July 4, 2009, at 11:51 pm | We spent the 4th of July on – where else – the boat! We had beautiful sunny skies for a change, and enjoyed lots of food and laughter with our friends. I was hesitant about boating today, because we were planning to stay out until dark to watch the fireworks from the lake, and I wasn’t sure how the girls would handle 8 hours on the boat. I wasn’t even sure how I would handle 8 hours on the boat. But the girls once again exceeded my expectations and handled the day’s activities like they’ve been doing it all their lives (which is kind of the case!). They joined us in our eating frenzy:
They supervised the hamburger grilling:
They laughed at all of Pappy’s jokes:
And they even enjoyed the fireworks display with everyone:
They weren’t scared by the loud booms or the bright bursts. They simply stared at the beautiful display with the same amazed expression as the rest of us:
Happy Fourth of July, everyone! Thanks to our troops, past and present, for giving us independence and keeping us free!
July 4, 2009, at 12:00 am | Our family all drove up today to Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts to take advantage of one of New England’s most dramatic views. Since we had the girls with us, we opted not to do a repeat performance of our gut-wrenching hike last month. We just drove straight to the top. That’s the way to see scenery, if you ask me – out the window of a moving vehicle. It’s much less sweat-inducing. However, we still ended up dripping, just not from sweat. We were soaked with an unexpected downpour just as soon as I had strapped both fidgety girls into the stroller. As I was loathe to immediately unstrap them, Jim constructed a make-shift rain shelter from the vehicle lift-gate:
You can see that Becky wasn’t too thrilled with sitting in a wet stroller…
…but she perked up once the rain stopped.
Susie took it all in stride.
Fortunately, the passing shower didn’t obstruct the magnificent views.
Once we were sufficiently chilled at the mountain summit, we piled back into the car and turned on the heated seats (yeah, I know, we’re wimps). Jim’s Dad and Alli not only had to do without heated seats, they had to sit on cold, wet seats, because Dad had driven his motorcycle. But their spirits weren’t dampened by the storm, and Dad urged us to drive even further North to Bennington, Vermont, where we stopped briefly to snap a picture of its famous monument:
I didn’t get any more scenic shots because we were once again greeted by showers, and since I apparently melt when wet, I opted to sit in the car while Dad and Alli quickly took a few pictures and hopped back onto the bike and tried to outrun the storm. We rounded out the trip with a stop at a tiny cafe sporting an all-you-can-eat buffet consisting entirely of pasta and various vegetables and meats soaked in marinara. We still managed to eat our fill and enjoy the company of the cafe’s white-haired patrons, who were charmed by Becky and Susie’s dinnertime antics. Who knew that stuffing crackers in one’s mouth and banging a spoon on a table could be so entertaining to others?
We finally made it home, although not before enduring a few more downpours. It was a full, wonderful, wet day!
July 2, 2009, at 10:34 pm | (All pictures courtesy of my niece Allison)
Becky: “Mom, can I please touch the off-limit TV cabinet?â€
Susie: “Becky, that’s not the way to go about it. You just wait until Mom’s not looking and go for it!â€
Becky: “OK! I’m going for it!â€
Susie: “Me too…But I think I’ve been caught red-handed!â€
Becky: “Ack! Mayday! Mayday!â€
Becky: “Nuts! Next time we better be sneakier!â€
Susie: “Can I smile my way out of this one?â€
Becky: “Woohoo! That was a fun adventure!â€
â€â€
July 1, 2009, at 11:05 pm | We bid a tearful goodbye to Jim’s sister’s family today. Becky and Susie will miss their little cousins and the constant entertainment and distraction they provided. Jim’s niece Alli will stay in Connecticut for another month before returning home, so my girls weren’t deprived of ALL their cousins at once (and I wasn’t deprived of all the extra helping hands, either!). Alli is a huge help to me, given her experience with her young twin siblings (but I did promise her that I won’t make her do any dirty diapers while she’s here – the kid’s gotta have some break from double baby-duty, after all!).
 
June 30, 2009, at 11:55 pm | I took this picture last Saturday when we went boating with Jim’s cousin and his family. The girls had a grand time watching the big kids play on the other boat.
 
Jim counts as a “big kidâ€!
June 30, 2009, at 12:05 am | Q: What’s the only thing better than boating?
A: Boating with beloved cousins on a beautiful day!
June 29, 2009, at 1:40 am | We’re back! We had a fun-filled week in Ocean City, New Jersey with Jim’s extended family. We spent our days eating, playing on the beach, eating, bike riding, eating, walking on the boardwalk, eating, and laughing until our sides hurt (and our tummies, because we were so full!). What a week!
Jim has vacationed in Ocean City every year since his birth (except for one year the family tried something different, and hated it so much they never deviated from their tradition again). This was my seventh visit, so I’m finally starting to feel less like a new-comer. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this family-friendly vacation spot, I’ve compiled a list of instructions for how to enjoy all that Ocean City has to offer.
1. Make sure you go with family, so you always have an audience.
2. Closely inspect your living accommodation’s cookware
3. Walk around outside to enjoy the salty air
4. Cuddle up with a friend to exchange stories of your day
5. Spend quality face-time with your family
6. Find lovely ladies to pose with
7. Head to higher ground to watch the ocean
8. Enjoy the scenery with a loved one
9. Make funny faces during group photo sessions
10. Keep an eye out for pooping seagulls
11. Take a ride on the Playland carousel
12. Ride the infamous Double Shot
13. Or if you’re too chicken to ride, scream along with the others
14. Scold your mom if she won’t let you ride the Double Shot, even if you wanted to
15. Remember to have plenty of snacks while you’re sunbathing
16. Dip your toes in the ocean
17. Find a picturesque spot to watch for dolphins
18. Take lots of bike rides
19. Find shade when it gets too sunny
20. Eat Mack & Manco’s pizza on the beach
21. Eat sandy cheerios
22. Play in the sand with your buddies
23. Accept that you’re going to get sand in every imaginable body part
24. Watch the seagulls on the beach
25. Wave at people on the boardwalk
26. Most importantly, enjoy time with your family!!
   
June 20, 2009, at 9:45 pm | The girls were so happy that the washing machine was back in business that they celebrated by frolicking around my feet as I caught up on the laundry. Soon, they grew weary of crawling over piles of clothing and sought a new diversion.
Then they discovered the laundry basket.
Susanna, ever the adventurous one, crawled on in.
However, she didn’t know how to put herself into reverse, so she (loudly) requested some assistance. Rebecca came to her rescue, but instead of pulling her sister out, decided to roll the basket from side to side. 
So now Susanna was both stuck and sea-sick.
After I stopped laughing and taking pictures, I pulled the frantic Susanna out by her feet. We’ll see how long she waits before attempting that adventure again!
June 19, 2009, at 10:54 pm | Here’s a glimpse of Rebecca watching TV with her dad while he was taking a break this afternoon. She looks rather comfortable, don’t you think?
June 18, 2009, at 10:32 pm | The girls’ mesmerized attention must have given the washing machine performance anxiety, as it ceased to perform its duties in the middle of a cycle this morning. As a result, while I scrambled to find an alternate source of cleaning our clothes, the girls were forced to find alternate methods of entertaining themselves, such as:
Inspecting our other home appliances for signs of weakness…
…and staring out at the rain.
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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