Our Summer.

Time is a wonderful thing. Two weeks after the school started and already my summer memories of constant bickering, disobedience, misbehavior seem to be non-existent now and instead are replaced by the following images. Luckily for me, I have lots and lots of sorry notes from my kids written to me, the bugs that were stepped on accidentally or not and to each other to remind me of our challenging times.

Before I forget even good times we had (and we did plenty of them), there it goes.

June and July were busy with swimming. David had team and private practices a few hours a week in addition to swim meets twice a week. He did well and at the end of the season he represented his 5, 6 and 7 age group in a league championship where he placed second. He loved every second of it although he told me that he wouldn't participate in a swim team next summer because they swim longer distances. I really hope it's not the case.

We visited Six Flags which was more fun for both kids this year as they don't seem to have fear of any rides. As long as they are allowed to go on a ride, they are game.

By the end of the swim season, we were all done with our local pool. I kept looking up the hill where we go sledding in the winter and was dreaming of a cooler weather. So, in August I would take the kids to the lakes nearby just to have a change of scenery.

Julia was hatching butterflies in her room this summer. She really enjoys all kinds of bugs... when she is not stepping on them.

We went on many hikes and picnics in the woods.

A day after hurricane/storm Irene hit Vermont, we left NJ and headed there. We had planned a trip to VT for weeks and didn't think we should cancel it. Apart from having a very difficult time driving there we enjoyed New England very much.

David found that it was more fun writing about his experience in VT rather than wander around the museum in VT.

What's better than peach picking in August? Eating peach cobbler for an entire week in August.

Finally, after months of having a playset in the backyard, the temperatures were low enough for the kids to play on it.

First day of school and my cell phone gets attached to my hip.

I hope the kids are happy in their school this year and it wouldn't hurt if the older one matures just a bit.

We Are No Farmers...

but last weekend our family got a taste of what a farmer's life is like. We visited Hull-O farm to help out farmers to take care of their farm . To be honest, we didn't even remotely experience the hard and non-stopping work that a farmer does every single day. The most, we "worked" perhaps was over an hour a day. Our duties included feeding calves, goats, sheep, dogs, kittens, bunnies, deer; milking cows and collecting chicken eggs.

The kids really surprised me, especially David. Julia wouldn't even feed the calves because of how messy it was. On the other hand, it was David's favorite activity and he was the first one to volunteer (there were other two guest families with total of 5 kids). Julia spent most of our time on the farm holding chicks and kittens. Both kids couldn't wait to finish their breakfast so they could run off and collect chicken eggs (surprise, none of the eggs were cracked). They were both eager to milk cows and got the hang of it right away.

Before we checked in to the farm, we had spent a few hours at the water park nearby. It was a weekend filled with activities from early morning to past their bedtime and if you ask our kids, it was their best "vacation" ever (haven't I written those words before?). I can see it being our annual getaway spot.

Visit to Howe Caverns. David still can't stop talking about them.

This is where I lost a few years off my life. David told me later he was nervous, but once in air, he had fun. Not sure how they let him do a zip line since he wasn't quite tall to go on it.

Julia got scared on a rope climbing and didn't finish it. David did complete it, but not before shedding a few tears.