A Day At Pavillion Beach

Last minute today, I decided to take the girls off to a small beach in Ipswich. We had a great time playing in the very warm water and in the sand. With the exception of me stepping on a shell and cutting the bottom of my foot, we can't wait to go back.

Lexi The Fashionista!

Here is a cute pic of Lexi sporting her new monkey pajamas with her favorite Minnie Mouse purse! HOW CUTE!

20 Thoughtful Questions

So, I saw this list of questions and I thought I would post on my blog rather than facebook. I think it is always wise to take a minute and think about where you have been and where you are going. So, I hope these questions inspire you to do the same.

1. If you could know the age at which you where going to die would you want to know?

I don't think I would actually want to know, but since I have stage 3 kidney disease I often get nervous about if it is going to be sooner than later. If anything happened to me my girls would be devasted, so I would at least like to be able to have my children be at an older age (preferrably adults) :)!

2. If you could spend a week in Las Vegas or Jamaica all inclusive which would you choose and why?

I think I would choose Las Vegas, since I have already been to Jamaica. A week at a hotel with a pool with my girls is all I need to make me happy.

3. For all you educated ones do you ever wish you had studied something else and had a different career?

I love my job as a realtor and wouldn't change it for the world right now. But, I always wanted to be a race car driver or an attorney. I love to debate and get all the facts about the subject. I also love fast cars!

4. Have you ever experienced true depression and what helped you to get out of it?

Yes, I believe I have and I went to a psychologist for a few sessions to help me out. Now, I live for myself and everything else should fall in place. Although, I did find out that alot about your childhood is what steers all these emotions as you get older. So, is it okay for me to blame my parents???

5. What is your best memory from 2009?

Well as of right now, my best memory is our PA vacation, we all had a great time and I feel it is important to spend as much time as you can with your family and friends.

6. If something so drastic happened to you or someone that you love that you think you would end up in a psychiatric hospital?

At this point, No. I am a pretty realistic thinker now and can pretty much see the right sides of issues and work my way through them.

7. Would you rather have a nice house and nice cars or a simple house and average cars but get to go on an amazing vacation for one month out of every year?

This is a tough one, can I have it all?? I don't mind a smaller simpler house, I have an average car right now and I would love to go on an amazing vacation every year, so I guess I choose that one.

8. If you could learn any language what would it be?

I have always wanted to learn Italian, but now with my girls Mandarin as well.

9. Who is the person in your life that inspires you the most?

Need to think about this one.

10. If you had two weeks to live what would you do with that time?

I would travel with my family!

11. If you could travel to five countries before you die what would they be?

Continent of Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Sweden.

12. How do you feel about Obamas Universal Health care plan?

Well, since my health insurance just went up and now I will have less coverage and I don't qualify for anything MA offers, I would like other options (better options)!!

13. If you won the lottery what are some of the first things you would do?

I would pay off debt for my family first, renovate house, purchase a vacation home, travel and buy new cars.

14. If your boss told you on Monday that you could take two weeks off and it would be paid for, what would you do with all that time?

I would go on a vacation somewhere sunny and warm!

15. If someone tried to rob your purse and they did not have a gun would you try and fight back for what belongs to you?

Yes, I am a fighter at heart and I have taught my girls that if any stranger tried to grab them to fight to the death it maybe the only chance you get. As well as never let a bully push you around.

16. If you had to eat the same five meals for the rest of your life what would they be?

I think I could eat pizza, chinese food, popcorn, fritos and anything breakfast related.

17. What is your biggest goal that you would like to reach in life?

I would like to reach financial freedom.

18. If you where given a million dollars and could not spend it on yourself what would you do with the money?

Setup college accounts for my kids or work with Chinese orphanages. Oh or have a farm for abandoned animals.

19. Do you think that a married couple can be truely happy without ever having children?

Yes, but I do think family is important and they are missing out on the pleasures of children. Who will change your diapers when your old???

20. What are you more afraid of snakes or spiders?

Snakes, definately snakes!

Home Sweet Home!

It is always nice to go on vacation, but I am always ready to come home!

What a fabulous vacation we had exploring CT, NJ, and PA and we couldn't have done it without our penpal friends Kolleen, Juliana, Elizabeth and Auntie Kris. We all had a really great time, there is so much to explore and do.

