NH Wilsons

We went to Sturbridge Village with the Pattersons

2008-09-29T18:22:00.005-05:00

The kids are all colonial crazed, we thought it would be fun to meet in Sturbridge, do the village and stay at a hotel with a pool. We got some "deer in the headlight eyes" when we appeared for meals - 4 adults and 6 kids - but all went well. the kids we great, had fun, and the adjoining room was key!

House at Wagon Hill, Durham

2008-09-29T18:18:00.002-05:00

As chair of Durham Parks and Rec, I toured the home at Wagon Hill recently. Neat building.
Here are some photos of the barn and the view

John goes to preschool at UNH

2008-09-09T20:32:00.002-05:00

He made it through the day with flying colors - with his monkey by his side

Girls First day Of school

2008-09-09T20:29:00.003-05:00

Caroline entering 4th
Hannah Jane entering 3rd
Where has the time gone???

Chris and the kids head to the Lake

2008-09-05T22:21:00.002-05:00

Chris and the kids headed to the lake to see Chris's parents and his brother Drew and our nephews. Although I enjoyed a quiet and clean house, I missed having a fun time water skiing and hanging out at the lake.

First day of School

2008-09-05T22:19:00.004-05:00

Yankee's Game - the last season in the old Stadium

2008-09-05T22:04:00.005-05:00

Sleeping John carried by Chris - walking though the Bronx
Chris at the game
Hannah
Johnny- asleep
We enjoy Lemonade - Johnny drank and ENTIRE cup by himself
John and friend Alice
Silly Hannah

We have an underground Yankee fan group here in NH. We meet (secretly) and root the Yankee's on. See, we are in Red Sox nation and it is really not kosher to be rooting on the enemy! We all (6 families) agreed that we had to be in Yankee's stadium before it get's torn down, as this is the last season. We all made the trek down and sat together rooting the Yankees. We dusted off our Yankee's garb, usually hidden in the back of the closet - god forbid you wear it around town. It was a fabulously beautiful day, very sunny. Johnny did great. Chris wanted to make it to the 5th inning, and that was basically how long he made it. We parked in the heart of the Bronx, in which we walked though on the way home.

We visit the LaRoche family in CT

2008-09-05T21:58:00.003-05:00

As soon as we leave York Beach, ME and the Tall Ship Parade, we head down to CT. We stayed with the LaRoche family. The Verrengia's came over and announced (to us) their pregnancy. Photos of the LaRoche girlies and the Wilson's.

The Tall Ships come to Portsmouth

2008-09-05T21:47:00.002-05:00

The girls and my parents on the Roseway
The Roseway
John watching the Tall Ships
One of the fire boats leading the parade
the Friendship

My dad was one of the people in charge of coordinating the Tall ships coming into Portsmouth.
He and my mom brought the girls with them as they sailed the Roseway into Portsmouth in the Tall Ships parade. They had a great time and enjoyed being the only kids on board. They were even interviewed with the local new station. Chris and John went the watch the parade.

A week in York Beach

2008-09-05T21:25:00.011-05:00

Beautiful Sunsets

the Nubble

Ernie
Ernie's birthday cake and his adorning parents

My sweet daddy
Caroline and Ernie
John and Ernie checking out Ernie's new present, the WAGON

John Checks out Ernie's cake
Caroline, Hannah and my dad walk into town
The road our house was on(roof is the farthest to the right)

My parents rented a house in York Beach. We were spoiled, it was a fabulous house, in an amazing location. Ocean views, walk to the Nubble Lighthouse (the most photographed lighthouse in the East), Browns (homemade) Ice Cream, and downtown York where we could get freshed made saltwater taffy and toiletpaper!! My brother, wife and sweet 1year old Ernie also joined us. Chris was traveling and working so he coul dnot join us as much as we wanted.

