Cabin by the River

Last week we went to Uncle Brian's "river" by the "cabin." We had a FAB time! My daddy took us fishing. While he was getting the canoe ready, we got to start fishing. Dad didn't think that we would catch any, but on Jacob's first cast he caught one! It was a small mouth bass. We caught a lot of fish that day. Once the canoe was ready, we got in with our life jackets on and went upstream. Then we turned around and went downstream. We fished upstream and downstream. On the way back to the cabin, Jacob and I got out and got on the tube that was connected to the canoe. That way it was really fun. I was kind of scared when we were going on the bumpy things. Believe it or not, I cried. Dad said, "Do you want to get in the boat?" I said,"Yes, I do." So I got in the boat and we went on. Finally, we got to the tire swing and got the canoe out.

Then we got out and went to the tire swing. It was really amazing. Jacob got on and I could tell that he liked it. He wanted another push and another push. It looked a little scary because I was afraid I was going to fall off. But, I didn't, I stayed on. Aaron and Dad got on the swing, too. Mom didn't get on the swing. I think she was really scared like me.

The craziest thing happened. Carma got in the water and started swimming upstream. I was impressed that she could swim. Every time we go to Helen's pool (she's Grammy and Pa's neighbor) Carma will only put her front two paws in. We have to pull her in, but she definitely won't swim! You should have seen her swimming at the river. One time I looked up and she was swimming way far away from us. I think Carma might want to go swimming in the pool now.

For dinner we had hot dogs, popcorn, and marshmallows with some leftovers. We cooked the food at the fire pit. The hot dogs were delicious with those spicy peppers. It was nice having Uncle Aaron sitting next to me! I just LOVE him so much!

The last morning we were there we had a special breakfast. Do you know where we ate? We ate in the bar in the basement. When it was time for breakfast, Jacob and I went down to the cave and snuggled on Aaron. He was on the top bunk. The bunks only had an opening on one end so it was really dark and hard to get up in. Maybe that's why Aaron likes to sleep right there.

We had a spectacular time!

Signing out...
Evelyn Grace

Shrine Mont Memories!

What a great wedding place! My Uncle Brian had a wedding at Shrine Mont. I had lots of fun. We played lots of games, too. After about a 3 hour ride, we arrived and got settled in to our cabin named "Washington." We were in the cabin with Uncle Jim and Aunt Brenda, Uncle Mac and Aunt Cindi, Grammy, Pa, Jason, Tanya, and Patrick. We barely had time to go to the pool and swim with our cousins. Grammy took us...THANKS, GRAMMY! Dinner was in a big hotelish diner that had three rooms to it. There were about...30 tables. The people who worked there brought the food to the tables and we passed the dishes of food around. Can you believe they even served dessert? I loved the apple crisp that had an icing whipped creme taste. Just writing about it makes my mouth water...it does...really! After dinner we got to play Corn Hole until dark. I won a couple games and lost LOTS! I'm not a very good player (giggle, giggle), but I do have a great time and spirit. We finished the night by playing games in the room off of the dining hall. Mom brought a huge bag of games for everyone to share. We loved it!!!!! This will make you laugh...Uncle Jim dunked my head into a freezing water/ice bucket after the water and juice boxes were out of it. All I did was put two ice cubes down his back. Which do you think is worse? Two ice cubes down your back or your head DUNKED in a freezing water bucket? You decide which I think is the freezing water bucket. It was after 11:00 before we got to bed...yahoo (lol).

The second day we were there was the day of the wedding. Breakfast was at 8:00 so we had to get up by 7:30. We were SOOOO tired! After breakfast we got to play on the playground. One thing that I really loved was that we could go anywhere we wanted as long as we told our parents where we were going. That's because it's a very safe place. Can you believe that we didn't even lock our bedroom door? After the playground, we went to have a water balloon fight. Now that was some fun! The pool was next and we went with our uncles and cousins, too. I loved how the pool was shaped. It had a ramp into the water so that it was extremely shallow at the top and then it got deeper and deeper until it was 5 feet deep. It reminded me of a wheelchair ramp.

Before long, it was time to get ready for lunch. After lunch we went for another playground visit and a quick swim. Since the wedding was at 4:00, we had to hurry back to get ready. The next thing you knew, we were at the steep hill to the wedding. My Pa was the minister who married Brian and Sonia. Tony, Sonia's son, asked Santa to give them two shiny rings for Christmas. To his amazement, he got them! I was amazed to see that Santa gave the rings. He went to find them just for Tony. I can't believe that Tony would do that, he must be pretty special to do that! At the wedding there were "oohs and aaahs" when Brian told the story. I have a feeling that there might have been a few tears from the story. We got pictures taken and then went to the reception at the pavilion next to the pool.

The reception was like a party with music and dancing. Evelyn and I got our faces painted and got our wedding clothes all dirty. Actually, Evelyn's face was stained PINK! I had a tiger face and a new friend with it. This little boy was scared of me at first because he thought that I was a real tiger. Then he got used to it and wasn't scared anymore. Believe it or not, he followed me around. People enjoyed playing Corn Hole, soccer, and even baseball. I loved the fact that there was Sprite and Grammy brought cranberry juice to mix in. It was SWEET! Evelyn learned a new word from Uncle Aaron about the "fizz" in Sprite. It was effervescent!!!! She loves saying that new word. At the end of the wedding we all danced to the music. Mila helped Evelyn learn a new dance and she's still talking about it! Unfortunately, the DJ had to go to West Virginia so the music ended. We went to bed after 11:00 AGAIN!

