Hanging out with friends

This weekend was a lot of fun and relaxation. We went to an AMC campground in the Blue Hills about 30 minutes south of Boston. We have been going there for three years now at this time of year, and as usual it was a relaxing, fun time filled with renewing some friendships with people we see typically this one time per year. This year we tried to catch a fish like two years ago, but once again were stumped. I did manage to feed the fish worms and pita bread from my hands, but my knee was bothering me too much to stand still long enough to get them into my hands. This year we found a very small turtle that no one could identify. I think, after looking on the internet, it was a musk turtle, but Zoë doesn't agree. She remains skeptical and thinks it looks more like a bog turtle. I thought the turtle was stinky and had similar features to the musk type, but she is a lot better at identifying animals than I am typically. Gus and Sam pretended that their lights were light sabers of course, but that game lasted all day except for a short break to play duck, duck, goose. Gus kept rolling down a hill with his chair, which was actually pretty entertaining. He also was the only kid to dare to get into the lake. He talked me into getting in so I got all ready, we both went down and tried to catch a fish. Eventually the day got warm enough in the sun to cool off in the water, so I got in, but no one else was dressed for it so I swam alone. The campfire finally got going well enough for some songs and smore's the second night, and the kids fell asleep before 8:30! I wonder if we should start doing a lights out type thing at home to get them in bed earlier. Every year we say we are going to go back in a month or two, but we never do. I hope this year we do go back when the leaves are falling. It is a beautiful place and so close, we really should take advantage.

Finally an outlet for this crazy kid

With light-saber in hand Sam went to his first day of preschool. We are absolutely thrilled to have him in school. He really needed something to do to keep his mind off of video games and computer programing. Today he learned about the letter A, read some books, played, and I don't really know what else. But he seemed to be very proud that he went to school like Gus and Zoë. He was really sad when he didn't get to leave at the exact same time as them in the morning. His friend said "Sam this is going to be so fun." as they walked up the steps to school. It was very cute. I took some pictures and added them to the album with the other kids first day, enjoy.

Back to school (i.e. bk2skl or <-2^ )

Pictures here.

School started this week! My personal emotions are as mixed as our families. This was the first summer in a long time that we didn't go on a family vacation or move away for the summer. So having school start seems wrong since we never left. On the other hand we all feel much more mature because we feel like we have finally settled into our home and community, etc... so much that we don't have to leave to enjoy ourselves or whatever.... I don't know if that makes sense to any of you, but that comes straight from my feelings on this cloudy, hot, rainy day in the beginning of September. The transition went well for the kids and Julie seemed genuinely happy to not have them in the house for a few hours. You wouldn't believe how much de-junking she did in just these first two days of school! Soccer season also started today, we fixed up the bikes and we will be selling a few things on craigslist this week. Oh and last weekend I got to hike the Presidentail Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was one of the best hikes I have ever been on. Read more about it here.

Another day at the Hospital

I think have been posting more than usual and I don't know if that is a good sign or a bad one. Whatever the sign is Julie is currently getting her sphincter of oddi procedure done again and lets hope that this time the pain stays away for good.  I am working on my thesis, and trying not to let the uncomfortable seat bother me. She sure takes pain like a champ.  Walking around with her recently dissected foot, and now her innards are being worked on again!  All that and she made dinner last night and keeps the kids up to date with all of their reading, writing, math, and play time!  What an amazing woman, she even took the kids to a spray park yesterday and arranged for them to have some pool time with some amazing friends today!  Way to go Julie you rock!  BTW, your cheerful attitude really lifts me up, thanks.

Rotten fruit

This weekend started off awesome. I like this photo of a rotten watermelon. We have been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables this summer. I don't know if any of us feel a difference in health, but at least the food tastes good. I have noticed I drink less water! It thought it would be expensive, but in my analysis it is only marginally different. The increased use of fruits and vegetables offsets things like breads, meats, and high calorie treats. Which often cost considerably more than good fruits and vegetables. We really like berries so we have even started to buy them whether or not they are on sale and consider them a staple. We have lost a few pounds, but more than likely that is from the decrease in calories not the increase in healthiness... enough rambling. I just can't wait for google to come up with a way to add smells to the host of other web applications so you can smell this rotten watermelon.



















