kid heaven

kid heaven
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

admiring the loot post trick-or-treating.
one thoughtful fellow gave them a toothbrush.
looks like we will be needing that.

sometimes they can be so sweet!

sometimes they can be so sweet!
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

i hadn't heard any jumping, screaming, banging or maniacal laughter
for over an hour... and here is what i found. mike and tom, good as gold, reading "bud, not buddy" and "redwall" on the hammock.
maybe they are growing up.

halloween 06

halloween 06
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike and tom as thing1 and thing2 for halloween.
i love these costumes- cute, quick and easy!

what a husband!

what a husband!
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

a flurry of activity the night before halloween. finishing costumes, carving pumpkins.
since i don't sew- the task falls to john- finishing the Thing1 and Thing 2 costumes for mike and tom.
he is a good husband!

pumpkin prep

pumpkin prep
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike and tom prep the pumpkins for the big carving extravaganza.

dad and boys

dad and boys
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john does the handiwork to mike and tom's specifications. Mike and tom oversee to ensure quality control.

4 of 7 complete

4:7 complete
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

Well, for the first time in our lives, we are slightly ahead of the game. 4 of our 7 pumpkins are carved before Halloween night- this is unheard of in our family of procrastinators.

will is "getting ready" to travel

will is "getting ready" to travel
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

We are getting ready to travel to Connecticut for my mom's 75th surprise birthday party. This is Will's version of helping to get ready.
Have football, will travel.

john and sue

john and sue
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john and sue getting ready to read our clever toast to mom.

lesley and mom

lesley and mom
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

sue's daughter,lesley, wishing mom a happy 75th!

lisa,charlie and david

lisa,charlie and david
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

lisa,david and charlie chatting it up.

mom's calendar

mom's calendar
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mom admires the calendar the kids made for her

farm

farm5
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

for 22 years we have been coming to the farm to unwind,pick fruits and veggies and get our fill of fresh air and beautiful vistas.

guys and pumpkins

farm6
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

a full load to carry. looking forward to all that carving!

tom chooses

farm3
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom decides between his finalists in the perfect pumpkin contest.

the one

farm2
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

after a few hours, mike has finally found the perfect pumpkin.

farmtime

farm1
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the boys have decided that want to move here full time and jump haybales forever.

homework time

homework time
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

homework time at the caseys.
we don't seem to have gotten that whole work/study skills bit.
nothing like doing a bit of weightlifting with the left hand while the right hand is doing math problems.

will is home

will is home
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

a new family tradition (thanks for the idea goes to our lovely friend, ursula epstein, who recently passed away)- every sunday evening we cook a huge pot of something delicious and the big kids come over with friends (whoever is in the mood) for a good meal and lively discussion. this sunday will and bob appeared and enjoyed fantastic white chili as well as the amazing entertainment provided by the younger brothers. it is good to see the older kids and sit around discussing politics,school,jobs,life etc-of course, politics reigns supreme in our household as a topic for discussion. lenghty discourses on the absurdity of the current administration peppered with quotes from " the daily show".

thoughtful contemplation

thoughtful contemplation
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

labor day spent hiking along the potomac river.

john and tom

wishing we had our canoe. a perfect day for a paddle on the river.
swim?
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

hi ho hi ho

off to school
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

it's off to school we go.
school is starting and both boys are returning to fallsmead after some intensive negotiations with the school system. all seems to be going well so far.

boys and walls

boys and wallsJPG
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

you just can't fight the magnetic attraction between boys and walls. got to climb each and every one.

mike, tom and i took the day to explore the franklin instititute in philadelphia. one of my favorite museums for kids.

the heart

the heart
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

walking through the heart- a rite of passage of childhood, not to be missed.
mike and tom pose before entering the left atrium.

domino fun

domino fun
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike is enjoying building a LONG domino chain. this museum is fantastic for learning about science in a hands on fashion.
ben franklin would be proud.

tom is mesmerized...

tom is mesmerized
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

by this rube goldberg contraption. 30 minutes of uninterrupted joy as he examined each and every part of this machine. the engineer in him was overwhelmed with excitement. sort of like on the ride up to philadelphia, when we passed under the maze of soaring, tangled highway overpasses in downtown baltimore, tom says" oh man, this is my favorite part of the ride- those overpasses are just beautiful'.
it is all in the eyes of the beholder.

finally, dinner al fresco

finally, dinner al fresco
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the heat has broken and, once again, we can dine al fresco.
the best!
it is a quiet evening tonight with both madeline and sarah out at the movies.dinner with only two kids seems so empty.
you can see by the darkened sky that we are on our usual european dinner schedule- 9 pm is actually a bit earlier than usual.
the start of school willl be harsh.

mandevilla mania

mandevilla mania
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

evening is my favorite time on the deck. the mandevilla are beautiful- they must have enjoyed the recent searing heat. one of the nicest attributes of these flowers is that they attract hummingbirds.

today's haul

today's haul
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the garden is flourishing even if we do have to share it with our resident woodchucks.

The Gang Partially Assembled

the gang partially assembled
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

the casey clan begins to assemble for tom and rebecca's wedding at their horse farm in new jersey. sarah has yet to arrive after driving up to new jersey herself, in the morning, because she could NOT miss the kenny chesney concert the night before in dc. bob is in the farm house helping out, leslie and matthew are on their way in from nyc and vincent and christina will arrive one minute before vincent has to walk down the aisle, making an entrance in their beautiful blue mercedes convertible. mary and ben will be pleased to have all their sons and families together.

