So Where Are We Eating?

I don't know about your family, but a lot of our vacation seems to be about food!

Everyone in our family has their Vineyard favorites!  We tend to eat at the same places.....Vineyard vacation traditions.

The kids always want to eat a meal at Giordano's Italian Restaurant.  It is definitely a favorite.  We ate there on Friday night and no one walked away disappointed!

Jon and Sarah were taking goofy pictures while we were waiting for our meals:)

.....and a nice pic, too:)

One of our absolute must haves on Martha's Vineyard is ice cream from Ben and Bill's!  They have a ton of flavors of homemade ice cream!  Jay's absolute favorite is their Bailey's ice cream.  It's the only place we have seen it so far and he makes sure to have it several times over our weekend!  (He keeps trying to convince the owner of our local homemade ice cream shop to make Bailey's ice cream, too!  No luck so far but he keeps asking:)

My family is made up of several ice cream addicts!  We visited Ben and Bill's once each day we were there!  Jay got Bailey's every time...Sarah got Cookie Dough every time...Luke got Chocolate every time...and Jon got Mocha Chip every time!  They are creatures of habit...and take after Jay!

I made the mistake of having Kate share Luke's chocolate ice cream the first night and had to go buy stain remover to save her sweatshirt!  After that she shared vanilla with Peter.(one of the few times besides Grandma's chocolate cake that we let him cheat on his gluten/dairy free diet!)

Another fun place we eat is at Larsen's Fish Market in Menemsha.  Larsen's will steam lobsters and clams for people to eat on the beach or on impromptu tables made out of lobster traps.  My parents are professional Larsen patrons and bring their own foldable table.  Not everyone in our family are lobster lovers.  So up the hill from Larsen's is a little shack called The Bite where we pick up french fries and chicken fingers.  

It was a beautiful day on Saturday to eat outside...sunny but breezy so it wasn't too hot.  It's fun having a picnic outside and watching boats come in and out with their load of people or fish!

Peter loved the french fries!

Jon has always loved lobster!  He has expensive taste!

pretty sisters:)

...and we always have to have one breakfast at my Mom's favorite, Linda Jean's!

We always go to the Game Room and The Flying Horses!  Even the older kids go on The Flying Horses....and compete with each other for who can get the most rings at one time!  Jon had a lot of luck this weekend....he got the brass ring two times!!!  Both times he gave the free ride to one of his younger brothers-first Peter and then Luke.  When Luke stayed on for the free ride, Jon stayed on to stand next to him and.....Luke got the brass ring!!!  

Too bad Jon isn't 18 yet!  I would have had him buy a lottery ticket to see if his luck continued:)

I happened to be standing next to Luke's horse right behind Jon when he grabbed the brass ring!  I had my camera out taking pictures of all the kids and I snapped it at just the right time!

Jon looks a little intense and scary the moment after he grabbed the brass ring!

Here is a slightly more subdued, but still super happy, Jon:)

Definitely a fun weekend!  Stay tuned tomorrow for my favorite pic of the weekend!  Happy Thursday!

Happy Birthday, Peter!

Besides being 'hump day' which, because of that new Geico commercial that my sons are addicted to, has become a very annoying shout out all.week.long!  Even when it isn't Wednesday, they just add on a 'yesterday' for as many days away hump day is!  For example, on Saturday I will have to put up with Jon(who is the biggest offender!) will say (in the same accent as the commercial) 'Humpday yesterday, yesterday, yesterday!'  Oy!

But I digress...

Today is special because it is Peter's 12th birthday!  It's hard to believe that it was 12 years ago today that Peter arrived into the world...all 8lbs 11oz!  He was the only baby that we chose to be surprised about the gender.  (Mike and Jon were surprises because they wouldn't cooperate!)

Peter has definitely challenged us the most as parents.  All children are challenging.  Having a special needs child is really challenging almost all.the.time.

Peter has also taught us the most as parents.  Peter has brought out the best, and the worst, in us!

Peter has taught us to look for and cherish each and every little accomplishment.

Peter has broken any perception I may have had about ever being the perfect mom or having the 'perfect' looking family.

Peter has placed us in more embarrassing situations than I care to remember.  (Thankfully, we are able to laugh at most of them now!)

Peter has taught us how to love when it is hard...even when there is not much given in return.

Peter is a simple little guy who is happy watching Southwest airplanes on youtube, playing Angry Birds on his Ipad, and swinging and swimming in the backyard.  Peter's favorite food, by far, is Jay's mom's chocolate cake!(which he will have at the family birthday party for him and Luke on Saturday:)


Peter's favorite places to go are Disney World and Martha's Vineyard!  He talks about both of them all.the.time and loves to look at pictures and videos of the times he has visited!  I posted one of his super happy Vineyard pictures on Monday, but here are a few more from our weekend and Peter's favorite place to visit on the Vineyard....the beach.