Going through CT, we decided there is much more to explore there, like Mystic Seaport and Zoo's.

NJ offers the Six Flags Amusement Park and great water park and much more.

Would of liked to drive through Manhattan and explored the Statue of Liberty, but again will do this when the girls are bigger.

And then PA, what a beautiful diverse state. Lancaster is so peaceful, you almost want to move there. Farms as far as the eyes can see. Closer to Hershey it was more woodsy and much that we couldn't fit in this time and then near Whitehall there are a bunch more parks to explore.

The ride wasn't bad and if broken up like we did (and thank goodness for the DVD player) it is definately manageable.

Time to settle in for the night and get back to reality tomorrow.

AAHHH, home sweet home....

Day 5 Hershey

After saying goodbye to our friends, we left Lancaster and headed to Hershey.

As we drove into Hershey, you definately smell the scent of chocolate in the air. Chocolate World was great. Since this was the end of our vacation, we opted for the free tour of how they make chocolate, and got a small chocolate bar at the end of the tour.

Then, we took the trolley, which takes you around Hershey town and gives you a brief history of Mr. Hershey. It was neat to see the lightposts decorated as wrapped and unwrapped hershey kisses. We also got a sample of a hershey kiss and reeses peanut butter cup.

The girls also enjoyed a kid friendly event that let's them pretend they are working in the kisses factory.

When the girls get older, we will definately be coming back to the Hershey Amusement Park (11 rollercoasters!), ZooAmerica and the Hershey Gardens!

After a few hours, we ventured to the outlets, where we got some more great deals at Childrens Place and Disney.

Then, about a 1.5 hour drive to Whitehall, PA where we stayed overnight before heading home.

Here are some pics of Hershey!

Day 4 Exploring Amish Country

Today we spent the day exploring Amish country. It was a rainy day, so we are so glad we did the amusement park yesterday.

Our first stop was the Kettle Kitchen Village, where we shopped for some souvenirs, a Dutch cross stitch pattern and some home made jams/jellies. Well in our case we bought pickled beets, as Lexi loves them.

Here is a picture of the girls decorating gingerbread man cookies.




Next we went on an authentic buggy ride. It was pretty funny as we approached the buggy barn it was pouring rain and Kolleen had her umbrella up as she entered the barn. The man yelled "put your umbrella down and get to the side unless you want to get run over by the horses. I said put the umbrella down". After getting over this, we got in line and was able to enjoy a private buggy ride around the farms.

We learned that the average Amish family owns 45-80 acres of land and that there is no land left in this area. The children go to school in a one room schoolhouse, grades 1-8 and then they are finished. Outhouses in the back, and typically you are going to school with your brothers and sisters. No electricity!

Here is a pic from our buggy ride. Ride "Sally" ride! Sally was the name of the horse.



After lunch, we went to Cherry Crest Farms and the girls each got to make an amish doll. Similiar to build a bear. Malia was their teacher and she was adopted from Hunan province.



We also enjoyed going to the Hayloft Candles (twice, just kidding Kolleen!) and meeting Lucy the Yak, who would stick out her tongue and take a bite to eat.

Day 3 Dutch Wonderland

After a yummy country breakfast and a quick trip through the countryside, we are off to Dutch Wonderland. This park is a lot like Storyland, laid out nice for the younger kids. I got to be the token adult to take the kids on the flume ride and the big rollercoaster! How Fun!

Lexi was scared and I put her on the first ride. I thought it just slowly went around in a circle, little did I know that when it got to the corner it whipped you around it. She was terrified. What a bad mommy!




She did end up having fun on a little train she could control herself, as well as driving the jeeps and riding some fun bikes.




Olivia took her turn milking a cow!




At the end of the day we went over to the water park area "Duke's Lagoon" where the kids go to splash around in the water. Olivia enjoyed going down her first waterslide.




After a long day, we got some burgers at Five Guys and went back to the hotel for a quick swim there and mom got to relax in the hot tub, but for only a few minutes, bad on the kidneys!

Day 2 CT To NJ To PA

Got up early in the morning on Sunday and headed about two hours through NYC and to Jackson, NJ for the Six Flags Wild Safari.