We spend a week at the Lake in Vermont

2008-09-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

The patterson and wilson kids
My mom, aka "grammy" joins the girls tubing
The girls go kayaking with my parents on a beautiful, calm morning
Buzz, the ultimate boat dog
Happy Wilson kids

The day-girls on the tube, John and Sam (and Buzz) chilling on the boat
The girls like to preform while on the tube
John

Although it rained, we still had a great family week. A few days with just us, a few days with our favorite family, the Patterson's and then ending it with my parents.

Meeting the Smith's in Yorks Beach,ME

2008-09-05T21:03:00.001-05:00

It was a quick visit. The beach, breackfast and lunch, waiting for the tide to come in and finally Johnny ready for a nap. reagrdless it was great seeing them and the kids picked up where they left off.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Johnny

2008-08-30T22:26:00.000-05:00

Visit Sandy in Maine

2008-08-30T22:21:00.003-05:00

Off to Maine to see Cousin Sandy at her lake house in Maine. Chris got to waterski, the girls tried really hard to ski too. Poor Abby, had a cast on her foot, so no water sports for her!

Family reunion at the lake

2008-08-30T22:19:00.000-05:00

Family reunion at the lake over the fourth

Happy 4th

2008-08-30T22:16:00.002-05:00

The kids and neighbor Sadie, decided to have a 4th of July parade in the neigborhood

Hannah Does Kayak Camp

2008-06-30T21:23:00.002-05:00

First day, out past the bridge and to the island in Portsmouth!

John is a Potato Head

2008-06-26T13:57:00.001-05:00

Walked into the room to discover John's new creation

Last Day Of School

2008-06-26T13:55:00.002-05:00

Caroline is off to 4th grade

Hannah Jane is on to 3rd grade

Vermont - We open the cottage

2008-06-26T13:44:00.005-05:00

There was wood to stack

The finished pile (competed by Grandpa and Mom!!)

Hannah's Class goes to Fort Foster to tidepool

2008-06-26T13:37:00.002-05:00

A French Play

2008-06-26T13:34:00.002-05:00

Caroline's teacher has been teaching the class French for the year. To celebrate their success, they put on a play, written by them, entirely in French.

Girl Scouts Flying up/Bridging Ceremony

2008-06-26T13:31:00.004-05:00

The wacky scouts
Caroline lighting bridging her candle

My 3rd grade girl scouts Flew up to Juniors. We had a ceremony with the region to celebrate and acknowledge them.

Fisher Cat's Game

2008-06-26T13:29:00.002-05:00

Our girl scouts went to the Fisher Cat's game. Beautiful weather.

Hannah Jane's Birthday Party

2008-06-26T13:16:00.002-05:00

The Birthday Crew
The Cake Decorated all by Hannah
The Birthday Gal

May 30, Hannah Jane's birthday Party consisted of a few friends, a craft, playing and cake.

Happy Mothers Day -2008

2008-05-13T13:33:00.001-05:00

We headed to the beach for some kite flying and a picnic.

Ernie Badger Visits

2008-05-13T13:29:00.002-05:00

Trying to get a photo of the 4 Badger grandchildren for my mom's birthday was harder than it seemed.

Locks For Love - Hannah Jane and Caroline

2008-05-13T13:13:00.005-05:00

The deal was, once Caroline's play was over - the long locks were going away.
The girls had been growing their hair for almost 2 years. The last time it was cut was just before John was born! They made the plunge and cut it. Caroline had 11 1/2 inches cut and Hannah had 11 inches. They were brave and ready! We sent off the hair in honor and memory of Aunt Rosanne.

The Princess and the Pea - Caroline -

2008-05-13T13:05:00.003-05:00

The 3rd and 4th grades put on a play - The Princess and the Pea. Caroline was a Grand Lady in Waiting.
We dolled her hair up in curlers - Chris is never letting her out of the house again!!
She did wonderful. The play was great and all the kids had a great time. John loved it, although
we called for "Ninny" every time she left the stage. Each time the lights went out for a new scene, he yelled "more".