Peter doesn't really play with toys.  His favorite things are dinosaur balloons we get from IParty and Buzz Lightyear action figures.  The only problem with the Buzz toys is that he destroys them.  The first thing to go is the arm....just like when Buzz loses his arm trying to fly in the original Toy Story Movie!  Then he throws in high in the air outside.  Hides it in the neighbors yard.  Throws it in the pool.  And any other number of strange, silly things.  But it makes him happy.  Other than 3 dinosaur balloons that he was so intent on getting that he made me write in on the calendar 3 weeks ago...which I actually drove to get yesterday with him because he was obsessing and melting down over them!....Buzz is the only thing he asked for.

So...of course I got him another one to destroy!

My conversation with Peter this morning made me laugh!

Me:  How old are you today, Peter?

Peter:  I'm old!

lol

Happy Birthday, Peter!

p.s.  None of these photos are my absolute favorite photo from our trip!  I promise...it's coming!:)  Today was all about Peter:)

S is for 'Super Dad'

I'm linking up with Crystal for Behind the Scenes.  Looking at a picture, there is often so much more to it than the person, or people, looking back.  Or, like in the picture I'm sharing today, the people looking at their electronic devices!

In this picture, we are on the ferry on the way home from the Vineyard.  Jay is sitting next to Peter with Kate sitting on his lap.  Peter was challenging because he was inconsolable about having to go home.  He had been crying almost non-stop for 3 hours.  Peter doesn't cry a whole lot, so when he does it is pretty pitiful:(

Jay was being super patient with our inconsolable son while we had been packing up, driving to the ferry, walking around waiting for the ferry, in line waiting to board the ferry, and then getting a seat and getting under way.(I can only imagine what the people around us thought seeing someone Peter's size crying that whole time.  Sometimes Peter 'looks' so normal that his special needs aren't completely apparent.  Not that I care what people thought(at least that day!).  Although I did feel bad for the people that sat directly in front of and behind him!)

Soon after we got onto the ferry, Kate looked over at Jay and said, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"  Even though he already had his hands full with Peter, Jay was not going to turn away his baby girl calling his name.  She toddled over to him and sat on his lap.  They snuggled together and Jay let her fiddle with his phone and look at pictures of herself.  The last 10 minutes of the ride, Peter shared his Ipad with Kate.

Not once did Jay look frustrated, or raise his voice, or snap at either of them.  He was 'Super Dad' on that ferry ride home...as he is just about every day!  (Even though there are lots of days he doesn't feel like it!)

Jay works so hard trying to provide for us...seeing patients for usually two, and sometimes even three, companies each day!  Most of the time we seem to only be treading water because, like most people, "extra" money seems to come in just when an unexpected expense arrives!  While getting ahead is always his aim, staying afloat is generally his reality!

After working 10+ hour days, he comes home to greet a house of needy people clamoring for his attention:  Teenagers wanting to talk sports, practice driving, play basketball, or needing a ride to some sporting event....Pre-teens wanting his love and attention....Luke wanting him to play trucks, or dinosaurs, or in the sandbox, or with Legos...and Kate wanting to do whatever Luke and Daddy do!  (Not to mention a wife who needs a little time and attention, too...and a hand with baths and supper clean up!)

Jay is a man that gives and gives and gives....and all of my children are blessed to have him as a dad...and I am blessed to have him as my husband and best friend.....

Even though this picture seems pretty unimpressive, it really tells a much deeper and special story!

P.S.  In case you read my post yesterday, this is not my absolute favorite picture from our trip to the Vineyard either!  I promise I will be sharing that one with you later in the week!

A Fun-Filled Weekend!

We had a fun-filled weekend on Martha's Vineyard with almost all of our kids.  (Unfortunately, Andrew had to work and didn't ask in advance for the time off so he stayed back with Jay's parents and sister for the weekend:(

I did manage to pack and get out of the house as scheduled.  I'm usually not a last minute packer, but that's just the way Friday went!

The boat ride was, thankfully, uneventful!  My mom took Jon, Sarah, and Ellie over on an earlier boat so my dad came with us and the rest of the crew:)  Look how thrilled Peter is!  He loves, loves, loves the Vineyard and talks about going all year round!

Luke with my Dad:)

Luke and Daddy:)  Best fixing buddies!

It was a jam packed weekend filled with doing all of our favorite Vineyard things!  I have a ton of great pictures...most surprised me!  There are a couple of pics that came out amazing because of being by the ocean when some clouds were gathering!  There's too many to share in one post so I will spread it out across the week!  Hope you get a chance to come back and take a peek:)

I will leave you with one of my favorite pics from the weekend(but not my absolute favorite...I can't wait to share that with you later in the week!  I love it so much!!!)

I just love Kate in her little hat...and she grabbed the sides and said 'cheese' in a perfect pose:)

I hope you are having a great Monday!  I am trying to make July last as.long.as.possible!  August always goes by so fast and I am not ready to get into 'back to school' organization mode, yet!

Sneaking in Quick Takes Friday!

Happy Friday...hooking up with Jen and I'm making this a quick 7 because I have to do some..........

