a good dice game of Wrestling.  We’re really hooked on this.  Hey, some couples play poker, we wrestle. Our buddy Steve took this shot of his family's Jeeps and a 2005 Jeep Travel Bug.

Saturday morning, Russ was a great husband and made us all breakfast after I returned from walking the dogs.  It was a nice lie we found ourselves running those dreaded errands.  Seems like we just never have everything we need.  To make matters worse, it seems that our errands always lead to “bright ideas,” that eventually require more errands!  For example, while getting a few groceries, we found the perfect little turtle just begging to be turned into a Geocache.  Thus, we took the little fellow home, got him all suited up with a log and log container, and headed back out of find a suitable home for him just in time for some Geocaching visitors! 

After we deposited our new Eltrey Eltrut, we returned home, so Liam could take a little nap, and we could throw some burgers on the grill.  That night we tried to watch a movie called, Constantine, but it was incredibly hard to follow, so we gave up, and never did see the ending.  Some of the special effects were good, but we just couldn’t make sense of the plot. 

 

Sunday was a great day after a rocky start. Russ' Step-Dad called as we were about to leave and confirmed the news that Michael was shot (Article). He relieved us that Michael was stable, doing well, and was getting released in a few days. Michael's bravery saved his girlfriend and his life by tackling the shooter. Once things settled down our Geocaching friends, who had come to the house, and us hit a few local Geocaches. 

Will, who bowls with us, just got into the sport, so it was neat to have a newbie along.  The Proffens, Karl and Jodi are fairly new as well, but have quickly run up their finds.  They have a little boy who’s a few months younger than Liam, and another on the way, so we have much in common despite a bit of an age gap.  Another couple, the Hicks, are also fine cachers, who we always want to cache with, but never have the time.  Fortunately, we all were ready to brave the heat and bang out a few new ones.

Our weekend was slightly extended even though we had to work on Monday.  Monday evening was a special even at one of our favorite restaurants, Nicoletti’s.  The Maryland Geocaching Society, with the help of a few generous members, has purchased 2000 State specific, trackable, custom made, GeoCoins. 

 To celebrate the coins’ delivery, several areas around the state had special GeoCoin Meet & Greets.  The Southern MD GeoCoin M&G was right down the road from us at Nicoletti’s.  So, it was a real treat to see a few of our local Geocaching friends (the circle’s really grown over the past 2 years!), and oogle over the new coins.  The coins are REALLY nice.  We’ll be keeping one of the four that we purchased.  In fact, I think I’ll figure out a way to sew it into Russ’s Geocaching vest.  The other three we’ll be sending off on some special Geocaching adventures. 

As if that wasn't enough to fill up the weekend this Blog spills into Wednesday night when the 2005-2006 version of the Draggin Ballz Wednesday night mixed league team got together for practice and photos. Heck we have these new jerseys so we thought some pictures were in order. The whole team is back from last year except for our friend Pat who passed away in March of last season. Most of us wear a little shamrock with Pat's name in it on our left sleeves that I made. The laughs were there a plenty but the high scores were not many. Garland and Dave seemed to be ready but the rest of us have some work to do. Our handicap system reverted back to two seasons ago and will make it tough for us to have another good season. We say this every year for the last four but this may be our last for a few years to concentrate on Liam.

 

On Thursday I brought Liam in to work with me as the afternoon was a picnic with my co-workers. Erin baked a couple of pies and some deviled eggs and joined us at the a pavilion on base near the bay. We all enjoyed the break form work and socializing with a few silly games thrown in. We stopped at Walmart and Erin got a double set of the Benji DVDs and Russ got an AC/DC concert video. In the evening we ate at Nicoletti's and watched TV.

 

 

Since the weekend was hotter than the blazes we spent a lot of time inside. Friday we puttered up to Walmart. Russ worked on his Flight Simulator and Erin went to the library and paid a visit to Carla Davis to show her some sewing techniques. Steve, her husband, was also going to make a copy of a DVD of Noah when he was little for Russ.  On Friday night we watched the movie Cursed. It was nothing special. A very cliche Werewolf movie that was totally predictable.

