Monday, July 23, 2007
July 21-22, 2007
We wish our condolences to our dear friends
Dave and Terry. Dave’s Mother passed on Tuesday morning from congestive heart failure. May she be a in a better place now.
On a happier or shall I say uglier note
our little Pug Rita won an ugliest Dog contest sponsored by my company. She will get a $25 certificate to Petco.
We didn’t do much this weekend. We fed
the kids and had leftovers on Friday night. Erin started getting stuff together for our trip to Wyoming.
On Saturday Erin
continued packing and I watched the kids. We went to CiCi’ sand had pizza. Liam’s behavior left a little bit to be desired
so he wasn;t allowed to play any games at the end of dinner. After that we stopped by the house and picked up Liam’s little
race car and took it to the Esperanza Middle
School's ball field. We watched Liam drive and Jaxson waddle walk after him. Jaxson is walking
a lot now. He still keeps his arms up though to keep his balance. Liam was nice enough to drive Jaxson around.
Saturday evening we watched the Queen. Helen Mirren was good in the role. It was a decent movie and showed you Diana’s death from the Royal Families side. Not
sure how much was Hollywood and how much was real but decent
movie all the same.
On Sunday I stayed home and played with
the boys while Erin took Ash and Cleo to the new Dog Park
in Lancaster Park.
There she met a massive beautiful dog that was huge even next to Ash. The gentleman who owned the dog said it was the breed
Kugel (sp?). Doing a couple checks this morning and I see nothing of a breed called that. Hmm a mystery to me but I have to
admit that is a BIG dog!!
In the afternoon Erin
burned a little refuse and mowed the only patch of grass growing next to the porch. I packed my clothes and put clothes up
from the laundry and watched the Indy Race. Marco Andretti got flipped in the first turn of the race by his teammate Tony
Kanaan accidentally and Danica finished a decent fifth. Michigan,
one of my favorites will be in two weeks. Indy Car will not be going there next year. That is too bad. There is good racing
there.
Liam is very proud of himself as
he can ride his tricycle. He has mastered the art of peddling. His Mom promised that when he learned to ride that he could
get a bike. He ran upstairs from the basement and had us come down to watch him ride. Of course he said now I can get a bike.
We told him we would have to talk to Santa about that and that he should keep practicing.
Erin had marinated shrimp with the Gulf Coast marinade
so I grilled them and we had some delicious corn on the cob and ate on the back porch. That Shrimp is good good with that
marinade. I gilled Liam some plain ones on a skewer. We had a mild beautiful breezy weekend. This is so abnormal for down
here. I glanced at the weather for Billings and Cody and they
are in the grips of a triple digit heat wave which is supposed to break on Wednesday.
On Sunday night Erin and I watched a view
on the computer show about America’s National
Park Inns. It was really good. Of course they did Old Faithful Inn and covered one in Yosemite.
A neat one was a plantation style Inn on an Island off the Georgia
Coast. I then read a book I am reading about Johnny Rutherford who was
know as Lone Star JR and was a famous Indy Car driver from the seventies.
So the next week brings us the momentous
occasion of Brian and Jo’s wedding. It sounds like all is in order and there will be some great family time. Dawn is gonna
watch the boys for us while we tour Teton for a day and have an overnight in Jaxson Hole. Mom and Dad Day are flying in Thursday.
Zack is flying into Cody Thursday night. The Raymonts are coming in Friday as well as Kate and Rich. Cousin Linda is coming
as well. Hopefully Elliott may make it so Liam can meet him. These times are special times when we can all gather for a celebration
such as this. So tomorrow we are off on the big plane trip we have been talking to Liam about. He has been reading his Ring
Bearer book and took some brotherly advice from Noah who was sweet enough to do that for Erin and I almost five years ago.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Monday July 16, 2007
Friday I worked as I was out the previous
Monday. Erin worked on her PDA and got geocaches downloaded for Wyoming but still had trouble with her Webcam getting
it to work. Mom’s laptop came in so we will try and get that working and doing proper handshaking in the next few weeks. She
then met me and we went out to lunch and had lunch on the Bay. She then had a great back massage which was a Christmas present
from her Sister Dawn.