I also added the photo album from Zac and Jana's visit and Gus' birthday. We went on a picnic on Saturday, but I overexposed most of the images, although this one of Zoë turned out ok. And on Sunday we took some photos of Julie and I to fill out the last frame in our latest series of photos of our family. Here is the final product. I couldn't decide between these two, Julie has an opinion, but perhaps someone else has one too? If you post a comment we will send you a gift! Seriously, you may choose to give it to good will, but there is a gift involved none the less!

Finally, my favorite photo of this week comes from Jake, who seems to have taken this photo in a sort of unintentional way.

Potty time

Sam is finally getting potty trained.  Those of you who know us... as if our readership is larger than those who know us... thanks for reading all two of you.  For those of you who haven't been here I have posted three times in a week!  Wow that might be more than all of the posts combined... Oh yea, Sam.  Sam is our little terror.  He doesn't cry as much as Gus did, but he is much more rambunctious and he definitely makes the rest of the kids scream at least as much as Gus did before he was born.  He is an athlete, loud, persistent, smart, and able to run more computer games, online games, Wii games, etc than his big brother and sister.  I say smart because he can already read some words and he likes to spell.  I say video gamer because from the moment he wakes to the moment he is asleep is constantly trying to turn on the television, Wii, Nintendo DS, and Computer.  His ideal situation is to have a desk with all four of these things simultaneously running so that he is constantly entertained and learning.  Although he loves to jump around so he probably wouldn't want a chair.  Yesterday he was on the computer and he was learning to spell certain words.  He could finish the words before the computer and he would laugh at how smart he was.  He also takes pride in pointing out when something is funny.  "That's funny Daddy?"  he will say.  Especially if he flings ketchup or something on a person, "That's funny Daddy?"  I will say no and then he says "Yes it is."  He knows just when to say yes, and he is even better at knowing when to say no.  Some people from the church we attend came over the other night to give us a message about reserving Monday nights for family night.  We already keep this tradition as much as we have energy for, but when they were done they told the kids "We know, that your parents know, that this principle is true."  He looked at them with his head cocked to the side  and said with the longest syllables he could  hold onto, "That's not right."  It was pretty funny for those of you who know what a visit like that can be like.  I applaud their efforts, and the visit was great, but I am proud of Sam for recognized how weird it is to put words into peoples mouths.  I do know how true the principle is they were presenting but our kids moments of brilliance trump well intentioned messages!  

As you know Julie has recently had surgery on her foot which keeps her off of her feet.  This past week Julie's sweet mom returned to Utah and  we found ourselves once again on our own.  I tried to hold down the fort but was a bit overwhelmed.  Julie's mom had the best intentions of helping Sam become potty trained, but since she waited until the day before she left to get started I was grumpily compliant and sure that we were headed for disaster and diapers in less than 24 hours.  I am happy to say that Sam had one accident while Julie's mom was here and hasn't had one since.  Insert the sound of knuckles knocking on wood.  I guess we shouldn't expect anything less from a child who can already do a hand stand and a triple back flip.  I mean anyone with that kind of muscle control should be able to control their bladder and bowel movements.  Nevertheless, the Lord has blessed us with what Julie and her mother keep referring to as a "tender mercy" from the Lord.  In which, God gives us a gift we are in desperate need of and that makes this life a bit more bearable!  Whatever it is I am sleeping more soundly tonight and less grumpy than I thought I would be.  Here is a pretty cute video of him getting ready to go.  BTW, he actually goes by himself regularly already, it has only been 4 days!  Amazing, simply amazing.  I shouldn't brag, but it makes me so happy.