On Saturday we all enjoyed breakfast together and watched the original Benji movie. Russ then took the belt sander to Liam's little chair and Erin worked on sewing projects and cleaned. She is going to hold a class soon on baby wraps and slings at the Lexington Park Library. McKays had a great sale on Alaskan Crab legs so we ate them. On Saturday night we were watching TV and the phone rang about 9:30. It was our friend Dave who had got himself overheated during teh day at an event with his daughter. Since only Dave and his daughter were at home we ran right over. Being a diabetic his numbers were also out of whack. Erin helped Dave at the house while I ran to the store for some bananas and gatorade to get Dave rehydrated. He was doing much better when we left.

On Sunday Erin paid a visit over to Dave's and made them some breakfast. Dave was much better and they were getting ready to travel to teh rest of teh family for vacation in North Carolina. Erin then put the finishing touches on Liam's little chair while Russ played with Liam and continiued working on his Flight Sim database. We had some chicken fajitas and relaxed and watched a little TV before the new work week. It was a truly laid back to hot to do anything weekend.

 

 

This weekend was short, but sweet! 

 

Friday after work, I took some tools with me to the Thrift Store to disassemble a corner computer desk that I purchased for $20.  It was in great shape, other than some cigarette burns on the desk part (that I figured could be easily sanded/painted).  Problem was, that I'd purchased it last Wednesday, and been struggling with my own impatience ever since to get it home.  It was larger than I expeceted, and Russ, having to work later than the place was open, couldn't assist me in my obsession.  Thus, with time, came ingenuity, and within minutes, I had it apart to the point where I could fit half at a time in my truck.  It took two trips, but I finally got it home. 

 

I swung by a new Consigment Shop for kids called Leprechan Lilly's.  It isn't really a shop, but more of an event that happens twice a year at a local vacant store.  The prices were a tad higher than ones at the Thrift store, but the items were in excellent shape, and perfectly organized.  I got Liam some shirts and a couple pair of pants, as well as a really nice OskKosh winter coat - all for $20! 

 

Once home, I worked hard at scrubbing down the desk.  I began to worry, as the moisture, really started bringing out the cigarette stench, and I began to wonder if my bargain, was really such a bargain.  So I bleached it, and used Fabreeze on it, and set the Ionic Breeze right under it to suck out the smell.  Actually, by morning, it was fine!  Amazing.

 

Saturday morning, we gathered up our Geocaching gear, and a mess of Deviled eggs to take too the August Geocaching Meet and Greet.  As luck would have it, the state-wide event was held only about an hour's drive from home. 

 

As expected, it was a fantastic day.  A bit muggy, but we had lots of water and lots of conversation and caching to distract us from the heat.  It is always nice to see our friends from other parts of Maryland.  The Monthly M&Gs are not as well attended at the Summer and Fall picnics, but we still saw some of the regulars, and got to meet some of the MANY new cachers who have popped up in our neck of the woods. 

 

A couple of highlights of the meeting were the food - man, cachers can COOK, and the presentation of a "Golden Ammo Box" to a guy, Tiki4, who had recent hit his 1000th find.  This is becoming a MDGPS tradition now, and is presented by CCCooperAgency (a gal named Lynn) who themselves, have found over 10,000 Geocaches!  Russ, has also gained a reputation as a sort of GeoPoet, so every Golden Cache contains an original poem written by him, among other pertinant items.

 

After lunch and the presentations we all entered coordinates for severeal caches located in the park.  This is always a great deal of fun, especially when you find nearly 25 cachers all looking for a needle in a haystack together.  Such was the case while we looked for EERT GORF (a spin-off from one of our own caches, TIMREK GORF).  About 20 of us walked in circles around knotty logs, and scrubby bushes searching for what we'd guessed was some sort of container modeled after a frog.  After 20 minutes, finally someone suggested calling the hider for a hint.  Since Russ had his cell phone handy, he made the call.  After the generous hint was revealed, another cacher quickly made the find on behalf of all of us.  The sad part was, that poor Russ had reached in the same precarious spot, but his arm just hadn't been long enough to actually TOUCH ol' EERT GORF. 

At that point, the large group split off into smaller groups and headed in different directions to locate the other elusive caches.  We joined up with "The Proffens."  Karl and Jodi Proffen are fairly new cachers.  They are a young couple with a baby about 6 months younger than Liam (and another on the way).  Jodi and I really hit it off, and our conversation seemed to dominate over the cache finding.  Luckily, Karl and Russ kept a keen eye on the coordinates, and we managed to bang out a couple more hides together.  One, in particular,  however, really STUMPED us!  It proved the great lengths (and strengths) a cacher will go to create a devious hide.  Again, it took a group of about 15 to finally locate it.

