The 2009 Colvin Family Tour- Part 1

We have been crazy busy here since returning to MA last week. Brenna had an art class all week (which she loved) and she started cheerleading practice. We were running around so much that I did not have any time to upload my pictures or even update the blog (there is so much to say!) I have a bit of time now before I have to take Brenna to the dentist so I will try and get some of this up now. So, here is part 1 of the Colvin Family Tour 2009!

We started our vacation off with a brief visit to Avoca, PA and spent the night with our friends, Mike and Jean Carroll. Despite us arriving much later than expected (the traffic and weather were terrible), they had a great meal and come cocktails waiting for us on our arrival. They always make us feel so at home. It was so nice to spend some time with them and catch up. Thanks Jean and Mike!

Now no visit to Avoca would be complete without a visit to the Moosic Diner.

So, before hitting the road on Saturday, we stopped off for breakfast there. The kids just love this place, especially the treasure chest that they get to hit if they eat a good meal. Brenna was extra thrilled this time because they made her a cheeseburger for breakfast! They made her morning!

We headed next to Todd and Jenn's house. It was great to see all of the kids together. They were so excited to see each other. It was as if they had seen each other just yesterday. As soon as we got there, they ran off to play together for hours. On Saturday night, Todd and Jenn were kind enough to host a little get together at their house. Martin, Stacey, Jenna and Alyssa popped over for a bit. It was so great to see them. It has been almost a year since we had seen them last. I was amazed at how much the girls had changed. They are so big now!

Colleen, Carl and Liz came too and stayed for a nice relaxing (and delicious) cookout. The kids were quite content amusing themselves and we had some nice quality adult time.

The next morning, all of the kids got up and headed out to Ravens training camp with Todd and Todd. I was surprised that all of the girls wanted to go, but they did. Brenna was very impressed when she saw Ray Lewis. Unfortunately, the guys forgot their cameras so I do not have any good pictures to post. :(

We spent the next two days hanging out at pool that Todd and Jenn joined this year. It was perfect for the kids. They had a great "kids" pool (up to 4 1/2 feet) which Andrew was able to get around in quite nicely with his vest. And they loved the waterfall.



Brenna and Andrew even ventured up to the big lap pool for awhile. It was great to see what amazing swimmers Kaylee and Emma have become after their hard work on the swim team this year.

Andrew spent the majority of his time jumping in and out of the pool. This was a new thing for him this year and he loved it!

And then, of course, they all had to join in. It was quite cute!

We were fortunate to be able to schedule some time with Aunt Laura, Uncle Chuck, Jason and Brittany too. Laura and Chuck has us (and the Workman clan) down for dinner one night. Chuck made his World Famous Pork Chops, which is all Todd truly needed to be happy. As usual, Jason played with the kids non stop until he had to leave for one of his night classes. Brittany was nice enough to stick around and hang out with us even after her Hubby had to leave. It was so nice to sit back, relax and just catch up with them. We are hoping that they are going to be able to fit in a trip up north to see us this Fall!

As always, it was sad to say "good-bye", or better yet, "see you later". But it looks as though the Workman family may be gutsy enough to venture up north again this year for New Years with us! We are super excited about that! Thanks for a super, wonderful, awesome visit guys! We miss you already!

We're Back....

We had a whirlwind and fun filled visit to Maryland. I am in the process of uploading a ton of pics and as soon as I get them done, I will post about our exciting vacation, visits with friends and family, and my sister's wedding. We had such a great time. Thanks to everyone who made this visit so special!

Before doing all of that, I thought that I would share with you some rare footage of the talented O'Hara Dance Troupe. This is a multi generational interpretive dance to Prince's 1999! Sorry, the quality is not that good (I took the video on Brenna's camera) but it is priceless. The stars are my nephews, Conor & Jack, Brenna, my Big Brother Kevin (wearing the head-dress) and my niece Amber.

Enjoy.

Where has the Summer gone?