Friday night we all went to Five Guys Burgers
to eat and then went and found a geocache (Hyper Huggables) near the Hyper
Space Fun Center.
We then stopped by Target and got some cleaning supplies to clean our vehicles on Saturday.After the kids went to bed we played
on the computer looking at You Tube clips of old Saturday morning kids shows.
After breakfast Saturday morning we ran
a few errands. I stopped by the bank to fill out the paperwork to finally get an ATM card. We will be away next week so it
would be nice to have. I am not sure if it will make it in time before we leave for Wyoming.
We then stopped by the Library. Erin and I both had books in from various libraries around the state. Liam got a cool book
I read him yesterday on how Superman came to be Superman. We also got a Pirate PC game that Dad seems to like more than Liam.
Maybe we will try the Tonka game later this week.
Upon arriving home Erin
got changed into something more comfortable and got started on the interior of the van.I ran to the grocery store for some
staples and sponges for cleaning. The kids got in the pool out front where we
could keep an eye on them. When I got back I started in the Jeep on the outside. We both spent about three hours on each vehicle.
At nap time I was pooped but Erin then pulled the Jeep in the garage and cleaned out the
inside. It looks like a different truck. It was all spiffy and waxed. The wheels, tires, interiors, even door wells were all
shiny again. Erin had a slight mishap which I have worried about since we moved in. She had
the van backed out to far and lifted the van door into the garage door. The garage door is fine but the van door now has a
nice couple of scratches.
Saturday night I tried to watch the Indy
race in Nashville but it was rained out. We just watched a
little TV.
Sunday Erin made a great breakfast with
some spicy eggs. We then headed out and did some morning caching before it got hot. Our first stop sent us into the Solomons
to a reworked cache (Tiki Torture Enhanced) that used to be ours but was adopted and enhanced by our buddy Bob. There is a
nice view of the Pax River
at it. We then went to the cemetery of United
Methodist church on one of the many inlets in Southern Calvert County. (Olivet or Nothing – a
pun on the Olivet Road it was on). The kids were in
the best geocaching spirits they have been in. We decided to stop for a treat at Brusters Ice Cream when we crossed back into
St. Mary’s. Liam enjoyed his baby cone and both boys enjoyed my shake as much as me. Mommy got delicious Birthday Cake Ice
Cream. It looked too sweet to me. We then headed over and hit one last geocache in Cecil Park (Cecil B Not DeMille). We used
to have a hide at this park. Liam was VERY pleased to see a new playground there. After finding the geocache we went over
and played. Liam loved the climbing ball and had a little playmate. Jaxson loved being on the rocking see saw horse with Daddy.
The heat of the day was upon us. We decided
to head home after a quick stop to McKays to pick up a couple of items I forgot the day before. Erin
pulled the pool out and Erin and the boys basked in the sun while I watched the delayed Nashville Indy Car Race. Nashville is tough to pass at and Dixon
won for the second straight race while Franchiiti the point’s leader was right behind him. My girl Danica had a great finish
in third. I then went out and spent some time with everyone in the little pool. We also watered the front lawn some. IT is
looking pretty dead. I can’t remember the last time I have had to mow it.
Sunday evening we had some barbequed chicken
and corn on the cob. After the boys went to bed we watched a decent movie called Breach. Erin and I both agreed that it would have been harder to understand if we didn’t get some of the government lingo and have
known about the case this movie portrayed so well. It was decent and had some tense moments.
Now next weekend is the get ready
to fly to Wyoming weekend. We have a few chores this week
to get ready. We want to be completely packed by Sunday evening even though we work Monday. We are looking forward to the
trip and are excited to see Brian and Jo tie the knot. Liam is looking forward to seeing Aunt Dawn and her doggies.