 

Since we were close to home, we made it back in time to throw some steaks on the grill for dinner.  We were all tired, but had big smiles on our faces as we reminised about the day's events. 

 

Understandably, we slept late on Sunday.  I tried to make a nice breakfast for us all, but had forgotten that I'd used up all the eggs for the picnic.  Thus, bagels and bacon had to suffice. 

 

Russ set to immediate work on sanding down the desktop and painting over the burns.  I began - with the frustrating help of Liam - to unhook all our computer equipment in preparation for setting up the new desk.   Soon, after a few gripes and grumbles, we managed to get it all set up.

That afternoon, Liam and I planned to attend a "Playgroup" with other "naturally oriented" parents in the area.  The group met at the home of one of the moms, and I had asked Jodi and Caleb Proffen to join us, which they did.  As always, it was a great time.  About six of us were there with our kids, and enjoyed watching them all interact (as much as toddlers and babies do), while finding ourselves deep in conversation about the trials of parenting. 

 

Liam and I were home in time for dinner, and we all just wound down the short weekend with some stories, laundry, TV, and chat. 

 

 

 

 

We went to PA to pick up NOAH!!! 

Blog posted on Monday, June 20, 2005

6/16-6/19/05

Guess we didn't do anything too memorable on Thursday evening, because I can't think of anything poignant to divulge. 

 

Friday morning, Russ had a doctor's appointment to get some blood work done to see how his diabetes is doing.  His numbers have been really good lately, hovering around the low 100s, so we expect good test results.  He then got a quick hair cut.  I'd like to get a perm, myself, but at $65, I just don't know if I can bring myself to it or not.    Anyway, when Russ got home, Liam and I joined him to run some errands.  We got some foam tiles to lay on the ground underneath the gazebo, since grass won't grow anyway.  This'll make it nice around Liam's little pool, too.  Then we got a few groceries, and headed back home.  We enjoyed the rest of the day outside in the gazebo.  Liam played in his pool, and Russ and I did a couple of wrestling matches with the dice game.  It was fun because I kept winning, of course!

 

Saturday morning we attended Liam's gymnastics class.  It was the last one that he'd make because of our upcoming vacation.  He really does enjoy it, and I think it gives him confidence to try new things.  We'll be signing him up again for another session, but it'll probably be on a week night throughout the Summer.  Then we went to the Library, because Russ had a few books in that he'd ordered.  Liam got some music and a couple of board books, but had the most fun staring at the resident lizard named Drazil, as well as the welcoming salt water fish tank.  Once home, I did some tidying up, and went to my friend, Sheri's baby shower.  She's due in August.  She's had a great pregnancy so far, so I wish her well.  She's not the most natural momma, and doesn't even seem to care if she's awake for the birth or not, but that's just her style.  Once I returned home, I finished up a couple of chores, and then joined Russ in another couple of wrestling matches.  That night we ordered a pizza and watched Star Wars: Episode II, which is the one we missed seeing in the theaters. 

 

Sunday, my first goal was to get the dogs out for a walk around the neighborhood.  I made it my New Year's Resolution to get the dogs out for a walk every weekend, and so far I've done pretty well.  They are all old, so our pace is slow, but they truly love smelling all the corners, and perking up their ears at a squirrel or occasional bunny.  Lots of bunnies around this year!  I then started doing a little room/closet rearranging in preparation for Noah's visit.  That took longer than I thought it would, but I was over due to weed some things out anyway.  Then I took Liam to the nearby school playground so he could play on the slide and things, but it was really hot, so we didn't stay long.  We enjoyed another nice evening together after grilling a nice salmon fillet.  Liam even ate some!  We watched the prequel movie to The Exorcist, but neither of us were very impressed.  Guess it was too hard to top the original.

  

Another weekend down.  Next weekend, we pick up Noah for a few weeks, and the following weekend, we'll be heading for WYOMING!!

Blog posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2005

06/10/05-06/12/05

We got a little pool for Liam last week, although he's only been in it once so far, because he caught a cold.

