It has been a rather wet winter break. The snow is always North and West of us, all we ever get is rain. As a result a fair amount of time has been spent indoors. Fortunately the kids get along fairly well and the house is big enough that we are not all piled up on each other.
The older two boys are finishing up homework. my goal is to avoid the classic Saturday afternoon freak out when a child realizes that school starts up again on Monday. I think they are in decent ship. I'll have to ask a few pointed questions tomorrow. Either way, playtime is coming to an end.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Thursday, January 02, 2014
Friday, April 05, 2013
My New Friend
This is my new friend. I met him at the gaming shop where Max plays Magic the Gathering.
Neither Larry or I play the game, it was something he learned from a friend. We found a gaming shop, FTW Games, that has Magic tourneys most Fridays and take turns driving Max and sitting around while he plays. It is not terribly close to home, but has a really nice crowd and the owners are very friendly.
The first time I went I met my new friend whom I christened Bob. Bob just quietly stands in the corner, probably looking for droids. Fortunately my droid based phone is not the one he is looking for and I can text friends and goof off to my heart's content. Along with a book, I am able to entertain myself for the four hours I'm there. Too bad Bob is just a shell of a man and as a result not one for conversation.
I just wish I had a better seat than the hard wooden stool that is in Bob's corner.
Neither Larry or I play the game, it was something he learned from a friend. We found a gaming shop, FTW Games, that has Magic tourneys most Fridays and take turns driving Max and sitting around while he plays. It is not terribly close to home, but has a really nice crowd and the owners are very friendly.
The first time I went I met my new friend whom I christened Bob. Bob just quietly stands in the corner, probably looking for droids. Fortunately my droid based phone is not the one he is looking for and I can text friends and goof off to my heart's content. Along with a book, I am able to entertain myself for the four hours I'm there. Too bad Bob is just a shell of a man and as a result not one for conversation.
I just wish I had a better seat than the hard wooden stool that is in Bob's corner.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Eighth Night
The eighth and final night of Hanukkah.
You can see in the background Nate lighting the other menorah. It worked out fairly well with the two menorahs with different teams lighting each night. The only moment of strife was the night Rebecca realized since she started on the first night she wasn't going to get to light them on the eighth night. Luckily at age 11 she got over the disappointment rather quickly and it did not mar the rest of the week.
I think this has been the nicest Hanukkah we have ever had.
You can see in the background Nate lighting the other menorah. It worked out fairly well with the two menorahs with different teams lighting each night. The only moment of strife was the night Rebecca realized since she started on the first night she wasn't going to get to light them on the eighth night. Luckily at age 11 she got over the disappointment rather quickly and it did not mar the rest of the week.
I think this has been the nicest Hanukkah we have ever had.
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Artist of the Week: Annual Challenge
I successfully completed my annual challenge of the holiday card photo last week. It's not an easy crowd to wrangle and this year was no exception.
Max was bound and determined to hold a dog this year and it took a fair amount of positioning to get John balanced on his lap. John and Max kept sliding off the deck box. Max refused any help from Nate, he said he could do it and by gum he did.
The rest of the crowd just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. As a result the shenanigans were kept to a minimum. They have finally learned that the more cooperative they are the faster the photo shoot.
I wasn't thrilled with the location, on top of one of our deck boxes, but it did work out. Jacob picked it by strolling out the door and hopping on top and pretty much saying this would be the spot. The rest of them piled on and that was it. Case closed.
Next year it'll be of my choosing.
Max was bound and determined to hold a dog this year and it took a fair amount of positioning to get John balanced on his lap. John and Max kept sliding off the deck box. Max refused any help from Nate, he said he could do it and by gum he did.
The rest of the crowd just wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible. As a result the shenanigans were kept to a minimum. They have finally learned that the more cooperative they are the faster the photo shoot.
I wasn't thrilled with the location, on top of one of our deck boxes, but it did work out. Jacob picked it by strolling out the door and hopping on top and pretty much saying this would be the spot. The rest of them piled on and that was it. Case closed.
Next year it'll be of my choosing.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Project MCP: Cozy
Cozy is the second challenge for October and I think this picture fills the bill very nicely.
I wasn't quite sure how I was going to portray cozy, since the heat has come back here in Virginia. I know it's far cooler now than a month ago, but after a week or so of mid 70s, 80 plus is too hot. The one saving grace is that it cools down substantially each night, so it is a bit chill in the morning. As a result, Rebecca could be found the other morning wrapped up in a cozy blanket while not getting ready for school.
