Christmas 2011

 ::Christmas 2011 ::

(I didn't have my camera at my Dads house or my Moms...I did get suckered in to posing for pictures, so if you have some of those please send them to me!)

The girls found Nana's button tin,  bracelet anyone?

Lennon was the first around the house!
(Yup, they run around the house in their suits every Christmas Eve.)

They all made it back in!!
(I am not crazy enough to join in...besides who else would take pictures!) 

"Okay Mom...enough pictures, can we please come down!!!" 

Watching "Home Alone" while I get breakfast ready and make the house suitable for company. 

Testing out Lennon's new bongos.  I think music will fill our ears for many years to come...

We wish you all a Happy New Year!!

Love - The Clement's

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

Once upon a time there was a Mom with a dream.  She dreamed of a place, a place where her children could exercise their imaginations,explore their creativity, be outside yet inside, and not be under her feet in the house.  She dreamed of...The Fort.

This dream was embraced, started and abandoned within a few weekends of work.  Soon, The Fort became an outdoor storage unit for excess wood and toys not affected by the elements.  The lonely studded walls would taunt her in the summer as she wheeled the lawn mower around its naked frame, pleading to be dressed properly not left out in its birthday suit. Occasionally her children would ask about The Fort, only to be let down gently with weak explanations of time constraints and meager supply lists. 

Jump forward to fall 2011:

The Fort...A Rebirth

Somehow a "free" weekend fell into our laps and The Fort's need for modesty overtook our imaginations and the four of us dove in.  Josh and I took full advantage of the growth our children experienced during The Fort's naked hibernation and put them to work:  swinging hammers, hauling boards, running for water, throwing the ball for the dog, and finally playing with the Tonka trucks pulled from under the floor boards.

The Fort received a huge makeover that weekend.  There are few pictures from that weekend, as the camera was tucked early away to do some real work, so you'll have to be satisfied with my list of things accomplished:

  :: metal roof secured and no longer a danger
  :: studs reinforced
  :: outer walls complete half way up
  :: loft - leveled and floor installed
  :: back wall window framed
  :: door framed and installed
  :: little bit of birch bark "siding" attached and LOVED

The dream is to "finish" The Fort slowly yet deliberately as time allows.  In the meantime it's a place where the kids can use their imaginations and be creative as long as they are dressed appropriately prepared to deal with whatever Mother Nature blows in.

(Progress pictures promised!!)

Happy Halloween!!

 Colton is dressed as Goku from the cartoon Dragonball Z Kai....don't ask, I don't know...

 Lennon just HAD to be a ninja, because that's what Kenny and Merit were going to be...

 His costume was great because he was so easy to spot while they were running from house to house last night.  I just kept praying that the shadow on his heals was Lennon.

 It took Josh about 45 minutes this morning to get his hair like that and 5 shampoo's to get it all out!!

They both slept in this morning...I think it really was a Happy Halloween!!

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Surprise!!

The table was set for 4, the candles were lit, the most wonderful meal was prepared...and this was at my chair.  Life just doesn't get much better!!

"When will I get to ride a horse??!!"

 Sunday afternoon, Mom took the kids and I to Emerald Springs Ranch in Lake Clear for a trail ride.  And of course she LOVED it!!!

Colton was nervous at first but found his comfort zone as he used the reigns to steer his horse though the mud.  It was so nice to be out there with the best Mom/Mammee ever, Thanks!!

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

 

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

Hello from Fort Ticonderoga!!  We are having a beautiful weekend.  Hope you are too!!

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

(This week I just couldn't choose one.  This boy loves to rock just like his Dad!!)

This morning, I couldn't wait for them to go... 

And now I can't wait for them to come home and tell me all about it!!

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

It was a quick camp.  In on Friday, out on Sunday, but it was worth every minute of "work" needed to make it happen.  In the beginning I felt a little trepidation about the time frame and the amount of stuff to gather and transport for such a short time, but I found my groove, trusted my instincts and let the stress go. 

I claimed a new mantra for the weekend:  "If we don't have it.  We don't need it."

Sure, we were only 15 minutes from home and I could "run' back for anything we forgot, but I had it in my head to relax and "running home" for little things was not an option.  I got out of bed at 5 Friday morning (as Josh left for work) and spent two hours slugging coffee and gathering.  Gathering cooking stuff, sleeping stuff, eating stuff, wearing stuff, dog stuff, swimming stuff, bug/sun repellent stuff and placing them into a huge pile for Josh to transport to our campsite that afternoon. I then got ready for work and tried not to worry about what stuff I forgot and focus on my job for the day.

Josh finished work, he collected the kids, collected my piles of stuff and gathered more stuff (boats, fishing gear, firewood, man stuff), crammed as much of this stuff as possible into the car and after a few trips, got all the stuff to camp. 

I caught up to my crew at 6pm with a pizza and a smile as I took in the beauty that surrounded us:  green trees, blue sky, deep blue water, blueberries peaking out from the bushes and a calm settled over me.  No TV, no internet, no video games, no laundry (I did dread the loads we would bring home a little), no lawn to mow, no floors to clean, just the breeze rustling the leaves and the loons partying it up late into the night.

We had a wonderful time.  Thunderstorms woke us on Sunday morning and we abandoned camp earlier than planned, but the afternoon brought naps, hot showers and a renewed appreciation for the comforts of home.

 Early morning fishing...

 Sunshine playing in the trees...

 "Dad! Please put my kayak down..."

Loving the many tunnels and bridges.... 

Dodging the smoke while cooking your own dinner... 

Yup, the kids had their own tent!....

Bailey saying "thank you" for all the room to run and swim...

Turning the camera on ourselves!  : )

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

We have been enjoying some absolutely splendid summer weather.  Enjoying it so much in fact that my house is a bit very bedraggled, the lawn is extremely shaggy (almost jungle like), the flower garden is full of weeds, and I didn't even attempt to plant veggies.  As school came to a close and Josh's career path wobbled like a top at the end of its spin, I had this sense of urgency to make this summer unforgettable. 

Half way through (and with Josh finding his place at our local radio station) we have been to the beach more times than I can count, had a few raucous play dates, paddled the full length of Rainbow Lake in anticipation of the rope swing dangling over the waters edge (twice) and stayed up just a little too late on a few occasions.

Now that Josh is gainfully employed and has a regular work schedule (not that I think waking up at 4am is regular but that's news/entertainment), our excursions have to be planned a little more carefully, but we've managed to squeeze in plenty of fun.  Last weekend we took the dog (poor guy has to hang out in said jungle-like-yard and likes to pee on the few flowers in bloom...I think he does it to make me feel bad about his lack of attendance in our little adventures so far) and walked into Moose Pond.  It's a very nice leisurely trail through tall pines and lush undergrowth that ends at a beautiful pond with several outcroppings perfect for swimming.

We even found a few raspberries on the walk out!

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.



{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

(Thank you SouleMama for this wonderful idea.)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

(Thank you SouleMama for this wonderful idea.)

I got a few hours of work done, then we had a few hours of fun!!  Thank you Mamee and Chris for being soo much fun, we had a great day!!