Sam and Micah are in town

Sam and Micah were up from Brooklyn last week. Aunt Debbie and Uncle Joe had everyone over to their house for a get together on Saturday.

The kids swam and bounced on the trampoline despite the rain.

Faun Lake II ... continued

Here is a pike that Noah caught. It broke the line and flopped around on the ground for a while. He wanted to be sure everyone saw his fish!

Faun Lake II

We took a day trip to Faun Lake today. The skies were gray, and we had some rain on the drive up, but everything cleared just after lunch and we had a great day. The kids went fishing when we got there, and Grace caught this Northern pike from shore using just a worm as bait. She was very proud of herself!

We had a lot of fun as a family. Grace and I hiked around the lake, the kids played basketball with Lou and swam, and we had a campfire after dinner.

Y Marathon Night

The kids signed up for the Y marathon about six weeks ago. How it works is they walk or run 25 miles from then until now. As they made progress, they filled out cards with feet on them and got "toe tokens" to signify every five miles they walked or ran. It was a fun activity for both of them. Tonight was the culmination where they ran the last 1.2 miles to get to the 26.2 miles that signify a marathon completion. We gathered at Holy Trinity Church at 5:30pm, and the race began at 6:15pm. We ran from Phillips Road to Barrett Drive. The race is the beginning of the Webster Parade that kicks off the Firemen's Carnival, so the parade route was lined with spectators. Grace and I ran together, and Noah ran with his friend Garrett. Guess who crossed the finish line first? Let's just say - Girls Rule.

I'll post a picture if I can get my camera to work. Lou was our photographer, and it slipped out of his hands at the finish line and hit the pavement. So now it won't open or close. Ah well!

[UPDATE: We got the camera to work, but it's pretty much toast. Off to Rowe for me!]

We're a little late with this

OK, I realize it is July 14 and planting is supposed to have been done 4-6 weeks ago. We never put any flowers around our lamp post last year, and Grace was excited about helping me this year. Well life happened, and we never got around to it. Grace and I made a special trip to Lowe's to get the flowers last week. We managed to keep them alive in the garage with extra water during the heat spell we had! So tonight we dug up some dirt and put in our eight plants. Noah loves marigolds, and hopefully you can see them in the picture.

Happy Summer!

At Sassa's house

Stacy and Brian invited us over for pizza. We had dropped Grace off and picked up Mom, so we headed over with some snacks. Noah was excellent at entertaining Charlie while we all talked on the deck. Here is a picture of them on the new swingset.

Faun Lake

Lou and I took the kids up to Faun Lake for a quick overnight. The weather was overcast when we arrived Friday, so the kids headed right out with their fishing poles. Grace and Noah had a contest who could catch the most fish. It rained most of the afternoon, so we relaxed and played board games. The evening cleared up in time for us to go to Bingo. The popcorn was yummy, and the kids got ice cream too. All this before dinner!

Saturday was beautiful - sunny, 78, and not a trace of humidity in the air. The kids fished again and then went swimming. We headed back to get Grace to a birthday party. It was a fun trip!

How hot is hot?

It's hotter than hot! The kids have been swimming every chance they get this week. The air conditioning is working overtime. Today we ran errands and went to Wegmans. Nothing too exciting! Enjoy your day, and stay cool ...

Vacation

Grace, Noah, and I went to Sodus Point Park for the day. We hadn't been there before and didn't know what to expect. The area by the water is really pretty, and they have just opened up a new building with a snack bar, restrooms, an office, and a first aid station. The lake side of the park was pretty nasty. Despite the roped off swimming area and a lifeguard stationed there, no one was in the water because of the yucky foamy stuff by the shore. Plus the smell was unbelievably bad! We went over to the bay side to a tiny little beach. The water was clear, so we spent our time there. This picture is of the kids on the lake side. As you can see, they were not happy. The caption could be, "Mom dragged us out here for this?" Ah well, things perked up and our little adventure worked out. Albeit a little unorganized for me - my front tire was almost flat when we left, and I had almost no gas. We stopped for air, a snack at Orbaker's, and gas on the way home. Very unlike me! It was a spur of the moment trip, and it showed in some ways. We had a nice summer day by the water and as a family unit. Sometimes a little uncertainty is a good thing!

Independence Day

On Sunday evening, we were at a July 4th party at our friends the Ritzenthalers in Spencerport. Tracy, her sister, and her parents live on the same street in a row. The kids played capture the flag, baseball, and kickball in the back yards. There was a spectacular fireworks show just for us. It was another great night for the holiday weekend.

Happy Fourth of July

We had a neighborhood bonfire on Saturday night. The kids played lacrosse and lit sparklers. It was a gorgeous warm evening.

Happy Birthday Jack

We had a great day at Shannon's house on Saturday. She and Jack hosted for Jack's 42nd birthday. It was a beautiful summer day as you can see from the picture. That's Charlie and Alex in back with Noah, Grace, and McKenzie in the hot tub in front.