Thursday, June 29, 2006

Happy 4th of July!

Well, we're heading to PA tomorrow morning for the long holiday weekend. We'll be spending some time with Shawn's parents and our good friends, the Hormells. Shawn will be assisting his father in the construction of a new deck and the boys and I will most likely (weather permitting) do a lot of swimming. I'll be sure to post some pictures once I'm able. Have a great weekend!

Saturday, June 24, 2006

A Return to Film


As I stated in a previous post, our digital camera is down so I've been using the 35mm when I think to pull it out. I've got to say that I really miss film. It was so much fun to pick up prints today - some VERY OLD prints - but prints none the less. I'm currently on the prowl for a new digital camera, but until I find what I am looking for I'm having some fun going back to the stone ages!! The above photo is from Conner's graduation last month and the pictures below are of the boys helping daddy wash the car.

Here's Grades at the beach last summer.
Shawn and Grades.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Hooray For Mother's Helpers!!

My friend's 11 year old daughter is here today. She is AWESOME!! Kristen loves to play with the boys and they love her so my day is freed up to get some things done just a little more quickly. She's been a staple during school vacations, but she's heading to horse camp this summer. (I'm hoping her older brother, who sits for us occasionally, will agree to some daytime work over vacation.) So far I've gotten the laundry done, cleaned upstairs, and I'm about to head up to get a shower...without interruption! We'll even get a movie in this morning and some grocery shopping - life is good. If you are a stay-at-home mom you've got to invest some time in finding a mother's helper.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006



Here are the most recent pictures of the boys.

Welcome, Summer!

It is finally summer here in New England. It went from cold and rainy to sunny, hot, and humid in about one week. Crazy. The saying here is, "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes." How true.

This past weekend was lots of fun for everyone. Shawn's client picked him up (in his private plane, I might add) on Sunday and they spent the afternoon at The U.S. Open. He said it was pretty hot but a great time. The boys and I enjoyed a day of swimming and playing with a couple of families from Conner's T-Ball team. What a great day!

This August brings my first two, of hopefully many more, sprint triathlons. I have two in one week...a bit much but the second is a little easier than the first. The weekend of August 13 is the Baierl Family YMCA Triathlon in North Park, PA. I'll be doing this one with a very old friend so I'll have some support during the race. The swim is 700m, 13-15 mile bike (I think), and a 5k. I haven't been training as hard as I should be, but I'll be able to finish. The next weekend is the Kuhn's Bros. Triathlon in Lewisburg, PA - very close to Shawn's hometown. This swim is only 300m, the bike is similar, and a 5k. I'm really excited to get the first two under my belt as I'm not really sure what to expect with the transitions, etc. I'll be sure to post my times - should be interesting!

Shawn is in Long Island again this week. Ugh. We'll be hanging with Conner's best friend, Missy, today. Grady is especially fond of Jared, Missy's brother, I think because they are secretly hatching a plan of world domination. The remainder of the week holds a T-Ball game and some serious Slip-N-Slide action.

Have a great week!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Bye, Bye, Pencil!

Grady's "Spencer" sounds an awful lot like the word pencil - it was too cute! These two were little buddies during Sayward and Spencer's visit, she loved Grady's stand-up act. I've said for some time that Grady is going to be the class clown and with Spencer as a test audience my prediction is that much closer to coming to fruition. Grady has been looking for her these past two mornings and thinks she is "sleeping in her bed." Now we're just trying to coordinate the next visit. Conner, on the other hand, wanted to "hang out" with Sayward and I without the little ones. Unfortunately, we were unable to get away so hopefully we'll be able to do something special with him when we are in Pawley's. The visit was great, too short, but great despite the horrible weather. We just can't seem to catch a break up here.

So the summer moves on. We have one week off then VBS begins, which has become a highlight of Conner's summer - he takes after his mom. This year won't be quite as hectic as our previous whirlwind summer. Too many things are up in the air right now so the closer we stick to home the better. Be sure to check out the video of Grady and Spencer.

Oh yeah...Happy Birthday, Uncle Ben!! Have a great day!

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Connerisms and Other Info

So, first off, I got an email from a very old friend of mine, Ashley (Engler) Johnson. Some of you know her I'm sure. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know she's pregnant and due in November!! I'm very excited for her and Thad...congrats!

Next, the very funny things Conner has been saying. Well, really only two things and they are probably only funny to me and Shawn but I thought some family, at least, might get a chuckle. The Entertainment Weekly showed up a couple of weeks ago and the cast of Lost was on the cover. Conner watched part of an episode with me once, so he sees the cover and says, "Mommy, look, it's the lost and found people." Then this morning Grady was doing something very silly and Conner comes into our room and says, "Grady is such a character." Too funny. Also, Conner watched America's Funniest Home Videos for the first time last night. Say what you will, but watching people pass out at weddings or have their seat pulled out from underneath them just never gets old. He was laughing so hard he was crying - it was great!

I finally got a new phone today. Mine stopped ringing after Grady threw it on the ground about one month ago. Wouldn't you know that this morning it rang! I probably would have just kept it but I had a credit with Verizon so I went for the new phone since it was free. Now all I need are some cool ring tones...

Have a great weekend!