I wasn't quite sure how I was going to portray cozy, since the heat has come back here in Virginia. I know it's far cooler now than a month ago, but after a week or so of mid 70s, 80 plus is too hot. The one saving grace is that it cools down substantially each night, so it is a bit chill in the morning. As a result, Rebecca could be found the other morning wrapped up in a cozy blanket while not getting ready for school.
Friday, September 07, 2012
Project MCP: Back to School
I took this picture on Thursday morning when the kids were getting on the bus for the first time this school year. It's pretty much a given that this would be my answer to this week's photo challenge for Project MCP "back to school."
I could have opted for a picture of the vast (really with four kids in school I'm not kidding about the quantity) piles of school supplies in our dining room. But it's boring and a bit depressing looking at all that stuff. A picture of a bright and cheerful yellow school bus with a line of freshly scrubbed kids marching in is a much better image.
I could have opted for a picture of the vast (really with four kids in school I'm not kidding about the quantity) piles of school supplies in our dining room. But it's boring and a bit depressing looking at all that stuff. A picture of a bright and cheerful yellow school bus with a line of freshly scrubbed kids marching in is a much better image.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Project MCP: Sports
The second photo challenge in August was sports, a rather tricky one for me since it is sort of betwixt between for the kids. There has been soccer camp, but I didn't hang around much as a result I have almost no actual game photos. However, we did take some of the kids to the Richmond Fencing Club last weekend.
Max, Nate, and Rebecca had a great time.
They learned a bit about different swords and a little bit about proper stance. In the picture they are all doing a lunge. At this point the exercises are without foils, but that will come in time. All three seem eager to give this another go, so we'll see what happens.
Max, Nate, and Rebecca had a great time.
They learned a bit about different swords and a little bit about proper stance. In the picture they are all doing a lunge. At this point the exercises are without foils, but that will come in time. All three seem eager to give this another go, so we'll see what happens.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Beach!
On the heels of our trip up north we had a quick weekend on the beach at Virginia Beach. The beaches aren't as pristine nor as empty as those found on on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, but Virginia Beach is a darn site closer and better suited for weekend getaways.
That said we had a very nice time.
The sand there is great for building castles and the kids did all three days we were there. They would make large fortifications with bridges, towers, and moats. Max would often do his own thing, but ultimately it would link up with the other structures. Nate and Rebecca would flit about adding touches here in there while Jake directed his siblings at one point to make a huge wall to protect his city from the pounding surf.
Speaking of pounding surf, on Friday it wasn't too bad. We broke out some of our boogie boards and had fun with the waves. That evening a storm rolled in and the surf was quite violent Saturday morning. The flags were flying at the lifeguard stations and as a result there was no body boarding and we had to keep close in. But that didn't stop us from playing in the water. As you can see Max was having a good old time flopping about in the waves.
Sunday morning the surf was just as strong, though the lifeguards were being a bit more lenient. We could us the boogie boards, but again we couldn't go very far out. Here you can see how impressive the waves could be. That is Larry's head peeking out of the wave.
We were sad to go on Sunday, but the rain did help chase us off the beach. It was a fun trip and even though hotel rooms were small (literally bedrooms) they were just fine since our main interest was being at the beach.
Oh and if you ever go to Virginia Beach I highly recommend Big Sam's Inlet Cafe and Raw Bar. Great food and service at a very good price. The place is tiny and you often have to wait, but we ere glad we dined there.
That said we had a very nice time.
The sand there is great for building castles and the kids did all three days we were there. They would make large fortifications with bridges, towers, and moats. Max would often do his own thing, but ultimately it would link up with the other structures. Nate and Rebecca would flit about adding touches here in there while Jake directed his siblings at one point to make a huge wall to protect his city from the pounding surf.
Speaking of pounding surf, on Friday it wasn't too bad. We broke out some of our boogie boards and had fun with the waves. That evening a storm rolled in and the surf was quite violent Saturday morning. The flags were flying at the lifeguard stations and as a result there was no body boarding and we had to keep close in. But that didn't stop us from playing in the water. As you can see Max was having a good old time flopping about in the waves.
Sunday morning the surf was just as strong, though the lifeguards were being a bit more lenient. We could us the boogie boards, but again we couldn't go very far out. Here you can see how impressive the waves could be. That is Larry's head peeking out of the wave.
We were sad to go on Sunday, but the rain did help chase us off the beach. It was a fun trip and even though hotel rooms were small (literally bedrooms) they were just fine since our main interest was being at the beach.