Monday, July 9, 2007
This week was kind of like having 2 Mondays and 2 Fridays, what with the Holiday smack dab in the middle. Finally,
the weekend came, and we got the chance to catch our breaths.
For once, I didn't feel like I had to rush around and get things done for a particular goal, event, trip, or guest.
It was just a weekend all to ourselves, and I didn't feel like I had to scratch off a bunch of items on our To Do list.
Friday night we had a nice Salmon dinner. The boys were pretty clean, so we skipped baths and just enjoyed some
evening play time and story reading.
I tried to sleep in on Saturday, but only gained about 15 minutes. Jaxson was awake, and the dogs were restless,
so I had no choice but to just get up and get some coffee brewing. I got the laundry going and about the time I was
heading for the shower, Russ got up too.
Some books that I'd ordered were in at the library, so that gave us incentive to run out and do just a couple of errands.
I also decided that it was time to shape up Liam's mop. Russ got a cut too. Russ's looks a lot better, but I think
the stylist was a little TOO conservative with Liam's. I might have to take some shears to it myself. After hair
cuts, we went to the Library and I picked up my books. Of course, Russ and Liam got some too, and Jaxson loved crawling
around the library. By then it was pushing Lunch time, so we swung by Burger King for a treat. Before heading
back home, we dashed into the grocery store for just a couple of staples.
Once home, it took a little prodding, but I got both boys down for a nap. While they were napping, I got their
little pool patched up so that it would hold water for a few hours. It was also at this time, that I decided to just
forgo a few tasks at hand, and succomb to the beckoning books that I'd just picked up at the library. I hooked up the
speakers outside and spread out a blanket.
I got the boys up and outfitted for swimming. They were delighted. It worked out very well, to lay by the
pool and peruse my books. I even donned my own swimsuit and cracked open a beer. Russ brought out some cheese and crackers
after a bit so we'd have a little snack too.
When dinner time beckoned, we steamed some crab that we'd gotten at the grocery store on sale. The boys enjoyed
some "Batman Soup." That evening after the kids were in bed, we watched the movie, "The Prestige." It is about
dueling magicians. Pretty good flick, with a great twist at the end. It had one of those Romeo & Juliet kinda
plots.
Sunday was similar to Saturday, and it was nice. I played with the boys in the basement for a good couple of hours
in the morning. Just watching them play with the cars and the blocks, and being happy. Even Liam enjoys Jaxson's
company now, as long as he doesn't grab for "his" cars. When Russ got up, I was hungry again, so I made us a decent
breakfast now that we had bacon in the house.
A little after lunch, my co-worker visited with her daughter. Her daughter is going to house/pet sit for us when
we are in Wyoming, so I needed to show her around a little. Our friend, Rick stopped by at the same time to return
a shed blade that he'd borrowed for grooming his dog.
Russ wanted to watch a couple of Indy Car races on TV, so he kept an eye on the kids while I commenced to making a Peach
Pie. I finished that up around 3:30, and then went outside to play lifeguard again.
We had some steaks for dinner, and Russ helped get the kids settled in for bed. They'd had an early nap that day,
so they were ready even though they protested a little.
It was a very relaxing weekend. I think it did us really good. Next weekend is a long one, so I'll probably
try to scratch off a few more items from the To Do list, but again, we don't need to pack yet for Wyoming, have given up on
the garden, and haven't had to mow the yard because we haven't had much rain... so I might get the chance to play lifeguard
again!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
July the Fourth, 2007
God Bless America!
Well the holiday fell smack dab in the middle of the week. It turned out Daycare was going to be closed so we ALL got
to stay home. The boys were up by 7 and both were in our bed and watching Arthur. Erin got up and I stayed in bed until 8
but ironically I was listening to a great show on our US Monuments on PBS and she was watching it downstairs. The boys both
took morning short naps and Erin and I planned out our short day off.
