Summer 2013

I know summer is almost over, because I”m sitting in South Windsor watching Laura Stamm hockey camp. Saratoga was really fun this year, with our usual collection of fun visitors and some pretty good weather to go along with that. Quinn still hasn’t caught a fish much bigger than a hockey puck, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. One day, he and Noah were on the dock the entire day except the few hours they went on the Melanson’s boat.

We never had any really big winners at the races, but Matt had a few winning days. Quinn decided to bet the superfectas, because he’s looking for a big win. At least he didn’t get discouraged when his wins were few and far between. The racetrack was not too crowded...there is definitely something to making more visits in July than in August. It will be interesting to see if we get back there for one more weekend. It was kind of a special year due to the 150 anniversary of the racetrack.

Here are a few of the new things we did this year: Jackie and I took Quinn and Mei to Howe Caverns. It was a much longer ride than we thought, but the drive was beautiful and the tour was well worth it. We kept fibbing to the kids that we’d be back for the third race, but it was certainly a little later than that. We also watched a bunch of movies at the house this year, finally taking advantage of their collection. And we played several games of pool. Cindy and I did two things that were not too exciting but fun; we stayed at the house one rainy day and just hung out. And one day, we actually completed a jigsaw puzzle right at the racetrack. That could be a first for any visitor at the races! Another first: Addison and I made it to the second bridge on kayaks. And Jackie and I jogged one morning for at least four miles, turning into the neighborhoods off Meadowbrook Road. One more first: we found a great casual restaurant in Glens Falls called City Tavern that had yummy wings and dipping sauces.

We had our usual giant collection of empty wine bottles every night. I’m sure the owners were horrified with our wine by the case deliveries! But at least we weren’t driving anywhere. Apples to Apples was fun as always, as was learning to play Mexican Dominoes.

Finally, I got to revisit two places Matt and I used to go to long before Quinn was born. First, we went to a SPAC concert to see Victoria Justice and Big Time Rush. Hopefully when Quinn reads this in a few years, he’ll be laughing! Drew was not interested in the music at all, and Matt and I had to cover our ears to protect our eardrums from the screaming girl fans. The other place that I haven’t been to in years, but Matt makes an annual visit is the Ballston Spa golf club. I actually birdied hole #6, so that was a lot of fun.

Time to wrap it up and watch more skating drills.

Ottawa Trip 2013

Our trip to Ottawa was really fun! As you can see in this picture, we skated the canal, and even though I can now cross is off my bucket list, I'm excited to go back and do it again. The conditions were ok on this day...the day before was pretty snowy and windy. It was very hard to skate slowly because you had to keep pushing through the elements. I had a Beavertail and it was ok...I think the frites (fries) were a better choice. Ottawa really loves its fried food. With a more British influence than French, the food was good, but not out of this world. However, our hotel suite was fantastic with tons of space and a really nice heated pool and hot tub. I love when kids are allowed to go in the hot tub!

The Melansons were a lot of fun, and I hope they enjoyed the trip as much as we did. We had Noah in our car for quite a bit of the ride, and that seemed to work out well. Going to Ottawa took a little longer due to the snow and traffic at the end of the trip. A couple of the sights we saw going up were a giant max security prison in NY (Clinton) and lots of steel windmills in northern NY. Coming home we got a peek of some beautiful lakes and we saw the Lake Placid ski jump. Man, is that high up!

The "Sens" won the game against the Rangers, and our seats were really good despite being high up. Everyone was thrilled to see a shoot-out, and we even got to see two former "Whales" shoot. (Kryder and Miller). Ottawa won the game, so we were all happy. Nobody even seemed all that stresses when we got off the bus a couple of stops early and were stuck in the middle of nowhere with all the kids and not enough outerwear! Fortunately, another bus came by from the game and picked us up. That added to the adventurous week!

Quinn, now more than ever, is living and breathing hockey. He had a great game when we returned against Avon. He played D and had the assist to "Kenzie" with literally one second left to tie the game. I hope he does as well in the tournament next weekend.

Preparing for the Blizzard 2/8/13

It's Thursday evening and we are loading up on batteries and bottled water for Nemo, the upcoming blizzard. Hopefully we don't really get the two feet of snow they are predicting. I can't imagine how much snow there will be in Saratoga and Ottawa when we head up north in a few days. Coach Matt is working feverishly to change the hockey game times in the hopes that maybe somebody will be brave enough to show up. No word yet on the state tournament schedule, but we will hear soon. I hope we can skate down the river in Ottawa. Our hockey also looks really nice. Quinn helped us picked it out online. It's called the "Mento" and the rooms are all suites. Hope it's nice!

Quinn is having a great hockey season. The other day I asked if he would play hockey year round, and he said "Mom, I even love going to practice...even if we get yelled at and do sprints the whole time!" So much for my idea of changing sports over the seasons. I know he is still really excited for baseball, thank goodness. But lacrosse may be going bye-bye.