Boston -4/6

2008-05-13T12:58:00.003-05:00

My good friend Pam traveled all the way from Oregon. We spent the weekend in Boston, joined by my friend Sue. We had a nice girls night, stayed in a hotel and slept in. ( I don't need much these days!) Chris and the kids came to pick me up on Sunday and we spent the rest of the day in Boston. We visited the Constitution museum (that's the boat not the paper) and checked out the sights. John and the girls joined the colonists for a pint and we hung out with Ben Franklin.

Fairy Tale Ball

2008-05-13T12:50:00.004-05:00

Hannah Jane's 2nd grade had the Fairy tale ball. Everyone dresses up like a Fairy Tale character and they play games, sing songs and eat dessert. John did not want to wear a cape and did not like my witch costume. Hannah ran around with her friends the whole time, we did not have much time for photos. she is with her friend Joa in one of the shots.

Crazy Girls

2008-04-12T09:11:00.005-05:00

With way too much snow still on the ground, the girls welcomed SPRING into NH.

Easter 2008

2008-04-11T13:25:00.007-05:00

We headed to Hingham to celebrate Easter. Chris's Brother, Drew, his wife Kirsten and my three nephews, Quinn, Ethan and Connor were there, also Family friends, Ginny, Trish and her kids, Madison and Timmy. Great weather for an Egg hunt and the cousins loved getting together.

Durham Egg Hunt

2008-04-11T13:15:00.003-05:00

The Egg Hunt Crew: Emily, Jenna and myself

Two friends and I works hard for the town Egg Hunt. We organized the event, coordinated entertainment, the fire dept and refreshments. We also stuffed 3200 eggs!! The day was beautiful, the snow was almost gone and we are geared up for next year!

The girls

2008-03-16T19:39:00.003-05:00

I realized I had not taken photos of the girls in a while. So, here they are.

EGGS so many EGGS

2008-03-16T19:31:00.002-05:00

I am running the town egg hunt. I have over 3000 eggs in my garage, currently being stuffed with candy. Some women and I are getting together, drinking wine and stuffing these eggs. I will be happy when it's over! Johnny has had fun literally swimming in the boxes of eggs.

Johnny's First Haircut

2008-03-16T19:22:00.004-05:00

We finally did it. He did great. Now he looks like such a big boy.

Caroline's Birthday Party

2008-02-28T21:48:00.003-05:00

10 girls, a High School Musical theme, a craft, kareoke, pizza, movie and twister.....
I am very tired.

Happy Birthday to Chris

2008-02-28T21:46:00.003-05:00

Chris had his birthday on Wednesday. He and the girls all had dentist appt's - yipee!
He requested pudding for dessert.

Patterson's Visit

2008-02-27T21:38:00.005-05:00

All Nick wanted was Snow. Well we have it. He has no snow in Ct, and came up here and we have too much.
The kids went skiing with the dads. Sarah and I stayed home with John and Catie and took them to the Ocean.
Great time was had by all...doesn't take much, kids love to be together, give the dads some beer, sports and music and the moms some wine and a topic, and we are all happy!

Happy Birthday Caroline - #9!!

2008-02-27T21:35:00.002-05:00

My first baby is now 9. Unbelieveable.
She is a smart, caring, sweet little girl, and she will always be my baby.
Big High School Musical II party coming up soon, with 10 girls, yikes!

Cookie Time

2008-02-27T21:32:00.002-05:00

The girls sold 152 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies.
Now we need to sort them and get them out of the house!

Gasp...I am 35

2008-02-27T21:30:00.004-05:00

Hannah decorated my cake.

Happy Valentine's day

2008-02-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

Antique Wedding Gowns + Two girls......

2008-02-27T21:26:00.005-05:00

Chris's mom has two very antique wedding gowns form far back in the family.
The girls, being carful, got to play dress up. How much fun is that??

Off to Boston

2008-02-27T21:18:00.004-05:00

Beginning of February we went to visit Chris's parents for the weekend.
Took off to the Childrens Museum, kids had a great time.

