New Camera

The best picture of Chloe, ever!
Our first try at photographing Spark, Ben's new hamster. He's having 'playtime in the tub'.

A very good picture of Chase!

Reviews

That's pretty cool ... I bought some Christmas toys from eToys.com, and they asked me for reviews of the items. When I wrote the reviews, they had an option to post them to my blog, so you'll see them in the blogs below. It worked really smoothly ... technology is amazing!

My Review of Cube World: Series 4 - Slugger & Kicks

Originally submitted at eToys

Play with one or stick two or more cubes together to build an interactive world. They'll play, pester and protect each other. As you stack, they'll interact and visit one another's cubes. Each cube has motion sensors and action buttons let you play games and interact with your stick ...

Cube World: Series 4 - Slugger & Kicks

Cool toy

By Mom of 2 from Raleigh, NC on 12/30/2008

 

4out of 5

Age: 8 Year Old

Gift: No

Pros: Engaging

Best Uses: Older Children

Describe Yourself: Parent Of Multiples (Twins etc)

My kids are fascinated with this toy - they specifically asked for it and find it fun. You can link the cubes together and the people inside can move from block-to-block. I thought they might not like it, since it's black and white stick people, but they've found it easy to play with and enjoy it.

(legalese)

My Review of Football Passing Machine and Football Replacement Value Pack

Originally submitted at eToys

Deluxe Mr. Quarterback Football Passing Machine: Practice running catch and pass patterns with this football-passing machine. Adjust it to throw anywhere from five to 30 yards. Patented design tosses a perfect spiral. Includes football, playbook and two 6V batteries with charger. Measures 25"L...

Football Passing Machine and Football Replacement Value Pack

Football Fun

By Mom of 2 from Raleigh, NC on 12/30/2008

 

4out of 5

Age: 8 Year Old

Gift: No

Pros: Sturdy, Hours of Fun, Easy Assembly, Durable, Weather Resistant, Attractive Design

Cons: Long time to charge

Best Uses: Individual Play

Describe Yourself: Parent Of Multiples (Twins etc)

This football machines shoots the ball really far, and my son can do it by himself, practicing his catches, or with a friend running plays. The football is smaller than a normal one, and nerf-like, but still a lot of fun. It took a while to charge up the first time we used it, but we learned to recharge it right after we're done so it's ready to go the next day.

(legalese)

My Review of Creepy Crawler Goop Refills: Multi-Color 3-Pack

Originally submitted at eToys

Keep those Creepy Crawler critters and characters coming! This Refill Pack gives you three multi-colored packs of goop to play with.

Colors included: Pack 1 - Green Pantone, Brown Pantone, Purple Pantone; Pack 2 - Light Green Pantone, Yellow and Red Pantone; Pack 3 - Light Blue Pantone, B...

Creepy Crawler Goop Refills: Multi-Color 3-Pack

Great Creepy Crawlies

By Mom of 2 from Raleigh, NC on 12/30/2008

 

5out of 5

Age: 8 Year Old

Gift: No

Pros: Colorful easy to make

Best Uses: Art

Describe Yourself: Parent

Primary use: Personal

My kids love to make Creepy Crawlies, so every year we order more goo for the Creepy Crawly machine. We love it and it keeps the kids occupied for hours.

(legalese)

My Review of Slamma Jamma Basketball Set

Originally submitted at eToys

Take basketball to new heights with this inflatable Slamma Jamma unit that attaches to a trampoline, sold separately. Comes with a pump and a 5" basketball. Stands 9 feet tall when inflated. Must be used with and enclosure, not included. When shipped, packaging reveals contents.

Slamma Jamma Basketball Set

Super FUN

By Mom of 2 from Raleigh, NC on 12/30/2008

 

5out of 5

Age: 8 Year Old

Gift: No

Pros: Attractive Design, Sturdy, Hours of Fun

Best Uses: Individual Play

Describe Yourself: Parent Of Multiples (Twins etc)

We put it up yesterday and it's big, but easy to inflate and attach to the trampoline. They kids LOVE it and want to be on it every day. Can't wait to have friends over to play.

(legalese)

Fly Slama-Jamma

This may be the coolest gift of Christmas ... an inflatable basketball hoop for the trampoline! Santa did well ...

Getting to know Alek

Getting to Know Alek
1. What is your favorite color? Green
2. What is your favorite TV show? Popeye the Sailor
3. What is your favorite sport? Baseball & Football
4. What is your favorite animal? Golden Retriever dog
5. What is your favorite book? Captain Underpants
6. What is your favorite subject in school? Science
7. What is your hobby? Playing football with my dad
8. Where is your favorite place to be? at a Miami Dolphins game
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? a football player
10. Where is one place you want to go that you have never been? Miami Dolphins football game

Christmas

Even though Gary got a new camera for Christmas, we only have 5 pictures from the day ... needless to say, it was a fun and exciting family day.
Above, Ben and I play his new game, Quirkle. It was a lot more fun than I was expecting; each time you put down a piece, you count up a new score, so it forces some strategy behind where you put your pieces. The recommended age was 8 and up, so I figured it had to be more than just a color/shape matching game. It was a lot of fun.

Alek had the camera, so above we are again playing Quirkle.

