Holidays 2011

I have not been so diligent with the family blog lately.  The boys are thriving.  Quinn just received his green belt at his karate dojang and is coming up on 3 years in his studies.  He has also made it through his first semester of individual percussion practice and now will start playing with the elementary school band (we hope!).  Jack is doing well kindergarten but occasionally pines for his preschool days because they are shorter.  He wants to play t-ball in the spring which gives Dad hope there may be a little sports buddy in the making. 

Cindy continues to chip away at her writing but admits it has been a challenge with all of the school functions and active social life she has cultivated.  She is very happy.

Dad had a good year too.  He is most proud of the progress he made with his running.  He and Uncle Kevin remotely encourage each other to push harder and go farther, faster.  Dad believes his running is metaphorical for so much in his life.  He is basically forced to the treadmill now with the cold dark mornings and the cold in general but looks forward to getting back outside.

We wish everyone well.  Be grateful for what you have.

Thanksgiving 2011

Mom and her boys

Mom and her medicine

Jack turns 5 ..... (finally, he'd say).

If you lived with Jack day in and day out, you would have thought this day would never come.  But it did.  And with huge fanfare! Cindy devoted an unusual (ok, borderline psychotic) amount of time planning the "Super Mario" bonanza complete with original games, artwork and cupcakes that looked like the mushrooms that are part of the video games.  The kids played "Pin The Mustache On  Mario"  "Mega Mario Stomp" (see video to the left), "Musical Mario Squares" (to mimic one of the video games) and several others.  Super Mario music permeated throughout the house so pay close attention when watching the "Musical Mario" video.  The kids all received coins (get it?) for doing well (or poorly) on the games and exchanged them for chocolate coins. See below for more text.

Jack received a number of cool gifts which brightened his day further.  His friends and the usual troupe of neighborhood scamps enjoyed the party and games as much as Jack .... maybe even more so.  There were 15 kids here in total and they behaved incredibly well.  Nevertheless, Cindy has already decided that we will celebrate Jack's 6th birthday at a different establishment.

 The loveable little guys couldn't help but cheat their way to pinning mustaches right under Mario's nose.  They busted through our blindfold system until we found one they couldn't cheat.

 The photo to the right shows the group of little ones getting primed to stomp the balloons.  Jack ran off at the sound of the first two or three pops.  It was loud inside the closed garage.  Only one child guest cried.  Jack came back in with a vengeance after the big kids were called in to stomp it into high gear. It was a fun time and Cindy's friends chastised her for making their lives more difficult ("Now what are WE supposed to do?).

Bonjour American scum!

Chateau Frontenac - dominating the skyline of Vieux-Quebec

Cindy radiates with and without kids.

Bonjour from Vieux-Quebec!  Cindy and Bryan enjoyed their first mini vacation without the boys in the old city.  We stayed in the oldest hotel in the city where everything in the old town was just a stroll away.  Okay, the "strolls" often involved steep climbs up old streets and lots of stairs but it was at an adult pace, not of the meandering kid variety.  The weather and yes, the people, were very nice as well. 

We enjoyed walking along the remaining preserved city walls that ring a majority of the old city.  There are several gates too that now permit vehicle traffic through them.  La Citadelle is the focal point of the construction housing one-time barracks and cannons.  We just happened to walk by La Citadelle which apparently sounds a single cannon blast at 12 noon.  Cindy certainly didn't expect that.    

Anyone following us on Facebook saw we enjoyed some French cuisine of the highest order.  

Our two dinners were extraordinary and included baby piglet, black cod served in asparagus foam,

various cuts of pigeon and duck, 2 types of foie gras, raw cheese and wonderful desserts like basil ice cream with strawberry foam and honey glazed nougat with lemon (ok, I liked that one much more than Cindy).  Those were big highlights for us and our Mastercard.

Western rampart near La Citadelle

There are many museums, art galleries, ornate churches and outdoor cafes and we had such little time to take it all in.  Cindy certainly made time for plenty of shopping though and I admit I picked up something particularly nice for myself.  The photos below capture some of the city's beauty and unique features including the Funiculaire, a steep outdoor elevator that is housed in the home of Louis Joillet who discovered the Mississippi River.

The St. Lawrence River really opens up at this part of the province and serves as the southern border for the city.  Ferries run back and forth to the town / suburb on the other side.

We shall return! 