Our last day we had to get up at 7:30 for breakfast at 8:00. I was exhausted and could barely move. I wasn't even sure I wanted anything for breakfast because I was so pooped. After breakfast we got to go the playground without parents, just with our cousins. Then back to Brian's cottage for some more playing with family and friends. Mom left us there and went to pack up. When she returned we went to a spring. We drove with 10 people in our car and it was PACKED. One of us went in the back and sat down on some of the luggage. We were all on top of each other. At the spring, we had to walk only a little ways to it. The water was extremely cold. I only stepped on rocks. I was speechless when Tony, the smallest of them all, went ALL the way in...face first and his whole body under the water. He definitely deserves a prize for being so brave! We only stayed for a short while because a storm was on the way.

When we finally got back, it started to sprinkle and then it poured down rain with booms and bolts of lightening and thunder. We gave hugs and fast kisses to everyone before running to the car for shelter. That was the good part. Here comes the bad part. On top of the car was this bag that wasn't waterproof. It got everything up there soaking wet...even Evelyn's suitcase. By the end of the trip we were all quite hungry so we stopped for Chinese in Montpelier. Poor Mila had to drive for another 3 hours. We loved having her on the drive!!!!

Thanks for the great memories!
Rolling out-
Jacob

It's Almost Here!

Here are Evelyn's thoughts about the upcoming wedding for our cousin, Brian...
Hooray for the wedding! I'm going to wear a pretty dress that has flowers all over it. It has a bright pink tie that is so lovely. I wear it almost every day because I love it so much. One day I even spilled ice cream on it, but my dad put it in the washer and got it all clean. Next, he put it on my bed and I hung it up on my door. I think I'm going to save it for the wedding in 2 days. The best part about the dress was when I decided to wear a head thing and you tie it on the back of your head. I put glasses on, lip stick, a necklace, and even a ring so I looked like a bride! You should have heard Jacob singing a funny tune so I could "approach" (Jacob's suggestion) as a bride. I am SO excited about the wedding. I know I am going to make some new friends, too. I can't wait to see Mila. She loves me and she'll LOVE my nails. I will bring my polish so if anyone wants some they can have some, but first they have to ask their mom and my mom will do it!

Very excited,
Evelyn Grace

The Tooth Fairy Makes a Wish Come True!

I can't believe I lost my tooth yesterday. I was pulling my tooth up and down, up and down. All of a sudden, I twisted it one way and then the other. I pulled it down and it was out. I was very excited and surprised because I didn't think it would come out that quickly. There wasn't a lot of blood so it was definitely ready to come out. We put the tooth in a little cup of water to take out the blood that was in the tooth. Before bed, I wrote a note that said...
Dear Tooth Fairy,
I have lost my 8th tooth! Can I have a real crystal and diamond? Thanks a lot! Can we keep my tooth?

Believe it or not, she put an arrow to the back and wrote back.

You can keep your tooth. You are lucky, I had one diamond left...Keep brushing! You are a SUPER kid and your sister is too!
Love,
The Tooth Fairy

WOW! After a nightmare, I woke up and called for my mom. While I waited for her, I remembered that my tooth was out. There was a diamond there and it was very, very small. Mom came in and said,"Turn off the light and put that thing back in the tooth box." She stayed with me for a few minutes and went back to bed.

In the morning, I got up and remembered that there was a diamond in the tooth box. I opened it up and looked at it. I couldn't believe how shiny and small it was. I went into my mom's room and snuggled with her and showed her. My dad had already left for work so he hasn't seen it yet. I called him on the phone and told him all about it. I think he's very proud of me.

After a couple of hours I put it in a tissue and then a special wooden apple. It's about the size of a seven year old's fist. Then after about one more hour I took it out of the box and tissue and it was shinier than ever! So, I put it back in to let it sit until dinner when I'll see how it looks.

I'm nervous about losing it. It's so small and precious. I'm also curious about it. I wonder if it has magic powers. If it does, maybe it can help the world and our environment.

Rolling out for now...
JACOB

Today I finished my Magic Tree House book and took a Book Adventure quiz. I couldn't believe that I read it so fast. Seven chapters last night and 3 this morning. I will start a new book today for sure. Every time I finish a book I earn computer time or TV time. I hope that we go to the pool today. If we do, I will play with my sister the whole time. Today we were talking about Evelyn going to the movie theater. She and Mom were going to go to a "GIRL" movie together and leave Dad and me to do a "BOY" activity. Well, to my amazement, Evelyn wanted me to go with her. She said that she loves me and wants me to be there. I have a feeling that the movie isn't just for girls so I might go with them. Hopefully before the day is done I will have a chance to e-mail some of my friends. I missed a birthday party and haven't seen my best friends since school let out.
Signing out- Jacob

First Time...

I've always wanted to do this so that I could share what was happening with our family. I also wanted the kids to be able to write about what we've done and have a purpose for doing so. From what I can tell, it's not as hard as I thought. The jury is still out. :-)