Last Friday I took the boys and 2 of their friends up to Boulder Field which is a state park about 50minutes from our house. It was a great day, because it wasn't super hot and it was actually cloudy out, which meant it wasn't horrible to be outside. We hiked around the whole field and than made our way to a local lake/beach area. (Leanne, you have been here). The boys had a blast and I enjoyed the time just relaxing on the beach! When we arrived in the morning, we were the first car in the parking area and it was actually cooler. As you will see, we had sweatshirts on in the beginning and than by the end of the hike, they were wrapped around our waists. After the beach, we made our way to another hiking trail and found a water fall. The boys were in heaven, finding rocks to skip and they even found a toad and a snake.

Our mini get away.....

Well, Mike and discussed getting away for a few days or taking a few days to just bang out the kitchen. We opted for the 1st choice and figured the kitchen would still be there when we got back. With that said, we left Wed. afternoon and headed north into New York state. We were supposed to stop there, but I was doing good driving and we decided to push on into Rutland, Vermont. We stopped over there and stayed in a hotel for the night. The next morning, the boys hopped in the pool for abit and than we headed up to Killington resort and went mountain biking. This was our first time actually biking down the same hills that we normally ski down, so we were definately newbies in this, sometimes very extreme sport. From the ski/bike slopes we headed to a local microbrewery for a late lunch and than headed south to my brother's. On Friday we hung out at home for a bit and than headed over to a friend of the family and went out on his boat. Some of us went tubing behind the boat (not I) and than we headed all the way down the lake, ordered dinner to go and ate on the beach. It was a great afternoon! Saturday, Jen, myself, Benton, Adelaide and Nick went to a local craft fair and the dad's and L.Michael went on an extreme bike ride. Again, a good day had by all. Dinner was a wild turkey that my brother had shot a few months ago and fresh veggies out of the garden. The drive home is always a long one, but it was uneventful which is always good. And when we did get home, the kitchen was still there.....

Happy 4th of July!!!!

It has been a great day today, this 4th of July......Hot and sunny....and we took advantage of that and took a rafting/tubing trip down the Lehigh River today...since we've had no rain in days and days and days, the water level was very low and it took about 4hours to get down to our end point. We were all missing our friends/family from down under, as they were supposed to be celebrating with us. Since they were not able to come to us, we took them with us....We had our American flag flying high today and right below it was the Australian flag.....we got many questions on why we had the "British" flag flying....and we had to explain that it was not the British flag, but instead our sister country....and on and on...so to my dear friends in the land down under, you were with us today.....and we did cheers to you....and we did say "that's bullshit mate" a few times.....it was not the same, but it was the best we could do. I did take a disposable camera along and took many pictures...hoping they turn out. Will try and post our trip as soon as I get to the store.......Missing you all terribly......Happy Independence Day!!!!

Sending good vibes

Sending good vibes to my soul sista/cheer coach/mum-aka. Leanne and to ALL her cheer chicks...but especially Tahlia.....they have their 1st competition of the year. I hear there are 90 girls going!!! Leanne...make certain you have some headache medicine with you. I am certain that you are all very well prepared. Can't wait to hear the results!!!!!!

End of School Year!!!

The last day of the school year is officially upon us....and at lunch time today, Mike and I will have a 7th grader and a 3rd grader!!! Where has the time gone!?! Yesterday, was the 6th gr. award ceremony and Michael, along with several others, was awarded the Presidential Education Award....it has something to do with keeping a certain GPA for so long. So we are very proud of him!!! It looked so weird to see class of 2016! That is only 6 years from now and he is graduating High School!!! Now that is crazy!! This morning, as Big Mike got off of midnight shift, he brought home all the goodies to make an "Aussie Breakfast" this morning. (along with a few American traditions). Anyways, we had the kids up by 7am, and they were drinking OJ out of wine glasses and eating french toast, bacon, homefries, ham, fried veggies...Yumm...it was really good! Below you will see some photos of yesterday and of this morning....also there are 2 photos of when the kids were little and than a recent one....Funny!...and kudos to Jolene who just recently had 10 inches of her hair cut off to donate to locks of love.....if you look at the cheerleading photo of the "most recent photo" and than of the bus stop, you will see the difference....Good for you Jolene...You look lovely...and at the same time, you are helping a child with a severe illness. Good luck to our 6th graders!!

This last photo is at the end of the day! ....In the fall we will have a 10th grader, 2-7th grader's and a 3rd grader...everyone did fantastic on their final report cards!!! Good job guys.....

6th Grade class trip to NYC!!!!!!!

Yup...my oldest is in NYC today for his 6th grade class trip. (I didn't have a class trip like this when I was a kid!!)....It was an early day so far for Michael and myself. Up at 5am...left the house at 6am....buses pulled out of the school parking lot at 638am. He was very excited and I was very proud of him. For any of you who know, Michael has been getting over some anxiety issues of being w/o Mike or I....so this is a HUGE step for him. They started their day off by going to Ellis Island and Liberty Island...lunch in Battery Park....than at 2pm, they are going to see the Lion King on Broadway!!! Than dinner at HB Burgers....and last stop is at Madame Tussauds wax museum before heading home tonight. No doubt they will have a great day. Will add photos as I get them and update with some stories!

Nick's 1st Holy Communion

This past weekend was a busy one. We had Nick's 1st Holy Communion on Saturday and also opening day of baseball. I was able to get "some" pictures with the help of my cell phone camera and a friend. I did have every intention of using my own camera, but on the way to church I stopped to get batteries...which I did...but they were re-chargeable....and guess what? You need to charge them first! So I got no pictures in church (forgot to use my phone camera in church) but another friend got some and than I used my phone at home...Nick did very well on his special day. And yes, mom got a little teary eyed...just a little...this is my baby after all!!