Water Wizz!!

For years when I was growing up my brother and I begged our parents to take us to WaterWizz. Every day we would plead, until one day they would acquiesce and take us to the Wareham water slides. Well, this year I am the mom! And I said today was WATER WIZZ!

The day started out terribly. We put Hank in his one peice bathing suit/life vest, lotioned him up and promised swimming. He was psyched! We drove to the park only to be turned away because it was FULL!!! We left and pulled into the CVS to grab some vitamins for me. As Cat retuned to the car it started shaking...and died. We were out of gas. And it was 93 out. Awesome. Cat had to walk to Home Depot, get a gas canister, walk to the gas station and come back to pour it in. Then, we had to gas it like crazy to get over the slight incline and make it to the gas station. All the while, poor Hank was asking for "water?" and pointing to his suit.

As we pulled out of CVS I told Cat to swing by one more time...low and behold they were letting people in now!! We got a spot right at the gate and we were off!

This place has certainly changed since I was a kid! It had two large kiddie areas, and we only stayed in a part of the park. It was a lot bigger, but not cheap! It cost $60 for the day, but if we go after 4 PM the price is reduced. Next time, we may try that. Hank loved it, so it was a hit!

We only have a few pics because I needed to put the camera down and play too.

Hank loved the water!! The kiddie area was only 18-24 inches and it was perfect.

It took him a bit to warm up, but he loved splashing and sitting!

His favorite part was the slide! "Slide! Slide" he kept yelling! He loved this one, and a bigger one in the other kiddie area. I always caught him after he splashed, but he would go head under each time and come up yelling "slide!"

He was off and running!

Even Catherine liked getting rid of the "not-so-fresh-feeling" LOL. Just kidding!! We both loved the splashes and water falls that cooled off the adults!

All in all, Water Wizz was a success and I wouldn't object to another trip...after 4!

A day at the beach...again!

What a lovely weekend! Carla and Katie joined us for a relaxing Saturday and a trip to Provincetown on Sunday. It was pretty warm out all weekend, but on Sunday we packed up Hank, Truman and ourselves and headed to the tip of the cape!

Here is a picture of Hank and Cat with some of PTown's welcoming committee.

Today we went to Scusset Beach in Sandwich. I remember when I used to go here as a kid, but I hadn't been back for AGES. The water is freezing, and it used to give me cramps right up the backs of my legs. This time it was more tolerable, but just barely!

Hank liked splashing in the tide pools.

He stomped in them like he was king of the beach.

He dug in the sand with Mama.

I think Mama was having the most fun :).

If our eyes weren't on him he was off for the excitement of the beach!

He loved to sample the salty vintage of the sea.

Digging in the sand was a hit.

We went into the ocean for dips and throws in the air. It was also a big hit.

Hank and Mom enjoyed the view of the ocean.

And its always a perfect time for a cuddle.

Mama eased Hank into the chilly water!

He loved making fun of her cries and squeals!

I actually ended up jumping totally under. Though it was quite chilly, it was the most refreshing thing I have ever done!

Hank crashed asleep as soon as he was put to bed, and he napped like a champ!

We are already planning on our return to Boston, and I will miss beach days like this one.

Cooking by the sea...

It has been a nice few days around here. We spent some time with Carla and Katie, which is always great. I began doing some work, but I know I have a LOT left to do. I can't believe how fast the summer is going! Sadly, I have been in pretty bad pain due to bursitis, and I have had to miss two summer events that I was looking forward to: a Day in the Park and a good friend's baby shower. Hopefully this will get better soon and my extra sexy walk will improve.

A few weeks ago we had the funeral for my grandmother. In getting things ready, my aunt found some family photos that we hadn't seen in ages. Here are a few:

This is my dad swimming off of the side of his boat. It is such a familiar look to me, and I love having it here. My brother is prostrated on the float, and my cousin is next to it.

This is my grandmother, my mom (left), aunt (right) and the cousins at the time. My brother is in green and my cousin is on my aunt's lap. I, of course, am the charming girl to the left.

This was my boxer, Argus. He was the best dog ever, and he was my obedience show dog. We competed for years and I will never have a dog like him. He was amazing.

In other news, Hank has discovered the word MINE and he likes to apply it to everything: his things, my things, and Truman's things.
We have been helping him learn to eat with a spoon.

I have also been cooking a lot. I learned about a gourmet shop right near us, and I am in LOVE! Sid Wainer's is a restaurant supplier, and they have a retail location in New Bedford. This was my dinner...
Berries, fresh figs, a selection if cheeses, proscuitto and blackberry honey and a balsamic glaze. The Balsamic was served with the berries. AMAZING.
I also bought zucchini blossoms there. I took them home, prepared them, and fried them. They were one of my mom's earliest childhood taste/memories, and last year I tracked them down and made them. I was happy to repeat it again this weekend!

When Carla and Katie were here, I also made Mahogany wings with molasses and honey. MMM.

A salad of heirloom cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and prosciutto complemented the meal. Swordfish was the main course, excellently cooked by Catherine.

We are up for a few days this week, and looking forward to a nice weekend back on the beach!

Playing in the yard...

Playing with the pup and the boy! Bursitis relegates me to the role of photographer. :) Hank LOVES his new soccer ball from our friend Tim, who taught Hank how to play soccer. Hank loves to grab it and yell "mine, mine!" especially if there is any risk that Truman might think it is his!