John...again

2008-01-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

Um, I seem to be photographing him a lot more these days. I guess we are together more and he is a baby, and quite funny and cute

Sports Baby

2008-01-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

Not much keeps john sitting still for very long.
A Sports Illustrated, however, does just that. He will read it with you or will seek it out on his own, quietly thumbing through the pages. The aple does not fall far from the tree.

a toddler and a marker

2008-01-28T21:37:00.000-05:00

New Years

2008-01-28T21:25:00.001-05:00

We went down to CT this year to see the Pattersons. as always, the kids had a ball and we welcomed another year.
Chris and Chris also had the pleasure of going to the famous Pat's game, with good seats and weather to boot!!

Obama or Hillary???

2008-01-28T21:17:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful time to live in the great state of New Hampshire.
I have joked that during the months leading up to the primaries, you could swing a dead cat and hit a politician. We have had the amazing opportunity to be personally wooed by every single one running. Our tv's were covered in commercials, we received at least 5 phone calls a day from various groups, trying to educate and sway us for their candidate.
My neighbor Debbie got me involved with the Hillary campaign. In November, we hosted a house party. We invited many durham residents to come talk and receive more information about her. Although she did not come to the party, we had many reps from her campaign. Other candidates, such as Bill Richardson, actually showed at the local house parties. My mother chatted with him in the kitchen for quite a while.
Getting coffee in a local shop or just walking down the street, your chances on meeting one of them was great. Especially since we live in the town housing UNH. It got to the point, where I did not get excited or try to go see them, as I knew they would be around again and again.
Closer to crunch time, they really got busy. Once Iowa was over, we became the major focus for four days. News crews were everywhere.
I went canvassing the town with Debbie and John on my back to try to talk to townsfolk about Hillary. I found myself so inundated with information, I started to consider other candidates.
The morning after Obama won Iowa, Chris and I took the morning off to go greet his plane and hear him speak. It was exhilarating. The energy and vibe from the crowd, the hoards of media, the signs, the flags and the music. He was an amazing speaker and revved up the crowd. By the time I left, I was voting for him. Then it was Saturday.
I canvassed the town and went to get coffee. My coffee shop was taken over by the media as Hillary was there to have an intimate discussion with some college students. That night was the debates, and Hillary took that hands down. More and more calls, more visitors at the door and I was back on Hillary's bandwagon.
Sunday night we took the girls to go see Hillary. We were in line for an hour, about 300 people in front of us, and we didn't get in. They shut the doors five people ahead of us. The girls were so disappointed. So, I took them out of school the next day, and with John in the pack, we went to try to see her again. We not only got in, we got in the front row. The girls made friends with the little old ladies, and they pushed them us even further. We waited for an hour and a half for her to come. Johnny was so good in the pack, and then Hillary came in. The energy in he crowd was great and she was pumped to lock up the NH vote. John was excited too, as he happily shrieked throughout the whole speech. Hillary kept looking at me, I kept mouthing "sorry", and tried hard to keep John quiet! During the town Hall questioning, we decided to leave, John was done and the girls were glassy eyed. I caught one of the secret service men and asked if I could get out through the secret service door. He said no! Until another official came over and helped me. I was approved to leave through the door. However, I could not get over the barricades with John on my back. Two secret service men had to pick me up over the barricades and lifted Hannah too. I am sure Hillary was just as happy as we were to get out!!!
Tuesday, voting day finally arrived. Probably about 20 phone calls during the day to remind us to vote or to sway us. I took the girls from school to come with me to place my vote. We then held Hillary signs outside until dark.
I am happy that we were involved, I am happy that we gave our kids the exposure to politics so early on. I am sorry we did not see more candidates. I am proud as a New Hampshire resident to have such an important part in our electoral process.
When the time comes for you to get involved, I urge you to do so. I was amazed by the dedication that these campaign workers have. I am surprised by the feeling of satisfaction and country pride you can gain by working on a campaign for someone you believe in and who can make a change and difference in our great nation. Don't forget to vote, regardless who you choose.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

Playing catch up on posting....We had a great Christmas. Chris's parents joined us for Christmas Eve and morning, along with my parents. It was a sweet quiet holiday. Santa brought the girls just what they asked for and a trike for Johnny. He started saying Ho HO HO whenever he saw santa, and now, whenever someone has a grey beard!!

