Lucky Boy

This needs to be blogged!

See that little blondie above? Well, he's a damn Lucky Duck. 

Last month, he hit the jackpot big on the lotto scratch-off tickets-- $40! After that, he won $2. Yesterday, the kid won another $4! Needless to say, when he asks to buy one, I jump at the chance... and now both boys (yes, Oliver generously shared his winnings with his brother) have cash for the ice cream man.

UPDATE: They won $4 on 7/2!!!!! So now we are up to $50!

Trenton and his buddies at our MOMS Club summer picnic. Making crafty snakes ;)

 And look! My boysenberries are starting to ripen! Last year I bought two stalks worth of 'em, but there were no berries. This year, we added two more... and the two old ones sprouted fruit! Somehow, the birds/ants have not discovered them! I ate one, T ate one, and Oliver (when noone was looking) at the rest.

Knoebel's, 2013

 

 So THIS is how we started off our trip... A HUGE rock smacked into our windshield as we were driving on the PA Turnpike. (Safelight came and repaired it, entirely, today). That Etch-A-Sketch drawing was done by the incredible Trenton in the back seat of the car. No DVD players in this truck, baby!

 You just HAVE to have ice cream every day at this place. And fried food. And lots of other food. IT IS THAT GOOD. (Could have done without the Mac & Cheese Bites... but Ollie was insistent!)

 

We were told that this was the first heat-wave that they had up there this season. It is always that way when we go in June! This year, we stayed in an Eagle's Roost cabin. As we waited for the AC to begin working (niiice), Mom and T took turns putting their heads in the freezer. The cabin had two bunk beds, a loft (you see the boys looking through the back of it there), a separate bedroom, and a kitchen and full bathroom.

 Lenny was able to join us for the weekend. Together, we went on the Phoenix (loved it), the Twister (got a bit queasy afterwards), and the bumper cars (always awesome).

 

 

HAVE to try a pickle on a stick. At least it is a vegetable...

 

With the boys' new clubhouse almost ready to go, we decided to have a sign made for it! This gentleman wrote out "Trenton and Ollie's Clubhouse", as well as a smaller sign that says "Open" on one side and "Closed" on the other (Trenton insisted on this... especially after I nixed his first sign idea-- "Epic Ninja Brothers Clubhouse").

 

 

The library has a project this summer called Gnome Away From Home... the boys colored and cut out these gnomes and I've taken this picture so that they can bring it in and have it be part of the 'vacation bulletin board'.

 

Now THIS was  rather exciting-- Jim and Mom went on the Stratos Fear ride... where you go straight up, and then straight down quickly. What a rush!

 

Trenton was none too pleased about the log flume. He agreed to go on it, because he wanted to get wet... but then got really anxious about the final drop. He was crying, which made us all sad. He closed his eyes on the way down. But by the time it was all over, Daddy had him laughing again and he realized that it wasn't so bad after all. (Although he says he will NOT do it again next year.)

  On Monday, we got wristbands for the kids. A few very strong thunderstorms threatened to reduce our time on the rides, but after about an hour, everything was up and running. Including the Giant Slide.

 

And it wouldn't be a trip to Knoebel's without a ride on the train...

 

Another awesome vacation! Thanks, Lacinas!

Summertime Evening Bliss

 So here's our usual summertime evening routine:
- Awake Ollie from nap
- Suncreen it up, baby, and pack up ye old truck
- Drive to Avon. Beach it. Dig in sand. Splash water. Make new friends.
- Eat dinner on beach (this week it was cucumber sandwiches, which the boys LOVED) or get Surf Taco
- Strollos for dessert

 New treat: an art gallery opened up a few months ago, right next to Strollos.
After giving the boys a lecture about how they could not touch a THING in the place, the very, very nice owner came out and pretty much told them to handle/sit on/come very close to just about everything. (Well, all of his pieces, at least).
The boys loved it, and can't wait to bring Daddy back to show him around.

Final group shot: Zumba Girls Night Out. Summer nights are great for dinner and drinks at the patio bar.

Swan Lake

 Jim has been taking violin lessons at Monmouth for about a year. His teacher, Mike Gillette, also currently plays second violin in the American Ballet Theatre's orchestra. For instance, he is now playing at the Metropolitan Opera with the American Ballet Theatre. Jim got tickets for us to attend the second night's performance in Lincoln Center, and we met up with Mike for dinner at Dan's Japanese Restaurant. (I had PLUM wine and it was awesome.) Afterwards, Mike asked if we'd like to take a backstage/orchestra tour before the performance began. Um, YES PLEASE!

The actual tiaras that were to be worn by the dancers... each marked with a name and bejeweled with crystals. The feathers were simply beautiful.

 

Above, you can see one of the screens created as a backdrop for the show. There were about four or five dividers, each with a different effect, that were used during the show. The Met is HUGE, with many stories below and many stories above the stage. They even have a cafeteria! Mike showed us around all of it!

 

  

This is where the man does his work... on his "fiddle". Such thought goes into where each player is seated, how the conductor can be viewed, what is added to the score... Mike's played Swan Lake before but says he loves doing it each time. He's been working with the American Ballet Theatre Orchestra group for over 30 years!

 And then, it was showtime! After we took this picture, we were reminded not to take pictures... oops ;)

 The performance was incredible. The costumes were gorgeous and colorful, the dancers were exquisite and graceful, and the music was very, very special, knowing that we had a friend down there making it all happen.

 

 The curtain was down during intermission and I snuck a shot. The other three are from the curtain call. There were at least three curtain calls for the lead ballerina and danseur. In the final picture below you can see the conductor.
(I only took these pictures because EVERYONE else was taking pictures.)

 And THERE is the Met! With the ballet-goers leaving!

These two people had a great time in the city and at the ballet!