Memorial Day Weekend

So ever since Ron and i met, we talked of going camping. And as "these things" happen, time ticked along and we never got around to it...

But we did THIS weekend! The whole gang and then some! :-)

There is a local campground we've passed 100x on the route to Watkins Glen and Seneca Lake. Ferenbaugh Campgrounds. I remembered them and thought it might be a good 'first time' place to bring the whole family for camping. It's only 5 miles away so if we forgot anything crucial, or the kids, i guess, completely wigged out and we HAD to come home, we could. I'm happy to say, the only running home we did was to let Beegsley out, which was an excuse to bring back a couple things.

The van was PACKED to the brim, for only one and a half days. But we had to bring SO MUCH! Tents, blankets, coolers, camp chairs, clothes, Henry-comforts... well you get the picture. Ron masterfully fit in everything, and we were on our way by 3pm on Saturday. The weather was great. We set up camp on a cozy, grassy area under a coupla big trees bordered by a little creek. Really nice and cushy. And it was close to the office, pool and bathrooms. But don't forget, boys and going "#1" in nature go hand and hand.

We had several friends come to visit, which was really cool. Our friends Bethany and Eric, whose son Taigan became friends with Sam in Kindergarten (thus how WE became friends!) brought their three boys for the entire day on Sunday. All the boys get along great, and her three are just about about the same age as ours. We went for a hike, went swimming, tossed footballs and baseballs, went for a hayride and roasted s'mores! We all had such a good time together!

The boys did great with the whole tenting thing. Sam was a little scared the first night. All the shadows and sounds and cars and yelling was making him uncomfortable. Tommy, on the other hand, didn't care about all that, but did take a long time to actually get to sleep. The second night, after Bethany and Crew took off, the boys were out within 2.2 seconds of finishing their story books (oh yeah - had to pack THAT kinda stuff too!). Needless to say, Hank was easy breezy, like he had never left home, happy as a clam everywhere he was. The tent that Ron scored at the Re-Store for $10, in perfect condish, was big enough for all of us and Hank's pack-n-play! NIIICE.

We will do this again, for sure.

Tent Fun

Sam asked if Henry could play with him in the play tent. I was at the sink doing dishes at the time and said, "sure... that sounds like fun. Gimme a second." When i went to the living room to move Hank, Sam had already done the deed. I have since seen Sam carrying Henry. Most of you might think this is dangerous, but it's usually only from Point A to Point B, a few feet. Never to the CAR or something. And never while he's hooked up to a feed.

So i said, "huh... okay. Have fun!"

And boy... did they! Sam and Hank do indeed have a special bond, and I love watching it evolve...

"Sammy?.... Where ya goin'?..."

YMCA's Healthy Kids Expo 2012

Samson participated in a 0.75 mi run at the YMCA's Healthy Kids Expo on May 12. The boy LOVES running, and so any time i see something having to do with a run, i sign him up.

We left Hank at home with Nanny, due to the chilly morning temps, but T4 headed down to be there by 8:00 am. Sam and Thom had a good time "warming up" by running around the cones that were set up. Sam saw a couple friends that he knows.



Sam's race started at 8:30 and he was raring to go! Soon enough, he rounded the bend to the finish. He hasn't learned the art of sprinting with a few feet left to go. Instead he petered out! But it didn't matter; he still clinched 2nd place for boys in his age group, which meant receiving a big heavy shiny medal! He was SO PROUD of that thing, he wore it all day. He'da worn it during his baseball game later that day (talk about being worn out by bedtime!), but i said he had to leave it home.

Snow Day - April 23!

The Bond

Montour Falls

Sam and I had a day together at the end of his Spring Break. I worked in the morning, on a GORGEOUS day, and decided staying inside, when i got home, and doing housework, was NOT an option!

The original thought was to venture to Ithaca and show him Taughannock Falls (~50 min away)... then reconsidered, given the time, and picking up Thom and Hank by 5... and opted for Montour Falls. Closer, and I don't think he had seen it (or remembered, if he had). We made a mini picnic, hopped in the car, and DROVE. Windows down, music cranked.

We went to Montour Falls first, oohed and ahhed, visited the local coffee shop AND wine bar (niiice), grabbed a latte and a cookie and hopped in the car again. I recalled seeing 'The World's Longest Slide' close by, in Odessa, on a drive years ago (I think Thom was just a baby). I FOUND IT AGAIN!!! - - and yes, while long, it was MUCH longer in my memory.



So, of course, we stopped to slide down it. I even did, too. And the metal slide popped and buckled when I went down, reminding me again why Weight Watchers is a grand idea! We played on the playground there for a while and then hopped over to Watkins Glen, hoping to hike the gorge for a little bit (we had time!).