Sawyer Pond backpacking trip

Gus and I went to the White mountains in a place called Sawyer Pond, NH. There is a little lake there and a two beautiful tree covered peaks. The campsites are very nice and yet still rustic enough for Gus and I to feel like we were backpacking. I highly recommend this site for anyone with small kids or people going on their first backpacking trip. It is only a 5 mile drive up a well graveled road from the main highway, and then a 1.5 mile hike to the campsite. There are trees and streams all along the way as well as over 265 mushrooms (we counted)! The trees cover the path above, and on both sides making it even more spectacular when you get to Sawyer Pond. There are two toilets, which makes it easier to “rough it”. There are 7 tent sites all are the typical New England type sites made 4 inch slats of wood nailed together about 6 inches off of the ground to keep your tent dry in case of a deluge. The lake is magnificent, clear, pristine, and warm enough to swim in. The fish weren’t biting but I heard of many people that have caught fish there. They are mainly brook trout, which would make for a fun fishing trip if conditions were right. Some people do take canoes up there but we didn’t see any. On our first night we fished and saw a moose cross the lake! I tried to take a photo but it was too dark and far away. I was a little nervous sleeping over since there were bear warning signs everywhere, but once I relaxed and started to fall asleep I felt fine. Gus on the other hand was in his element. He was a little nervous to stray from camp in the dark to put up our food in a tree (bear precaution), but other than that he seemed braver than myself. In fact, when I mentioned bears he said “Bears don’t scare me, it’s the snakes I am worried about.” I tried to not let him see me laugh. He has been watching Indiana Jones a lot lately! We slept pretty well until about midnight when the moon came over the mountains in nearly full fashion and very bright, at which time the Loons decided to start howling! I thought they were wolves at first, but then quickly realized that the repetitions were too birdlike to be wolves... not to mention that there probably haven’t been wolves in NH for about 100 years.

We obviously survived the night and enjoyed fishing, wandering, swimming, exploring, collecting firewood, newt and frog catching, more fishing, and more swimming. We ate dinner much earlier that night and tried to watch the sun fade from the tops of the mountains nearby before going to bed. We left early the next morning to see if we could catch some fish somewhere else. We eventually ended up at a fish hatchery where you could catch a fish and take it home to be cooked for about 2$ a pound. We happily fished. Gus caught his first fish and I enjoyed watching him reel it in. I wish I would have remembered that the camera takes video, but at least I got a picture. We gutted the fish, headed home, got some ice, and cooked the fish when we got home. It didn’t taste too good to either of us. I told Gus that only a handful of times have I enjoyed eating fish, and usually it was at a campsite with my dad. I never seem to know how to cook them properly, or somehow they manage to make me feel queasy. We agreed to catch more and go fishing more often but we would throw them back since no one in the house wanted to eat them. The trip was awesome and I took a bunch of photos.

I used this site to get the most information.

Julie's foot

Julie finally had her foot surgery!  We still don't know how it will turn out, but we are hoping that her 6 million dollar foot will allow her to walk normally and jump over moderate sized buildings! A lot of people have been asking how she is doing.  I think overall she is doing well.  She has enjoyed the lying around and the attention from us all.  The pain comes and goes and the medication seems to help, evenings and mornings seem toughest.  Her best rest yet came this afternoon when all of us went to church and in her words "stopped opening her door every 5 minutes".  I often hear the phrase "all is well that ends well", we are planing on a happy ending!

John Alden

The marriage and courtship of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins was memorialized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in the poem "The courtship of Miles Standish".  Apparently, my kids are decendents of the acclaimed "Americas First Couple".  The poem is named for Miles Standish who among other things was in love with Priscilla and tried to marry her.  He was also famous for a bunch of other stuff like being an american patriot and fighting with Native People to gain land for early American settlers.  We went to the John Alden house this weekend and were barely able to get a tour thanks to Lei Momi for talking the people closing the building in to let us in for just a few minutes.  You can take the same tour as we did, but you won't be able to smell all of the rotting wood here.  We then went on to the Miles Standish monument, which was very impressive.  And I took this short video.  Enjoy, especially the two people who have been begging for an update!

Photo of some feet.

There has been a lot of talk about feet around here. Julie has some foot surgery coming up and she just got some new insoles. And then this morning I read on Minna's blog that the photo assignment this week was feet, so I dusted off my camera and made the kids sit on the porch and Julie hike up her skirt. The photos are a little on the raw side and I am rusty at this sort of thing but you get what you get. So click here and take a look.

