Christmas Weekend 2011

We stayed in New Jersey this year for the holidays. While we missed family terribly, I love waking up at home on Christmas morning! Here are a collection of photos we took over the course of the weekend. The kids loved opening gifts and we enjoyed some quiet time as a family which was desperately needed with all the stress Rob is dealing with at work with the SAP computer conversion. Nick definitely wins the prize for most animated in all the photos. Thank you for all the gifts and holiday greetings. Enjoy the silly kids' pictures and we wish you all the best for 2012!

Nick & Kelsey's latest school work

This year Nick's school is requiring each student to read at home for 30 minutes a day. He has found a new place to read that is quiet and well lit...under the Christmas tree.
Kelsey has been busy making creative projects for her classes. This is her latest creative writing assignment complete with a standing candy cane character.

Ice Skating

Jodi & Mark invited us to join them for ice skating. Kelsey and Nick are not big fans but we thought it would be fun to tag along since it was Emma's first time. Mark is an awesome skater (he grew up in Minnesota and spent lots of winters playing hockey) and that was a bit intimidating for a non skater like me but we had a lot of fun and then went back to their house for pizza. Kelsey got to feed Charlie her bottle.

Meeting Jeff Kinney

We mom's are crazy for our kids. Jeff Kinney, one of Nick's favorite authors, was at a local store today for a book signing. Cabin Fever (the latest in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series) was released today. Two friends and I took our boys to the signing. We were there for about three hours in line and there were at least 300 people in line in front of us. The best part was the parking lot covered in snow for the event on a 65 degree day. The boys got to see all the new snow made on a truck and then it was a huge playground while we waited for our turn. The actual book signing took less than 5 minutes for all three kids but they got to meet the author as well as the 2 actors who play the main characters in the movies.
The slide shows seem to never upload so I'll post just a few pics on the page.

Mom & Dad's Visit November 2011

Mom, Dad and MacTavish came for a New Jersey visit in November. The kids had only two days of school that week due to teacher convention week (which is like a state holiday for the kids). We spent the time not only hanging out, but breaking in the new pool/air hockey table and a few day trips as well. Grammy, Papa and Nick went to the Adventure Aquarium for a special penguin day. We went into Philadelphia for a tour of the US Mint and lunch at a local restauraunt that has incredible cheesesteaks. We took a day trip to Cape May to see the zoo and ocean shore; it was way to cold to swim but the weather was unseasonably warm for November. Papa brought the kids a chess set and Nick has become addicted. It hasn't beat the video games for his attention but several days a week he is asking someone to play a game with him. The dogs got along fabulously as always. Unfortunately, Rob spent most of their visit in Germany on his annual trip but at least it made our time without him go by much quicker. Oh yeah I almost forgot, we celebrated my 40th Birthday with a special dinner at Outback steakhouse.

Halloween

Nick was a gangster for Halloween. Kelsey did not want a costume but went trick or treating with Nick for a little while. Now that the kids have gotten older it is a much more relaxed holiday around here.

Octsnowber

Yes it snowed here on October 30th!!! We only got a messy day filled with rain then snow then back to rain. Some areas west of us in Pennsylvania ended up with a foot of snow but we just had a dusting. The kids were disappointed and I have to say I was too. If Mother Nature is going to send us the white stuff let is be enough to play in. And Rob is ready to break in the snow blower!

Indian Acres Zip Lining & Pumpkin Picking

After all the punkin chunkin we went to the Pumpkin Patch for more fun. This year they added new activities for the kids to try. Nick jumped on the new giant pillow and both kids tried out the zip lines. More pics and videos of course.



Sorry, the video is sideways. I am not sure how to flip it and for some reason I always seem to hold the camera sideways.

Here's Nick acting like a flying squirrel.

Punkin Chunkin

Punkin Chunkin World Championships are held in Delaware in November. A local group competes and so this weekend was a warmup weekend. The kids got to not only see the pumpkins launch out of the air cannon with 50 psi air pressure but they were able to launch one themselves. It was awesome! The crazy thing is that the cannon is capable of launching with 200 psi air pressure. With that much power they could launch it half way to Delaware!
There was also a trebuchet to launch the pumpkins, a bake sale and tshirts sales and raffles. All proceeds are for the ALS foundation. So it was all for a great cause. We got some still pics and the video is of Kelsey & Nick's launch. The pumpkin went way beyond the target of stacked barrels but you can't see the landing on the video.

Ugh!!!

I finally have everything posted and now the slide shows seem to have disappeared. I do not know why the pictures won't show up and I am getting frustrated! I will keep working on it. If you are a facebook friend the most recent pictures of the wedding weekend in Virginia are posted there but for some reason those didn't post to the news feed so you have to go to my wall. Gotta love technology!!!!

I posted this, then went back to the blog and there they were. Maybe they are just taking forever to download. If you are having trouble viewing the pictures, give it several minutes to load.