The kids had a great time as we drove through the safari looking at all the animals. I got a quick video of the giraffe walking down the road in between all the cars. At that point Lexi decided she was done with these large creatures walking towards her, jumped out of the front seat and went back into her car seat and locked herself in.

Here are some pics!





Another two hours down to PA, Olivia saw this wonderful cloud in the sky with rainbow colors, here is the pic I took while driving about 70mph down the highway.



We finally rolled into Lancaster just about 3pm, and checked into the hotel. We are staying at the Fulton Steamboat Inn, which is a replica of an old steamboat. This hotel is really nice and decorated great! At night, the steamboat is all lit up as well. Outside, there is a playground for the kids and a duck pond.




Olivia finally got to meet her pen pal, Juliana and Lexi met her friend Elizabeth. As well as we got to meet Kolleen and her sister Kris.

Here are some pics of the girls playing together in the playground. The field is full of lighting bugs and the girls had a great time chasing them around.





From our hotel window, we can see the Amish driving their buggies down the road. The Lancaster area is full of farms, as far as the eyes can see, with the exception of the two main roads. It is quite fascinating seeing a buggy go down the street and then the next car is a corvette or something like that zooming down the road.




Tomorrow we are off to Dutch Wonderland!

Day 1 Norwalk CT

Sorry it has taken so long to post, we are having trouble connecting to the internet in these "wireless" hotels.

Anyways, we left Reading on Saturday around 8am and travelled to Norwalk, CT, about 3 hours from home. It was a funny weather pattern, with pouring rain, drizzle, sunshine etc the whole road down. As we approached Norwalk, the skies parted, the fog lifted and the sun came out.

The kids did great in the car, we put in a movie, Madagascar and the long ride down went on without a hitch.

Our first stop was the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium in the Sono district. The aquarium is very quaint and very nice for the price. There weren't alot of people there either. As we arrived, we just got there in time for the Penguins on The Loose exhibit, where they let the penguins walk out and interact with the crowd. We didn't get to see much but I got a quick picture of one of the penguins.




During our visit at the aquarium, Olivia and I got to touch the stingrays!!



There were some very funny otters, they would swim back and forth in front of the kids and poke his head as to laugh at them and swim back down. Here is a cute pic of him!



We also visited the shark tank, here is a picture of Olivia swimming in the shark tank (hee-hee)!



After a few hours of the aquarium, we checked into the hotel and ventured down to the pool. Olivia met some friends and had a great time. Lexi hung out on the top step afraid to go into the water. The water was so warm I even went in!


We enjoyed a nice dinner at Bertucci's and then rested up for the rest of our journey down to PA.

Leaving On Our Road Trip

So, I am sitting here at 5:30 am in the living room, waiting for everyone to wake up and wondering if I sneak out now and leave, will they notice? Just kidding! In a few hours we will be leaving to drive 3 hours to Norwalk, CT. I decided to break up the 7 hour trip for the reason that the kids can't take the long ride, or really mom can't take the kids in the car for that long.

Olivia skinned her knee yesterday after Papa and me constantly telling the kids to calm down and take it easy, if you get hurt you need to stay home.

It was kind of funny, we were doing the newspapers. I was parked across the bottom of a driveway, she ran up to the door to drop the newspaper. I looked out the passenger side to see where she was, and heard a thump on the side of the car. A few seconds later she stood up, oohing and aahing about her skinned knee. I guess she was running back to the car, tripped and smacked into the car. Although I love her dearly, she is a clutz! She is such a drama queen walking around the house like her leg was broken, hanging her leg out of the tub, etc, etc. She is fine, nothing a little Neosporin couldn't fix!

Reminds me of a quick little story of another newspaper delivery. It was in winter and the house had a steep front lawn. Olivia decided to run down the snowy hill to the car, rather than the shovelled driveway. Well to her surprise the snow had a sheet of ice on it and instead of running down, she fell on her butt and slid down the hill, bouncing off the bushes and finally stopping in a bush at the bottom of the hill. Lexi and me were in hysterics in the car, when the poor thing finally got up and limped her way back over.

