Patti's Revenge

I was not my mother's neatest child. I was routinely grounded for not cleaning my room. I would prolong my chore of doing the dishes for HOURS. My clean laundry would remain unfolded until I wore it again. I have gotten much better over the years, but if you saw my house today you might think otherwise. But now IT'S NOT MY FAULT! This picture proves it.


My little tornado can empty a drawer in a split second, and as soon as I have that one picked up, he's off to make the next mess elsewhere. Yes, Mom, I can hear you laughing two thousand miles away.

Ode to Jeff

Tomorrow is a big day for Ryan. His dream vacation begins at 8:30 am at the Sig Sauer Academy in Exeter. Yes, its GUN SCHOOL! We live about 45 minutes away from one of the most well known tactical training schools in the country. When we got our sweet tax return this year, Ry got the OK to sign up for his dream course, the Combative Carbine Operator Course. Doesn't that sound like a day at Disneyland? Well to my dear, sweet husband, yes. Yes it does. I fully expect Ryan to be tossing and turning tonight in bed. I will ask him what is wrong, and he will respond, "I'm too excited to sleep!"

I laughed as I told him that Jeff used to get really worked up for big events when he was a kid. Whether it was the first day of school, soccer practice, or an LOP swim meet, he would lovingly lay out his outfit for the upcoming day on his bedroom floor. His soccer uniform was my favorite, the shirt on the floor tucked into the shorts, socks in the shoes complete with the shin guards on top...you get the picture. So in honor of Jeff, Ryan has prepared his gear in similar fashion, from the tactical vest and flashlight in the pocket down to the gloves holding Sport Beans.

P.S.

Dear criminals,
Our house is not the one you want to rob. I'm not even kidding.

Empty Nesters

It's official. Our little birdies are all grown up. Last night as I was getting ready to mow the lawn, Ryan called me over to look at something in the grass. It was our little baby birds that have taken up residence in the tree on our porch. After a quick look around, we found the other two scampering around on the walkway. We kept trying to put them back in the nest, but they were clearly ready to fly the coop. It's amazing how fast they grew. They only hatched about a week ago! I wonder if I'm doing something wrong as a mom because Christian has been with us for over a year and he's not even close to leaving home. I guess human babies take a little longer to cook.

The mom and dad birds were hovering around and were not happy that Ryan and I were there. They were pretty fearless flying around us and trying to lure us away from their babies. It was kind of cool to see that they were willing to risk their own safety to save their kids. All of Mother Nature's creatures love their kids. God speed, little birds. See you when you come home to nest next year. We'll keep the porch light on for you.

Lake Winnipesaukee

Being a Thomas has its perks. This weekend we headed up to my sister and brother in laws' house on Lake Winnipesaukee. Yes, Winnipesaukee. I realize it has a silly name, but c'mon. Look at this place. It's gorgeous.

This is the lake that was in "What About Bob?" (I'm sailing!) The lakes region is a beautiful hour long drive from our house in Merrimack. We left our humble home Friday afternoon to drive to this palace on the water. This was the view from our room.


This is a water lover's paradise. Think of it as a super sized Lake of the Pines for rich people. Instead of old people riding around in golf carts, you have to watch out for the Marriots driving around in their vintage Rolls Royces. Christian went for his first boat ride on the "biggie boat"

we jetskiid till our thumbs were sore from holding the throttle,
splashed in the water,






played tennis, rested, and sunned on the beach to our hearts content. There was also much playing of Settlers of Catan (at which I rule,) and Hearts (at which I stink.) It was a weekend full of great company, tons of fun, and of course delicious food. Yes, that is rice crispy sushi with gummy fish. Probably the only sushi Mom would ever try. Isn't it cute?


Thanks, Jen and Tagg, for the SUPER FUN weekend! Can't wait to do it again!