Val & Bo's Wedding Weekend

This past weekend we went to Virginia Beach, VA for Rob's cousin's wedding. The wedding was beautiful, the weather was amazing and visiting with all the family was such a blast. Rob's aunt Gail & Uncle Vern rented a huge beach house for us all to stay together. 15 people under one roof and not one issue in three days....I call that a success! The beach house was right across from the beach. The kids really enjoyed looking for ocean treasures. I of course was ready with the camera too. Sunday morning we were treated to a great view from the front balcony.... a pod of dolphins breaching just off shore. A perfect way to relax on Rob's birthday....then a 6 hour drive home! Happy 41st Birthday Rob!

Nick is playing baseball this fall for the first time. He is doing a great job. I think the mental part of the game has been quite a surprise to him. He has had several hits and his team had their first win the other day.Here is is at his first at bat during the season opener.

Happy Anniversary

17 years ago today I married my best friend. Back then I would never have thought we could be closer than we were that day. I was so wrong. We have grown together and been there for each other through so much of life's joys and challenges. I love you more each day and I am so glad we chose to spend our lives together!

Happy 12th Birthday Kelsey!
We can't believe how quickly these past 12 years have gone by. Dad & I are so proud of the woman you are becoming!

Back to School Time

Today it's back to school for the kids. Kelsey is in 7th grade and Nick is in 5th grade. They were both excited to go back and see friends but we are all dreading the homework and early mornings.

One last trip to the shore 8-25-11

Today was our last trip to the shore. The kids and I went with our friend Jodi and her daughters Emma & Charlie. While the weather was not great the rain held out until we got back in the car to head home. We shopped, ate lunch and enjoyed the boardwalk rides.



After a fun day it was time to head home for hurricane preparation! Hurricane Irene arrived on Saturday the 27th. Thankfully we did not loose power so the sump pump was able to keep up with the rain. We got a ton of rain (7.5 inches) in 24 hours but we did not have any flooding here. It sure was scary to have to do all the prep work and then just sit and wait for the hurricane to arrive! The kids and I slept in the basement to avoid hearing the wind. Rob was on the couch in the family room just in case of a problem. Besides a restless night of interrupted sleep we did great.

Now we are going to relax and enjoy Labor Day Weekend and then Tuesday it's back to school for the kids!!!!

Another Day in Ocean City 8-23-11

Or so we thought it would just be another beach day in Ocean City. This time we went with some friends and while we were on the beach we felt something funny. I at first thought it was another dizzy spell but when I asked my friend she thought she was dizzy. When we started talking with the other people at the beach someone grabbed his smart phone and come to find out it was really the earth shaking. A 5.8 earthquake in Virginia that we could feel here in NJ. We pulled the kids out of the water for a while in case there were any monster waves as a result (we didn't notice any major changes but the tide was high so maybe it was what we blamed the higher waves on). It didn't last that long but having experienced it once I think that's enough for this lifetime. It was strange while it was shaking but then to find out it was an earthquake made it surreal.

Despite the earthquake, I was still out taking pictures. Here are a bunch from our day. After the day on the beach we got cleaned up and went up to the Boardwalk to ride some rides, do some shopping and grab some dinner. Then it was back to the beach to catch some pictures of the kids on the deserted beach. Less than two weeks and we'll be back to school. We are going to try to squeeze in another trip or two to the beach before Labor Day weekend but a lot of it will depend on Hurricane Irene. It is expected to be here the beginning of next week. What a way to end the summer.....earthquake and hurricane!!!!

Tony, Tammy & Nathan's Visit to New Jersey

Tony, Tammy and Nathan came for a visit the first week of August. We love having visitors and as usual we tried to fit a lot into a few days. Here are the pictures we took from our back to back day trips to the Jersey Shore. The first day we were off to Ocean City, NJ to walk on the Boardwalk, ride some rides and enjoy shore treats like fresh carmel corn and cotton candy. Of course the day wouldn't be complete without dipping our toes in the water....even if we didn't get to swim. The kids had fun and would have loved the green light to jump in. The following day we went to Island Beach State Park and were able to swim and splash around. Nathan loved the waves and Kelsey and Nick were so excited to actually be able to swim all day since our Chicago beach trip ended with the water being closed because of rip current possibilities. The rest of the trip was a bit more low key with cinnamon twists, a birthday cake for Tito (Kelsey and Nick) and enjoying time with our family. What a great week it was!

July was very busy for the Andrews family. We made our annual trip to Chicago and also traveled to Northern Wisconsin to visit Uncle Den & Aunt MaryJo. Here is a jumble of all of our pictures. I am not sure why but when I uploaded them they seemed to get all scrambled up. It didn't help that there were 3 people taking pictures so they really got out of order.

