Back to School - 2013

The start of the 2013-2014 school season came much to quickly this year, and we found ourselves in late August, returning to routines and classes before summer was officially over.  The royals did not like this at all, but since the boys were starting a new school, we turned it into a mini adventure and all shook out as it should. 

The first day we enjoyed seeing old and new faces..as our progressive and stellar Principal led us in prayer/morning exercis

The boys took to their new school/classroom similar to bees to honey.  They enjoy their new kindergarten classroom and even get both of Abby's old teachers, Mrs. Flynn and Mrs. Maresca! How lucky!!

Abby is now upstairs in the big school but gets to sit right next to her closest gal pal from school, Laura. :) 

And before we knew it, Fall had come. Leaves began to change color, the air began to cool and visions of harvest filled our minds.  With the end of summer comes the start of Fall, our favorite time of year. We welcomed it with a batch of pumpkin spice cookies and prepared to enjoy our last visit to the drive-in movies.

Another summer in the books. 

Beaching it...end of summer

There is no place like Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard during the summer in New England.  We receive a barrage of guests and visitors who come to enjoy the beauty and pleasure that Massachusetts has to offer. Each summer, we take a week to enjoy our 'special house' -- to decompress, re-energize and have some fun! This year, we shifted our family plans a bit and planned a trip with our very good friends, the Schmiedels, whose daughter Colleen is one of Abby's dearest and long-time friends. We hiked, we beached, we ate and drank, and swam and baked in the sun. We played games and read and played Wii...and even visited a vineyard for good measure.

At the vineyard, Alec wants to taste everything... :) 

Aramis knows the rules though..no touching! :) 

Daddy lays down the law and reminds everyone the rules...

First afternoon at the beach was all about exploring...

and checking out the temperature of the water..which was, for once, super warm! :) 

During our travels, we became Mass Audubon members and toured some properties. One had an awesome boardwalk that led to the ocean and at low tide, you could find all sorts of cool creatures including Fiddlehead crabs, shrimp, horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs and razor clams. Kids loved it!

While on the Cape this year, we really had an opportunity to explore the sandbars/reefs--walking nearly a mile out into the ocean and discovering wildlife galore! The water was beautifully warm and all the kids got to really experience the best of Cape beaches. It was a truly memorable vacation that was enhanced by the company we kept.

Our pool became quite the focal point...and we found it difficult to pull the kids out to go do other things. No surprise there....

What better way to relax and enjoy the sun than in the arms of your Papa?

And, as the summer came to an end, our trips to the beach did too, but we can all look back at our empty chairs and know how gorgeous the weather, how awesome the adventure, and dream of the summers yet to come. 

Summer Bucket List...Part Three

For the first summer ever, we sent all three kidlets to summer camp. This was a huge deal for us as we've spent summer after summer together--planning and experiencing adventures on our own--and those adventures gave way to an incredibly first summer camp experience at Brooks School Summer Day Camp. The program is very well executed and allowed our kids to craft, swim, and take advantage of a variety of sports and social activities.  They've already asked to return next year..so apparently, it was a success! :)

During the summer month of July, we also got to meet one of the newest members of our family, Ms. Ashlynn Krieger, who became the bride of our nephew Branden. The couple married in July and headed off on a whirlwind East coast honeymoon, which allowed them a few days at the Kingdom. Even though Ashlynn's daughter Audrilynn was left behind in the care of her grandparents, we enjoyed time with the newlyweds, who also finally got to meet their cousins--Abby, Alec and Aramis.  Hopefully, future visits will be enjoyed as we learned recently that Bran and Ashlynn are expecting and will welcome a new addition to their family in the Spring of 2014. 

Even though our house is rarely without guests/visitors, our Summer Bucket List remains in effect and the kidlets hound their parents about checking off other items. To keep the momentum going this summer, we took advantage of another baseball game with a twist--Star Wars Night at the Lowell Spinners.  What fun it was for the kids (and us adults who enjoyed beer and fried dough) to see Darth Vadar on the field, and other Star Wars characters around the ball park.  Seems our mini ball players are primed and ready for the Spring season! 

Abby can't even resist the 'bad guys...' 

Darth Vadar makes an appearance on the field...

We enjoyed 'sleepovers with friends' followed by delicious Mickey Mouse pancake breakfasts!

And...we made a trip to Storyland...one of our kids favorite local amusement parks.  After riding the rides for hours and getting our faces painted, we enjoyed the nature of New Hampshire and special time together as a family.  Funny though to look back and see just how big our kids are getting compared to some of our first/early trips to places like Storyland when the children were infants. We are incredibly proud parents and hope each and every day that we're raising healthy, happy, solid individuals.  Only time will tell if we've done our job well.

Aramis at the early stages of becoming Spiderman

He's got his 'mean guy' superhero face on...

Abby the beautiful blue princess...

Alec 'Two Face" He's the nastiest villain of them all!

One of the final touches was our effort to introduce our kids to the water via boat. The boys seemed to take to it immediately, so we envision much more canoeing, kayaking and row boating in our future. Who knows, maybe Tony will bait a hook and teach them how to fish too! :)