trampoline madness!

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Originally uploaded by peteshaw

I may have mentioned putting together a trampoline for the little gnomes, but here is a picture of the three of them having a good bounce.

unwelcome guest

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Originally uploaded by peteshaw

This guy was sleeping inside the hot tub when I started chopping it up into many tiny pieces. Anna was very excited, and chase it all over the deck with a pair of kitchen tongs until it finally disappeared under the deck.

No, I'm alright

PJ and Alec went camping Friday night. As we were packing at one point PJ paused and looked at me and said "Dad! I'm wearing two pairs of underwear!" which he thought was pretty funny.

But I figured, he was going camping so it was no big deal. Alec's mom, was taking the boys camping. I would have gone along, except I had the monumental chore of cutting up the old broken down hot tub on our deck into arm sized pieces and schlepping them out to the curb. I
rented a sawzall, a reciprocating saw that can cut through fiberglass, plastic, nails, wood, pretty much anything, for the job and spent all of Saturday working on this.

Sam and Kathleen were down at 'the cow house' in the Shenandoah's this weekend. Anna was bouncing around between friends and on the trampoline, so she kept busy. Several hours and blisters later the hot tub was on the curb.

Anna had a sleepover at a friends house Saturday night. PJ and Alec came back around 2pm and hung out much of the day, then around 7PM or so, PJ went to sleep over at Alec's house, so I had a quiet house for a few hours that night.

Sometimes there is so much activity around you that you can't keep track of it all, and it feels like you are just part of a storm, and every once in a while you catch a glimpse of something.

Sunday morning, at around Ten AM, PJ comes in the door while I am repairing the screen on our porch. I ask him if he had a good time overnight.

"Dad, guess what?" He asks.

"What, PJ."

"I'm, still wearing two pairs of underwear!"

"Well, maybe you should take one, or both of them and go upstairs and put some clean clothes on?" I ask him.

"No, I'm alright." He says, and the goes to sit down in front of the computer.

I can't take it any more

This weekend I tackled a task I had been putting off for as long as I could. My in-laws had given our children a trampoline for a Christmas present, and the 200 pound coffin shaped box had been ominously sitting in the garage since then. My children, even my wife had been after me to assemble this thing, but I knew what it would entail. Lots of small pieces, and a fold out sheet of cryptic directions, written by a man from far away who has only at best a passing knowledge of English.

But a friend came over to help (thanks Neil!) and a short, painful, three hours later it was done. But the kids love it. They spent Saturday bouncing away into oblivion.

Another Sam quote: In the kitchen Sam walks past me, saying to no one in particular, "I need to have desert now! I can't take it any more!" It was about Three O'clock in the afternoon.

"Sam, what can't you take?" I ask him.

"All the guilt. I just can't take all the guilt." He says, shaking his five year old head as he walks out of the room.

Anna demonstrates flexibility and non-agility

This is my first attempt at posting video, so lets see how well it works.

Greetings from St. Martin

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Originally uploaded by peteshaw

Just a couple of photos from our cruise. And I know what you are thinking-- what the heck is wrong with his face? I can't remember what I was thinking, maybe "open your eyes, show a big smile, and ACT NATURAL!"

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Originally uploaded by peteshaw

While we were on vacation

Kathleen and I got back from our cruise on Sunday, and already this week has turned out to be pretty exhausting. I have a ton of great photos to show from the trip, and some good stories too, but for now I would like to share with you some of the funny things that Sam was saying last week. Evidently, the Grandmothers decided to keep a log.

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"So do you say 'Now I lay me down to sleep?'" Gagi asked Sam, wondering what prayer to say before bed.

"No, we say the one about the bread."

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Sam ended his prayers with "...and thank you for Easter, and raising the dead."

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Just before Gagi left to go home, Sam said to her, "I am sorry I have to tell you this Gagi, but I am afraid I really don't like you." Evidently he was unhappy with her rules.

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Another random Sam quote: "There are no fairy god parents and that's why you wish on a star."

Greetings from St. Thomas, USVI

Kathleen and I have been on a cruise this week, so forgive me if I am not posting as prolifically as I have been doing in weeks past. I would have posted more except for the fact that the Internet access on our cruise ship, the Princess Cruise Line's Caribbean Princess, was shockingly, horrifically expensive. For a mere 75 cents a minute you can enjoy slow satellite connectivity! Yikes! Luckily, in port towns you can find a cheaper deal and today I am writing this from the Enid M. Baa Public Library St. Thomas, which is two dollars and hour. Yeah public libraries! Boo greedy cruise ship lines!

Today we are in St. Thomas, and yesterday we were in St. Martin. For the most part though, are itinerary has consisted of something like eat, rest, eat, rest, drink, rest, drink, eat, rest, gamble, drink, gamble, gamble, drink, rest, rest, rest and repeat. What a fabulous way to spend the week!

I have only a few minutes left so I need to cut this short, I will be posting more photos and stuff in the days that follow. Cheers, and have a great week!

--Pete