Quinn's favorite activity is still floor hockey, and my knees are getting pretty tired of it. I know it makes him happy, but I sometimes wish he could diversify a little bit with his free time. Mei hasn't been over to play as much lately, and I think it's because she wants to do some different things. However, I don't think I could ever get Quinn to make "shrinky-dinks" or other sorts of arts and crafts. I think even if they grow apart as day-to-day friends, they will still do very well when we take them on vacation.

He is doing well with his CCD lessons. Unfortunately he's missed a few, so I have been home-schooling him. I actually think he is getting more out of the lesson that way. I just want him to get a chance to be with his group.

He is getting so tall and grown up! Today I made him go into Dunkin Donuts to pick out his own donut. And Matt and I have been leaving him to sneak off for a quick breakfast at Avon Country Deli. Quinn is so strong, he can carry in a 40 pound bag of pellets for me.

In other family news, Kate is due to have a baby in April. Diane and Mindy are planning a shower for next week, so that will be fun.

Our friends the Anastasios are due to have Emily any day now, and I'm worried that she'll decide to arrive during the blizzard. I'm sure Kathryn has an emergency plan in place.

2012 Christmas

I am typing this on my new Google Chromebook from Santa, and I really love the keyboard. As I type in the living room, Quinn, Nicholas and Mei are sprinting past me playing "Extreme Marco Polo," a game that I don't quite understand. They close their eyes as long as they can, until they are about to wipe out or crash into something. This is day 5 of an 11 day vacation, and even though there is a mountain of games and new gifts from Santa behind me, the kids would rather run around the house! And unfortunately, our ice rink so far this year has been a bust. Thank goodness Quinn's hockey tournament begins tomorrow.

We have been pretty much eating when we are awake for the last 48 hours. Christmas eve including two feasts: one at Chris' house and one at the Marinellis, which was a really nice surprise. Christmas morning began with a 7 a.m. wake up call from Quinn and an alarm that hadn't been set properly to get up before he did! Fortunately, everything was ready...Santa had a chance to sneak in and visit, and Quinn loved his personalized hockey bag, even though it wasn't wrapped. Matt got two coach's whistles to go with his fancy coaching certificate! After the mad tear-open, we went over to Sean the Elf's for the first time for the Heagney opening and brunch. Quinn was a whirling dervish of a Santa's helper, constantly spinning and dancing around and falling on the hardwood floor. The cousins are getting really creative with their wrapping and gifts...next year, I know how to put those hockey tape roll remnants to good use! We had delicious eggs benedict, then were able to go home and rest up a little for Christmas dinner.

Apples to Apples was really fun. We have moved on to the adult version, and although Quinn doesn't get all the nuances, he had some really good luck with his cards (his French Maid card for "Down and Dirty" was hilarious and a winner!) All in all, it was a really nice and relaxing Christmas for us. We are so blessed to have a healthy family, and my prayers continue for the families in Newtown who lost their little angels this month.

Biking season is almost over

October 27, 2012

The photo above is from ride or walk to school day at Latimer Lane Elementary. Despite the rain, Quinn and I made it to his school, then I turned around and pedaled back breathlessly to get to Tariffville School. It was definitely worth the aggravation. I hope they do it again in the spring. Next time I will make sure to check my tires, they were pretty soft!

Quinn is moving right along in second grade. I can't believe we're already closing in on Halloween. Quinn will be an all-black phantom with glowing eyes. Not sure how the pictures will come out. There's a hurricane approaching ironically on the same date as Snowtober last year, but I think we will still be trick or treatingd two days later. Matt will be away, but I think we will be able to manage.

As a great soccer season for Quinn is winding down, (he had more goals and assists than anyone on his team by far) we are jumping back into Mite A hockey. Matt is a coach, (one of four or five, who can keep track!) but I was very happy to turn over the manager's position to another Mom. I'm remembering how much work it is. It should be a great year...just hope Quinn can live up to Dad's hockey expectations! And we already learned that we won't need to mortgage the house for goalie camp!

The Giants are in the World Series and are winning 2-0 as of now. Should be an exciting next few days...I guess the loss of sleep for all of us is worth it. No NHL, so we might as well enjoy baseball and football for as long as we can.

I wish I could remember some of the cute things Quinn is saying right now. I love the talk of second graders. One thing he told me yesterday is that he really likes to read a book at school and really gets in to it, but then at home...not so much. I guess that's understandable. I'm just glad he's getting to that "can't put a book down" stage. Right now he's reading the Ready Freddy series.

It's Friday at 3:11 pm: time to go say hi to Chris next door and meet the bus!

