It's been a long time...

Not too much has happened lately, that is why I have not been blogging. It is a sad day for the entertainment world. Both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson are no longer with us. On a lighter note, the sun has been shining for the past week, accompanied by the heat. Rachael, my niece, has been staying at the house with us and patiently waiting for Emma to get done with school. June was a busy month. It started out with a camping trip at Wellesley Island State Park with the Girl Scouts. We started out and ended with great weather. Saturday morning was a scavenger hunt for the girls. Since I didn't care to collect things, I took some really cool pictures instead.

After the scavenger hunt, the girls went for a "swim", until it started to rain. Once all showers were taken and the wet bathing suits were hung up, the girls proceeded to work on a few crafts, have dinner cooked on the open fire, and what is a camping trip without S'mores?
The following weekend we went to Virginia Beach for my oldest niece's graduation. I was unable to get pictures because we were so far back. Saturday we spent the day inside with the air conditioning and getting ready for Sarah's graduation party. The kids swam in the pool most of the day. It had been so long since we had both sun and heat, Emma didn't want to come inside. It was a long trip home, but the weather is finally nice and we are going to enjoy the days while they are still nice.

Spring Break...about time...

We left Clayton shortly after 4:30pm on Thursday night for Virginia Beach. After driving all night, we finally arrived at the campground, quietly went into the camper and got some shut eye. The sun was shining, and we had lots to do before the Easter Bunny could come. It was a kind of lazy day, since we were a little tired. Salt, Kriston and I put up the tents, blew up air mattresses and got ready for the busy week ahead. Mike, Robin and Rachael spent the night in a tent also. We had a campfire and cooked S'mores. Saturday was a different story. The campground had some activities for the kids staying there. It started on Saturday with a scavenger hunt. The participants had to use the words EASTER SCAVENGER HUNT. We didn't win, but it was fun coming up with words and the corresponding item to bring back to the pavilion. Then there was a bounce house that the girls participated in. The girls rode their bikes all over the campground until it started to sprinkle. We went inside started to put the Easter Bunny House together. Something we learned--heat does not help the icing set. The walls kept falling in and the roof kept sliding off. I sat at the table holding the roof on while the icing set up a little more. However, it did turn out nice and the girls had a fun time decorating it. We were careful to make sure that the girls had equal amounts of candies to decorate the house. Once the rain stopped, it was time to color the eggs. Outside was the only place to do this activity. They had a good time and did not really want them used for anything.
The rain stopped just in time for the hay ride. It went all around the campground. There were some nice looking campers. Once the sun went down, there was a flashlight lollipop hunt. Mike, Kriston, and myself followed the kids and were able to find some lollipops and other pieces of candy. And of course, the Easter Bunny came. All of the toys that were received were used that day. A family egg hunt followed, along with a campground egg hunt. Will post more later from what was done over the week.

Let your voice be heard...

Tonight, the third graders had their annual concert. The kids were dressed in their best clothes, voices strong and ready to perform for their parents, siblings, grandparents and other family members that may have been present. Frank was unable to make it this year because of the river. He was afraid that going across after dark may have been dangerous. Thanks hun. I want you around a little longer. I decided to take the video camera and get a video since I have not missed video taping one since she started having them. Once I get my other computer back, I will upload some for everyone to see. They had a great time and you could see it. I was able to take a picture of Emma before we headed to the school. For those of you that have followed my mom's blog, you may recognize the dress. I was ecstatic that she could still fit into this dress. This may be the last time she will waer it, as it is kind of tight in the chest, but she looked so nice. Thank you Kriston for thinking of a dress that can be worn more than once.

Springtime on the river...

The weekend started out with a trip to the house to get Emma's bike. When we got back to Erma's we walked to the edge of the hill overlooking the river and the south shore of Howe Island, Canada. The view was magnificent. In the picture, the dark area in the front is the ice that is left in the river along Erma's shoreline.