We decided to spend it outdoors. I looked up a few caches and did the research for one puzzle cache. We got all packed
after lunch and headed into our neighborhood near the pool to hide a little micro cache we decided to call Town Creek Deja
Vu to compliment our Town Crekk Cache. We put them close by so they are easy to walk to and maintain anymore.
We then headed to the Solomons to find a cache but Jaxson had a teething meltdown that was so bad we headed back over
the bridge to St. Mary's county to get him out of the van. We stopped at Petco for Dog Food and Erin got some training items
for Cleo who lost her nail this morning the poor thing. Actually it has been a nagging injury and she may feel less pain now.
I hope it grows back.
We then went to Target as Jaxson was a little better but still not himself. The Boys needed pajamas and Liam needed underwear.
Of course it was all about Batman and Spiderman. Erin found really cool matching Superman pajamas complete with capes.
After Target we decided to have a treat and go to Brusters the new Ice Cream joint. It is a chain everyone is bragging
about. It was really good. Liam got a free Chocolate Chip cookie baby cone. Erin got a tasty Cappucino Waffle Cone and I (tsk
tsk got what I deserved) got a New York Cheesecake Waffle Cone. I am a notoriously bad Ice Cream Cone eater. After a few bites
my face was wearing it and the guilt of having it and the sticky mess all over my hands and beard were enough to beat a retreat
to a garbage can and know I shouldn;t have eaten it in the first place.
We then decided to try and cache now that Jaxson seemed in better spirits. We did a puzzle cache in a Church Cemetary
called Grave Stories Andys Yard at St. Andrews. We solved answers from tombstones as Erin and the baby relaxed and Liam asked
me questions. He now calls it gocaching and not just treasure hunting. We enjoyed the final find and got a CD from Read Between
the Lions which is a show Liam and I watch every morning. He listened to it at bedtime tonight. I also got a cool DVD of the
Beverly Hillbillies which is a show I loved as a kid. We threw in a bunch of trade items for this great stuff.
After this we headed towardsthe puzzle I had solved in the morning. It was all done in Google Earth. If you have not
downloded Google Earth you should. it is really funny to sweep across the country and look at things from a birds eye view.
This cache was a puzzle usning GE over land marks less known such as the only Strip bar in the County and then answering what
it was to get the coordinates to the cache. We were correct and I honed in pretty quickly on a post. Trouble is the ground
had a lot of poison ivy which can give Erin fits. In the end the dran cache was stuck. Erin came in with the leatheman to
no avail. Some previous hider had jammed it. As I was leaning on the post it broke.Termites scurried on my sandals so I knew
why it gave. We were able to shake out the tubed micro then and I got the post as jammed in the ground as I could. We made
sure to shore up the hole in the top with sticks and the cache is accessible now. I emailed the hidewr and apologized and
let him know the state of the hide. He was very gracious about my accident.
We came home all whooped. Dawn and Erin had a good talk on the phone and I got the dogs food unloaded. We were beat so
our Salmon dinner will wait until tomorrow. We just ordered an All-American Dominos pizza.
After Dinner and after the kids were bathed we tried to do fireworks. The bottle rockets scared Liam and Jaxson was beat.
We did some sparklers with Liam and the the two were off to bed. After they were in bed Erin and I launched off our small
stash from years past and a little bit we bought today before Jaxson melted down over in the Solomons. We then listened to
the Fairgrounds fireworks and the neighborhood and Erin headed to sleep and I to do this Holiday update.
Once again God Bless America. BTW if you haven't seen
Blood Diamond it is a must see!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
First off, let me just apologize for the picture quality lately. I think we are reaching our space limit here at
Verizon, so I might have to seek alternative blog opportunities. Bear with us.
This past weekend was especially nice since Gramma and Grandpa visited!! It was such a bonus to have family in
for Jaxson's FIRST birthday!! Hard to believe a year has past. His only word at this point is MaMa (much to my
delight) and he can stand for a few seconds and has been known to take a step or two if the planets are aligned just right.