Anyway while we were on our trip we did manage to relax amidst the many travels which included a trip to the zoo, a driving tour of downtown Chicago, a trip to the LEGO store, several trips out to see Riley & Payton, a touch a truck day, visiting with Caryn, spending time with Bika and Grammy & Papa and Nana & Papa T, several trips to Culver's and a day at the beach. Whew I am tired just listing all the things we did. For those of you we were not able to spend time with this trip, we apologize. There are always so many people to visit and places we'd like to see. Maybe next year we'll catch up with more people. As always, there is an open invitation if anyone ever wants to come visit us and see the Philadelphia area.

Long Beach Island, NJ 6-29-11

Today we went on a spur of the moment adventure to LBI. It's our second week of summer vacation already and I was crazy for an adventure. The kids would have been happy hanging out with friends (again) but I needed a change of scenery so we got in the car and made a day of it. We are lucky to have the shore only about an hour drive away. We were able to visit the Barnegat Lighthouse, enjoy an ice cream treat, play at the arcade, do a little shopping and compete in a round of mini golf. We each chose an activity and the day was awesome!

Kelsey and I made it up all 217 stairs in the lighthouse and Nick made it most of the way before his fear of heights kicked in. This was my activity to see something historical. We found a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop near the golf course so we stopped for a treat. Then as we were headed to Nick's choice of golfing we passed the arcade. We stopped in for just a few minutes and before long Kelsey was winning all of the tickets and had decided that this would be the activity she claimed as her choice. By the time we turned in the tickets, Nick had 305 and Kelsey a whopping 2,620! It was her lucky day! Then it was on to the mini golf course. Nick tried to talk us into 36 holes but we just couldn't imagine it in the hot sun. It was a great course filled with water traps and water falls. We had so much fun we didn't even add up the score card until tonight.

Thanks to Kelsey & Nick who are such incredible kids! I loved spending the day with you two. It was a fun filled day that was missing only one thing....Rob being with us. Maybe another time he can join us for an adventure day!

Black Belt Portraits

We are so proud of Kelsey's accomplishments with Karate. Since I love harassing the kids with photos I figured this was a perfect time for portraits. The Photographer at Picture People warned us she knew nothing about Karate so Kelsey would just have to do some poses and she would do her best to capture the moments on film (ok digital media). The photos turned out awesome. I can't wait to hang them up in the family room!

The Bathroom is Finished!

The master bathroom renovation is finally complete. It seemed to take forever, actually we were out of there for about 3 months. Just last week we think we got the leak of the new doors resolved. It has been a frustrating experience but we are happy with the finished room.

Nick's Early Birthday Celebration

Nick celebrated his birthday a few weeks early this year. His friend Adi is in India for the summer visiting family and Nick was bummed he wouldn't be here for his birthday. So with Kelsey at a friends for a sleepover we decided to have a guys night here for his birthday on the last night of school. He had a few of his close friends sleepover and a bunch of the neighbors join us for s'mores on the grill and some football in the backyard. I can't believe my baby is going to be double digits this year!

Sensei Kelsey

Kelsey received her black belt today. We are so proud of her for all of her hard work. I have some pictures and video. Of course the camera didn't focus too well in the dark from far away and the video is sideways, but other than that it's all good. If anyone knows how to rotate the video to the right way, let me know.
Kelsey is on the left side of the stage. She is on the left end of the line while performing and in a similar position with all of the students on stage. The after pictures are of her and the other candidates from the school as well as one with her and two of her instructors.

Sensei Kelsey's routine

I hope this video upload works. Sorry it is sideways.

another video

More videos

The first video was short. It looks like it uploaded ok. I am going to try to do a few more from today and one from the studio when they first were practicing the routine. I hope they work so you can see how well she is doing. Kelsey is always on the left end for the performances.

Relay for Life June 3rd

Kelsey and I participated in the Delran Relay for Life Event. It is a fundraiser to help raise money to search for a cure. It is part of the American Cancer Society. Kelsey's girls group (formerly her girl scout troop) went as a team and named themselves Heroes vs Cancer and dressed in tshirts they made and purple capes. (Purple is the relay official color).

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

It was a low key weekend. The kids enjoyed the start of summer with a day on the slip and slide and a day at the pool. We also had a barbecue with the neighbors complete with S'mores.

Memorial Day Parade

Nick's boy scout pack marched in the Memorial Day Parade. I made the banner for the pack to carry. It was Nick and Rob's first parade to march in. What a cool experience they shared.

Sensei Kelsey

Kelsey got the results from her black belt testing tonight....she PASSED! We have a very excited young woman at this house tonight. She worked very hard and achieved her goal and we are incredibly proud of her accomplishment. Here are some pictures from this evening. Now the belt is turned from red side up to black side up. On June 12th there is an Extravaganza where all the new black belts perform and then receive their belts.

Congratulations Kelsey!