A time for friends and fun has sprung once again. For some of our friends, it was a matter of putting in a mode of transportation to come to the island to visit. Mind you, it is only March 28th. Warm temperatures...check. Jet ski in water...check. Ice out of river....well, sort of.
The Jet ski that brought Willie over on this beautiful day.

Willie.... Gotcha Jay. Ice still in the bay in the background.

Willie, Frank and Jay... Enjoying a beautiful day before the sunshine disappears for the next couple of days.

Bye Neil and Shannon. It was nice that you could come over and visit us. Oh, and Shannon, try not to fall in the river again. It is still mighty chilly. Neil, watch out for the ice chunks, especially without reverse.

Looking forward to next weekend. Emma and I will be getting the rest of the stuff over to the island from the townhouse and then bringing the rest of what we need for our trip to Virginia Beach to spend Easter and Spring Break with family and friends.

ARGH Matey...

Emma and the Girl Scouts in the area met up at a fire hall and had a party where they were able to make crafts, sing songs, eat and be merry. The requirements were that they had to dress up like pirates and make either a flag or a pirate ship. Since there are only 3 girls in Emma's troop, they decided to make the pirate flags for the ship. The larger troop made the ship. They turned out rather nice. So did the ship. Back to the dressing up like pirates... When they signed in to the ingathering, the girls were handed a bandana. Not only could they use this onl their head, but they were also going to be used for an ice cream eating "contest" Since there are no winners, I'm not sure it can be classified as a contest. But a little later on that. Before eating, the girls sang a song, which I was able to get a short verion of, but am having a hard time uploading it. In order to eat their pizza, they had to walk the plank. It was a cute idea, and not that expensive... Emma has stripped out of her captain hook outfit. Arts and crafts...a small wooden tray painted red, black and white, with pirate stickers on them. Before they left, the girls received a pouch that had bead necklaces, "jewels" and some other stuff. Overall, it was a good day. Oh yeah, the ice cream eating "contest", the girls put on garbage bags with no arm holes cut out. They had to be blindfolded and feed the person in front of them. I thought Emma was going to throw up she had eaten so much and then the little girl feeding her the ice cream was shoveling it in. Poor kid. Anyway, she had a fun time. I would like to also include the surprise at the end of the party. Thanks to Linda and Kat, I had a birthday cake and everyone sang "Happy Birthday." What a day!

Spring is right around the corner...

Today the weather was beautiful. Frank woke us up early since he was headed to New Hampshire with a co-worker for a week of refresher classes. After making a quick trip to Watertown, Emma and I went to the laundromat. While the clothes were in the washer, we decided to put on our ipods and go for a walk at the recreation center. They have a gravel trail that is 1.1 miles long. I was skeptical that Emma would complete it, but figured what the heck. She finished it and then wanted to play basketball afterwards. So, of course, we put the clothes in the dryer, walked back across the street to tthe basketball courts. She loved the fact that it was such a nice day. When we got back home, she wanted to do her homework outside. It was such a nice day, I didn't blame her. We pulled the picnic table out of the garage and placed it in the sun. I brought out the computer and had the music playing in the background. It also had the multiplication chart up so that she could use it for the division problems she was working on. The result? Emma got her homework all done and she is caught up on her handwriting and "circle math." Here, she is working on division.

I let her play for a little bit in between a couple of the pages. She is such a ham. She was not happy to be going back to her homework. It is going to be a long school career.

The time has come...

The time has come for the ice to leave the river. The wind blew around 40 mph today. The river did not stand a chance considering that is was already weak to begin with. The boys today pulled their airboats off the ice and are getting ready to put the boats back in. The white bands are ice flows from the bays and lake above Grindstone.
Previously, before the ice decided to leave, Emma had a wonderful time ice skating at Potter's Beach. She had so much fun, she was learning how to do figure 8's. She is looking forward to the ice coming back in next year so she can get back out there. It is not a very clear picture, but it came off a friend's website.
Last week at Girl Scouts, Emma and the Girls are making swaps for this weekend's ingathering.
Will post more after the ingathering.