Sam's birthday was a lot of fun. Check out the pictures here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/truscott/. The best part was the slide that takes up our entire living room. The only thing that would make it better is if the slide was rated for people four times heavier than it is, then we could all ride it. A set of monkey bars would be nice too. I think we are going to get Gus a trampoline and Zoe a pair of those sumo suits. That way we can eliminate all of our floorspace, and our kids will never have to go outside.

Sam's birthday

Another year has gone by since Sam was born, and I think his birthday party was a raging success. We all went to our friends house to celebrate with Elle, whose birthday is nearly the same day. It was funny to hear the two fight a bit about whose birthday party it was, but in the end I think they agreed to disagree. The cake was great and so was the company. We talked about children and freedom! The girls made fun of us and our discussion about the safety of our country vs. the right to privacy. We played games like ring around the rosies and pin the crown on the princess. Sam didn't mind, he likes to spin around and say "I am a princess." Gus used to say things like that and dress up in a tutu, but now he his mad that we took pictures of that. I will have to remember to pull those pictures out at his high school graduation or wedding! It was a lot of fun.

We also had our cousins in town for four days! We had a blast. There were 10 kids and 4 adults in our house for four days and although it was crowded everyone had a great time. Zoë tried to leave with them, but she decided to stay behind until we can go visit them in a couple of weeks. We all went to the New England Aquarium on Saturday, which was actually a lot of fun. The kids really liked all of the fish and we only lost two of them for less than 30 seconds! It was kind of crowded, which made it a bit more exhausting, but I don't think the kids mind that kind of thing much. We then had a night out on the town with the adults. We got out of the house late enough that we just had desert. Just so you know what a typically double date with thirty something parents is like these days, we started by driving to Target and getting some items for the cousins trip home. We then went to Harvard Square and spent 15 minutes looking for parking. We got a desert at Finales, walked to the tea shop, then to the hot chocolate shop, and enjoyed our sipping delights and goodies in the car because it was too crowded in the stores. Then we stopped at Ellen's house and went home! What an exciting evening. It was fun, I haven't laughed so much in a long time. We were all joking, making fun of others, and remembering old times just like we always do.

Please take a look at the pictures here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/truscott/

Happy Birthday Zoë

I know I don't usually post twice in one day, but I had to wish Zoë a happy birthday, and post the first picture in a long while. Here she is eating some cake. She had a lot of fun, her friends came over for a short party, and we all went out for dinner. Plus, she got some really cool gifts! A few days ago she made a list of things she wanted to do for a perfect 9th birthday, I think they all came true but one.

A sphincter says what?

I hope some (1 out of 2) of you remember this Wayne's World reference. We have witnessed a miracle. Julie has been pain free for over 36 hours now, and she has only had two square meals! It seems so unreal. We are all so used to her running from a room to the kitchen to get a big drink and pinching her side, and now she just sits around without any pain. We are all so excited and thankful. Anyway, this whole miracle was made possible by cutting the muscle that controls the Sphincter of Oddi, which the doctors believe was spasming when she was in pain. Thus, the "spincter says what," reference.

Procedure

Julie is having a 'procedure', which should alleviate her ghost gallbladder pains tomorrow. This is exciting news because if it is successful she will no longer have a constant side ache! I call it a ghost pain because she doesn't have a gallbladder. She was born with one but she had it removed about 9 years ago. Since the removal there has been a daily side ache, which often feels like childbirth she says! So for the past nine years she has had these pains sometimes 10 times in a day, and usually a couple of times a night. The doctor said there are only a few things that are painful enough to wake someone up at night, and this is one of them. Even ibs (irritable bowel syndrome) isn't painful enough to wake people up! Wow, she has some amazing pain tolerance. So tomorrow she has a special endoscopy, to explore and open her bile duct, ewe. Please send your prayers and positive thoughts in her direction tomorrow. Let's hope this is all it takes!

Guitar Hero

All Julie ever does is play Guitar Hero.