Fern 2007

What can I say about this year's vacation other than it was another wonderful week at Fern.

I think I understand why people enjoy cruises so much; I mean, if it's anything like being at Fern (and I think it is a little bit) then it's such a relaxing and satisfying vacation. There's always something to do (or not, if that's what you want), the kids have so much fun and you don't need to lift a finger to do anything. Oh, and let's not forget the food! Yup, why risk sea sickness when you can have all the amenities of cruising while sitting at the edge of a beautiful Canadian lake?

The only downside of our trip was that it was a bit windy that week. The weather was very cooperative with sun and all but the wind made it a little cooler. Also, I had hoped to get a lot more kayaking in than I did - the lake was just too choppy and rough to enjoy a paddle most days. I did, however, get a chance to explore a little deeper into the marsh on the north(?) end of the property. That was like a trip into some far-away jungle...very cool.

Next year we're thinking we're going to take the kids to Disney World, which should be lots of fun, but we're already lamenting that we won't be able to do a week at Fern and do Disney. Guess I'd better stock up on lottery tickets, eh?

Welcoming Copper

We have a new addition to our family: Copper!

It all started late last month when I made the "mistake" of checking the Lollypop Farm website (the local SPCA). I saw this picture of the most adorable 4 month old Black & Tan Coonhound and knew I had to go look at him. After giving Sean my most pathetic looks he caved and agreed to go take a look at him the next day. I was afraid he'd be gone by the time we got there so we rushed out the door that Sunday morning while the kids were still barely awake.

Copper was there and quickly took to us - between sniffs of the meet-and-greet room - and a few signatures later we were headed home.

It's now been just over three weeks since we brought him home and we're all still adjusting - he's slowly learning the rules of the house and we're trying to re-adjust to having a puppy in the house. We've all called him Hunter more than once but, fortunately, he's the forgiving type and lets it pass without notice.

Stay tuned for more of Copper's misadventures as we begin obedience classes this fall. I'm sure it'll be worth a laugh or two.

Weekend Getaway

Sean and I had a nice weekend getaway - we went camping in Watkins Glen State Park and attended the Finger Lakes Wine Festival. Meanwhile, the kids had a mini-vacation at Camp Grammy & Grampa.

The Wine Fest was great, but more than a little over-crowded. There are so many wineries in the Finger Lakes Region but we only were able to muscle our way through to a couple dozen or so. Still, it's a great way to discover new-to-us wineries and sample what they have to offer. I found a few new places to look for the next time I'm looking for wine, which is always nice.

The only downside to the weekend was that it ended too soon. It was the first time Sean and I camped in about seven years and I realized how much I've missed it. Being outdoors, sitting around the fire, hanging out with good friends, and enjoying being unplugged for a few days all make for a very relaxing getaway.

Maybe it's time to introduce the kids to the great outdoors.

Maybe we'll start with the backyard. ;)

A Caching First

While out caching on Sunday we had our first "run in" with the law. A very nice (albeit stoic) NYS Trooper approached me about my "suspicious activity" at an abandoned rest stop on I490. Turns out that this rest stop is often frequented by *ahem* single men and he wanted to find out what I was doing out behind a tree.

We had a little chat about Geocaching, showed him our GPSr and promised to let the cache's owner know that relocating it might be a good idea. Yes sir.

What has Sean and I baffled is that law enforcement personnel aren't always familiar with Geocaching after nearly 7 yrs as a sport . Wouldn't you think that someone would've sent a memo out on this by now?!

Our Annual Birthday Bash

Yesterday was our annual Birthday Bash and we had a blockbuster turnout. The weather cooperated and instead of rain and thunderstorms we got sun and HOT weather.

Sean set up the Slip 'n' Slide and sprinkler and by the end of the day we had loads of wet muddy kids and a soggy lawn. Good thing we warned all the parents to come prepared.

Thank you to all who came and made our party so special - we count ourselves very lucky to have so many wonderful friends. These parties wouldn't be what they are without you. In case you missed it this year, well, maybe next year you can join us for all the food and fun.

Give me a a little time and I'll put a link to our invitation this year. It was another big hit and a testament to Sean's humor.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Locusts

We are beset by locusts. I hesitate to call it a "plague" of locusts because I'm not talking about the actual insects - I'm talking about my children.

