First Grade Field Trip: Elizabeth

Last week, I chaperoned Elizabeth's first grade class on their field trip to the New Britain Youth Museum.  Let me first say that field trips are not like they were when I was a kid - some grades don't even leave the school (programs come in to them) and the ones that do barely venture more than 10 miles from the school.  I have fond memories of getting on the bus very early in the morning and driving for more than an hour to some exciting location - Stoneham Zoo, Plymouth Rock, Strawberry Banke, and the Boston Museum of Science.  But I digress.  The NBYM was fun for the first graders.  They hiked a trail, played inside the children's area of the museum and got to see a bunch of different animals up close and personal.  We encouraged Elizabeth to bring her camera with her, so these shots are through her eyes (I will do a post tomorrow of my photos).

Up close and personal with some large birds. 

One of the marked trails. 

A thirsty Canada Goose. 

The shell of a turtle. 

An enormous peacock. 

Mariah and I on the bus.

The bus ride was right up there as most favorite part of the field trip...

New Bedroom

Lee spent a significant amount of his television-free time during Lent painting our bedroom.  Although we liked the dark colors in the room, it was time for a change.  I was able to find some bedding that I liked and then we matched the paint colors, almost exactly.

 Before (above and below)

       

And after (above and below) 

Mother's Day

As always, I had a wonderful Mother's Day this year.  The girls woke me bright and early on Sunday morning (before 6 am) and while I could have used a little extra sleep, I could understand their excitement - I was away the prior three days, running the Cape Relay.  Their excitement in seeing me paled in comparison to how excited they were to give me the many presents that they made.  Elizabeth made me a beautiful paperweight, a lovely book about me, and several beautiful cards; Emily also made me a beautiful card, as well as a few lovely presents that she made at school.  I narrowly avoided making breakfast (they wanted pancakes and I am the pancake maker, not Lee) and we had a great, low key day, enjoying the beautiful weather.

One of the pages from the book Elizabeth made me. 

This is a HUGE improvement over last year's gift from Emily, when she said that I was special because I was old. 

Awww...... 

The "chore" flower from Elizabeth.

Ranked Again!

I recently reported that Lee's bench press of 410 lbs was good enough for a ranking of 32nd nationally.  He continues to hold that position, but over the weekend, the new national rankings came out and he is now ranked in the Full Power category.  You may remember that Full Power results are reached by adding together best lifts (in the same meet) from squat, bench press and dead lift.  The 1480 that Lee achieved at the North East Championships was good enough to get him ranked 34th nationally for the 198 weight class.  Very impressive, especially considering that it was his first time ever squatting in a meeting, first time squatting using a monolift, and first time every competing in Full Power.  We are so proud of him!!

Cape Cod Relay

Last weekend, I joined eleven other women to participate in the 13 Relay: Boston to Cape Cod.  Our team captain was on my track team in high school and via Facebook, reached out to a bunch of other former Crusaders around this time last year to gauge interest in this relay.  Three of us committed immediately and then we went about filling up the rest of the team, which finally happened in late March.  Many of us met for the first time the night before the race began; the rest of renewed old acquaintances.  Despite the fact that we really hardly knew each other, we had a fabulous time!!  The relay began in Waltham and ended in Truro, spanning 189 miles and more than 27 hours.  We each ran three legs of varying distances during varying times of day and night and on a ridiculously small amount of sleep (I slept less than an hour the entire time).  We ended up placing 58th overall out of 130 teams; 4th in the all-female division; and 1st in the all-female open division.  Not too shabby!!  Best of all, we all had a wonderful time, forged some great friendships and are looking forward to doing it all over again next year.

Alison and I at the relay starting line.

Half way through my first leg, which was 6.9 miles. 

Finishing my third and final leg.

Sharon, Jen, Kristi and I were all teammates on our high school track team.  It was amazing to be together again after 18 years!  

Team 6Degrees

Farewell

Today, we said a final goodbye to Uncle Barry, who was taken from us suddenly last week.  The entire family is heartbroken at his passing.  Uncle Barry was a witty person, a character who could always be counted on for a great one liner.  As a fellow "out law", I particularly enjoyed his humorous view of our extended family, and the gems that often came out of his mouth during family gatherings.  We send our deepest sympathy to both our cousin Karen and Aunt Sylvia, both of whom will mourn him deeply.

