Family Walk at Buffumville Dam & a cool tree stump!

Merrik (3), Jared & Jonah (5). Springtime at Buffumville ~ May 2009

This is one of our favorite places to walk/hike! Beautiful scenery!

Merrik, Alli & Jonah

Awww, Jared & Alli - the love birds!

Jonah & Merrik romping in the woods.

Whenever we're out on walks, the boys have to pick up walking sticks.

Merrik just said, looking at this photo, "Look, Mommy - I have a sword!!"

And over by the water we saw this cool tree stump washed ashore.

I wish I could've somehow taken it back to our yard...

Biker Dudes

Jonah riding his cool bike in the driveway.
And Merrik with his new big-boy Spiderman bike!!

Brothers & bikes. Life is good!

Race Day!!

On May 21st, Jared participated in a 5K to raise money for a local charity.

Before the race, they had a kid's race - one lap around the building - complete w/ police escort! Here are the kids taking off. Jonah is right in the middle of the photo (the 4th or 5th kid from the front, brownish shorts, left foot on the ground, black shoes, mid-stride!) :) Jonah loved it! I think we have a future track star on our hands! And Merrik had fun, too. I ran w/ M & he had a ball!

Our # 1 runners!!!!!

And here comes Jared crossing the finish line!!! Yay!!!

That was a great day. So fun to be a part of it!

The boys as "photographer"

Merrik took this photo of Jonah & Me.

AND Jonah had his turn with the camera & snapped this shot of me & M
(of course M has this thing with not wanting to wear clothes)


Jonah took this photo, too. I scored this cute flag shirt at the store the other day.

Being a 4th of July baby, I just had to have it! :)

(if you can't see it very well, it's colored daisies - my fave flower - making up the flag)

Making Starfish

Painting the glue/paint mixture on...

And pause for a photo opp... "cheese"!

... sprinkle the rice on the wet glue/paint (for texture) ...

More rice...

Pick it up to shake off the loose rice...

Put the wiggly eyes on and ... TA DA!!

The finished product!

Arent' they cute?!?

We have two huge fish-shaped pieces of paper the boys painted the other day that are now hanging on the wall. I want to put these up next to the fish.

Merrik is 3 - Yippee!!!

Merrik's birthday sticker from our library class that week.

He LOVED that sticker & carried it around for days.

(In fact, he just asked where it was the other day! LOL.)

The famous library birthday wall.

Merrik found his name on the b-day wall.

And he insisted on a Dora cake!

He's only seen Dora a few times (we don't get that channel on TV) but I guess what little he's seen of "her" really left an impression!

So I just bought the little cake top pieces & put them on his cake. He was so excited!

(The characters are now fixed pieces in our church "quiet play" bag.)

And unfortunately, these are the only pictures I got of M's bday.

My camera decided to take the rest of the day (and week and month) off!!

Winter in Old Sturbridge Village - cooper shop

Merrik (3) wood working.

This device helps hold the wood in place so it can be smoothed to make the side of a barrell.
Jonah (5) working his piece of wood.

Merrik was invited to warm his cold toes by the cooper's fire!!

That was so sweet - the boys were sledding just outside of the cooper shop & when then were done (& too cold to stay out) we went to visit the cooper to warm up. He heard M say something about his cold feet so he pulled a barrell up next to the fire & invited M to have a seat!

We were at OSV just last week & went into the Cooper Shop & Merrik said, "Mommy, my feet are cold again." So cute! He wanted to move a barrell next to the fireplace (which wasn't burning that day) and sit back there again. Little kids never forget! :)

Here's the cooper showing the boys how the wood has to be carved just right

so it fits snuggly inside the metal hoop nice and tight.

We visit OSV a LOT so the nice people who work there recognize us and they are very good with letting the boys help out and do cool stuff that probably not ever visitor there gets to do. I'm sure it helps that we're often there during "slow" days/times of year and so we miss the crowds.

WE LOVE OSV! If you're ever in Massachusetts, come out to Sturbridge!! You won't be sorry!

(and for those of you who live in Mass. -- come visit us!) :)

Old Sturbridge Village - pottery & portrait!

Merrik tries his hand at a clay mug.

I love this shot. The teacher teaching the student.

Jonah gets a turn! The potter there at OSV is so nice about letting the boys have turn at the wheel if "business is slow" that day and there's aren't too many other people watching and/or walking in and out. Sometimes he gives them a lump of clay to take home, too.

(that makes for a fun mess!)

Merrik & Jonah - circa 1830!

It would be fun to make this into a huge print & hang it on the wall.

Boys being boys...

This is how Merrik insists on wearing his armor helmet. LOL!

This is what I get for leaving the box of markers on the table while I try to get stuff done.

Merrik looks a little less than thrilled with Jonah's art work all over his face.

(Although he did stand there and let him do it, so at some point he thought it was a cool idea.)

Jonah Tiger -- So Cool! Jonah came home from school looking like this on Circus Day! He was SO sad when we had to wash it off that night. Of course, he wanted to be a tiger forever.

I realized they both had Spiderman "stuff" on so I had to take a few pics.

Here they're throwing "webs" at me!

I just love how Merrik is looking up at Jonah is this picture.

Jonah's 5 - Oh My!!

Pointing to his name on the library's birthday wall of fame!

So now that February has come & gone, Jonah is officially 5!

(That just means now that with his height and all, now people ask if he's 7 or 8!)

Jonah's truck cake!
LOTS of chocolate frosting and crushed oreo cookies for the "dirt".


My Boys! All smiles when there's birthday cake and presents around.

Optimus Prime - larger than life!

(I don't know who was more excited for this one ... Jared or Jonah!) :)

OOPS! Didn't mean to cut off the top of Jared's head but we LOVE legos now so here's the latest addition ... Pirate Legos! What could be cooler? We can easily kill an afternoon doing legos.

Boston Children's Museum

Jonah & Merrik w/ the characters from "Arthur".

Merrik concentrating ... he's very studious.

Jonah found something to climb in!

Jonah & Merrik with the pint size building station.
The boys always love going into "Cool, Cool Boston!" (that's what they call it)