I'm sure if you're a parent you're nodding your head in agreement by now...it's truly amazing how much two (relatively) small children can pack away in a day. Hardly an hour passes without one of them chanting "I'm hungry!"

It's maddening.

I try to keep the house stocked with good choices (there's no need for them to know about Mom's secret stash of circus peanuts, now is there?) so they can snack to their heart's (and tummy's) content on good things. But after awhile it gets tough trying to keep enough bananas, apples, grapes, etc. on hand.

What's worse is that so many people have told Sean and me that if we think this is bad, try having a teenage boy in the house. Greeeeeeat. At least we have several years before that happens.

Mother's Day

Wow, barely up two hours and so far it's been an incredible Mother's Day!

The kids presented me with great cards and the cutest handmade gifts. Each signed their own cards (which is really good for Maia at her age...she even wrote MOM and added x's and o's!) But, the piece de resistance was the gift from Sean and the kids: a 19" wide-screen LCD monitor for my computer!! Now we're talkin'!

It's good to be Queen.

An added bonus is that my in-laws will be joining us later today for a gourmet dinner by Chef Sean.

Life is good.

Chance's Birthday

Wow, am I falling behind. Of course, it didn't help that every time I came here to write something new I'd see Hunter's picture and get all teary-eyed again. *sigh* It's been a looong month.

Anyway, on a much happier note: Chance celebrated his 6th birthday!!

It's hard to believe that my little boy is 6! Wow, where'd that go? I find myself looking at him and marveling at how big he is and how his mind is constantly going a million miles a minute!

Here's a picture of him at his family birthday party. He's holding a Buffalo Sabres shirt and couldn't have been happier. He loves watching the Sabres and cheering on all his favorites. Let's just hope that he doesn't start asking to play hockey.

In Memorium

Yesterday, February 6th, my beloved Hunter passed away at the age of 11. He was so much more than "just a dog" - he was a devoted companion and a true credit to his species. He was sweet, loyal, goofy, the friendliest guard dog, squirrel-chaser extrodinaire, and beloved family member.

Now, in spite of two young children, our house is too quiet, the couch too empty.

Hunter, we love you and miss you. You will not be forgotten.

Heavy hearted

(I'm writing this purely for catharsis so feel free to skip past this one if you want.)

Our dear friends and former neighbors are taking the final step in their move to Kentucky. They stopped by tonight to say their goodbyes and, in their wake, leave a gaping hole behind.

Although Mark moved several months ago to take a wonderful job in Kentucky, we were fortunate enough to have Helen stay on a few more months. Unfortunately for us, she missed Mark too much to stay up north without him and has decided to move down now instead of waiting until June. Also unfortunately for us, they are taking our honorary niece and babysitter, Lauren, with them.

We have been so lucky to have these people as our friends and neighbors for the better part of the last 16 years. Really, how many people can say they are so blessed to have their neighbors be such close friends? As Mark recently put it, it's as if we're losing siblings and not just friends - so very true.

So, I'm sitting here crying and missing them already and trying to work it out in writing.

It's not working.

A special Christmas-time cache

Last weekend we went out caching (nothing new) and found a truly cool cache: Christmas Tree Cache 3. There's something magical about finding a Christmas tree in the woods complete with decorations!

So, Happy Holidays from our family to yours. We hope you have a magical holiday, wherever you find it.

An unexpected visitor

We had a new visitor to our backyard today.

I've checked my Peterson's Guide several times and still can't exactly figure it out. At first I thought it might be a Northern Harrier but the head doesn't have enough white. Then I thought maybe it could be a Broad-Winged Hawk. (What you can't see is the brown and white stripes on the tail...otherwise I might have thought it was a Red-Tailed Hawk which is very common around here.)

I give up.

Whatever it was, it scared the daylights out of the sparrows, finches, juncos and chipmunks that usually empty my feeders daily.

What made this the most fun was how excited Chance and Maia were when they saw it, and how proud they were to come get me and show it to me. They knew they had a rare find!

Very cool, indeed.


Addendum: I've checked with a few people, including the wonderful & knowledgable folks at our local Tinker Park, and they confirm it was a Broad-Winged Hawk. Finally, the mystery is solved!