Snow People

2007-12-23T20:11:00.000-05:00

The snow today was perfect for making snow people.

Hannah Jane

2007-12-23T20:06:00.000-05:00

If any one knows Hannah, they know her lion named Sad.
She dressed him up as Rudolf and dressed a lamb as Santa.
She specifically requested that these photos be posted on the blog.

The Wilson Kids

2007-12-23T20:01:00.000-05:00

We have had a lot of snow days lately. Up to two feet of snow outside. One day, we had the day off, blizzard out. When the girls came in from the snow, they had hot chocolate by the fire. Johnny decided to get Hannah to give him some licks of her candy cane, and followed her around for the rest of the day.

Now we have a tree-we need to make it pretty

2007-12-23T19:57:00.000-05:00

Decorating the tree was fun. Doing it for a second time after Johnny pulled it over on himself, not so fun.

In which we find a christmas tree

2007-12-23T18:23:00.000-05:00

for many years we have hiked through the woods and cut down our tree. This year, between the bitter cold and the foot of snow, we decided to go to our local farm and buy one already chopped. They even strapped it to the car for us, oh the novelty!

hingham house tour

2007-12-23T18:19:00.000-05:00

We had the pleasure of working at my in-law's fabulous antique home for the town's Holiday house tour.
The house never looked better and I had fun.

After Thanksgiving

2007-11-28T20:58:00.000-05:00

Jeff, Lydia and Baby Ernie stayed over. We had a brunch with my parents the next day and I got some cute shots of the kids and of Ernie.

The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park

2007-11-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

On a sunny but cold day after thanksgiving, we ventured to MA to this great place. Chris's parents took us there last year and we were determined to get back. The art inside the mueseum was great and engaging for the kids. The best part is a huge sculpture park on the grounds. Our favorite part was the Big Baby who sits on the roof. We have a special love for this big baby as she was commissioned for a museum in our home town, Ridgefield, Ct. We remember the baby sitting on Main Street and the girls and I even heard the artist talk about her work and the baby. For now the baby sits onthe roof overseeing the fabulous sculpures. We tried to have our Chrismas photo with the kids and big baby - but John was totally freaked out by the large child. He wouldn't even go near it! We brought a picnic lunch, but it was too cold, so we ate in the car. Highly recommend the place to everyone.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-28T20:25:00.000-05:00

We had a houseful! 23 people and three babies. We had one long table, plenty of food and lots of fun.
This year we were joined by 2 of Chris's cousins and their families, my brother, his wife and cute new baby, Ernie, both sets of parents Chris's brother and family and our beloved Uncle Dave. The kids took a tour of a friends buffalo farm, while we enjoyed the peace and cleaned up. With the 8 pies we ate, my brother Jeff played the guitar along with some other musically inclined members and we had a big family sing along. Such a Norman Rockwell day.

Caroline and Grandma share a dance

The Guitar sessions

The LONG table

My parents and Jeff and Lydia

Bruce and andrea

Shelia and Brian

Shelia, Drew and Sandy

The wilson kids check out the appetizer

Caroline Holds Cousin Ernie

the swingset

2007-11-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

Santa came early this year. The kids finally got a swingset.
Johnny was a little cold and a little unsure of the swing.

skeleton johnny

2007-11-28T20:12:00.000-05:00

He was so cute in his skeleton shirt on Halloween, and proud that he stole his sister's skull lantern.

trick or treat

2007-11-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

It's a neighborhood event. Pizza in the circle, the crew moves house to house.
What lucky ducks were are to live in this neighborhood.