So the weekend started off on Friday morning, when Russ and I dropped off the boys at daycare. We needed to do
some major grocery shopping, and it is so much easier sans kids. We swung by CVS to print out some photos as well, and
then barreled through the grocery aisles at break neck speed so we'd get home in time to welcome Mom and Dad.
I was just putting the last of the groceries away when they arrived. Since the kids were probably just going down
for a nap at daycare, we delayed picking them up for an hour so we could have a little lunch, and Dad could get a nap on the
couch. Mom went with me to pick up the kids. Liam, who wasn't sleeping like he should have been, ran to his Gramma
with open arms and a BIG smile. Jaxson, who WAS snoozing well, wasn't so sure about Gramma just yet. Before heading
back home, I had to swing by the old daycare to drop off some Library books. Anna was delighted to see the boys.
We didn't stay too long though because Liam was anxious to see Grandpa too.
Once home, we spent the next few hours visiting and playing on the Living Room floor. Liam fell asleep next to
Grandpa on the floor. I took Mom on a tour of the back yard for some gardening advice. Then, we gave Mom (and
Dad) a little gift - a garden stone that they had to put together with the boys. We started it outside, but then the
rain made us finish it in the garage. Then the boys decided it was great fun to play in the rain!
That evening we packed a picnic basket, a few beers and a bottle of wine and went to the River Concert down at St. Mary's
City. This has become a nice tradition that we always seem to do when Mom and Dad visit. The night's performance
had a Western theme and ended with some nice fireworks.
Saturday morning, after breakfast, we started looking for the best spot in the yard for the sandbox. Dad and Russ
got to work tilling up the spot and leveling things out. Then they went to Lowes for supplies. Mom and I put the
boys in the wagon and went for a quick jaunt to the playground despite the muggy weather. It was a nice visit though,
and we even rescued a dog. Luckily the Lab had good tags and I had my cell phone, so it wasn't long before the appreciative
owners came to retrieve their Retriever.
The rest of the afternoon, we worked on the sandbox while Mom got the chance to play and bond with both of her grandsons.
In the late afternoon we had a great time playing in the sand.
Around 5:30 we piled in the van and headed South to Schiebels for dinner. It's one of our new favorite restaurants,
and I just LOVE the Rockfish. It was kind of a longer than usual wait time, but the boys faired pretty well with a couple
of trips down to the dock. On the way home we saw a couple of deer crossing the nearby field, and were even MORE suprised
to see a deer right in our next door neighbor's yard once we got home!
I made pancakes on Sunday morning. Even though Dad prefers New Hope Mills pancakes, he asked for more of my buttermilk
ones, so they couldn't have been too bad. We spent the day playing in the yard with the kids. Mom and I worked
on hemming up Liam's suit for Brian & Jo's wedding in WY at the end of the month.
Around 2:00 Russ, Mom, the boys and I went to Target so Jaxson could get his FIRST YEAR pictures taken. He did
pretty well, and we even got a nice picture of Mom with her Grandsons. Can't wait until they come in!! While we
were gone, Dad hooked up my rain barrel! Way to go!
Mom and I got working in the kitchen once we returned home. We made a gluten free pasta salad, a German Style spinach
dish, some squash and green beans from the garden and some corn on the cob. Russ threw some scallops wrapped in bacon
on the grill, as well as some dandy steaks. It was a FEAST to say the LEAST! All for a good Birthday occasion,
that's for sure. We all ate outside and Jaxson had a grand time squishing up his cake. He liked all his presents
and was "thankful" towards his big brother for "helping" him open his presents.
Gramma got Liam a little something too, just for all his patience.
The evening was getting away from us, and I had to get two dirty, cake-covered kids in the tub before getting them into
bed. Thankfully, everyone helped in the clean up efforts. We watched some sort of British mystery on TV, but I
just couldn't stay up for the ending.
Monday morning we all had a light breakfast together before heading off to PA, Work, and Daycare. It's always hard
to say good bye, but THIS time, we knew it was only going to be for a few weeks!!!