Anniversary

Last Saturday was our 6th anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's only been six years since we've known each other for 20, but the official count is just six. The good news is that Sean's decided to renew my lease, so I got that going for me (which is nice).

Honestly, I count myself incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful husband and father of our children. I don't know how he manages to do it all and make it look effortless, but that's just him.

On a much less serious note, we celebrated the occasion by going out to Tastings. I've never been too interested in going there because, well, it's Wegmans fercryin'outloud! Why spend all that money on a dinner out and go to Wegmans?! Well, I take it all back. We had a fantastic dinner - the food was amazing, the wine wonderful and the service was great, too. It ranks up there with our favorites: Rooney's, Rio, Sienna Grill, etc.

So, all in all, another year celebrated and the promise and excitement of many more to come.

I love you, Sean. Thank you.

Pumpkin time

We went to Gro-Moore again this year for our annual pumpkin quest. There weren't the usual billion-and-one to choose from (bad year for pumpkins, I guess) but it still wasn't easy. Chance & Maia had lots of fun trying to pick just one...there's always a better pumpkin wherever you turn.

New Beginnings - Part 2

Maia Starts School

A little over a week after Chance started school it was Maia's turn - she just couldn't wait to go to school. She had so much fun her first day she was practically bouncing off the walls. No hesitating at the door, no tears...heck, no looking back!

She's off and running and should be ready for college in another month or so. :)

New beginnings - Part 1

Chance starts school

It's hard to believe that my little guy is actually starting Kindergarten. Wow, where'd that go?

His teacher wisely recommended sending along a "friend" for the first day so Puff got to go too. It was a good thing since his smile faded the moment the bus pulled up at the driveway.

Oh boy.

The good news is that Chance came bounding off the bus all smiles and chattering up a storm about his first day at school. *whew*

It's been nearly a full month since he started and he's still excited about school and loving it. It's just amazing to see his enthusiasm and it makes us happy that his initial trepidation is nothing but a distant memory for him.

Maia's Birthday

Our little girl is 3!

We just had a small party to celebrate Maia's 3rd birthday - I'm not doing the kid chaos yet with her for another year or two. Just her family and her honorary aunts and uncles for now.

She had a great time and got lots of wonderful presents (it was a sea of pink). She wanted a Hello Kitty party and so it was a day chock-full of Hello Kitty stuff, too.

Vacation

Ahhh...vacation. That word alone just relaxes me and brings my blood pressure down several points. The only down-side is there just aren't enough of them.

We spent a fabulous week up in Orillia, Ontario at a place called Fern Resort. It's an all-inclusive family-oriented resort on the shores of Lake Couchiching. It was a full week of being pampered and fed like royalty!

Just do me one favor: Pleeeeease don't say "Oh, it's like the place in Dirty Dancing!" [shudder] Think of it more like taking a cruise that stays in the same spot.

The kids have so much fun and we do as well. The days are just packed. Each day there's a sheet full of activities for the kids and adults and you can be as busy or as lazy as you like (the hammocks are very comfy). It was heavenly.

We took so many pictures there's no way to post them all here or even narrow it down to just a few. So I'm just going to link to the online photo album.

Catching up...again

I have a lot of catching up to do. Not like that's anything new.

Three big things I need to post about are our vacation to Fern, Maia's birthday and Chance's first day at school. All of which deserve nice big juicy posts of their own. All of which require a tad more time than I seem to have these days.

Stay tuned!

Butterflies

This year I've been working on my butterfly garden. I have a planned area and a wildflower garden, both of which feature flowers that are supposed to attract butterflies (and maybe hummingbirds). So far I haven't had a lot of traffic (that I've seen, at least) but the occasional Monarch makes an appearance...giving me just enough hope that I keep looking.

A week or two ago I saw a Hummingbird Moth (odd duck of a thing) but didn't run to get my camera. Today, however, I was quick enough to get several pictures of a Giant Swallowtail butterfly. Unlike the Monarchs, it wasn't terribly shy and even got fairly close to me while I snapped away.

By the way, I'm not a great photographer and my subject isn't a patient critter so please excuse any blurriness. Maybe after Sean gets me that new 10x optical zoom camera my photos will improve. (hint, hint)