Building mural - past and present Quebec life

Western ramparts near La Citadelle

Still trying to figure this one place out

View of Funiculaire du Vieux-Quebec linking Haute-Ville (uptown) and Basse-Ville / Petit Champlain (downtown)

Funiculaire du Quebec - it done be steep and cost $2 per ride.  It has been in operation since 1879 and has gone through various upgrades throughout that time. 

Western rampart with gate

St. Jean Gate

Oldest building in Quebec built in 1677.  It conveniently functions as a bar today.

Brittaney Takes Manhattan (not a sequel to Muppets Take Manhattan)

Cousin Brittaney traveled to visit us this past week.  This was her first time in New York and she was not disappointed.  Cindy took her shopping in a suburban mall paradise one day, then took her to New York City where they were joined by a friend who served as tour guide.  The focus of the New York City trip was ... shopping.  Yes, they saw some sights too including the Statue of Liberty (pictured below), Central Park and Times Square.  They navigated quite capably through the subway system which Brittaney reported still smells like urine. 

We all took Brittaney to Point Pleasant, New Jersey for an afternoon at the beach.  We arrived at high tide which turned Brittaney into a chicken (sorry, it's true) but she was splashed pretty well nonetheless.

The boys enjoyed their time with their cousin who we wish the best as she embarks on her college career.  She received an academic and sports scholarship (volleyball).  We will miss her.

Actual Statue of Liberty - really

"We're on the Staten Island Ferry.  Is there any shopping to be done?"

Ocean City - trip wrap

We had a great time in Ocean City this summer.  Quinn spent hours crashing into waves.  Grandma spent lots of time searching for shells.  Jack loved jumping (and jumping and jumping and jumping) into the pool.  Daddy ran barefoot on the shore several miles two early mornings and followed up with ocean plunges both times thereafter.  Cindy took care of everything else.

We had a spacious 8th floor condo with a great wide view of the beach.  There was a never ending warm breeze that we all enjoyed from it.  The waves tumbling onto the shore made it an easy place to catch a few winks.    

We invited Grandma Jeanne on this trip.  Like us, she enjoyed riding in a speed boat and visiting Assateague Island, where a herd of wild horses roams freely.  They are short and stout creatures, having adapted to existing on salt marsh plants.  According to the literature provided by the National Park Service (the island is a federal park), there are only 150-300 horses on the island.  It seemed like so much more because they were everywhere.  One even crapped right behind our SUV.  The action photo is below.

Assateague Island sits between the ocean and two bays, Chincoteauge and Sinepuxent.  The bays are still quite salty but amazingly shallow.  Had the boys and I wanted to, we could have waded up to 1/2 mile or so to an island.  The Bay water was as warm as a bathtub.  A gentleman we chatted with briefly showed us his haul of clams straight from the bay waters.  Quinn and I enjoyed watching their tiny brothers and sisters burrow into the oceanside shore with each wave rolling in and back out to sea.

Quinn and Jack both let Daddy take them into the ocean water over their heads.  We were all pushed underwater by considerable waves.  They boys were surprisingly resilient given the violence of the water but both came out with a new found respect for the power of the ocean.

Cindy and Bryan enjoyed three nights of local seafood.  It goes great with wine, beer, mixed drinks and shots of alcohol. 

Grandma even tried a few nibbles of crab and shrimp.  She was okay with it. Tequila - not so much.

 The boys achieved a healthy toasty look.  Daddy, despite an honest effort to remain burn free, could not escape some intense reddening.  He looks great now though.

Quinn spent so much time playing in the waves that his legs chafed costing him a day or two without the ocean.

Jack wowed us with his disdain for "lame" kiddie rides.  He asked for - and got - his ride on a roller coaster.  He was just tall enough to enjoy a bonafide coaster complete with butterfly inducing dips and screaming teenage girls in the car behind us. Quinn was in disbelief.  We all were.

Jack also had the chance to try out a kid-sized zipline and climbing challenge.  He was awesome.  Too bad the photos did not come out as well.

There are more nice photos below including family portraits and candid shots of us all.  Ocean City, MD has given the boys some wonderful memories and we would love to spend time there with you all.

Not bad for using the self-timer

Looks like Grandma thinks she is one of the showcase showdown models.

Can't a guy get some privacy?

Jack was really sleeping like this.  He was worn out.

This is the aforementioned "action" shot.