Vacation 2009 - Mom and Her Three Boys!!

This is the start of the two and a half weeks that I spent with my boys, no husband, no school, no working, no cleaning (except the french fries stuck in the seats ). Take a look at our adventures...

This started the beginning, when Uncle Ed flew up to whisk away his hot tub from Minnesota to put at Uncle John's Vacation home in Hidden Valley, PA. We had lots of friends come to hang out, load the monster tub and have pizza..Ed's last hoorah with us...




Here is Jennifer Brown, Andy Freeman, Jason Schlicht, Mom and Dad and many others..

Look no hot tub, just emptiness.. It was very sad to see Ed and Sue move away, the house they had went to foreclosure..

Rebecca rode with us some of the time since we had a laptop with movies.. The boys enjoyed watching endless hours of movies and snacks.. It saved the trip for me.

Nana and Papa were making the drive with us as well to give their old Honda car to their grandson Brian Bodine. We stopped in Shipshewana, Indiana for the night. It is an Amish community. The boys and I and even Nana took a horse drawn carriage ride around town. That was Papa's treat along with candy, caramel popcorn.

The boys had fun riding the clip clop wagon..The old gentleman was kind and funny too.
He gave us alot of background information on the Amish town.

The boys did get restless once and awhile and just pout, "Are we almost there?" ah we have 18 more hours to go !!!

They got a little bored and a little silly. They became Pillow Monsters..

Oh this is the life for me.. Zack was relaxing and enjoying Aunt Liz's pool.

I think even Nana and Papa got spoiled also with
the yummy pina coloda's my sister served us poolside.

Check out her beautiful and back yard..

This is the backside of their house.

Here Hannah and Ryan were about the take Josh on a spin. The object is to hold on as they turn you around and around like a pig roasting over a fire without falling off..

Nick peeking out of the pool. So cute.. My little cute fish.

Here Hannah, Nick and Zack are attacking the youngest members of their clan, Ryan and Nick.

We took a visit to Gettysburgh with Nana and Papa. Here the colonial hosts were in character and quite interesting.. The boys enjoyed seeing the Generals and eating at the Dobbin House.

This is a backpack similation.. It weighed 90 lbs. which is the equivalent to what a soldier during the civil war would have carried. It was heavy.

I don't need to say. Boys being brothers...

We went on a Geocache with the Dustins.. I don't think they quite grasped the fun of hiking in the hot and buggy woods, walking aimlessly and finding nothing very amusing..We love to do them, but it's not for everyone..

Hannah And Nick slurping their "virgin" Pina Colodas

Muscle man Nick. By the second or third day, he didn't really need them, they were more for mommy :)

Ryan and Josh playing with the Pina Coloda umbrellas or should I say making weapons out of them.

Our Clan and the Dustin clan, missing Matt of course..

Onto the Bodine House in Pittsburgh, PA. Here Rebecca and the boys are playing Wii.

We went to the Zoo in Pittsburgh. That was a neat and hilly zoo. You could really get close to a lot of the animals. Baby kangaroos running freely..

Josh got this picture of the shark.. Good picture ey?

The polar bear's head was as big as Rebecca and Nick's head put together.. He was huge.

Rebecca primping and the boys looking at the animals. Need I say more.

The baby elephant only born a few days earlier was playing with the stick like a puppy plays with a bone. It was quite amazing to watch..

Here we are at the strip market in downtown Pittsburgh, where the boys could pick up dead fish. the market has every kind of meat, fish, food imaginable.. Even rabbits...

Zack didn't want to touch it like Nick. I understand...

The Candy Store

The Famous dog, Connor.. Ed has this great, fun and very sweet dog.. He is so soft and cuddly, the boys could not resist cuddling him.

Oh, so irresistable..

Can you even resist that cute face..

Brian and Laura , the boys cousins. Laura is someone who everyone adores and spoils..

All the cousins playing...

Ed cuddling Tommy and Cute Laura.

The end stretch of the vacation and we got to Grammies and she had camp Burow up and ready for them to bunk..

The boys.. This is Brody and Boone.. Daddy's sister's boys.. They enjoyed the crayon water fight.

Grammie laid out all her change and had each boy count their pile. She is always teaching and instilling fun and games in them..

The boys got to swim at the same pool that their daddy swam when he was young and growing up. It was the Danville Country Club.

Nick about to dive in the humongous pool.

Aunt Libby's tiny summer squash.. NOT.. They were huge and best used for children to destroy with a knife, which is what Nick about to do. Surgery on the zucchini.

Sports Events, Track and Field Church Picnics and Vacation. Oy where does the time go??

OUR 5TH ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC OF SOVREIGN GRACE CHURCH
STILLWATER, MN
2009

Meet Mr. Serious, This is the guy to whom I am married.

Meet Mr. Serious making snowcones for kids. Make you wonder if they were afraid to take the come from him or not..I am joshing, he was very kind and pleasant and actually funny.

This is the baseball league we belonged to in Roseville, MN.. It was a co-ed team, Nick is the red shirt and yellow hat.. Check out the girls staring at him, he has that with the chicks.. I think he paid more attention to the girls than baseball, this is NOT looking good.

Then there is Zack who is just so happy to be alive and enjoys all. Zack is the blue shirt, second from the left, back row.

Finally Josh, who was serious about baseball and got very upset at the coaches giving girls 5-10 chances to hit.. I understood, but we had to teach him patience. I think we learned he needs to be on a real team. Josh is kneeling on the bottom all the way to the right..

Nick running for the ball or going somewhere =)

Josh batting..

Zack practicing to bat.

Heading to baseball practice.. Silly boys.

TRACK AND FIELD DAY 2009

Nick getting ready to throw the softball in the back to see who throws the longest...

Josh and Zack running the three legged race. They didn't do so hot but Josh won first place in many, many events.. He was one of the top athletes that day.. I was very proud of him..Nick and Zack did well, but were happy to play.. Competition is not in their blood yet like Josh's.

Eating lunch at track and field day with the Swanson family from our homeschool group.

Zack and Nick's team took first place in the relay race..

Josh and Zack about to run the three legged.

Nick jumping the long jump.. He did great..

Nick at our annual last day homeschool picnic...