Drama queen is awake, I just asked how her knee felt, she said Oh I need a blanket, since I hurt my knee and it is still hurting. I am sure it hurts, but really there is just a few minor scratches and she can run, walk and jump, so I don't think anything is seriously wrong.

Anyways, back to vacation. Today, we are hoping to walk around the harbor area and go to the Maritime Aquarium.

Pics to come later!

Safe travels for us!

Two More Days Until Vacation!

So, we are finally two days away from our road trip to Dutch Country, PA. We are all very excited to meet Kolleen, Julianna and Elizabeth. Julianna and Olivia became pen pals, while waiting for their little sisters from China. Lexi has been saying "Lizabet" see me and be my friend. How cute!

Here is our itinerary as of today.

Saturday: Leave and drive 3 hours to Norwalk, CT
Planning on visiting Maritime Aquarium and walk around that area

Sunday: Leave CT, drive 2 hours to Six Flags Safari in NJ
We did this safari before when Olivia was Lexi's age and the kids loved it!

Drive from NJ to Lancaster, PA (2 hours) where we meet up with our friends

Monday: Dutch Wonderland

Tuesday: Explore Dutch Country (hoping for a buggy ride and farm visit)

Wednesday: Drive to Hershey and explore Chocolate World. The kids can't wait
for this!

Drive to Whitehall, PA (1.5 hours) and stay overnight.

Thursday: Trek home! (5 hours)

I was originally thinking about stoping at the Statue of Liberty on the way home, until I heard they get 16,000 visitors a day. Don't quite think my kids are up for that yet.

We are also hoping to meet up with the Gong family from Olivia's travel group. They have two little girls as well and live in Central NJ, so we are trying to mesh their schedule with ours.

I am going to try to update the blog from our vacation, so stay tuned.

A little update around the house. Olivia got bit by a bug and her elbow area swelled up like a balloon. Luckily, only for two days! Doctors weren't worried about it and said it is happening to all the kids, just watch for infection.

Lexi is potty training, she is doing pretty good. I had to hide all the pull ups from her, as she could change herself and was attached to her diapers. She now runs in and poops pretty regularly on the toilet, we have few pee accidents. But, unfortunately, due to our long road trip, she will need to wear her pull ups again, as I won't have a lot of extra clothes with me.

Lexi carries on many conversations now, but I brought up a concern we heard about with another child to the doctors. It is called tongue tied, when the childs tongue is actually attached near the tip underneathe, rather than half way back on her tongue. This could be holding back some of her pronunciation, so if needed we will get it fixed. She doesn't go until August 10th to get it checked.

Olivia is playing summer soccer and loves it, although she keeps getting hit by the ball and boy does it hurt. Just ask me! Who was hit square across the face with it.
Olivia saved $400 from her newspaper money for her vacation, so that was a big help for mommy!

And for me four closings coming up, R/E has been pretty busy, would like it to be busier, but hanging in there. I love selling real estate and am hoping it gets more lucrative for me.

Mom and I were addicted to watching Harpers Island, the best series on tv ever. We need another series like that! I knew it was Henry all along!

Also in our thoughts are our friends Aleisa, Patrick and Maya Dunn who in just a few short weeks are leaving their home in Florida to move to China to teach for two years. We hope they have safe travels and this ends up being a great experience for all of them.

Well that's an update, more soon from our road trip this weekend!

Celebrating The 4th of July!

What a great weekend and we couldn't have had better weather. We enjoyed a quiet family lunch barbeque on Saturday and later on Dad, Lexi,Olivia, Fawn, Skylar and me all went to watch the parade in Wakefield. What a great parade and it lasts one hour! Afterwards, enjoyed some hot dogs and Olivia and me went to watch the fireworks. The fireworks were great and lasted 30 mins!

On Sunday, we were joined with a bunch of people at the wading pool. Barbara, Mary, Leslie, Aniah, Nicki, and Delilah, as well as Krystal, Debbie, Jason, Brina, John, Courtney, Thomas, Travis and two week old Taylor were there! The kids have a great time playing in the pool and it is just the right size for the little ones.

Now home relaxing, cooking some steak tips on the grill and settling in for the night.

Two weeks until we leave for our PA vacation and we can't wait!

Hope everyone had a nice and safe weekend.