 

We had a really busy week, and were really glad to see Friday come.  That evening we decided to try eating at Nicoletti's again.  Last time, it was a fiasco because we sat near all the toys.  I figured it be a good idea because Liam could play while we ate.  Problem was that he didn't want to just play in the toy area, he wanted to drive the cars all around the restaurant!!  So, needless to say, we sat well out of view of the toys on Friday, and our dining was much more relaxed.  When we were done we did spend a little time with the toys, but at least we weren't playing traffic cop between bites this time!

 

Once home, we started to gather up supplies for the next day's Geocaching Picnic.  Russ got all our gear together, while I made some deviled eggs.  Then Russ commented that he didn't think that'd be enough, so I ventured to try out a recipe Liam's babysitter, Anna gave me... Tiramisu.  I used the recipe on the package of Lady Fingers.  I don't think I did everything exactly right, but it didn't turn out to bad.  I think my mistake involving the use of MORE Marsala was a good thing! ;)

 

The next morning we loaded up the truck and headed for KinderFarm Park in Anne Arundel County.  The drive took us about two hours.  (on the way back it only took us an hour and a half, but that's all I'll say about that! ;) ;))  We arrived at the park, and were greeted by some Geocaching Friends who we hadn't seen in a while.  They were the first of many, and our day was filled with Caching war stories, baby chat, food gorging, a bit of group caching, and even some prize winning!  Russ won a Garmin (the brand of our GPS) T-Shirt and I won a Travel Bug that we'll save to launch when we go to Wyoming in a few weeks.  Liam had a great time wandering around all the people, and staring at the kids.  He even got to pet his first Sheep, although he promptly called it a DOG - that's my boy!  The poor fellow was coming down wiht a cold though, so by the time we headed home, he was zonked out. 

 

Sunday was a meager catch up day, although we got a late start due to watching the old Disney movie, The Aristocats!  Liam almost got through the whole thing before dozing off for his morning nap.  He was still recovering from his cold, so he was happy to snuggle with Mommy and Daddy on the couch.  These two day weekends are just SO short!  We did our usual laundry routine, and I continued my self teaching of pie making.  I made another pumpkin pie (this time with evaporated milk) to take for Anna since she gave me many of the supplies for the Tiramisu, and a Cherry Pie for work.  Russ and I flipped a coin to see whose work the Pie went to.  The folks at Ballistics (Russ's group) gave their positive comments, and I had to arrive empty handed Monday morning at my building. 

blog posted June 6?

June 3rd-June5th

This was a short work week so we had another long weekend and some nice weather to boot. On Thursday night we treated ourselves to Ruby Tuesday and Liam was really good. Russ continued going through his wrestling phase which shows signs of becoming a Indy Car face after last weeks 500 watched a biography on Stone Cold Steve Austin.

 

On Friday Russ had to run in to work in the morning to help conduct an interview with a gentleman from Colorado looking to transfer here. In the afternoon we went grocery shopping to restock the pantry and freezer. On the way home we stopped at Subway and got some sandwiches. Friday night we settled in and watched the Aviator about Howard Hughes. Russ loved the movie and highly recommends it.

 

On Saturday we took Liam to Gymnastics. We both have so much fun crawling around the floor and playing in the tunnels, ball pit, slides, sit & spin and all the other toys on the cushiony floor. The floor helps the adults more than the toddlers I think!

 

In the afternoon we went to Lowes on our annual gardening trip. The day was turning out bright and sunny and with all the travel we have coming up this was the day to lay out the garden. It all went splendid as we laid out cedar chip mulch out front. We then planted our impatiens and also tulip bulbs that our co-worked Bev had given Erin for next year. Erin also placed Hosea in strategic places. Our neoghbor also gardened the past couple of days so teh whole row of townhouses look really great. The only downfall was that we left the phone on the truck and now it is lost somewhere in the neighborhood as Erin went to a MOE diaper party later that day. We also unloaded top soil in the back and Erin planted rolled out green sheets of wild flowers to grow in the back this summer.

 

Our neighbor Sheila also stopped by and was sweet enough to give us a slide for Liam as her grandbabies had outgrown it. Erin  but a pool on Monday so now the slide goes into the pool and all are under the gazebo for Liam to play in every afternoon after work.

 

Erin went to a MOE diaper party with Liam and bought a couple more of those cool neon colored diapers. Liam looks like a little wrestler with them on. On Saturday night we watched a movie that we both greatly anticipated called National Treasure. A lot of our fellow geocachers had enjoyed the movie for all its puzzle aspects. Russ made a smoked cheese fondue that we enjoyed with some wine and watched the movie. Honestly we were so tired that we finished watching it the next morning. It was good but not outstanding.

