Stealing first...

I want to start by saying I never advocate stealing anything, and this post is not about baseball - that's a different story. What I'm referring to a child first for... Their first word, first step, and most important in my mind, First Fishing Trip!

Now you all know that my kids are far from novice - they use the same poles as me and the bonus part is I don't have to cast for them, much to the surprise of the occasional person passing by. (A fathers pride showing - I know)

Where am I going with this story? Well Rebecca's brother took his wife to Block Island for their Anniversary and we are making their kids do all our chores - Um i mean taking care of their children, Noah and Lily. Today after doing my chores - cleaning out the chicken coop etc... I decided to take the boys fishing. As it turns out my nephew has never been fishing in his long 6 years of life! Gasp.... I know what kind of parents let a kid go this long without introducing them to the joy of impaling a juicy wiggling worm onto a sharp hook and in the process of the worm getting torn apart by the residents of the pond take personal joy in pulling them from their native habitat and then in an act of pure kindness, release them back into the water. These fish must be looked at by their peers like we look at southerners who claim to have been abducted by aliens and returned to there homes again!

Well despite the above mentioned fact I really do love my brother-in-law and admit he is an awesome father. The truth of the matter is I feel a little bit guilty about taking so long to introduce Noah to the sport of fishing.

Normally I don't fish with live bait but I wanted to ensure the kids would catch something and have a memorable experience. I collected some yummy nightcrawlers from the yard and we headed out to a local pond in the bordering state forest. In no time at all we were into the fish. Due to my inexperience with fishing with a bobber the first 30 minutes were spent feeding the fish a free meal of worms! After a little instruction the boys were setting their own hooks and reeling in a bounty of fish. The boys were giddy with all the Bluegills they were catching and after about 2 hours and 16 fish we called it a day, not just any day but an Awesome Day spent in God's glorious nature.

Above - Noah reeling in his first fish ever!

Below - Noah's very first fish!

Daily Life in the Woods.

Saturday was one of those days that around every corner was something exciting. The kids were out playing with the chickens as they free ranged in and out of the woods gobbling up all of the yummy bugs they found (the birds not the kids!)



We also found 3 baby ringneck snakes which are always fun to play with.

We also found a baby bird that was still learning how to fly and let us all take a turn holding him.

The Highlight of the day was when we found a larger Garter snake that had caught a nice toad dinner. We patiently sat and watched as the snake engulfed the entire toad - I realize many of you might find this morbid but it truly was an amazing experience. (click on the picture for the full effect)

Vacations End

Today was the last day of my summer vacation. We had a great week together as a family and went out with a splash - literally! We held our annual BBQ on Saturday night, while there were a lot less people this year we enjoyed the ability to converse one on one with all of our guests. We enjoyed a clear evening with food, fellowship, FIRE, and a few fireworks. I am hoping to get some pictures from a friend who was diligent with picture taking (unlike myself) throughout the night.

We were able to perform all of our cleanup before going to bed and enjoyed a full nights sleep. We got up this morning and packed up a cooler with yummy leftovers from the BBQ and loaded all our swimming and fishing gear into the truck and headed for the ocean. We arrived in Rhode Island and decided to get a day pass to my childhood campground where we could swim, fish, explore the salt marsh and simply enjoy the last day of vacation.

Much like the cookout I failed to bring my digital camera so the only pictures I have were taken with my Blackberry but I guess they are better than nothing and I will look upon them with fondness in the years to come.

This is the first time the kids have ever fished in the ocean and were quite surprised when they found out we would be fishing with bait and not lures! As anyone who has fished with me knows I despise drowning worms and would much rather keep busy throwing a lure than sit in boredom waiting for some brainless fish to find my bait - but the ocean is a whole different beast. While I have caught some massive fish on lures in the ocean I actually enjoy fishing with bait (cut bait, eels, minnows, sandworms etc...). I find sitting on the edge of the water while basking in the sun with the sound of the waves, birds, and bell buoys the ultimate in relaxation.

The kids soon realized I was serious (I don't know why they would ever doubt my sincerity?) and in short order we were all pulling fish out of the water. I caught a couple of Snapper Bluefish, Alex caught a Black Sea Bass and all of us took turns reeling in loads of Scup(Porgy).

The crabs, snails and starfish(sea stars) were in great abundance; the sun was shining, the water was perfect for swimming and most importantly we were enjoying it together as a family. We stayed long enough to watch the sun sizzle into the ocean horizon and shortly after enjoyed watching the moon appear from the opposite direction and make its grand entrance into the sky above. The fish were still biting but the bait was gone and in the darkness we made our way to the showers. After cleaning up we made the journey home recalling the days events as well as the highlights of our past week.

P.S. > The literally going out with a splash comment earlier - in my feeble attempt to wash up before getting in the truck I slipped on the rocks and fell into the water! Thankfully it was dark enough outside nobody could see my face so I don't have to worry about future embarrassment when I pass by people on the street!

StoryLand - Where fun abounds!

Here are some of the pictures we took yesterday on our trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. We took the kid's to StoryLand which turned out to be a big hit with the kids (Becky and I included)! While I had only driven by the park with my Dad while working in the Big Red Tractor Trailer, Rebecca had fond memories of visiting the park during her childhood. I think we will definitely have a return trip in the upcoming years.

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Happy Anniversary Rebecca

While I know that Anniversary's are generally an occasion shared between a couple I wanted to let the world know how much I appreciate my lovely wife.

Rebecca,

It seems like just yesterday that I became infatuated with you (the cute little girl with long braided hair) and I found myself pleading with my mother to let me buy you a balloon and a card (rather than one of those cheap generic valentines) to give you on Valentines Day in grade school. Over the years we had our moments as friends and I am still in disbelief that you finally came around to my way of thinking and we became a couple(Remember 10-5-92 Rescued?), I am also still in disbelief that your parents approved! It felt like an eternity between dating and marriage but when the day came there was no doubt you were the one for me. While Valentines day has had its ups and downs during our journey through life I feel like celebrating and treating every day with you like the masses due on that one specific holiday.

As I look back over the past 16 years (13 of them married) I remember the times we spent together in college Accounting class, fancy dinners at the drive-in, our wedding day (and NIGHT!), buying our first house, our first puppy, our first camping trip, the day I realized you were pregnant with Ariel, the day I realized you were pregnant with Alex, experiencing parenthood together, family vacations and every single day in between.

You have supported me through hair loss, multiple career changes, hunting and fishing seasons, as well as moving (we all know you had the hard part - packing and unpacking). While I have had the pleasure of changing you into a person who likes country music, Nascar and Monster Trucks, I can honestly say there is nothing I would want to change about you. You have made me a better man and I can't imagine going through life without you.

I love the fact that my silly antics still make you smile, I love that you don't look down on me when I need a shoulder to cry on, I love that we have fun and enjoy being with each other whether we go out for a night on the town or if we just stay home and do nothing.

Thank you for being an Awesome wife, a Fabulous mother and my best friend. I look forward to many more years together. I love you!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
Love,
C.