Hank running with Mama.

Truman gets "the crazies."

Hank adores him. And the soccer ball.

Kisses!

Hank, a ball, and a blur.

Blur, the return.

Hank running for his ball and his puppy.

Truman is ready to head in, but Hank is ready for more!

Tomorrow: A fun day in the sun with Carla, Katie and Susie!

Making Truman Welcome...

Well, Truman has been making himself known to our friends and family!

Hank is totally in love! We are working on housebreaking (which is going very well) and nipping (also getting better.) Truman is such a cute little guy though.

Hank loves to get up in the morning to see Truman.

They play and cuddle during Hank's morning bottle.

We have nick named Truman "Google" for his googly eyes

Hank is also learning that Truman has toys, and Hank as toys, and they are not the same!

Googly eyes at play!

Truman also got to meet our friends' dog, Cody. Carla and Katie invited us over with our new googly eyed friend, and their dogs were lovely to him. Cassie, a cocker spaniel, loved chasing him and Cody, a lab, let him sniff and play around him...even laying aptiently while Truman climbed on top of him and over him.

We are so happy to hear that Charlotte is staying with her foster family! They are in love with her and Charlie is doing so well. We are so happy for her and for Truman!

The Truman Show...

So, we have a new member of our family. His name is Truman...and he is a Shih Tzu. He is adorable!!!

After a lot of research we decided that we were really looking for a Shih Tzu. They are really good with kids and dogs, they don't shed, and they are companion dogs. We decided to look slowly, and I put out a few feelers to some breeders...low and behold we heard from one that they knew a woman who had bought a pup but couldn't keep him. (she has 5 kids, including a 3 week old!) We met them yesterday, and it looked good, but we came back today to take him for a vet check. The vet report was excellent. He not only was in excellent health, but his personality was a real winner too! We decided to take him! We took him to get groomed, where his sweet personality was again praised. We drove to Boston to introduce him to the family, and we are home now for our first night together. Here are some pics of our new guy, named after Truman Capote (a small, slightly silly, slightly full of himself, but utterly charming man.)

Truman loves his new toys.

We got him shaved, and he looks cute but so much tinier!

He is so adorable!

Look at that face!!

I am sure there will be a lot more of the Truman show on the blog!

Games!

Today was rainy and thunder storming, but we barely noticed! Jason and Bryan came over and we wiied the day away!

I can't wait until Cat picks up our Wii Sports resort. What a cool package of games!

Later on we played a card game called Coloretto. As I said to Jason, it had just enough of a "screw your friends" element in it. It was a lot of fun!

After burgers, crab dip, smores and more, I am ready for bed!

A few videos...

OK, OK! I know I posted already, but these videos from the 99 were to cute!

In the first, Hank says "I love you" and crosses his hands over his chest, which is our sign for "I Love you." Its the first time he said it back to us (besides signing!)

Next, Hank does his best fake laugh and his best fake cry. Such a ham!!

A day at the beach

It was a GORGEOUS beach day!! Carla, Cat, Hank and I headed out to enjoy the gorgeous weather and the warm ocean.

Hank enjoyed digging in the sand...and running around!

He was quite the social butterfly.

Hank liked swimming with Carla best! He especially loved the cannon balls! When Mom did them, I splashed him a little too much!

We couldn't keep him away from the water!

I hope we have a few more like this!

A Nice End to a tough week

My grandmother passed away this week, and so we spent most of our week up in Boston. She was 93, and she was very alert and interactive until she passed. We had her funeral on Wednesday and she is buried near my father. Between this and some school meetings, technical issues, etc. it was a long week!

While we were up in town, we spent some time in my aunt's pool. It was neat to see Hank back in the pool that he had really enjoyed last year!

My uncle took these cute pics.

Hank floated, splashed and dunked!

We returned to the cape this morning. In the meantime I have a new computer, and I am happily blogging from my new macbook pro. I love it, but it will take a little getting use to. It is SUPER fast.

When we got to the cape, we were met by our friends Carla and Katie. We went to the Barnstable County Fair! I have an irrational love of fairs! It was a blast. We played a million games! It was great to have a kid to win for! Though Hank did reject one of my prizes (a big stuffed frog, which he slapped) we were able to trade it in and all was well!

Katie, Catherine and Carla gear up for an intense game!

We won Hank a Red Sox ball! Mama and son loved it.

We sat together in a giant chair! I have a picture of myself in this same chair at about 12. I have to go find it now.

After eating hotdogs, candy apples, root beer and more, we headed home with our goodies. After a quick dinner at Marc Antony's of pizza, we went to the beach to fly a kite!

Catherine had a lot of success at first! It was so pretty there.

By the time we left, this was as high as the kite got :)

The beach was clear and gorgeous. The sky was pink and it was a perfect place to be!

Katie helped Hank stay dry!

Hank surveys his domain.

Kites are fun :)

Kites in the air!

Carla and Hank chat and walk.

On the way home, prior to the beach, Hank showed off a bit! (and I played with my new iphone!)

He also got to try a little cotton candy!

It was just a lovely day! I think it will be nice tomorrow and Sunday, and I can't wait to get to the beach some more! It was even more perfect because we had such wonderful friends to share it with!