 

On Sunday we went to the first Busy Parents Play Group that Erin helped form with all the other moms she has met. Some of the husbands went including Russ although it took some coaxing to get him off the computer to go. We all had a good time and the hosts had a huge pirate ship in their front yard that the Amish had built. It was fun for all the kids small and large. Sunday night we had a nice steak meal and got ready for the next week by putting up clothes. All in all a pretty nice weekend.

Blog posted on Monday May 30, 2005 Memorial Day

Wow, what a nice weekend.  Friday was a light day at work, and then we went to Nicoletti's for dinner.  Nicoletti's is becoming tougher and tougher.  At first we thought it was nice that they have a bunch of toys to entertain kids in one spot, but now that Liam is so mobile, keeping him in that one spot while trying to enjoy a meal is almost impossible.  If we confine him to the table seat, he's REALLY distracted.  So, we may just have to put our favorite restaurant on hold for a little while... or sit in the opposite corner! 

 

Saturday we got around early for a busy day ahead.  We gathered up our Geocaching equipment and piled in the truck.  First we had to go to Liam's gymnastics class at 9:15.  He has SUCH a good time waddling around and climbing on/around/under/through all the equipment.  He really digs the tunnel, and can walk (with help) along the balance beam pretty well.  Russ and I had a great time playing with him.  The only problem is that the class is right before his moring naptime, so sometimes we have to steer clear of the equipment that rocks... or he'll go to sleep! 

 

After gymnastics we headed to the general area of the first cache of the day.  Problem was, that when we sat in the park's parking lot, the GPS said that we were still 20 miles away!  Now, most Geocachers like a good hike, but this one showed a longer hike than the entire PARK would allow!  So, we knew something technological was amiss.  After a couple of phone calls, swear words, fist pounding, and grimacing we discovered that our PDA settings didn't match our GPS settings.  SO, we figured out how to sync them up, and were off on the short (within feet) hike to the first cache - with relieved smiles on our faces!  From then on out the day was filled with some great Geocache hunting, even if we had to dodge a few raindrops here and there.  We returned home muddy and lame, but with satisfaction.

Sunday was a day that revolved around the Indy 500.  I tried to tidy up the house a little, and Russ got some nice steaks marianating for a big lunch during the race.  Normally, I'm not a race fan, but I had to admit that the competition including Danica Patrick, a leading young woman, made it enticing and entertaining.  It proved to be a great race, and Danica came in 4th, after a few laps in the lead, due to low fuel.  Since the sun was still shining high after the race, and our bellies were still full from our big lunch, we decided to hit a couple of more local Geocaches that we didn't get to the day before.  We even ran into a few more Geocachers while out on the brief trails!  Our caching was cut a little short though, as we needed to pick up a couple of things - dogfood - at Wal-Mart before returning home. 

 

Monday was another gorgeous day.  Though we both would have liked to spend it entirely outside two things were against us:  1- we were tired from all the caching the days before, and 2- there was a really good Marathon on on the Discovery Channel called "Deadliest Catch."  In between shows, I did manage to do a little preparation weeding out front and I trimmed the bushes.  Liam and I enjoyed watching a mama bird feed her babies that have taken up residence in our lampost.  We've had quite a bit of nature around our place lately.  No bears or bobcats like up "Home Home," but a little bunny has graced our yard much to Liam's amusement too. 

Monday, May 23, 2005

Well last week we all had a cold at the same time. This is actually good as the month of March was actually spent passing a cold so it was nice to get it out of the way so to speak. Russ is having more severe problems with his hip. It has gone out twice in the last three weeks and he was on crutches for a couple of days last week. He see a new Doctor this Friday and will probably bump up the surgery for when we get back from Wyoming.  Liam is certainly starting to look more like a toddler these days as he motors everywhere now. He also is picking up a few more words such as More and Go which his Gramma Day taught him.

 

On Thursday we left a little early from work and headed home home to see the folks. We stopped at the Cracker Barrel and had breakfast for dinner. Russ broke down and had biscuits and gravy. Between all the sedentary driving and all the carbs he had a high blood sugar number which is thankfully rare these days. He is down to 166 pounds now so he has lost 30 pounds since late January.