Oh and if you ever go to Virginia Beach I highly recommend Big Sam's Inlet Cafe and Raw Bar. Great food and service at a very good price. The place is tiny and you often have to wait, but we ere glad we dined there.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Artist of the Week: Edward Hopper
This week's artist is Nate, captured here swimming in my favorite childhood swimming hole. We got to visit it while seeing my mom this summer. The spot had changed a bit, most likely from the unbelievable flooding Vermont experienced from hurricane Irene last year, but it was still recognizable and very much swimmable.
Nate was dubious at first as we visited each of the areas along the river, for the most part it is fairly shallow. However, at the spot we did settle on the river does a few sharp turns and had scoured out a much deeper riverbed. Coupled with a sandy beach it was a perfect place to while away a few hours.
Which brings me to this week's art.
This past year Nate took a semester long course in art and one of the many projects he did was to select an artist, write a short paragraph, and then recreate one of the artist's works. Nate picked Edward Hopper (who is most famous for Nighthawks) and the oil painting "The Long Leg."
Nate considered painting his version, but I urged him to try pastels instead. It would be a more forgiving medium to use and would work well with the subject matter. That was the sum total of my input on the project. Nate id a nice job capturing the image and I rather like how it came out as did his teacher.
Nate was dubious at first as we visited each of the areas along the river, for the most part it is fairly shallow. However, at the spot we did settle on the river does a few sharp turns and had scoured out a much deeper riverbed. Coupled with a sandy beach it was a perfect place to while away a few hours.
Which brings me to this week's art.
This past year Nate took a semester long course in art and one of the many projects he did was to select an artist, write a short paragraph, and then recreate one of the artist's works. Nate picked Edward Hopper (who is most famous for Nighthawks) and the oil painting "The Long Leg."
Nate considered painting his version, but I urged him to try pastels instead. It would be a more forgiving medium to use and would work well with the subject matter. That was the sum total of my input on the project. Nate id a nice job capturing the image and I rather like how it came out as did his teacher.
Friday, March 02, 2012
Silly Girl
The dogs' crates are located under a table right next to my computer. It's a good spot for the dogs, out of the way yet close to the action.
For whatever reason, on Monday Max and Rebecca viewed the crates as their playground. In the course of an hour we determined that one 10 year old and one standard sized dachshund can both fit inside a medium sized crate. Two 10 year olds can also fit together inside a crate, but with far less room to spare than the dog plus human combination. As an added bonus a 10 year old can also fit on top of the said crates.
John found all of this vaguely distressing. He was fine sharing a crate, heaven knows he's always piling in with Dell, but he decided it was best to sit in his own crate and keep an eye on things. Dell meanwhile thought it was fun, all that was needed was more treats.
For whatever reason, on Monday Max and Rebecca viewed the crates as their playground. In the course of an hour we determined that one 10 year old and one standard sized dachshund can both fit inside a medium sized crate. Two 10 year olds can also fit together inside a crate, but with far less room to spare than the dog plus human combination. As an added bonus a 10 year old can also fit on top of the said crates.
John found all of this vaguely distressing. He was fine sharing a crate, heaven knows he's always piling in with Dell, but he decided it was best to sit in his own crate and keep an eye on things. Dell meanwhile thought it was fun, all that was needed was more treats.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Moments of Hilarity
For the most part our crew gets along. There is of course the endless sniping and requests to go away that Larry and I as parents have learned to tune out. We want our children to not rely on us to settle their differences, they need to learn to figure it out on their own. Mind you we do have some ground rules, no cruelty and no hitting, but for the most part they are able to deal with their differences. It might get a bit loud (hello four loud kids, hence the blog's name), but it's generally fairly mundane.
However once in a while we overhear a real gem. Today Rebecca loudly declared "You're the weirdest brother I ever had!" I'm not sure who it was directed towards, but the capper was the immediate objection by one of the non-accused that he was the weird one.
Around here there is never a dull moment.
However once in a while we overhear a real gem. Today Rebecca loudly declared "You're the weirdest brother I ever had!" I'm not sure who it was directed towards, but the capper was the immediate objection by one of the non-accused that he was the weird one.
Around here there is never a dull moment.
Friday, December 09, 2011
MCP Project 52: Traditions
This week's theme was all about traditions and fittingly enough it was time for own annual photo of the kids and dogs.
My children are never particularly thrilled with this annual , but they are good sports about it. This year they got to choose the location, which probably helped their mood. They have also learned that the more cooperative they are the sooner we are done.
For me , however, it's a fun tradition. I get an annual picture of them all together and I can see how they have grown over the years. The picture then gets incorporated into our holiday card and the photo calendar I make each year. As I go back over years through our holiday cards it's quite a trip down memory lane.