Saratoga Summer Vacation 2012

When Quinn's teacher asks for his essay on what he did during his summer vacation, she may be in for a surprise when he writes something like this:

We stayed at a mansion in Saratoga and I bet on the horses and won $110.00! I mostly bet Win and Place but sometimes I would bet an exacta. The Dads let me and my friends do flips on the air mattress in the movie room when the Moms went out to lunch, and I also played pool and keno in a couple of bars after dinner. One night, I played a game with Mei where I would lean over the balcony railing to try to reach for a balloon. I slept on an air mattress, but a couple of times I fell off and ended up under the dresser. I also got to stay up really late and get up really early to fish. I only hooked myself once. Dad lost his phone in the lake. I also got to ride on a tube behind my friend Drew's boat and my Dad drove the boat as fast as he could and tried to dump me in 180 feet of water in Lake George. We were pretty safe about some things. My Mom only really forgot to give me enough sunscreen one or two times, and I was wearing a life jacket when Drew's Dad's boat engine died and all the kids had to swim back to our dock. It was a really fun vacation! Oh yeah, I forgot about the coyotes and the giant water snake! And the time the toilets backed up. Good times!!

Seriously, the vacation was wonderful. No, 23 days was not too long. The part that makes it long is when you get home and have to catch up on real world stuff. We had really good weather, and everyone stayed very healthy, no injuries or sniffles to slow us down! We had a lot of fun visitors including: Steve Franklin, the Anastasios, the Trenholms, Alison and Deke, Henry, Grammy, Diane, the Hucker clan, Emmet, Rob, the Brookes and the Chandlers. I think everyone had a good time. Probably the biggest winner at the races this year was Matt, which was unusual for him. That made it fun for everyone because he is so generous with his friends! We went through a lot of wine during the trip, but that's not a big surprise. Lots of great meals with pretty views of the sunset from the porch. Dinners out included one night at Prime with Nealy and Rob's generous gift certificate (what a beautiful outdoor setting!) and one night at a restaurant downtown called 28 Tables. I think my favorite meal of the trip was the ladies' lunch at Maestro's on their big veranda. That was a lot of fun!

Let me count how many times Quinn and I played mini-golf. Once at Mill Creek, once at Saratoga (old course), three times at Saratoga (new course), two times at Exit 17 mini golf, once at Clifton Park mini golf on route 9 and once at Gooney golf. WOW...that's a lot of blue and pink balls!

A few of the things we did that made this year unique included: going to the Big Apple Circus in Lake George (the trapeze act was fantastic); going on the tube behind the Anastasio's boat; (I loved trying it, even though it was embarassing that I couldn't get on the darn thing!) having lunch in Bolton Landing; having lunch after docking the boat in Lake George; going up the stairs in the Schuyler monument; learning more about Benedict Arnold after visiting the Saratoga National Battlefield, and finally visiting the Schuyler Pond House furniture store (what a great place to shop!)

Some of the fun things we did right at the house included: playing Apples to Apples sometimes with kids and sometimes not; teaching Quinn to play rummy; having great pizza nights from Harvest and Hearth pizza; going kayaking several times; having the kids fish off the dock and off of Mike's and Ed's boats; taking Mike's boat out for a night ride; watching the Olympics, doing puzzles and simply enjoying the porch and watching the water. Quinn and the Anastasios boys played "balloon volleyball" for hours on end. It was very cute to see how well Buster and Sidney got along, even sharing toys and meals. One thing that was not so fun? Riding that silly exercise bike.

Next year I have to remind myself not to overpack....I think we had too many outdoor toys (ladderball was never played) and I had way too many dressy clothes. One dress up night at most!! As usual, the fridge clean out was a little bit of a nightmare, but it always is. Not that big of a deal. And Kathryn was a huge help with everything.

I think that's our trip in a nutshell. I do think Quinn grew about an inch, and he now is loaded with good 7-year old questions which I tried my best to answer. We had a lot of really good conversations in the car, and I was really happy with him on the day we came home...he didn't seem to have that post-vacation let down that he has had in the past (who hasn't?). Now we're into hockey camp and getting ready for school. See you next year, thoroughbreds!!

A Summer Day

Yesterday was Day 2 of Quinn's Bible Camp. I think he's enjoying it...especially the catchy music. It was unusually cool yesterday, so I took advantage of it to get some work done around the deck. It can be too hot to do anything out there when the sun is beating down.

Drew and Reid came over for a while after camp and the boys played their new favorite game: "Wall ball." Quinn tried to explain it to me once, but I'm not sure I quite get the rules yet. Tomorrow we are going to the Anastasios to a Magic Tree House party. I am bringing buffalo steak which should be interesting. We have also been playing some intense Monopoly games with Emmet...I'm really glad Quinn is enjoying a board game. I hope this trend continues! I would love to find some good games for two people that we can play together (backgammon, gin rummy, cribbage, etc.) I remember playing Oh Hell for hours on end at summer camp when I was a kid!

I bought Quinn some summer pjs yesterday, because it could be his last pair of "kid pjs" and I think they are so cute. He put them on at 6:30 after his cold swim and hot bath. Then proceeded to dirty them up by doing flips on the trampoline. He figured out how to does his first complete flip with no hands! I just hope he doesn't go flying out of the hole in the side of the trampoline.

We now have sprinklers and the pool and yard are looking great! It's really fun to putter around the yard. I hope we get some good vegetables this year...that's always fun to watch. It's also been a really good year for the blackberries. I'm surprised the birds don't beat us to them. We also have a hummingbird visiting the pool area on occasion.