The official school package came in today's mail. It is hard to believe that there are only 32 days left till the kids start school! Where has the summer gone? We have been busy but it does not feel as though we should be over half way through the summer. I am sure that part of that stems from the fact that for the first 3 weeks of summer break we were dealing with rainy, dreary weather. Now that has changed, and we are spending as much time as possible outside, and then running back inside to cool off in the AC!

Things have been rather low key since I last posted. Brenna spent a week at a Cheer Camp run by the Plymouth Recreation Department. She is very excited about cheering for the Plymouth Vikings this Fall (her 1st cheerleading experience) and she wanted to try camp to see if she could learn a few things. Now I know nothing about cheering, so this, like so many other things lately, is going to be a learning experience for me too. Camp was held at a local gymnastics facility. She learned some "poses" such as "High V", "Low V", "Dagger", and "Broken T". She learned a bit about stunting and even got to be the "flyer" on the top of a small pyramid. She was worn out at the end of each of the 3 hour sessions, but really loved it.

This week is soccer camp. Brenna, and a few of her friends, are participating in a program run by British Soccer. The kids were broken down into their skill levels and grouped into one of four countries. Brenna is on the team for Spain. Each night she has had some homework to do. The first night she had to look up facts about Spain. The second night she had to explain how each of the principals of the program (respect, integrity, sportsmanship, etc.) could be demonstrated on the soccer field. For each completed assignment, the kids are awarded points which will be tallied at the end along with other points awarded, to see which country wins the World Cup. It has been a hot and muggy week, but she has really been enjoying the program.

I had every intention of showing up earl today to get some pictures of her playing, but that did not work out. Lucky for me, I was there for the large Camp picture, and was able to get one with my camera.

A close up of Brenna (middle) with her friends Enzo, Austin, Sandro and Julianne.

Andrew started in a Summer Hockey clinic a few weeks ago. I wanted him to get some time on the ice before the season starts in October. (Quite frankly, I was worried that he would forget everything that he had learned to date!) We were extra excited when his friend Ben decided to join him this time. The boys are pretty much at the same level, and they are always together on the ice. It is quite cute.

As it turns out this was a good program for him. Things finally seem to be clicking for him. He is actually moving on the ice now!!! I had to make another trip to the hockey store and get him the rest of his gear. In addition to the knee and elbow pads from last season, he now has shoulder pads, real hockey pants, and the rest of the gear. He looks like a little linebacker out there! (I would have used the name of a hockey posiiton, but I do not know any of those yet!)

We will be headed off to Maryland on Friday for our vacation. We are starting the "2009 Colvin Summer Tour" in Scranton, PA with a visit to Mike and Jean's (and of course, the Moosic Diner). Then we will head down to Todd and Jenn's for a few days. After that we will head back over to Hampstead and join the Hordesky clan for a few more days. We have to check on the house again and meet with the realtor while we are there as we plan on putting it back on the market this Fall. (Wish us luck.) We are thrilled that Nancy, Mike and the boys will be coming to see us in Hampstead for the day. We have not seen them in over a year! The week will end with a few days on the Eastern Shore with the O'Hara family, as my Sister is getting married on the 8th. Almost everyone will be in attendance (except my two oldest nephews) and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone again. It has been too long.

A Green Home in Plymouth??

Well, you can always count on Uncle Chuck for finding those interesting, and sometimes obscure, bits of info on the net, but this one blew me away. Check it out... HGTV is building the 2010 Green Home right here in Plymouth. And it is only a few miles away from us. So cool!

The West Visit part 2

The weather was beautiful this past Monday so we took the opportunity to head down to the beach with Uncle Chuck. The kids had a blast giving him the tour of Scusset beach, and finding all sorts of sea creatures (and pieces of sea creatures). It was a great way to spend the last day of their visit. I wish Aunt Laura had wanted to come along, but she decided to stay home and finish a bed skirt that she was making for our guest room. It is beautiful and I promise to post a picture of it when I get the room all together again.