1.  Packing
I need to do this post quickly because it is 1:10 and we are leaving at 3 for Martha's Vineyard and I haven't packed yet!  It's only for the weekend...it shouldn't take long.(I hope!)

2.  Dragonflies
Luke loves dragonflies.  I love this picture of him hunting a dragonfly on the grass.  He pounced only moments later...but missed;)

3.  A Royal Baby
Congratulations to Prince William and Kate!  George Alexander Louis finally made his arrival and now all those journalists can stop stalking the London hospital!
 Who doesn't love a baby story:)

4.  Blasts From the Past
One of my friends posted this today:  53 Things Only 80's Girls Can Understand.  I didn't relate to all of them.  But some of them brought back good memories....especially the Cabbage Patch Dolls and Strawberry Shortcake dolls.  My parents have them in their attic still and say that the Strawberry Shortcake dolls still smell.:)

5.  Luke's Imagination

Luke loves trucks!  He used a cup to make a cement mixer:)

6.  Knowing What Your Kids are Thinking

I was driving with Jon and he was taking orders from his siblings for Subway.  Mike was asking for a sandwich with lots of things on it.  To be fresh, Jon said that he was going to keep pickles off of Mike's sandwich.  I said, "That's just so you can look at Mike and say, "Still no pickles"...which is a SpongeBob reference for those of you blessed not to watch unfamiliar with the show!

Jon looked at me with a sheepish grin and said, "You know me so well!"  Yes I do:)

7.   Generation Gap

With 16 years between Mike and Luke and almost 19 years between Mike and Kate, there isn't a whole lot of common ground.  Right now the three of them are watching the old Looney Tunes cartoons...and they are all engrossed in it and smiling and giggling!  Gotta love it:)

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!  I'm hoping for some beach time, ice cream, and just spending time with the family!

The Bumpy Road of Change

Today's weather is very un-summer-like.  I have to say that I am enjoying the break in the heat.  I'm not ready for fall yet, but I'm enjoying the fall-like day!

I spent a large chunk of my morning at the doctor's office checking on my thyroid gland.  Thankfully, everything looks fine right now which is a huge relief for me.  I've been stressed out about this appointment...thankfully the stress was for nothing!

I have been trying to be better about taking care of myself.  Unless I'm pregnant, I am generally not good about going to the doctor.  (Of course, since I've been pregnant 9 times in the last  21 years that isn't quite as bad as it sounds!)

Now that I'm getting older...shudder, shudder, cringe.....I have decided to try and get better at the whole yearly physical thing.  Not my favorite thing...ranked only slightly higher than a yearly visit to the dentist.

Seriously, why can't our bodies just take care of themselves!

I just want everything to be 'ok'.  On the scary slide to the milestone of 40(!), my invincibility armor is chipping.  I'm starting to feel vulnerable.

I'm also not liking how fast time seems to go by now-a-days.  Older More experienced humans had always told me that time goes by so much faster as you get older.  To a newer mom with several young children there were many days that couldn't go by fast enough!

Then I must have blinked!

Now time just whips on by and I feel like I'm running along behind just trying to catch up!

No matter how much I will time to slow down...or even stopping for a while would be good(!)...it isn't going to happen.  With our 3 surviving grandparents in their 90's, our parents on the verge of retirement in the next few years(Jay's mom retired early about 10 years ago), our first child getting ready to go away for his junior year of college and leave the nest for the first time, our second child starting at our local university, our third starting his senior year of high school, our fourth starting high school, our second youngest starting preschool, and my baby turning into a toddler before my eyes, things are changing.  

Change is hard...even when it's good change!  I'm not quite ready for it...but unfortunately that doesn't matter!  Change comes anyway!

Getting older is definitely a change that I'm wrestling with...and losing.  Good thing I'm a work in progress...I'm going to need some time to work through this one!

Because God Sees.....

I'm sharing a story that I first read on my Facebook feed a few days ago when my friend, Beth, posted it.  Then my friend, Kim emailed it to me yesterday.......  

A woman was given a gift of a coffee table book about magnificent cathedrals. When she opened the front cover, she paused to soak in the inscription of this book that her friend had written: With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.

A story, hidden in the pages of her book, is recounted: A rich man came to visit the cathedral while it was being built ... he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."*

I know that as a mom, it can be discouraging when so much of the mundane, everyday things I do go unnoticed or unappreciated.  My kids and husband are always on my heart.  (Of course, sometimes they are on my sh** list, too...but that's for another post.)

How many times do you walk through the grocery store and see one of your son's or daughter's favorite food items that they haven't had in a while and throw it in the cart?  Or stay up late because you forgot to wash a uniform that they need first thing in the morning?  Or make their favorite meal when they have had a bad week?  Or add up all the thought that goes into making their birthday or their Christmas special?

There are so many "little things" that help to make all of them feel loved and special.  So, remember, even when our family doesn't realize all of the thought and effort behind a loving act...."God sees."

"Little things done out of love are those that charm the Heart of Christ…

 On the contrary, the most brilliant deeds, when done without love, are but nothingness."

-St. Therese of Lisieux