It's not the most exciting of traditions, but this is what I have to offer and it's a good one to me.
My children are never particularly thrilled with this annual , but they are good sports about it. This year they got to choose the location, which probably helped their mood. They have also learned that the more cooperative they are the sooner we are done.
For me , however, it's a fun tradition. I get an annual picture of them all together and I can see how they have grown over the years. The picture then gets incorporated into our holiday card and the photo calendar I make each year. As I go back over years through our holiday cards it's quite a trip down memory lane.
It's not the most exciting of traditions, but this is what I have to offer and it's a good one to me.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Banquet Season
Right now it's not only the end of all our sports, but the school year is drawing to a close as well. And this means it's banquet season.
So far we have had two and, of course, they landed on the same day. Larry got to take the older boys to Jake's robotics banquet and I took the twin's to Rebecca's soccer banquet. Both events were fun and a good time was had for all.
Now this was just the tip of the iceberg. By my calculations we have at least three more in the works. Max's soccer team will be next week, Jake will have another with band and then Nate's lacrosse team. Then there is the potential for Jake to have one more if show choir decides to have one and if he wants to attend.
Whew.
Fortunately each and every one has genuinely nice families involved. The only tricky part part is if the parties are all scheduled at the same time, but I'm not too worried.
So far we have had two and, of course, they landed on the same day. Larry got to take the older boys to Jake's robotics banquet and I took the twin's to Rebecca's soccer banquet. Both events were fun and a good time was had for all.
Now this was just the tip of the iceberg. By my calculations we have at least three more in the works. Max's soccer team will be next week, Jake will have another with band and then Nate's lacrosse team. Then there is the potential for Jake to have one more if show choir decides to have one and if he wants to attend.
Whew.
Fortunately each and every one has genuinely nice families involved. The only tricky part part is if the parties are all scheduled at the same time, but I'm not too worried.
Friday, May 06, 2011
MCP Project 52: First Thing in the Morning
This week's theme was "First Thing in the Morning." Not a bad theme to work with. In fact I ended up with a couple of possibilities.
I considered using the clematis picture from yesterday, I love the little drops of dew on the outstretched petals. However it is somewhat a generic shot. Very pretty, but not a whole lot of meaning.
Instead I submitted this picture of Dell and Nate.
Every morning my children stretch out on the couches, huddled under blankets. Without fail Dell greets them first thing after being fed and let out. He rears up and places his paws on the edge of the couch and frantically kisses what portion of my children's faces and hands he can reach. We've all learned that no matter how sleepy you are it is always a good idea to have your hand out to fend off Dell's rather enthusiastic greeting first thing in the morning.
I considered using the clematis picture from yesterday, I love the little drops of dew on the outstretched petals. However it is somewhat a generic shot. Very pretty, but not a whole lot of meaning.
Instead I submitted this picture of Dell and Nate.
Every morning my children stretch out on the couches, huddled under blankets. Without fail Dell greets them first thing after being fed and let out. He rears up and places his paws on the edge of the couch and frantically kisses what portion of my children's faces and hands he can reach. We've all learned that no matter how sleepy you are it is always a good idea to have your hand out to fend off Dell's rather enthusiastic greeting first thing in the morning.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Rainy Day Smile
Sunday was a sort of dreary wet day. Just the sort of weather my kids like to be out and about. Then again extreme heat, thunderstorms, and blizzards are pretty much the only times they won't go outside and that's pretty understandable.
Anyhoodle Jake decided to go out and collect the paper languishing by the end of our drive. Rebecca joined him and I got the cutest smile out of her when they came back. She really loves doing things with her big brother.
Tomorrow and Thursday looked to be rainy days as well and I hope to have that smile around again to brighten up the gray.
Anyhoodle Jake decided to go out and collect the paper languishing by the end of our drive. Rebecca joined him and I got the cutest smile out of her when they came back. She really loves doing things with her big brother.
Tomorrow and Thursday looked to be rainy days as well and I hope to have that smile around again to brighten up the gray.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Rebecca's Rules
Rebecca has very strong opinions and this weekend she tried to lay down the law on her siblings.
I have no idea what inspired this contract she wrote up or if she really expected anyone one to sign, but I find it hilarious. Jake thought it was funny too and offered to sign it under some sort of random name. Rebecca didn't go along with that idea, but she did see the absurdity of the whole thing.
You have to admit that it's all very straight forward and there is even a monetary penalty if you fail to live up to the contract. I think that the fine is the best part of the whole thing.
