A Crafty Weekend

We posted before about how the girls - especially Elizabeth - are into crafts.  Well, last weekend was a banner weekend for that.  On Saturday, Lee and I tested the limits of our abilities as we made some Halloween characters with them.  On Sunday, Miss Melissa stopped by and seeing as she is just about the craftiest person we know, it was a match made in heaven!  They put together a spooky tree and the girls had a blast!

Elizabeth works on her witch.

Emily actually did a pretty good job with her ghost.

Melissa and the girls working on the spooky tree.

Melissa adds the finishing touches.

The finished products!

Fun Run

Last Saturday morning, we participated in the annual Fun Run, which is an exercise competition between all of the elementary schools in our town.  The school that has the most participants wins a trophy (Elizabeth's school has won the trophy the last four years in a row) and all of the kids are encouraged to participate - rain or shine.....Of course, it was pouring on Saturday morning but Elizabeth demanded that we follow through on her commitment to go to the Fun Run.  Lucky for us, the rain stopped while we were there.  Elizabeth is apparently an overachiever in the excercise category - kindergarteners were only required to do one lap around the track, but we (all four of us) did FOUR!!  I am happy to report that, for the fifth year in a row (and thanks in part to Elizabeth's participation), her school brought home the trophy.  Elizabeth is very proud of that accomplishment!

Elizabeth was off and running with her friends Megan and Sarah.

Emily impressed us - four laps, most of that running!

Photo of the Week

Eight years and two kids later, the dress still fits....but more importantly, the love affair continues.  Happy Anniversary!

Winnipesaukee Weekend

We spent last weekend at Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith, New Hampshire with our good friends Janet and Kevin and their sons, Ethan and Own.  If you know us, you know that we really are not lake people - that we much prefer the ocean - but this trip was really the exception to that rule.  We had extraordinary accommodations (courtesy of Kevin's Aunt Carol) and even when it rained, the views were spectacular.  The girls enjoyed their first non-family sleepover and the opportunity to spend so much time with Ethan and Owen and Lee and I enjoyed relaxing and hanging out with Janet and Kevin.  It was a jam packed weekend, between Owen's birthday party and one year pictures, but somehow, we managed plenty of good conversation and enjoyed the happiness that comes from watching a pack of children run and play without adult interaction.  We are so thankful to the Boucher family for their hospitality and their friendship. 

The view from the house was absolutely spectacular.

The house was amazing too - and the perfect weather didn't hurt either!

Elizabeth gives Owen a birthday hug.

Ethan was excited for the boat ride!

Janet and Owen on the boat.

Lee and Emily, fooling around.

Our Emily is very affectionate.

Elizabeth

Click on the four arrows to maximize; turn up volume (this is the last photo video for a while, I promise!).

Photo of the Week

We haven't posted one of these in a while, but this was so cute, we couldn't resist.  Here are the LeBlanc Girls and the Boucher Boys in their pajamas.  So adorable!

Emily, Owen, Ethan and Elizabeth

Owen's Birthday

This weekend, we went to New Hampshire to celebrate Owen's first birthday.  Owen is the youngest son of our friends Janet and Kevin and we were so thrilled to be invited to share in the celebration with their extended family.  It was a great party - lots of good food, great presents and wonderful people.  Owen had a great time opening his presents and really enjoyed eating his cake and icecream.  Happy Birthday Owen!  We look forward to watching you grow up!!

Memere and Ethan

Owen and Nana

Kevin smoking cooking the hotdogs and hamburgers.

Mrs. Bourque and Cathy, with Pooh (this picture cracks me up every time I see it!).

Janet, Owen and Kevin

As always, the life of the party.

Ethan helps Owen with his birthday candle.

Janet and Owen.

Cake!

Mmmm, mmmm good!

End of Summer

We can hardly believe that summer is over - we were so darn busy that it really seemed to go in a flash.  We were lucky to have some nice weather in September so that we could really make the most of it and now we are looking forward to fall, which is our favorite season.

Sneaking over to the sunflowers when she thinks that no one is looking...

  

Activity

From Merriam Webster, noun:  (a) the quality or state of being active; (b) a form of organized, supervised, often extracurricular recreation.
Elizabeth has always been a high maintenance very active child, but kindergarten seems to have taken this to a whole new level.  She simply can't stand to sit around and do nothing - unless she's watching television, and as much as we would enjoy the peace and quiet, we are not about to park her in front of the television for hours on end.  So our new challenge is keeping her busy with interesting and stimulating projects.  We recently loaded up on a bunch of inexpensive craft kits and are scrambling to think of ideas (and accepting ideas as well!) for activities.  Because that's what she wants she calls her thirst for constant stimulation - "activity."  As in "are we doing an activity today?" and "what activity are we doing today?"  Below are some of our recent projects.  

Lee worked on a couple of stepping stones with the girls.  

This one included both "jewels" and handprints.

The beads are over Emily's head, but Elizabeth showed amazing dexterity and patience.

Elizabeth actually finished her entire bead owl and brought it to school as a present for her kindergarten teacher.

Wadsworth Trails

Yesterday afternoon, in an effort to keep up with what appears to be Elizabeth's boundless energy, we took the girls on another hike.  While they both like the idea of hiking, Elizabeth enjoys it far more than Emily, whose little legs can't quite keep up with the rest of us.  We stayed relatively close to home, choosing a trail that follows the perimeter of the grounds of Wadsworth Mansion.  It was a beautiful afternoon and we had the chance to enjoy the beginning of the fall foliage.

You can see the leaves already starting to change.

Checking out an interesting acorn.

On the trails.

Stopping for a rest and some water.

Sisters.

See what I have Mommy?