New York...these lights will inspire you...

Mike and I had a great time on our quick trip to NY.  A HUGE Thank you to my friend Mary for willingly offering to watch my kids so Mike and I could go together. Seriously what would I do without you?

So we left Wed. afternoon and got back late Thursday night, so it really was a quick trip but we got to add some "first."  We drove down thru Mass, then through Connecticut.  Just driving thru, you could tell Conn. is a charming place to live.  

As we arrived in LI it was night and we got to see the lights of NYC.  AWESOME.!  

Since Mikes interview wasn't until the afternoon we took the opportunity to drive to fire island a island right off of LI.  Beautiful beaches, and the super gorgeous FI lighthouse.  

   

 Something unique about FI is that there are a lot of wildlife on the island.  Like Deer!  How did those deer get there?  Bridge?  Swim?  It's a mystery to me.

The following pictures are my car tour of NYC!!!! After Mike's interview at Farmingdale State College I talked him into driving into the city, but the agreement was we could not park and walk around, since we wanted to get back to the kiddos and it was getting late.  

This guy welcomed us as we entered the city...Hello NYC!

EMPIRE STATE BUILDING! (or not...who knows from this angle)

Driving through Central Park...

Aaahhh, we're Taxi-trapped.  Seriously They are everywhere.

Leaving the city, Mike was only slightly frazzled, and I was awestruck by all the beautiful buildings, people, and the entire experience.   I can't wait go back another time.  And I dare anyone to drive through the city and NOT sing every NY song you know.  IT's impossible. 

a quick trip...

I have put off posting about our life right now.  Mostly because there are so many unknowns, but this is our family journal and I should record some of these events.  

Mike is currently finishing up his dissertation and has plans to graduate this spring (yikes, did I just jinx it)  he is really aiming high and there is still the possibility that the stars won't align and he will have to graduate next fall.  

But since he is close, he has put out job applications all over the country at various colleges and universities.  So far,  not very many have gotten back to him (stupid economy).   He has had a few phone interviews that panned out to be nothing, and he made it to the top 6 at one university we really wanted.  But what good is being in the top 6 if the first choice takes the job? So that brings us to this point...

He has a job interview in Long Island tomorrow!  (again...am I jinxing it?  I won't tell him I posted this till after).  I don't want to share too much about how were feeling about this interview.  But I do want to share this.  Throughout this whole process I have been on a small emotional rollercoaster.  I'm not sure I want to move, but I do.  I hate to leave our life here, but I know we'll make a new life somewhere else.  etc. etc. etc.

I feel overwhelmingly confident that the Lord has a plan for us and if we are patient (not one of my characteristics) and do all we can do, we will be led to a job/life that will fit our family and help us grow in the gospel. 

 And if nothing works out and we end up staying in NH for another year, at least we know we love it here, we have wonderful friends and a great ward.  

Flat Stanley comes to New Hampshire

My cousin, Tress, asked me to participate in her daughters classes flat Stanley project.  Well, poor FS got lost in the mail (I'm sure he was having wild adventures) luckily we had a FS in the back of one of our books. So we cut him out and the girls and I took him shopping with us on Saturday.  

Here's FS going thru the tolls

Here's FS noticing all the TREES!

 Our fav. shopping stop is just over the border into Maine at the outlets, so we snapped his photo by the Maine sign.

Before we shopped we drove up the coast to our fav. lighthouse.

How cute are these lobstah traps?  Set up in front of Fox's a yummy spot for a fresh lobstah dinner.

This is my favorite photo, FS just had to dip his feet in the Atlantic ocean!

"Hello Ocean"

We had to stop at Kittery Trading Post for a scouting thing for Miles and FS wanted his photo by the moose that greets you at the door.  I think we showed him a great time in Maine, maybe he'll come back again and we'll show him more of NH and some of Mass.

We LOVE Valentines

Did you get what you wanted for Valentines day?  I got a extra special surprise...a bejeweled stapler!  Mike bought it as a joke, but I love it and have been needing a new stapler for some time.  So I decided to stage it for your viewing pleasure...

isn't is just gorgeous, don't you wish this is what you got for Valentines day?

