Can you find me?

My little blast from the past...soccer in Hawaii. Doesn't get better than that!!

Between Turkeys

At any age holiday's can be stressful and exhausting. But when you're five and your parents drag you around the countryside to eat multiple turkey dinners...you need a little rest in the middle.

She couldn't wait to get to Great-grandma's house and take off those tights, only to be disappointed that her knees where still dirty underneath!

(P.S. Can anyone tell me if I need the apostrophe in the title?)

The Woes of Catwoman...

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but I was Catwoman for Halloween this year. I went from no idea, to maybe a repeat clown getup, to shimmying my way into a black, shiny, plastic-like, one piece with buckled boots and red lipstick. I remember the conversation when the band idea of Batman Villains was confirmed, I remember the other girls telling me of their theme from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" but I can't put my finger on the actual conversation where in I agreed to such an outfit. I think someone slipped something in my drink one night...and seeing as we don't get out much I'll give you one guess on who it was.

Anyway the suit was ordered, boots were bought, makeup studied and wine was drunk before leaving the house. I dared myself to do it in the end, how much more out of character could I get, would I ever be in this position again? Why the hell not! Aside from my own physical insecurities and my husband complaining that I would get hit on while he was playing...remember it was his idea, I had one other problem. One long unreachable zipper right up the middle of my back; my only escape route. In the course of the evening I had to invite several strangers, including Raggedy Andy, to unzip me so I could go to the bathroom. (I did have the forethought to wear a tank top underneath.)

I had my fill of the evenings attractions by about 1 am and said my goodbyes. When I arrived home all I wanted was a shower. I walked into our bedroom, removed my boots and then it hit me...I was still zipped! Josh was still playing his third set and wouldn't be home for hours yet. How in the world was I going to get out of this damn outfit? It took me twenty minutes, a coat hanger and a few massive wedgies before I was finally free. If only there had been a video camera to tape the battle between me and the suit, especially Bailey sitting there with his head cocked to one side wondering what I was doing!

Pooh Sticks

Sunday afternoons can be so much fun!

(I think Bailey wanted to jump...but he's really a big chicken!)

Kids Halloween 09

This is what Halloween does to a kid...absolute maddness.

My little police-woman had a great time arresting Angus (of AC/DC guitar hero fame).

Good Morning!

Bye, Uncle Tim!!

On Saturday we met Tim in Lake Placid for a farewell lunch. He is now off on a 6 month adventure with his buddy Shawn. I hope they have a great time. The plan is to tour breweries across the country and end up in Portland for the winter. Good luck guys and please be safe!!

Carpet Stains

I am now in possession of more child-free hours than I have had in eight years, six months and 13 days, and I'm a bit lost. That's not to say that I am sitting alone in quiet introspection desperately trying to find something to do, that I am not. I have found that when both of your kids are in school for the full day, your closet of demons explodes right in the middle of your living room, leaving you disoriented, confused and not sure how to remove demon from a wool carpet. I have tons to do.

The summer months have left our house in camouflage mode, that is to say if you walked in for a visit you would find it perfectly presentable, a little bedraggled but nothing you wouldn't expect from a house with two kids and a dog. Stay for a few days and you might notice that things aren't what they seem. Sure there aren't any bits of sand sticking to the bottom of your bare feet as you pad around the house but in the shower you wonder how they got so black. As you step outside into the bright morning sunshine to greet the day you might notice how it didn't seem so intense in the dining room. And you must be cautious while exploring the corners of any room for you might be taken down by a great, floating, sticky, creepy phenomenon known as the cobweb.

I have to admit that in spite of the floors, windows and cobwebs I have taken a little time in these first few weeks of school to enjoy life a bit...I even went back to bed after the kids got on the bus last Tuesday! I do feel the joy ride coming to a close. If I am going to spend the next eight months sequestered from the cold and snow in these four walls, they might as well be clean. And who knows, maybe while toiling in the midst of cluttered kitchen cabinets and demon stained carpet I might figure out what I want to be when I grow up!

Football 09

I just LOVE this picture!

First day of school!

No time to reflect on the absence of my kids for 7 hours every weekday now, I just might get teary. Gotta go walk with Mom and Grandma and not think of how independent they are.

(They still need me, right?)