Thoughtful Moment

thoughtful moment
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john takes a moment, before the ceremony begins, to compose a toast for tom and rebecca.

solemnity

solemnity
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

our big kids watch with solemn interest. who will be next?

getting ready for the cold weather

getting ready
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

john helps the boys to assemble their various layers. it is ninety seven degrees in the shade and the rental tuxes have polyester shirts. enough said

Rebecca

rebecca
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

rebecca is a truly beautiful bride.

A Rare Sighting

leslie, vincent, christina and john. once every ten years we are lucky enough to see vince and christina. it is always fun to catch up with them. and it has been too long since we have seen leslie too. so much to talk about at these family gatherings.

A Job Well Done

their job is done, rings are delivered and i can heave a sigh of relief after only having to search on the grass once for a ring that fell off the pillow.

Mushy Stuff

tom whispering "do i have to watch the mushy stuff"

Cousins

tom,elizabeth and mike were adorable as ring bearers and flower girl.

Chris and Bob

the happy parents of the bride. though i imagine this is a bittersweet moment. sweet to know they have found a soulmate with whom they will share their life and yet somewhat sad to realize that they are moving on from the family you have created to create one of their own.

Wow, Who Are Those Big Kids?

matthew, will, bob, madeline and sarah.
when i see pictures like this, i have to accept the fact that my kids are well on their way to adulthood.

The Recessive Dancing Gene

finally taking a break. the things you don't know about your own children. who knew mike and tom were such wild men out on the dance floor? and just where did mike learn how to brakedance?
fantastic 11 piece band from the city had us dancing into the wee hours of the morning.

Now I Recognize Them

the real mike and tom resurface. got to love them.

bathing beauties

bathing beauties
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

steffi, amy, audrey and madeline spent every waking hour in the water. even the jellyfish did not deter them.
it may be hard to believe, but these 4 teenage girls were a pleasure to have on vacation with us- and any one with teenage daughters will appreciate what a monumental statement that is.

riding the waves

riding the waves
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

mike seems to have conquered his fear of sharks. he rode the waves with the best of them, even venturing out into the deep water with the dolphins.

tom to shore

tom to shore
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

tom must have ridden 1500 waves to shore in our 4 days at the beach. he has always said that he wants to live in hawaii- i am beginning to think he knows what he is talking about.

mike at the beach

mike at the beach
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

looking for clams.
this was the first year that mike and tom spent more time in the water than in the sand.

a walk along the beach

a wallk along the beach
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

revived our spirits and kept our thoughts away from the usual stressors.

minivan to the beach

minivan to the beach
Originally uploaded by funnkds5.

The first trip of the week was to Bethany Beach to spend four utterly relaxing days on the beach, courtesy of our generous neighbor, Sylvia, who, witnessing the insanity of our lives on a daily basis, felt compelled to offer us her beach house for the week! THANK YOU SYLVIA! Eight of us piled into the minivan (Madeline had to bring 3 friends, since teenage girls only travel in packs) and had a fabulous week of fun in the sun.

Tux shopping with twin 8 year old boys

is an exercise in frustration.

yesterday, we had to go pick up the tuxedos for the boys for saturday's wedding. i, in some delusional state, allotted ten minutes for this errand.
we arrived at the store and the boys were immediately drawn to the sensor that rings every time someone enters the store, drawn to it like moths to a light, and completely incapable of leaving it alone until they had figured out EVERY possible angle to its functioning. did it ring when you leapt over it? at all angles? all heights? how many times in a row woulld it ring? how close together could the rings sound? etc etc. and all this while we discovered that they had mismeasured each boy and the jacket sleeves ended at their elbows but the 100% polyester shirts were large enough to make up for that, as those hung down 3 inches below their hands.
it took about 30 minutes to call the company and have the correct (we hope) sizes ordered to be picked up in new jersey today, as we are on our way to the horse farm for the wedding.
and all the while, the ringing fun. not to mention the three mannequins that were knocked over by my little scientists trying to investigate whether their over vigorous leaps could trick the sensor.

Jerry Bowser

Mike + Tom + Time on their Hands = TROUBLE

My little insurgents were quiet for 15 minutes yesterday and created this lovely image of their school superintendent's ( Jerry Weast) face on Bowser's (bad guy from super mario) body.

They made a similar one with George Bush.

I think it is time to move back to Berkeley- my boys semm to personify the Question Authority bumperstickers there.

Give me strength

I am preparing for battle with MCPS- Montgomery County Public Schools.
We are trying to get the twins transferred to a school out of district to accomodate Mike and his academic needs.
It would be easier to wish down the moon.
I think I will permanently affix a bike helmet to my head to protect myself as I will inevitably feel the urge to bang my head against the wall as I speak to the long line of road block administrators that will litter my path.
Let the fun begin.

Ingrid Returns

What dedication! Ingrid has not been our swim coach for five years, yet every year she returns, driving down from New Haven, to cheer on the team. Swimmers and parents savor these visits, for Ingrid will always remain dear to our hearts. And this time, she brings a fiancee. He is an exceptionally lucky guy- Ingrid is a special woman!
The big kids flock around her- Brendan, Brett, Madeline, Sarah, Ingrid, Audrey, Bailey, Natasha and Allyssa.

Goodbye Barb

Today, my friend Barb lost her hard-fought battle with breast cancer.
Barb's soft spoken words and gentle spirit combined with her strength of character to make one amazing woman.
She died peacefully in her sleep,in her home, as she had wanted. I think in her mind, causing as little fuss as possible.
As if things could just go on without her.
But it will never be the same.