Big Boy Haircut

There hasn't been a whole lot of blog-worthy events lately. Sorry, Mom. But I did take Christian to Supercuts today for his first haircut (other than me trimming his baby mullet a few months ago.) It was a little scary at first and there were some tears, but once we broke out the lollipops and he got to touch the electric clippers, all was well. I am a moron and left the camera in the car, but I did take some pictures when Christian got back in his carseat.


The final result

Behold the Glorious Bounty

We got home to NH last Wednesday. It has been very hot here for the last few weeks. So hot that they instituted an outside watering ban. You could water by watering can but not by hose. I don't quite get the logic, but we followed the rules anyway. Before we left we arranged for a kid in our ward to come over every other day to water the garden and flower beds. Our lawn has seen better days, but the garden is doing great! Here is what the beds looked like before I left


and when we got home


Geez! The melons are taking over our lawn! We have lots of watermelons, cantaloupes, beets, and cucumbers, still more zucchini and yellow squash than we know what to do with, and I also picked a few peaches. The corn should be ready soon. I learned a lot about what works and what I will do differently next season, but overall I'm pretty proud of our first little garden. I should have been a farmer.

Aloha!

It's been awhile since I posted, but for good reason. We just got back from a wonderful vacation with the Evers/Syphus crew. I'm sad to say that I didn't take many pictures, but Stacey has a bunch on her blog including our basic daily itinerary and our new favorite thing to do in Lahaina (mmm...shaved ice!)
Christian and I left for the homeland (LOP) at the beginning of July. This kid took 4, yes 4, very long flights in a short time. I was very concerned with how he would handle this. I am happy to report that he was an EXCELLENT little boy. We only had one very minor meltdown while we were landing for a layover in Chicago because his ears were hurting. Not too bad! Once we got to CA, the party began! We had so much fun playing with cousins, swimming at Mr. Bearry's pool, going to the park, jumping on the trampoline, painting race cars, visiting with aunts, uncles, and great-grandparents, and decorating for our pre-Hawaii luau. Needless to say, with six little kids running around, Stacey's house was quite the zoo. I was coming downstairs one afternoon and got a kick out of the overhead view of the living room. This is what we can expect when everyone comes to New Hampshire for Christmas this year. Ryan flew out the day before we all left for Hawaii. Poor guy had a 6 hours time difference he had to adjust to. We got up and headed to the airport early the next morning. With 14 people in tow, we were quite the sight at the airport. Luckily Christian qualified for a carry on so we didn't have to buy him a ticket. We weren't able to get rooms next to each other, but at least we were in the same building. The kids (and adults) ran back and forth to play, get snacks, watch shows, and eat wallermelon on the balcony with Grampa. Scott and Elle were brave enough to take some sweet waves with the help of Jeff and Grampa.

Thanks, Mom and Dad for such a fun trip. I can hardly wait until we can all get together again for Christmas!

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!