Pumpkin Carving

2007-11-01T20:34:00.000-05:00

Mast Way School Halloween Social

2007-10-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

I Know, it's before Halloween. The school has a BIG halloween party on the Friday before Halloween. The biggest social event of the year!! We were the first to get there and the last to leave. Hardly saw the girls the whole time.
Here are the photos in our yard before we left. Caroline- Spiderella a vampire witch, Hannah, lady liberty and Johnny as Dumbo (or Johnbo, as the girls called him). I thought it would be hard to get him to wear it, but he loved it.

These Boots are made for walking

2007-10-26T20:24:00.000-05:00

Johnny got some boots from a friend. Once he wore then to the bus stop, and discovered the puddles, he thinks they are totally cool.

THE CORN MAZE

2007-10-14T18:39:00.001-05:00

We went to the most fabulous corn maze this weeknd. The weather was great. The maze was big and real and took about an hour. The kids were so ready to make decisions. I finally got my broken camera back - fixed! I took advantage of the day.

The Patterson's Visit

2007-10-11T19:11:00.001-05:00

We had fun seeing the family favorites, The Pattersons. They made the long Columbus day voyage from CT. We never saw the big kids unless they needed food. Catie and John had fun with eachother, when they weren't grabbing eachother's toys.
When we took out our camera to capture all the fun moments we had, we discovered our camera was broken. So, not too many shots were taken.
Seeing these friends, Godparents for eachother's kids and the cousin-like love that the kids have is so precious. I am glad that they are in our life, almost 11 years and running.

Leisure Boy

2007-10-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

Johnny visits cousin Ernie

2007-10-03T15:12:00.000-05:00

John and I went up to Portland last week to visit Ernie and Lydia.
He didn't like Mommy holding another baby at first, but got used to it. Especially after he found lots'a stuff to get into.
He did try to share his pretzel though.

Such A Big Boy

2007-09-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

Johnny sitting on his John Deere in his Timberlands.
Can't get more boy than that.

Last Time to the Beach

2007-09-20T09:44:00.001-05:00

Well, I guess it won't be the last time, maybe the last time in a bathing suit.
The other weekend there was a hot day. We packed up the car, brought a picnic dinner and get cuaght in a thunderstorm.
When we got there it was 85 degrees, when the storm blew out, it was 60. We still had fun but left all the beach goods in the car.

Poor Buzz

2007-09-20T09:40:00.000-05:00

Buzz has some sort of vitamin deficiency - making his nails brittle and fall off. Fun stuff.
He had to have surgery the other day. Now he has a fab accessory - the lamp shade.
John is very attracted to it, but also understands that somehow Buzz is hurting. He continues to stick his head in the shade and kiss Buzz. Very sweet.

WOW, Does time fly-Second and Third Graders

2007-09-05T18:07:00.000-05:00

Caroline is in 3rd and HannahJane in 2nd. Crazy stuff. They have reached the point in their youth where I can actually remember being that age. Weird.
JOhnny loved seeing the big yellow bus. Loves waiting for them to come home. Waved so hard today that he fell over.
Girls are having a great time so far. A school bus incident the first day, but mom resolved that, and they were off and running again. I have signed myself up for way too many things and they are all starting at once.

A BABY BADGER IS BORN Aug 19, 2007

2007-08-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

My Brother Jeff and wife Lydia had their first SON today!!!
Ernest Henry Badger was 8 lbs, 9 oz and 22 inches long

Air Show with Daddy

2007-08-19T19:25:00.000-05:00

Chris took the girls to the air show at Pease today.
They had a great time seeing the planes fly overhead and checking them out down on the ground.

Twin smiles

2007-08-19T19:23:00.001-05:00

Cousin Quinn and Hannah have twin smiles

Hannah's new smile (take two)

2007-08-19T19:22:00.001-05:00

Another front tooth is gone for Hannah. Check out her new smile.

Vermont

2007-08-19T19:16:00.000-05:00

We only made it up to the cottage for a night. The weather turned cold and rainy and we decided to come home.
Friday was wonderful, however, here are the kids suited up for the boat.