Here are some shots of our day at the beach.

These days it seems to be rare that I get a nice picture of both of them. I was very happy with this one.

I could not believe how blue the sky was. It was gorgeous!

Daddy's Girl!

Andrew shooting the seagulls with his water gun. Oh- what a boy!

Andrew and his Uncle Chuck!

After we returned home, we rested up a bit and we all headed down to downtown Plymouth for dinner at Mama Mia's. We could not miss an opportunity to have more pizza with Chuck while he was here! We had a great meal.

The next day we had to say goodbye to Aunt Laura and Uncle Chuck. We has such a nice visit with them. It is always hard to say goodbye, but this time it was not as bad. We will be back in Maryland in a few short weeks and we will get to see them then. We can't wait!

The Great Meatball Cook-off!

Shortly after we moved here, I was fortunate to be befriended by another Mom at Brenna's dance class. Lori saw me reading scrapbook magazines while we waited for our daughters during class, and we struck up a conversation. It was also nice that her son, Matthew, had to wait for his sister, Stephanie, while Andrew waited for Brenna. The boys became fast friends. Lori invited me to join her scrapbooking friends for one of their monthly get togethers at her friend Jenee's house. We hit it off right away. Since that time (a year and a half ago) we have gotten together for a number of scrap nights, 2 weekend get-aways, and most recently some family get togethers. This was especially nice for Todd, as he often misses out on social opportunities since he is working.

Our first "family" get together was for Memorial Day. Jenee, and her husband Peter, hosted a fantastic cookout. Jenee is a girl after my own heart, and she was snapping away with her camera all day. She was kind enough to get some great pictures of me with the kids and even a few of me and Todd. (I am so rarely in pictures since I am usually the one taking them.) I will post some of those pictures in the next day or two.

During the festivities the topic of a meatball cook-off came up. Seems that one person (whose name will not be mentioned) was talking smack about another person's meatballs. (And no, Todd was not involved in this discussion!) A decision was made to have a meatball cook-off to settle the dispute, and everyone was invited to join in (as a participant or a judge). I was not planning on participating (after all, I bake for fun, not cook!) but Todd convinced me to make Kathy's Porcupine meatballs and enter the competition.

The Cook-off was held on July 11 at Jenee and Peter's house. They went to the 9's decorating the place. From the lights to the music, the candles, and the tablecloths, it was all decked out, Italian style. Wasn't it cute?

Laura and Chuck were here and they joined in as judges. There were six competitors. Nicole had planned out the judging process and had made little flags for each entry. Each person was to place one meatball from each contestant on their plate. Since the judging was blind, the contestant names were not disclosed. They were simply labeled by a colored flag. The judges picked their favorite meatballs and voted by the colored flag.



Even the kids were involved in the judging.


Once all the votes were tallied, the results were read... And Todd was crowned the "Meatball King". There was a second place tie between Jenee and Peter, and third place went to Larry. Here are the prize winners (absent Jenee who was taking the picture). Don't you love Todd's snazzy crown?

We had such a great time! It was such a great group of people. The kids played non-stop, and were very sad when we had to pack up to go home (even though it was 10:00 PM!) Andrew begged me to set up a play-date for him with his new friend Sandro, and Brenna was begging for a sleep-over with Stephanie.

Thanks Jenee and Peter for hosting such a great party. Thanks Nicole for organizing all of the details. And thanks to everyone else for making us all welcome. I feel very fortunate to have made such great friends here in Plymouth!

Perhaps we should do a Bake-Off next???

And our Guest Blogger is....

Hi it's Brenna. I had a trip with my BFF Liz.We went to Cape cod !We had so much fun together!I went alone .I mean that I went with no parents. Our room was very classic. Me and Liz played in the pool, I learned to swim under water! We went to a huge beach. We saw a horseshoe crab ! Here are some pictures of our trip.