Make a Wish Trip

Make a Wish sent Max to the Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos and we were lucky enough to get to tag along. (More info about this is on his blog.) Grandma and Grampa Rich decided to join us (they booked it for themselves). We spent five nights there and it was an amazing experience, starting with the limo that picked us up at 4AM, the wonderful woman from American Airlines who greeted us at the curb at the airport, the flight attendants on the flight down there, and the resort itself. It was really the perfect trip for Max, who spent the whole time going from beach to pool to pool to beach, and it was a great trip for the whole family. Lauren once again showed that she has no fear by scaring her mother many times as she leapt into the pool (she can't swim). Josh and I relaxed for the first time in ages. The trip couldn't have been much better. We have many more pictures than I could possibly post here, but I tried to pick a few extra special ones.

SuperKids!

A friend sent the kids supercapes.Max and Lauren put them on and Max announced that he was "SuperMax, with the power not to run into things" and that Lauren was "SuperLauren, with the power to take things off!" As Lauren tends to remove every item of clothing, diaper included, that we put on her, we thought her title was pretty accurate. Max's, on the other hand, is a bit suspect.

(We are pretty sure that in the video he is saying "SuperMax, coming to give a hug!")

That's Our Girl

I think I spend my day saying things like "Lauren, get off the table! Lauren, get off the counter! Lauren, get off the chair! Lauren, sit down!" I never expected to have to say "Lauren, get off the TV!" I guess she really wants to be a Super Reader (she is watching SuperWhy, for those who do not recognize Princess Pea).

Spiderman and the Pirate

Lauren and Max loved Halloween this year. We had to bypass it altogether last year because of Max's illness, and it was Lauren's first trickortreat. Max had decided months ago that he wanted to be Spiderman. We have no idea where his Spiderman obsession came from as he has never really seen the movie, but he was adament so I broke down and allowed him to be a "character." I was too cheap to buy a good Spiderman costume and couldn't stand the cheap ones (actually, most that I saw were the worst of both worlds) so I made one. It was pretty cheesey, but he loved it. He and Lauren both looked pretty cute. Lauren loved the trickortreating thing, especially when she realized she was getting to keep the candy. She was especially thrilled about MnMs. We used them as treats for Max after his medicine (3 MnMs after he took them) and never let Lauren have them. She called them "Max Candy" and that was all she really wanted to eat.

Pirates Say Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Visiting Grandma & Grampa Mazgelis

We had a chance to go to NH and visit with my folks one day last weekend as well. The kids always have fun with Grandma & Grandpa, and they enjoy seeing the kids when we come to visit. I got a great photo of Lauren at the dinner table, even if she didn't eat any of her dinner. (She liked the cookies though!) Grandpa loves to play with the kids, and we can see by the smile on Max's face that he loves to play with Grandpa. It was a nice visit, and we're glad we got one more in before Grandma & Grandpa head south for the winter.

Back at Great Brook

We took another walk over at Great Brook State Park last weekend. The dogs had a great time running and swimming. Cisco can really move over the rough terrain without ever slowing down, and Diamond spends most of her time standing in the water wishing someone would throw a stick for her. Max explored waterfalls, climbed rocks, had snacks, and did some dancing. Lauren hung with Mom for the most part, and I made my best effort to capture something wonderful with my camera. I got a couple good shots of Max, and maybe some foliage shots will turn up in another posting.

Picking pumpkins

Last weekend Max and Lauren and their friend (the other) Max went to a Parley Farms to choose pumpkins for Halloween. I hear the kids had a great time there, and as you can see they picked out some real beauties!

A day at the park

Two weekends ago we visited with Dorothy's folks up in Auburn, ME and spent some time burning off energy at a local playground. Max had a great time climbing on everything, and he and I played a little basketball together too. Lauren did a little bit of climbing but really seemed to enjoy the slides the most. I thought the picture of her hair sticking up from all the static electricity was pretty funny too.

Things I Learned Today

1. You need a lot more wind to fly a kite than I realized.






2. Gusty wind is really bad for kite flying.






3. A kite flying trip where the kite only gets off the ground every once in a while is still considered really cool if you are 4 years old.






4. 2 year olds would rather chase and tackle the kite than try to fly it.






5. 4 year olds think that grabbing the tail of a kite and pulling it to the ground is almost as cool as flying it.






6. Dogs and kite flying can mix, as long as the dog is Diamond.






7. I shouldn't try to run the length of a football field with Lauren on my back.






8. Kids love to watch their mom run the length of a football field (no Lauren) with a kite flying behind her.






9. I am out of shape.






10. Don't let your kids play in the paint on the soccer field without making sure it is dry. Definitely don't allow headstands.

Huzzah!

This weekend we took the kids to their first renaissance faire! Dorothy and I have been to a number of faires in California and one in New York, but this was our first time at King Richard's Faire in Carver Massachusetts. Max and Lauren had a hard time focusing on any one thing but they still had a great time with what they did see. We got to see a wild animal show and the first jousting tournament of the day, as well as go on a self-powered ship ride a giant maze with a slide. (What else could a child as for?)

Dorothy and I both went in full garb again this year. We recently bought a pirate costume for Lauren for Halloween, which worked out wonderfully for her at the faire. My goodness she looked adorable! Max had some baggy pants and a pirate belt with leather pouches hanging from it just like his daddy. (I will have to make him a nice shirt for faire before next year.) Unfortunately I didn't get many good photos of the kids in the faire itself, but they really hammed it up on the stage outside the front gate on the way out.