Girls (and John) Trip to York, ME

2007-08-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Every year the girls, my mom and I go away during the summer vacation. This year, we decided that John would be allowed to come too. We did a short trip up to York, ME. We spent the day on the beach and then Daddy came to get Johnny for some nightime bonding. The next day Caroline and Grammy had a sunrise walk on the beach and then Hannah and I met them for breakfast. We spent a Johnny-free day on the beach, went up to the Nubble lighthouse and hit Browns for ice cream.

Higgins Beach, ME

2007-08-10T09:28:00.000-05:00

We visited our friend Cheryl and her kids at their beach house in Maine. Great day, great fun.

Hannah Jane's new smile

2007-08-10T08:42:00.000-05:00

Attitash, NH

2007-08-09T20:53:00.001-05:00

All the kids
Brad being the cool dad
Our family
Kids climbing
Mike, Benay and Ian
Johnny
A photo op
Chris Smith has a reflective moment
Riley in the Falls
Allie in the Falls
The parents
The white mountains
Dad's get a time to relax reading
Girls at the top of the White Mt's
The Smith family

We went up to the White Mountians last weekend with our friends from CT. A total of 4 families, 8 adults and 8 kids-ranging in age from 8 to 1. We rented a couple of slopeside condos and set out to enjoy the area. We ended up not really doing any of the attractions and sought out the natural beauty of the area. We got some gorgeous days. We vivited Diana's Bath and the Rocky Ledge. We got some group shots at the top of the mountians along the Kangamangus Highway. What a great trip.

Johnny and his car

2007-08-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

John loves his little tikes car. It's been out on the screen porch, but he has has brought it in the house and gets in and out of it for hours. He is quite the driver, although he hasn't figured out how to get it out of reverse.

Ingredients: Kids and a Boat

2007-07-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

Add six kids, life jackets (pfd's), four adults, a gorgeous day and a tube. Let it combine for two hours and see the results-Pure Happiness.

Rainbows on the Lake

2007-07-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

The sky opened up and poured rain. The 10 of us and 2 dogs huddled in the cottage remembering our trip on the boat just minutes before. When the rain ended, we saw a FULL rainbow. Upon running out to check it out, another faint one appeared. Nothing gets better than that.

Newts Snakes and Toads oh my

2007-07-23T09:41:00.001-05:00

We sent the kids off for a hike though the woods. Little did we know they would come back with a snake named Disco, 11 newts and 4 toads. They made them a nice habitat in buckets and took turns guarding them while the others sought more.

The 800 Pound Piano

2007-07-23T09:29:00.000-05:00

Deep in the bedroom in the main cottage in Vermont, sat a 100 year old, 800 pound piano.
Though no one played it (besides the banging children), it served it's purpose of being a home for mice, a holder of games and a shelf for movies. Well, it is gone. Moved to make room for the growing amount of children that come to the cottage, replaced by bunk beds. It was quite the chore and a sight to see. The piano will find another home and won't be forgotten.

A week vacation in VT

2007-07-22T21:03:00.000-05:00

Warning...oodles of photos here....Here is a brief description of all that you will see

We arrived on Sunday with fabulous weather. The weather comtinued to be fabulous until Wednesday, when the rain came in.
We had a great family time. Swimming, reading, game playing. We visited the VT Country Store, real,ized that a lot of penny candy does make you sick. Visited the homestead of Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president. Caroline, our resident expert on presidents, was beside herself in the informtion and the sights. Then, our bestest family friends arrived, the Pattersons.
Even though it was raining like cats and dogs on Thurday, and Uncle Patty had a conference call, the kids didn't know the difference. They played in the rain, they went to see the famous Morgan horses with Uncle Wilson- even a trip to the A&W after. Friday- iffy weather, but still gave us the good fortune of tuning on the boat and hunting for newts and toads. The sky opened up and dropped buckets of rain, but then gave us a DOUBLE RAINBOW!! The rest of the weekend was spent with trips on the boat, sailing with Uncle Wilson, kayaking, swimming, newt and snake hunting and 'training' and all around natural fun.