 

We arrived around ten at the house and watched Liam play with toys that Gramma had pulled out. They were Erin's and Uncle Brian's when they were little. It was a bit of nostalgia but for Liam it was just plain fun.

 

On Friday morning we all visited for a bit and went to town for some peanut oil and steaks. We were having steaks Friday evening and Keith had shot a Jake recently so we were going to fry it with our Fried Turkey Rub and Keith's burner he had built on Saturday. On the way home we took a detour to visit the Muck. This site was opened in November of 2004 by the Pennsylvania Game Commission as a place to enjoy the wildlife of the area. The building is a very nice Duck Blind type of building with five windows. Erin immediately thought of it as a potential geocache hiding spot. We reviewed the regulations and nothing said we couldn't. More on this later.

 

Back at the house Keith prepped his new Smith Carbine and Erin and Russ tagged along to live fire it a few times with the cartridges that Keith had made. It also gave us a chance to see where Keith and the State had seeded and planted trees near Lousy Creek at the Rowe Barn. This is part of the program that is trying to preserve the Chesapeake Bay, where we live, through stronger environmental action at the head waters. The trees went all the way up the hill. By the way the gun fired great although nobody hit the can but Keith and Russ came close moving the can.

 

We spent some time over the bank too playing with Keith's new pup. Autumn is a good looking 4 month old pup who Rita was not sure what to do with. Tober and Autumn should do well in the future. Duchess looked great too.

 

Erin also found a chair in the loft of the barn when Russ wanted to see the loft. Erin wants to repaint it for Liam. Erin, Russ, and their little helper Liam worked on it in the yard.

 

It is always great coming up as we get to see other family members too. Aunt Pat and Uncle Wally came over as well as Mark for dinner. The steaks were great and the conversation and witty teasing  perfect as it usually is at the Day table. It could be that the White Merlot from the local Solomon's Vineyards in Maryland may have helped.

 

On Saturday Keith and Russ went over to Pat and Wally's to pick up a horse that Pat's Grandaughter had. She wanted Liam to have it and we were ever so grateful to pick it up. Liam should have a lot of fun riding his own Carousel horse.

 

Keith had been helping Doc Bowser fish some big catfish out of Doc's pond to transfer to another pond so Keith wanted to take Russ fishing. Russ suggested a picnic and we all go. Although it was a bit chilly it was a beautiful day for a picnic. Doc was working on planting some trees and came by in his Gator and then joined us for lunch. Do you notice I am not talking about the fish we caught. Well we didn't but Doc said he got a 20 pounder the day before which is huge for that pond. It still was a lot of fun and great to see Doc again.

 

When we got back to the house Mark called and gave us the time we were to meet Catherine (his fiance) and him up near Arnot Mall to see the new Star Wars movie. It was a good thing Keith got an early start on frying the turkey as we needed to leave at 5:00. The turkey turned out pretty darn good for a wild Jake. The grands had a great time with Liam and we enjoyed catching up with Mark and Catherine and talking about babies as she is due later this year. The movie turned out to be great and tied up the end of the story briging it back to where it all started in 1977. When we got home we got caught up in a show on TV Voyage to the Planets and Beyond. We will rent it from Netflix so we can see the beginning. It was a sci-fi night. Gramma and Grandad had a lot of fun playing with Liam and getting him ready for bed. You could just tell that as the weekend went on Liam got closer and closer to the both of them.

 

Alas Sunday morning came around and we knew it would soon be time to head home. Erin and Keith went up to the farm house and got some rhubarb to make a pie. Ethel persuaded Russ to taste it and he tried to fake that the tartness of it raw did not affect him. Ethel taught Erin to bake a pie. It turned out wonderful and as of this moment it is gone as Erin shared it with her co-workers today. It was nice to watch them making it together. Bravo Erin!

On the way home we stopped at the Muck to hide Mucky Vistas (named by Keith and Erin). We had to run to town real quick and get some more velcro from Bi-Lo to secure it. We also stopped at this converted schoolhouse near Shamokin Dam to stretch our legs. While there Russ found the complete twelve volume American Heritage Presidential bookset he had as a child. They were in excellent condition and for twenty five dollars they were a steal. Needless to say Russ was pretty giddy over this deal.

 

It was another memorable trip home home that always makes us feel refreshed and recharged. We are very lucky to have such great parents and it is so much fun watching them with Liam.

