3rd annual smoke off

Yeehaw!!! We had seven (7) smokers going at the third annual smoke off this past Saturday at our house! The amount of smoke that was produced cannot be quantified appropriately, but holy cow, my garage still smells of pork, pork, more pork and chicken. Things were fired up around 8:30 with a couple smokers, then by 11, all smokers were going full throttle. We started off tame with coffee all around, got into the keg around 11:30. The total weight of meat was not ascertained, but I am pretty sure that it was a number greater than the weight of my oldest child!! By around 1:30, families and kids were arriving, side dishes were brought out, water balloons and other toys were being used as weapons against adults, dogs were chasing each other and tail wagging, and general mayhem ensued - it was fantastic! The weather was quite spotty, starting off overcast and dreary, turning to some rain midday, but then clearing up and sunny by the late afternoon. With a total of over 50 people and 2 dogs, we couldn't have predicted a better time. Thanks to all of our friends who helped out and to everyone who came and ate!!!

Early in the morning.....getting the smokers going

Smoke, smoke, smoke

Two smokers face off in some smack talk!!

Dave reloads his fire box

Bradburn - talk about smack talk!!

Ben helps Doug wrap up his ribs for some final hours on the smoker

Rain, kids, dogs, cornhole

The immense spread of side dishes

With the rain, the party went into the garage, which actually worked out quite well

Neil and Potter - BFFs

The pork table (with a little chicken there too!) Talk about heart attack waiting to happen....

The sun is out, lots of eating and talking

Bradburn claims his false victory. Although all of his ribs got eaten.

Sunny afternoon, kids abound

Greg thought it would be a good idea to pick Crash up. I got the caboose end for my picture.

Kindergarten goes to the zoo

Molly's class went to the zoo on Friday. Although we saw lots of cool animals, it was hard for me to get good pictures. I always had two children holding my hands and sometimes the animals weren't cooperating anyway. It was such a fun day, the weather was amazing (for a change), and all the kids had a good time. So good, in fact, that a couple fell asleep on the bus ride home!

Molly and Dillon (who lives a couple streets over) holding hands. It was too cute not to shoot a picture of this.

Ferrell foxes, the only other animal I got a good picture of. Weird looking animals.

Visit to Mackworth Island

We spent Memorial weekend up in Maine with the Trippes. The kids, Laura and I made a trip to Mackworth Island, known for its school for the deaf and also for its fairy houses. This is an island accessible by a short causeway and with very limited parking. It was a rather overcast day when we went, not any trouble with finding a spot. The island has a walking/jogging/running trail around its perimeter (1.4 miles, we asked the guy at the information station) and several access points to the beach. The kids were most excited about seeing the fairy houses (and building their own), and it took about halfway around the island to get there. What we saw was more than we ever expected and I am sorry that I couldn't get a good shot of all the houses that were there; the topography would not have done the picture any justice at all. Suffice to say that there were already hundreds of houses, some of which I took pictures of, and by the end of the summer, Laura said that there would be no more walking space at all to even make another. I am so glad that we did this afternoon adventure, the kids totally loved it!!! (P.S. I know I do not have a picture of Potter's fairy house. It was getting late, the mosquitos were killer, and I didn't have it in me to tromp to the back of the forest to take a picture of his. Bad parenting award.)

Laura and Potter start the walk around Mackworth

Molly and Caleb checking out the beach from one of the walkway points

Big rock? I must climb it!!!

Bigger rocks? Bigger kid?? Must climb these too.

Molly is standing in one of the fairy houses that ended up being a huge teepee

Fairy house someone built onto the side of a tree

Huge fairy house with a gazillion shells

Caleb was SOOOOO proud of his fairy house!!!

Actual sign they put up near the fairy house forest

Alex's fairy house on a huge felled tree

Molly's fairy house

I just *love* that fairy houses are real to so many people!!

Potter at the Invention Convention

Potter participated in the DaVinci Invention Convention again this spring. Any student can enter an original invention and then hope to be selected for the Convention; this year it was held at Binghamton High School. Potter invented a new way to get snow off of your driveway without shoveling (after this winter we had, I am hoping he will really implement this for us, we'll see) and it is also very 'green', using recycled water from previously melted snow. He won an award for 'Best Prototype' and got an enormous bag of prizes along with his certificate. Proud of my boy!!!!

At home, before the Convention

Potter with his invention

At his spot in the gymnasium

Giving the judge an explanation of how it works

In the auditorium, waiting for awards

Potter takes the stage, takes his prizes!!

The group of all the winners this year, Potter is top left

Caleb's TBall season

This is Caleb's first year playing tball and boy does that kid have an arm on him!! He can throw a good long way, with pretty good aim! He has been hitting without the tee most of the time and getting the ball into the outfield more times than not. We have had such a rainy spring that several of his games have gotten cancelled, but the ones that we have attended he has totally loved playing. Potter has gone to all of his games with me (sadly, Molly has gymnastics on the same night at the same time, so she doesn't get to see him) and has helped out the kids trying to find the bases and what direction to run around the bases. Fun for him too!! With some more direction and practice at home, I could see Caleb being the child that wants to do baseball when he gets a few years older.

Practice and warm ups before the first game

Huddle with the team, planning strategy!!

Sitting with his team, the Grizzly Bears, waiting for a turn at bat

First time at bat - what a stance!!

Ball is a little closer.....and he hit that sucker!!!

Made it all the way to third base, he looks like a pro!

Running home!!

Congratulating the other team on a game well played