America's Stonehenge

Last Sunday, on our way back to Connecticut from Moultonborough, we visited America's Stonehenge.  I highly recommend this to our New Hampshire friends with kids - it was perfect for the girls and they were very into the monuments and the idea that the structures were built more than 4,000 years ago.  The short trail was perfect for them and they enjoyed the views, the structures and hunting for gem stones.  We spent over an hour hiking and investigating and it was really quite enjoyable for all of us.

Heading to the visitors' center (they were running, they were so excited). 

One of the many rock formations. 

The girls 

Maureen and Lee (Elizabeth's first time ever using my precious dSLR - and she did a great job!) 

Divas 

Beautiful scenery. 

Searching for gem stones. 

The Salon

Aunt Denise, who knows that the way to our girls' hearts (especially Elizabeth's) is via American Girl, turned in another stellar performance as the biggest spoiler at Easter.  This time around, she brought two bags full of American Girl Doll paraphernalia, including items for a hair salon.  While at Aunt Margie's and once they got home, they loved fixing their dolls' hair and playing hair dresser!

Fixing Elizabeth (Cole's) hair. 

I cut off poor Aunt Melissa's head, but she was in on the action as well.

Even Baby, who doesn't have hair, got combed (notice Emily's tongue). 

Who wouldn't want this masterpiece in their room?

The AGD bicycle, patiently waiting for the hair to be done so it can go for a spin!

More hair styling.....

It's a Family Affair

The reason why Lee decided to compete at the North East Championships was because the meet was being held in New Hampshire and it gave his family a chance to see him compete.  Aside from the girls and I, several members of his fan club were present, including his parents, Aunt Denise, and my sister and her husband.  Lucky for them, he put on quite a show!!

Denise and Lee 

David, Lee and Cheryl

Kathleen, Elizabeth and me

Team LeBlanc

Winning Big in the 603

On the last day of April, the LeBlancs and the LaPilas traveled to Moultonborough, New Hampshire to compete in the Northeast Championship Powerlifting Competition.  Although Lee and Brian were the only members from their gym to compete, by the time the meet was over, everyone there felt the presence of The Refuge.  Lee competed Full Power - his numbers from squat, dead lift and bench press were added together for a final score.  This was his first time competing Full Power and at this meet, they did not break out the raw lifters from the geared lifters in the Full Power competition, which means that Lee literally had no chance to win.  But he did anyway.  He came away with 1st place in his weight class and best Full Power lifter of the meet - a tremendous accomplishment, given not only the odds against him, but also given the fact that it was his first time competing Full Power.  Brian also did amazingly well, benching 530 lbs raw, which was a new PR and inched him ever closer to 10th in the country for his weight class.  Brian won his weight class for bench and won best raw bencher.  Only one other lifter benched more weight (20 pounds more), and that lifter weighed more and lifted equipped.
I can't really begin to explain the significance of Lee and Brian, two of very few raw lifters at the meet, pulling such huge numbers.  It was a huge boost for them and it also had a big impact at the meet.  Let's just say that by the time the meet was over, EVERYONE there knew their names!  Below are some shots from the meet and the meet video that I made:

Lee wrapping his knees before his first squat attempt. 

Big fan! 

Brian and Cassie 

Brian, final attempt. 

Down time. 

The LaPilas and the LeBlancs

The Gang!

On Easter morning, we also squeeze in a quick visit with my often blogged about friend Janet, her husband Kevin and their sons Ethan and Owen.  The kids ran around the backyard like crazy people, although they stayed amazingly clean, while the adults caught up on the deck, enjoying the beautiful spring weather.  Before we left, we got the kids together for a quick photo.

Ethan and Elizabeth 

Owen wanted no part of the group picture so Janet tried to bribe him by letting him taking some shots. 

All of the kids.   

I'm not sure who told Elizabeth that she was a model, but she sure is striking a pose! 

Owen is thrilled that he got to keep ahold of the camera!