Unfortunately, it was still closed for the season, but we were able to throw rocks into the water and run up and down the newly constructed stairs to the main entrance.

A VERY NICE DAY with my 'little' guy who is only growing faster and taller and older...

Baseball, Kites & Eggs - OH MY!

Two and a half MONTHS (not Men!) since my last blog update. No more babble about it - let's get right to it!

BASEBALL!!!

Sam has started baseball for the first time ever. No T-ball, not even catch, really. His first practice was last Thursday. He had asked me if there was a way to play baseball on a team months ago, and when a Corning Little League flyer appeared in his take-home folder from school, it was a no-brainer. They even gave me the option of just writing a check toward costs instead of selling candy bars. YEAH!! - on a few levels!!

Thom, keeping warm (brr!)

Our friend Christa, who often bestows her son Owen's clothes and 'goods' to us when he's/they're done with them has come through once again in giving us a semi-worn glove, some shoes (baseball or football? Not sure) and baseball pants. THANK YOU CHRISTA! Sam is PUMPED for the next practice. He never talked about soccer with this enthusiasm.

What up, T?!

And while he was just learning the terms and moves, he's by no means "out of his league" in skill. I'd say all the kids are right in the same range. His very first swings at the ball were to be expected, but grew in skill within FIVE swings, so i'm seein' some hope here! Because this is a combo pitch/T-ball league, Sam will probably (at least intially) fall into the T-ball group. In fact, most might. The first swing hit only air! The second swing knocked the T over. The third swing knicked the ball. BUT THE FOURTH SWING sent the ball flying almost to the pitcher! WAY TO GO SAM! I did not capture that swing, nor that smile, but it was priceless.

Swingandamiss!

During practice i noticed two big things he needs to work on: 1) listening to his coach and paying attention and 2) BENDING at the knees to scoop up balls that are rolling toward him. He was trying to use his feet, ala soccer. Um - no. So i wanted to productively address these to him at the van when everything was done. I started with "Sam, you did AWESOME out there, i'm so PROUD of you. You looked like you were having fun! (much nodding and smiling)... But i think there are two main things you could work on next time..." and he said, "I think i know what you're gonna say, Mom. I should pay more attention and i should work on my catching." I said, "yup. Those are the two. You got it." I actually sensed a tone of "caring" and "seriousness" in his words, like he LIKES this sport and wants to do well at it. Perhaps a bit premature, but it's a feeling I got.

His first game of the season is April 21. More updates to come!

KITES!!!

The other day was SO WINDY and Sam tossed out, "Hey Mom... today would be the perfect day to fly a kite, wouldn't it?" I agreed. Then he said, "Well... could we?"

Now i was about to do my lazy, standard, "I don't know bud... we'll see" kind of CRAPPY line. I realize it when i'm saying it, and really want to get out of that zone of being LAZY when i have a kid (kids!) that craves the outdoors. NOW IS THE TIME to hang on to that goodness.

Way to go, Thomas!

So NO! - instead i said, "yeah actually... YEAH, let's do it." He ran to get his Star Wars kite that our friend Natalie gave him a while ago, but couldn't find it (where is it!?)... but we had another $0.69 Lord of the Rings kite hanging at the front door, a plastic jobbie from the Sal-Val (aka Salvation Army) that Ron picked up. It's got Frodo's face on the whole thing! Totally goofy and totally cheap, but....

... GUESS WHAT!?!?......

... That sucker flew like a charm on the very first SHOT! I was pumped. Dare i say that throughout the entire couple of hours we were at the park, either flying the kite or playing on the playground, *I* might have been the most into that fluttering piece of plastic goodness. I was mesmerized with how the wind caught the kite and pulled it tightly. I loved feeling the STRENGTH of the wind in the string and handle. A couple times, i was able to max out the string and that was this very cool feeling! Like some kind of ACCOMPLISHMENT! Really fun!



We will be doing this again. And i will be shopping for a slightly nicer kite, or maybe even look up plans on making one. I've got a ton of fabric around - maybe a cool patchwork number! ;-)

EGGS!!!

The Easter Bunny visited our house. Now sometimes he hits other houses MUCH harder and MUCH "sweeter" than ours, but the Telford Boys did not go without this Easter. Between the few plastic candy-filled eggs hiding around our property (8 to be exact, 4 for ea boy (Hank stayed warm inside!)) and craziness at the UU later that morning, I'd say Easter was a pretty successful holiday. I can't wait to eat a big ol' egg salad sandwich for lunch today! YUM!

Tsk tsk

S'been 2+ whole months since an update. I am done with excuses. I can say that the ol' addage: "No news is good news" DOES mostly apply to things. We've had a couple birthdays and a couple sicknesses, but life's just plowin' along with T5. I'd like to come back soon with a lil entry... stay tuned. :-)