ACE Trip to Baltimore

Kelsey's final ACE trip this spring was to Baltimore. Nick was allowed to go on this trip as a guest. We toured the National Aquarium although we didn't get to see the dolphin show as we had planned because there had been dolphin babies born the week before and Mama Dolphin needed some rest and privacy with the babies.

Next we toured 5 historic ships docked in the harbor, USS Constellation (Flagship of US African Squadron 1859-1861) which included a gun fire over the harbor, USS Torsk submarine, the Lightship Chesapeake, USCGC Taney (Last surviving warship from Pearl Harbor) and the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse.

The day concluded with a tour of Ft McHenry. The students participated in the lowering of the flag ceremony for the day. What an incredible sight to see the students help lower and fold the flag at such a historic sight.

This was not only the final ACE trip of the year but the final ACE (Advanced Class for Education) trip for the program. The program has been canceled for the fall. The teacher is trying to organize an after school club to carry on the type of program but it won't be any where near the same. Mrs Gutelius is an incredible teacher and puts so much time and heart into what she is teaching. The kids have awesome memories to keep with them as do many of the parents who were allowed to participate in all of the awesome field trips each year.

Spring Break in Washington, DC 4/21 to 4/23/11

Whew! it was a busy 3 days. As a spring getaway we went to Washington, DC for 3 days. Rob assures me he will never return to the crowded, busy city so I better see everything I wanted on this trip. I sure did try!!!

There is a slide show of all of our adventures and here is what I was able to cram in.....Arlington National Cemetery, a bus tour around the mall and museum area, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Wall (my Dad's cousin Theodore Misheikis, Jr is memorialized there), Lincoln Memorial, dinner out with the Spragg's (Rob's aunt, uncle & cousins), Boy Scout Statue, White House (although our request for a tour was denied), Albert Einstein Monument (Yes, Nick had to pick his nose and yes this statue is the only one in DC where kids are encouraged to climb all over it), Air & Space Museum, National Gallery of Art, National Archives (although I was the only one to actually see the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence...Rob & the kids couldn't face another crowd), Natural History Museum, American History Museum, National Zoo (I had to make sure the kids saw the Pandas) and then the Air & Space Museum in VA (complete with a Space Shuttle...wow is that huge!)

Obviously, we didn't see all of any of the above and it probably only encouraged me to want to return for another adventure but we all survived and we were able to see alot of cool places. Since we never made it to the International Spy Museum maybe I can convince the kids to return with me someday.

Rennovation Updates

Almost all of the shower and tub project is complete. The tub is all tiled and grouted and the shower is tiled and will be grouted tomorrow. Then the next step is getting it measured for the new shower door and then waiting for installation. Another few weeks and we will have our bathroom back better than ever!

More pics of the bathroom

The shower wall is getting taller! More tile is up and we can really see how nice the tile is all going to look together. Our contractor is doing a beautiful job!

Here's the progress today

All the tools are in the tub but you can get an idea of how far the tiling got today.

I love how it looks so far!

Spring is here!

Even though the temperature can't decide to stay above 50 degrees the flowers and trees sure know spring is here. These are some photos of my views out of the front and back of my house.....can you tell I am bored while I sit here and the bathroom is being transformed? At least I can catch up on the blog updates!

What a Mess!

So what do you do when 2 plumbers, 3 contractors and a chemist can't find the source of the water dripping through the family room ceiling? You gut the shower in the bathroom on the 2nd floor directly above. And what do you do when said shower tile matches the tub's tile? Gut that too of course! So that is just what we are doing.
Today is day 3 into the gut project and I can't wait for it to be complete. Having no functioning shower in the master bath wasn't nearly as stressful as all of this dust filling the house. And the kicker of it is that the plumbers ruled out the pipes and we know the water is only dripping when the shower has been running for a while but we have no certain answer of as to how the water was getting out of the shower. The best answer is it must have been a weakness where the shower pan met with the wall and the vertical and horizontal door tracks. With all new tile, shower pan, shower doors and knowing it was done correctly this better have solved the mystery. Here are some pictures of the chaos. I am going to try to track the daily progress for the next 2 weeks or until it is done.

Before the major ripout:

Here are the holes from where all the sheet rock was wet & dripping water into the family room ceiling that was just painted 5 months ago.


Here's a picture of where the tile had been removed because the dry wall behind it was wet. The additional hole in the wall was trying to figure out where the water was coming from.

And here's what the bathroom looked like before the contractor gutted it on Monday morning.


Here is what it looked like by lunch time on Monday

This is the water damage that was under the shower pan (the darkness in the lower right hand corner)

and the water damage on the vertical 2x4 behind the shower door track


and here is what it looked like by the end of Tuesday




Today we spent a lot of time figuring out tile placement and putting the puzzle together but Scott (the contractor) has just started putting up the tile. Welcome to our nightmare!