JOHN BRITTAIN TURNS ONE

2007-07-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

He is officially a toddler. Not only did he turn one, he also took his first set of steps. He had fun with his new toys, but was a little weary of the cake - and all of the cheering onlookers. He had a Yankee's themed party, I am especially proud of the cake.

HannahJane and Golf Camp

2007-07-14T08:44:00.001-05:00

While Caroline was kayaking, Hannah was playing golf with the First Tee of NH. She did very well and enjoyed herself.
It was a great program. She even got A HOLE IN ONE on a 25 foot putt!! Her dad and Grandfather are very proud!!

Caroline and Kayak Camp

2007-07-11T18:28:00.000-05:00

Caroline has been doing kayak camp this week. She is having a lot of fun and learning a lot. They are doing in the the bay near the Ocean! Today they even practiced rolling. I have not been out to watch yet, but will be going tomorrow. My mom took these photos of her today. She was so tired she fellasleep in the car, had to be carried in and then fell asleep on the counter at dinner. I guess it was a pretty good workout!! They have learned so much stuff. Then they have to carry them up and spounge them off and put everything away. Great lessons!

Tall Ships come to Portsmouth

2007-07-09T14:38:00.000-05:00

The tall ships (4) came to Portsmouth this weekend. Although we were going to vermont, we made it to the pier on Friday morning to watch the parade. My parents were working on the boats, and were a wealth of information watching it with us.

Vermont (part Two) THE COUSINS

2007-07-08T20:49:00.000-05:00

The cousins played hard, swam hard, hiked hard and slept in the new bunk beds hard. They really had so much fun I had to document them on their own post.

VERMONT with the WHOLE family

2007-07-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

We went to Vermont to celebrate the 4th with the Wilson family. Chris's parents, his brother Drew, his wife Kirsten and their three boys, Quinn, Ethan and Connor. We also got to see Aunt Rosanne and Uncle Dave. It was especially meaningful as Rosanne is undergoing treatment for cancer and is fighting it well. She looked great and had the same spunk we all know and love. Cousin Shelia, husband Brian and son Graham were also part of the celebration. Fireworks on the lake would not be the same without Graham. The cousins had a blast, taking a hike to the falls with the Daddies. Babies, John and Connor has a nice bonding walk around Middlebury College. We had a pre-birthday celebration for Johnny, though he didn't get a chance to dive into the cake, he got some practice for Friday. It was great to see everyone and the lake!

The Wilson Kids

2007-07-08T19:54:00.000-05:00

The kids on a good day when everyone was happy and were getting along.

The girls give Johnny a hair style

2007-07-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

Now that he is almost one and thinks whatever the girls do is great, John went all day with the hair-do the girls gave him in the car on the way to Target. Complete with the 'good' styling products - water from the sippy cup and good ol' spit - Johnny found he had a new do that lasted the whole day, and a nap!

Arrg I am behind on my Blog - who thought summer would do that to you?!

2007-07-08T19:42:00.001-05:00

THE FOURTH OF JULY...
was fun! We had two bbq's and the girls went to Strawberry Banke (the colonial town in Portsmouth) with my parents. They have a great celebration. The did sack races, weavings and had a good old fashioned time. Also included in the photos are the kids all decked out in their matching stars and stripes wear!

The Egg's finally make it to NH

2007-07-02T08:29:00.000-05:00

Cheryl and the girls came to visit us on their way up to Maine. It was great to see them.
The kids went swimming in the river on the hot Wednesday night. Thursday we went over to see the buffalo at Jennifer's and then to UNH. We went and petted the horses at the barns and then had lunch and ice cream at the Dairy bar. We are hoping to get up to their beach in Maine soon to continue the fun. (Check back in later, Cheryl has much better photos and will be emailing them to me soon!)