I have no idea what inspired this contract she wrote up or if she really expected anyone one to sign, but I find it hilarious. Jake thought it was funny too and offered to sign it under some sort of random name. Rebecca didn't go along with that idea, but she did see the absurdity of the whole thing.
You have to admit that it's all very straight forward and there is even a monetary penalty if you fail to live up to the contract. I think that the fine is the best part of the whole thing.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Full Speed Ahead
Today was one of those crazy "you have four kids that do sports and music" kind of days.
Between waiting for piano to end, dropping off kids for practice, rounding up boy from marching band (took two tries and I'm eternally thankful for the fact he goes to the high school 8 minutes away as opposed to one 45 minutes away) I had to feed said children, sternly remind them to do homework while I was out (I disabled the TV to prevent "accidental" viewings) and go to a Marching Band Boosters meeting.
My life is full of the crazy.
The amazing thing was that we all got to where we needed to be when we needed to be there. Well except for picking up Jake the second time, but then again he was off schedule and I had to shoe horn him in after sports drop off.
Thus is the life of a marching band, soccer, and baseball mom. Now with drums, piano, trumpet, and starting this weekend-guitar.
Between waiting for piano to end, dropping off kids for practice, rounding up boy from marching band (took two tries and I'm eternally thankful for the fact he goes to the high school 8 minutes away as opposed to one 45 minutes away) I had to feed said children, sternly remind them to do homework while I was out (I disabled the TV to prevent "accidental" viewings) and go to a Marching Band Boosters meeting.
My life is full of the crazy.
The amazing thing was that we all got to where we needed to be when we needed to be there. Well except for picking up Jake the second time, but then again he was off schedule and I had to shoe horn him in after sports drop off.
Thus is the life of a marching band, soccer, and baseball mom. Now with drums, piano, trumpet, and starting this weekend-guitar.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
En Vacances
So as my faithful few have probably figured out I was away on vacation, hence the lack of posts.
We did our usual grand tour of New England, visiting Grandparents and cousins. We had beach time, mountain time and lots of family time. Pictured here is our marshmallow roast on the beach.
Normally we will do it after dark, but a front was rolling in and we thought it was best to have it before the storm hit. We were just winding up when the western sky started to spark with lighting. Four buckets of sea water later the fire was out and we retreated to the safety of the big yellow house.
I'll share more photos in the next couple of days.
We did our usual grand tour of New England, visiting Grandparents and cousins. We had beach time, mountain time and lots of family time. Pictured here is our marshmallow roast on the beach.
Normally we will do it after dark, but a front was rolling in and we thought it was best to have it before the storm hit. We were just winding up when the western sky started to spark with lighting. Four buckets of sea water later the fire was out and we retreated to the safety of the big yellow house.
I'll share more photos in the next couple of days.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day!
This an old picture, but it's one of my favorites. My best guess is this was taken in 2002, about mid-year judging by Max and Rebecca.
As always Nate is a goof and I just can't get over his short hair. I've become so accustomed to his long curly locks that I'm always surprised by pictures of him from just a couple of years back.
Anyhoodle, I love Larry's confident yet relaxed expression. He really is a great father to our brood and I think it shines through in this picture.
So happy Father's Day to all of the men that are helping mold and create tomorrow's generation.
As always Nate is a goof and I just can't get over his short hair. I've become so accustomed to his long curly locks that I'm always surprised by pictures of him from just a couple of years back.
Anyhoodle, I love Larry's confident yet relaxed expression. He really is a great father to our brood and I think it shines through in this picture.
So happy Father's Day to all of the men that are helping mold and create tomorrow's generation.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Pigeonholed
I rather like this picture. I snapped it last weekend on our way out of services.
Our temple has this rather unique architectural detail on the outside and the kids love to sit inside the spaces. I know my children are not the only ones attracted to these spaces.
The other thing I like about this picture is that it represents a little achievement of mine. The picture itself is not of the greatest quality because it's from my cell phone. Today I successfully Bluetooth enabled my rather geriatric computer, thus making it possible for me to get the pictures out of my camera without incurring obscene data charges from my phone's service provider.
Victory (and my photos) is mine.
Our temple has this rather unique architectural detail on the outside and the kids love to sit inside the spaces. I know my children are not the only ones attracted to these spaces.
The other thing I like about this picture is that it represents a little achievement of mine. The picture itself is not of the greatest quality because it's from my cell phone. Today I successfully Bluetooth enabled my rather geriatric computer, thus making it possible for me to get the pictures out of my camera without incurring obscene data charges from my phone's service provider.
Victory (and my photos) is mine.
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