I have been sitting at the computer with this same blank screen for over an hour now. I had hopes of capturing the last month, pulling it down and weeding my way though the memories and pictures and then somehow producing this amazing synopsis of life with the Clement's. This however is not in the cards. My lovely children have decided against sleep tonight and will not give me a moments peace to think. I have been up and down the stairs exactly 14 times in the last 40 minutes, not much of a window for creative thought.


9:11 PM. Lennon hasn't made a demand in a few minutes (maybe she's sleeping) and Colton has just finished his book. Here goes!

After months of waiting we finally went to Maine! We were there for 7 days and enjoyed every one of them. Our first day was a little turbulent and led to the purchase of a new tent, screen tent and air mattress at Wal-Mart (not the ideal place to spend your first day in Maine). Once camp was set up we settled in for the week.



Thursday we met up with Kate and Adam. We talked, ate, talked, walked down the long breakwater, talked, found a great little beach and talked. So much fun and it left me wishing we lived closer to eachother.

I could go on and break down each and every day after that but I think a few pictures will do the trick. We didn't want to come home and will go back soon! Vacations are wonderful!

(Lennon took this picture!)

Site 36, Lower Saranac Lake

We enjoyed a beautiful little camping trip on Lower Saranac Lake two weeks ago and the proof is still to be seen by the enormous tent hanging patiently in the back yard waiting to dry out. I will spare the details of how incredibly wet this summer has been and I will not complain about the lack of sunshine or warmth. Instead I will post a few pictures, make a few comments and continue to procrastinate my packing list for our upcoming adventure in Maine. (We leave in 5 days...plenty of time, right?!)

Someone had fun being barefoot!

Fishing was the all-time favorite past time.

(With that view who can blame them!)

The big catch...sure was tasty!

"Polar Bear" club in May

Anyone who has ever visited the Adirondacks in the summer and stood at the edge of one of our lakes can attest to their beauty. If ever a visitor got a little notion of enjoying a swim in one of the aforementioned lakes, they might be in for a surprise. When a body of water is frozen for what seems like more months than not, the water might be a little chilly. I'm not sure exactly when the ice left Lake Clear this year, but it hasn't been long enough for me. Yes, Thursday was hot, 86 degrees hot to be exact, but the wind was pleasant and I had no desire to submerge myself. My family had other ideas!

It only took them a few minutes of tip-toeing around to get out to a decent depth. After a few bounces of self assurance, Colton was the first to go under. It had to take his breath away and with the wind blowing full force he quickly opted to remain in the water.

Josh followed suit and poor Lennon trying to return safely to shore fell to her own demise. Being more wet than she intended, she opted for her favorite beach activity...rolling her wet body in the sand. Being the only "wise" member of the group, I dutifully took pictures and held up warm towels around little wet bodies. It was a good start to swimming season 2009. Let's see who's brave enough to endure the waters of Maine this summer!!!

Keeping up

It is a quiet Monday night. The kids are sleeping and Josh is in Plattsburgh until tomorrow afternoon. Bailey must have had a rough day because he has commandeered the couch and is snoring. The hum of the computer and the occasional whirl from the sump-pump is all I can hear. My ears just might go numb!

In effort to keep my blog current and somewhat entertaining I will share some of the creations that have taken over my refrigerator since the purchase of "Magnetic Poetry" over the long winter. (Josh and I are rarely allowed to post anything...or if we do it is swiftly demolished by idol hands)

--mother diamond
--always worship music or chocolate
--d for d
--summer goddess needed
--hot have ugly
--the flood of whisper
--diamonds drunk
--all leg

Belated Easter AM Pictures

The bunny splurged this year. Living in the North Country kind of limits bike giving for Christmas or birthdays. We have even had some decent weather, between snowflakes, to ride them! I will post some more pictures from our first riding adventure (8 am at Bloomingdale school on Easter morning) and our kite flying with Mammee and Chris on Picassa.

Spring hiking

This past Saturday was one of those spring days in the Adirondacks where if you aren't outside you should be shot, at least in my humble opinion. The sun was out in all her glory, bringing freshness to the stale leftovers of winter. Our adventure of choice this fine day was Mt. Joe. A mountain of short stature but great pride with the most wondrous views of the surrounding high peaks. Once at the top you just don't know which way to look.