Blog Posted on Monday, May 16, 2005

Well, this weekend was just TOO quick!  That's the problem with working a compressed work schedule (CWS), the Fridays you have off make a really nice 3 day weekend, BUT on the Fridays you don't have off, the weekend seems like only a taste! 

 

So, Friday night we had a nice dinner together, and spend a lot of time just playing with Liam.  He has such a personality now, and its hard not to want to cling to him as much as possible. 

 

Saturday we knew it'd be a busy day.  It was the first day of Liam's gymnastics class.  It started at 9:15 and was really casual.   

It was fairly unstructured. They started out with a simple roll call, and then demonstrated a couple of moves (egg roll, log roll) to practice with our own kids. Then most of the hour was spent just playing on the variety of equipment - sit n spins, tunnels, climbing apparatus, ball pit, mini trampoline, slide, big balls, lots of low balance beams, wedges and the like. For us old folks, it had the added bonus of a really soft floor, so crawling around on hands and knees was rather comfortable! Then a couple of active rhymes like Ring Around the Rosy were done to close the session, and all was wrapped up with rubber stamps on hands and feet!

 

We then went to the grocery store to pick up a few items.  On the way home, we couldn't help but stop at an enticing yard sale.  I found a huge parking garage toy for Liam for $2.50!!!  HE LOVES IT!!  Once home, we had a bit of lunch, and I put Liam down for a nap so I could spruce up the house for my Mother of Eden Party.  This is my second MOE party.  MOE is the company that sells the cloth pocket diapers that Liam wears.  It works just like those Pampered Chef parties.  A gal comes to demo some of the products, and then people can ask questions and order what they'd want.  I met a couple of new people, and caught up with some old friends.  It was very casual and lots of fun.  The kids enjoyed interating with each other, and we all shared Mommy stories.  Russ ventured downstairs a couple of times, but did a great job of petsitting the dogs upstairs out of the way. 

Sunday, since I had cleaned and entertained so much the day before, I found myself on the floor with Liam, or on the couch vegging in front of the TV.  Liam had wandered off with my Allergy nose spray somewhere, so I had to order another prescription.  We ventured out to Walmart to pick that up, and ran by Lowe's for a propane exchange.  That was about it for the day.  Rain threatened but never came.

Poor Russ had another bad time with his hip last night.  He spent the day at home again trying to catch up on some missed sleep and letting his hip muscles relax enough to get back in alignment.  Really trying to hang in there until January. 

Blog posted on Monday, May 9, 2005

May 6-8, 2005 Mother's Day!

Friday it was a little dreary outside, and still chilly, but Liam and I had some errands to do while Russ was working.  First stop was Dr. Sheth's office for Liam.  He'd been running a decent fever all week, and the glands behind his ears were quite swollen.  Not to mention the dandy rash that reddened his torso.  Dr. Sheth said that it was Roseola. He said that it would not reoccur, sort of like Chicken Pox.  He had a slight ear infection too, but not one that required antibiotics.  Then we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a couple of things.  As usual, a couple of things turned into a dozen!  Then we headed to the grocery store to restock.  Soon the afternoon was escaping, and before we knew it, Russ was on his way home.  So much for catching up on a few household chores! 

 

Saturday morning we fixed a scrumptious breakfast.  I was in the mood for some Blueberry pancakes.  Liam also enjoyed some, but Russ stuck to the old-fashioned plain cakes.  The weather was still crisp, but the sun was beautiful.  Liam took some long naps which allowed me to catch up on some minor sewing projects.  I needed to recover a couple pillows for the couch (I tried to run one through the washing machine, much to its demise), and rig up a foot strap on the backpack carrier for Liam to rest his feet in while we hike. 

 

That afternoon we walked to the playground with Liam.  He really loves the slide, and if he could figure out a way to manage the steps up to it by himself, we'd probably all be dizzy from watching him go up and down!  He also delighted in playing in the dirt and stretching his legs around on the turf. 

 

That evening we decided to have dinner at Nicoletti's.  We did manage to get our meal down, but Liam was not in the best of moods, and has reached the point where he really doesn't like to sit in one spot for too long.  Therfore, we departed a tad sooner than we wanted too.  After putting Liam to bed, Russ and I attempted to watch "Brain Candy" but the dry humor just couldn't keep me awake.

 

Sunday morning was simply glorius.  The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and the temperature was perfect.  Russ nearly missed it all, as he nearly slept until 10:30!  Liam also took a mo