"Helping"

Okay, Grandad. We get it. You are trying to get us back for all the sleepless nights that Matthew caused when he was a baby.

10pm and still kickin' it with Grandad.

"And the angels have come to tuck Nathan in..."

The fuzzy-blue party animal was up all night with Mommy, who apparently isn't as good company as Grandad. Nathan finally fell asleep at 5am...with Matt.

Fishing

The lake was covered in fog. We truly didn't know which way was back to shore. We were cold and wet. Poppy hadn't caught a fish yet this year. Joseph, Sarah and Thomas were all being so patient. I thought, "Well, this was a nice boat ride. At least they had some good bonding time with their Dad and Poppy."

Then...

My first-born son caught his first fish. (Actually, Poppy landed it for him. I haven't seen my Dad catch a fish with a Spiderman pole, or the like, in about 15 years.)

Yes, he touched it!!!!!!!!

And...My Girl...


I know, as her mother, I shouldn't be laughing. But look at her face! She was giggling and crying at the same time.

The fish is almost landed.

Joseph, who was an expert at this point, kept saying,"Get the net! Get the net! Sarah, you caught my favorite fish!"

That's it?!?!

Daddy was the hero, for sure.

Tom-Boo, pausing the chorus of the alphabet song to say "hello" to Sarah's fish.

We're Back!

Thomas was so funny. He stepped in the puddles like a true gentleman: hands folded behind his back.

If Crocs had a commercial, this could be it.

Yes, that IS an ice cream sandwich with whipped cream and sprinkles. That was Joseph's third round of sprinkles.
When I was a child, we had to share ice cream sandwiches. All of us had to split one. Take a bite, pass it down. When I told this to my children, they didn't even look up from their masterpieces. No pity. I guess I have to dig deeper. (Side note: When I told Sarah the "walking uphill to school both ways" story, she just laughed and said,"Mom, you were homeschooled." You've got to wake up pretty early in the morning to trick that one.)


The child who never eats anything, getting a whole mouthful of something. Maybe they sell broccoli in a can?

I will spare you the details of our sicknesses. We are back into "spring mode" now! Puddle jumping and ice cream parties. To quote Grandad and Nonna:"We have to have dessert!"

Harvesting the Fruits

When people ask what my husband does for a living, I try to give them a very short answer...because even I don't understand completely. "He designs parts for the electric car and fuel cell car from GM."

Matt first started at GM about 4 1/2 years ago. When he was hired for his position, we cried tears of joy. I had been on bedrest during my pregnancy with Sarah and hadn't gone back to work. Matt was schooling full-time and working two part-time jobs. The offer from GM came as a complete surprise. When Matt applied, he felt like the position was way out of his league. This was his dream job: To work for an American car company and make a difference. He sent in his application to get his post-partum wife to stop nagging him. And after he accepted the offer, I DID stop nagging him...about that.

Dream Job. Hard Work. Everything is always so secretive, so Matt is able to share very little with us. Until now.

Here is the Chevrolet Volt, complete with Matt's designs.

Matt brought one home last night, to introduce us to "what Daddy does at work."

The drivers of the future in the car of the future.

So proud.

I had trouble believing that this car could actually exist...until I drove it last night.

Zero-Emission. Battery powered. Amazing.

A dream that became a reality.

Plugging it in for the night.

Thank you, Matt, for all you do! We are so proud of you!

Great Grandma Tona

This Mother's Day weekend was so special. Matt's parents drove down to PA and brought Great Grandma Tona back to Rochester for a few days. It was Nathan's first time meeting her, and he LOVED her! Sarah, Joseph and Thomas were all so excited to have her here. I will never forget this moment...when my children all sat still for a picture with their great grandmother. We love you, Grandma Princess!

Sunshine!

The Rest

Here is the Santa Fe caboose that we stayed in for the remainder of our vacation. The children were thrilled to sleep in bunk beds and had the most wonderful time exploring our home base.
A trip to Intercourse would not be complete without a stop at Kitchen Kettle Village. Matt and I went here after we were first married, and we were able to go in every store in the village. Not so with the 4 children in tow. Candle shops and such are distant memories...

We had beautiful weather, though, and enjoyed our time "window shopping". Next time I will bring Windex and paper towels to wipe my childrens' impressions off all the windows.

The Strasburg Railroad

I know I already posted pictures of Joseph on the train ride, but the rest of the family went too!

We rode in Gobbler's Knob, a passenger car, during the 45 minute trip. I laughed the entire time. The diversity within the family was so comical. Sarah was pleasant but bored and started planning the rest of the day's activities. Joseph was in heaven and barely spoke. Tom was beyond stressed that the train wouldn't stop when he wanted it to and so he screamed the whole time. Nathan fell asleep.

Number 89 (or as Tommy-Boo says: "The Eighty-Ninety!") was our personal steam engine.

After the ride, we sat around at the station and watched the next train depart. The children loved every minute of it. While we were there, a tractor trailer was in the parking lot picking up the real Thomas the Tank Engine. We were able to see Thomas begin his long journey to Medina, New York! So exciting!

Joseph's First Train Ride

No Words. Just study that face.

*Sigh*
I have NEVER seen my son look this peaceful. EVER.

Thank you, God, for trains.