"Put Mitten's tail in my ear, Daddy"

Reference: Matthew's comment in our Christmas 2008 DVD, "Put Bunny in my ear, Daddy"

A photographer in the making?

I found these pictures (along with about 20 others) when I uploaded my pics on the camera. Obviously, someone got a hold of my camera. Who could it be?

Not Alex

Not Zack

Ahhh, the culprit turned the camera on himself. Who could've guessed!

Fun at the Fair!

Ever since I was young, going to the County Fair has been an (almost) yearly event. As a teenager (from the hicks of Halifax) it was actually a big date night. As we've continued this tradition with our kids, we've had both good and bad trips to the fair. This year we got it right, though. I got advanced tickets for a very good price, we got there when it first opened so we were done by 7:30, and all the kids were really into it. It was really fun. The only bad part was that Rachel was walking around with her friend's family for most of the night, but I'm sure she enjoyed that.

I'm pretty sure Matthew will be a roller coaster rider. He loved everything and wanted to ride all the big rides. He got very upset when he wasn't quite tall enough for something.

Chillin' out on the slow ride.

Hmmm, how can I make these more interesting....put my hands up!

That's more like it! Love the scrambler!

Alex was a little nervous about the roller coaster, but then he got on it and loved it. I was happy that we didn't have to bribe him to get on it. He was getting on it because we're going to Kings Dominion in a few weeks and I want him to ride some of the much bigger ones there.


Even Zack was brave yesterday. He rode the Hurricane (boats on an arm that go up and around fast) a couple times. I think he just wanted to be with his big brother. They're doing a sports camp together this week and have gotten into Bakugan, both of which seemed to have bonded them together over the past couple weeks. It's been very nice to see.

This pictures took about 10 tries to get. I was passing them on the ride and had to time it perfectly.

Going round and round has never been my strong suit. Dave has pretty much had to be the man for that job. But, yesterday, I think he had his fill. He looked a little green at the idea of going on another one of those rides that twirls. But, up until that point, he did his best to provide a few good spins and laughs for the boys. They really loved the Tilt-a-whirl with him.

Rachel has always loved the rides. The bigger, the better for her. The fair is just a teaser for her, so thank goodness, she's got the Dominator coming up in a few weeks. That should satisfy her hunger for speed!

Happy Birthday, Zachary!

Today, little Zack turns 12! According to him, that is. He was so pleased with himself for trying to trick his Aunt Alice about being 12 today, not 5. He really is my sweetheart. He loves to be hugged and kissed and is always willing to give them out - sometimes a little too much with his cousins. : ) I just love his smile and the enthusiasm he brings to everything. He has very strong emotions about things. He will get so excited about the smallest thing. Just finding out we're having mac and cheese for dinner sends Zack running around excitedly and have him running toward me with kisses and "thank you"s. But he also gets very upset about the slightest wrong and will let out a horrible squeal if someone just grabs the cup he wanted to drink out of it. Those screams can wear on you, but you can always count on Zack to make you smile!

He has had a full birthday. We went to pick out his cake for his small party at ChuckECheese later this week. Then, we ate Lunchables before heading to Cupcake Heaven to pick out a cupcake. He noticed the ice cream cooler and wanted an ice cream sandwich instead. While I could have gone to 7-11 for that, how could I say no to the birthday boy. Then, we headed to bowling for a marathon bowling afternoon. The kids and I all bowled 3 games each, and then Zack and Alex bowled an extra one together. It was just going so smoothly with all the kids and everyone was having such a good time.


We went to Red Robin for dinner where he was very excited about getting sung to for his birthday. But, when they got there, he got very shy (very Zack) and wouldn't really look at them. It was so cute!
I love birthdays, and I hope we made this one special for my very special little boy!

I have not figured out how this kid gets so dirty. This is shirt #2 for the day.

Aunt Jamie gave him a volcano kit for his birthday. We had a good time putting this together and erupting it.