  The kids got their traditional shirts and candy.  I didn't get to snap a photo of all their shirts, because I had to be to the school early, but the boys each say they love video games, and Caleigh's shirt was a monkey with heart glasses.  Elliot's is pictured below.  They got way too much candy, and Mike made them his cute homemade Valentines day cards.

And thanks to Mary, Mike and I were able to spend the whole day together.  We headed down to Newburyport, MA. It's very similar to Portsmouth, NH (which we love).  We found a great restaurant, Not your average Joes, and then walked around downtown.  

Then Mike drove us to Plum island that sits a few miles from Newburyport.  It is mostly residential (could you image living there?) but they do have some public parking and the beach is all public.  It was the most romantic beach we've been to.  Maybe it was the lack of a crowd, or the long grass, the perfect blue sky, or maybe even the long boardwalk, but it was breathtaking.  Mike and I walked around for just a little bit (long walk on the beach anyone?) and enjoyed talking and taking pictures.  I love our time here in New England, I love my Husband, and I love my life.  Happy Valentines.

Mike's Homemade Valentine's Cards

Every year, Mike makes the kids homemade Valentine's Day cards. He just finds funny pictures and prints them out, but the kids love them. 

February is Caleigh's Month

Caleigh is a local Celebrity!  She won 3rd place in a essay contest about her school "Henry Wilson" and it's history (she must get it from her Daddy who just got another essay published).  Her picture was taken and will be in the newspaper,  and her essay will be posted at the historical society.  I haven't read the essay yet, this is something she did in class, but we are so proud of her.

Caleigh's teacher Mrs. Thorp has an annual potluck around Valentines day.  The students set it up and greet their guest at the door.  ONe thing I think is neat, her teacher requires every student to have a guest.  So if a family member is unavailable then a staff member is asked to be the students guest.  Caleigh was so wonderful, I got to see her silliness around her friends, and she was so polite.  She would ask me every few minutes if I needed anything.  I appreciate so much a teacher that cares not only about academics but, helping her students develop into respectful people.  

Thank you Caleigh and Mrs. Thorp

A family super bowl party

We chose to have a family party this year for the super bowl, since it started a little later for us, and Mike was really excited for this game.  So were the boys.  We ALL got our pats shirts on, and chowed down on some yummy superbowl food.  Sadly, Tom Brady couldn't pull us through, but, we still enjoyed watching the game together and having some football bonding time.

Sledding With Dad

When a Griffin turned 9

We had so much fun celebrating Griffin's 9th Birthday with him.  He wanted to skip school and have a long birthday day.  So that's just what we did.

Griffin is our future paleontologist.  He LOVES all things dinosaur, so we had a dino cake made especially for him.  

Griffin loves to go bowling for his birthday.  We are all expert bowlers, really, we are awesome!  Actually we did pretty good, We had so much fun watching Elliot name her two bowling balls, "MR. and Mrs. Pickles" Caleigh was put in charge of taking photos, she did a great job.

Griffin is such a fun kid.  He's pretty easy going (like his daddy) and he has an awesome sense of humor.  He loves learning new things, which means he likes watching documentaries with Mike and going to the library with me.  Griff loves to dance, and has some unique moves (pictured below in the video).  He is definitely the peace maker around here, except when he's in a teasing mood, then he's the troublemaker.  Griffin has been working hard on his reading skills this year.  We started reading the scriptures as a family, and at first Griffin was really frustrated.  He hated being corrected because he didn't realize how many words he was mispronouncing.  We decided as a family that we would fast for him, so that he would feel better, and that reading would come easier for him.  Since our praying and fasting, he has started reading so much better.  He isn't afraid to tackle the big words on his own, and he doesn't mind being corrected.  Everyone is so proud of him, I love hearing the other children encouraging him and telling him what a good job he's doing.  

WE love you Griff.