The kids did a great job, even on the very icy spots. Lennon made it up and down by her own power and with only minor scrapes. Colton, being the practiced mountaineer that he is did an awesome job, and is proudly sporting the most magnificent bruise on his derriere. (I am happy to be on spring break for fear he might be compelled to show the whole school!)

Yellow belt

Sometimes, pictures speak louder than words. I am so proud!

Saranac Inn

You will find some of the nicest people in the North Country in the little community of Saranac Inn (my Mom and Chris being first on the list of course). Just down the road from them, on a quaint little pond live "Father" Bob and "Sister" Kit. I put their titles in quotations because they are retired from the church, but for some reason those titles stay with you forever. Every year they deck their house out to the max for Christmas...and I mean the MAX. They should be featured on one of those TV shows about over-the-top Christmas decorators. (My Aunt Donna would call them "Christiclazians" as well because I have noticed that a lot of the decorations are up all year...I love that term!)

Anyway...getting back to our adventure...they live on a little pond and Kit keeps a little ice rink cleared all winter. In her basement she has collected an enviable assortment of ice skates, just for those visitors who might be in need of a little fresh air and adventure. (I am a little embarrassed to report we do not have ice skates, so this came in handy.) On Sunday, Mom called and asked if we wanted to come and skate. Josh had a bunch of homework to do and I needed to get the kids out of the house, this was perfect. The sun was shining, the air was clean and crisp, and the only people there to witness our follies were family, you can't ask for more! The kids did great and had a wonderful time, although the highlight for them might have been plowing the pond with Chris on the four-wheeler. (click on the Picasa link to the right for more pictures)

Hold on tight!

Somehow I caught her just right.

Lennon, Libby and Great-Grandma.

Only Colton would try push-up on the ice, thank you toe-picks!

Colton in charge!

I wouldn't let that face drive! Would you?

Carnival 09'

Monday evening after work, karate and pizza at Mr. Mikes we made our annual excursion to the Ice Palace. This year due to some bitter temperatures ice blocks were plentiful. We have a large palace with tunnel and maze on the back, a Pirate Ship complete with masts (one of which they caught on fire at the lighting ceremony...fireworks!), down near the lake they built a little tower with a wooden door and lounge chairs outside, and at the park by the town hall we have a ice pyriamid. We had a great time, Lennon met a friend from school and disappeared for a minute but other than that it was fun. We might have stayed longer but we were all a bit tired and someone (I won't mention who) forgot the bag with snowpants, hats, gloves, etc and we got cold quick. The plan was to go into town and get some daytime shots this week, I love the color of the ice in the sunshine, however due to the 45 degree weather and rain all afternoon I'm not sure it will look so good (or that we'll be allowed near it). Here are a few of my favorites from that night!

Who knows it might still be pretty...stay tuned!

"I just can't wait!"

This is what happens when you have spent all day waiting for people to come over for the Super Bowl...and it just so happens to be your "Birthday Weekend"...

another picture for the photo album, "Lennon Sleeps"!

Getting close...

What better way to pass the time during the long Adirondack winter than a really, really, really hard puzzle. My Grandma and I have been spending hours bent over, noses in the rubble, sorting and sifting, begging for the right pieces to float into place. Sometimes you can hear every tiny sound her house makes, and if you listened hard enough you might even hear the snow piling up on my car. Other times, (most of the time) we're chatting, drinking tea, cheering our little accomplishments, and keeping her little dog Libby occupied (i.e. throwing her toy over and over and over again). As you can see we're getting close, but not there yet. It will be hard to put away...but we have to have room for the next one, right?

Overnight guests

I sit here in the middle of chaos. Not just the normal Clement chaos, but the Clement chaos mixed with the Lewis chaos. Kyle (8) and Adam (2) spent the night with us last night so their Mom and Dad could have a nice evening. Four kids is not as bad as you might think except when the youngest isn't yours and you have no idea what he might get into. Adam is a sweet boy and actually very well behaved, but I get a little nervous leaving him in the living room or letting him play with the big kids upstairs. I'm constantly running around to make sure he's okay, only to find him sitting in Colton's toy box playing with a truck or lounging on the couch with his blanket and sippy cup.

Nap time

Such a tough life!