I took this one ... it's of Chase and his new Nylabone. We got him the puppy one, since he likes to chew so much and is under a year old. This was a mistake - he ate the whole bone in about 30 minutes. Puppy ones are a lot softer than the regular ones! But, he was happy on Christmas!

Two things to notice in the picture above: first, Alek in his new robe from Grandma Carlson. Both he and Ben got one, and they love them. They both slept in them last night. Strange, I know, but then it's holiday time. Second, is one of the sleeper gifts of Christmas. Gary is opening one of Alek's World of Warcraft figurines. You know, the three boys in the family are all addicted to World of Warcraft, and I found these figurines at Toys R Us. They were expensive for figurines, which basically sit on a shelf, but they are so detailed, they are really beautiful. The boys were blown away by them; so excited and have them sitting on their desks now. I'll have to get Alek to take some pictures of the figures so you can see them. In this picture you can also see Gary's new TV trays ... for some strange reason, he has always wanted TV trays (we have end tables by every couch & chair you know!). With the Linens & Things 'going out of business' sale, I got a really good deal on these!

And finally, above is Chase happily rolling on his back, begging for a belly rub. At least he wasn't rushing the camera! (which is what he does when he's on his feet and we try to take a picture!) He's so much like Percy that way!!

Hope your Christmas was wonderful. We're still digging out ... Santa came to the playroom this year, which was really handy so we could shut the dogs OUT. And it's given us several days to go through things and put them away without me going nuts about the mess.

I was going to interview Alek, since there have been so many requests for it, but now he and Ben have disappeared with their new Nerf Vulcan Blasters ... I'll have to go search for them!

Cub Scout Holiday Dinner

This is the poinsetta we got from the Cub Scout dinner last night ... very unusual. Alek earned a Coleman 0 degree mummy sleeping bag for his popcorn sales, so the boys had a sleepover in the playroom last night in their sleeping bags:Each scout brought a wrapped book to the Christmas dinner last night and they played a game to exchange the books. The scout master read a poem, and each time the word 'right or left' was in the poem, the boys had to pass the book to the right or left. It was very funny! Alek is the scout in blue, just to the right of the five scouts in brown; he's holding a green-wrapped book.

Another picture of the game ...

Just hanging out

My friend Reggie has over 16 inches of snow at her home in Maine and my kids are yelling 'it's not fair! it's not fair!' HA They would love snow for Christmas (ha ha, they THINK they would)
It's cold here today - high is around 38 degrees, but it's to be 70 by Christmas. Yes, I do love Christmas in the south ... it's very different from my holidays growing up in Illinois, where it snows a LOT, but oh well. The boys get snow when we visit Grandma in NY.

Alek and I did grocery shopping today ... got lots of 'stay at home' lunch treats like corn dogs, chips and cheese steaks. I did make it to water aerobics today so I'm feeling good ... my cough is lessening.

Have you ever gone to one of those 'make your own meals' places like Girlfriends Kitchen, or Dream Dinners? We have a locally owned one here in Apex called Dinner Savvy, and I love it. Their menus are different from what I would normally cook, and my kids eat everything that comes from there. I go tomorrow morning to make 12 meals, and that should get us through the rest of the holiday. Chicken Bruschetta bake, crab cakes, zesty meatballs, bloody mary flank steak, and a chipotle spice pork tenderloin ... and some others I can't remember. They are also selling Heavenly Hams this year, and that's my favorite ham ... so we got a 9 pounder ... WOW, that's a lotta ham! My kids eat ham sandwiches, or scrambled eggs with ham almost every day though. It's so nice not to have to think about dinner every night!

Tonight is the cub scout Christmas party so we'll have baked ziti and salad at the church tonight. That will be fun. We'll probably go see Despereaux at the movies this afternoon ... Gary is still working, even though he was supposed to be on vacation since last Thursday ... maybe tomorrow he'll spend time with us!

Snuggle

I taught the dogs a new command today ... it's called 'snuggle':

Something cool that Xerox is doing

Something cool that Xerox is doing
If you go to this web site, www.letssaythanks.com , you can pick out a thank you card and
Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq .
You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!
This is a great site. Please send a card.
It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Getting to Know Ben

Gary, Ben & Alek at Breakfast this morning: Pancakes, sausage, orange juice & clementines - notice the new countertop!
Gary loading the dishwasher, Alek & Ben checking out Chloe the crumb catcher - yes, she sits there at every meal we eat at the bar!

Chloe under the bar in the kitchen

Chase, looking very handsome tonight - this is the first good picture I've gotten of him!

Alek & Chase after school today

Getting to Know Ben

1. What is your favorite color? Yellow
2. What is your favorite TV show? SpongeBob Square Pants
3. What is your favorite sport? Tennis
4. What is your favorite animal? Bunny Rabbit
5. What is your favorite book? Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows
6. What is your favorite subject in school? Math
7. What is your hobby? Playing Nintendo DS - New Super Mario Bros
8. Where is your favorite place to be? Disney World
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Geologist
10. Where is one place you want to go that you have never been? Alaska

Chloe & Chase: Friday's adventure

Friday Chloe and Chase were invited to visit Alek's classroom and play with the kids. I took them there about 2:45, and we stayed until about 3:20. The dogs and the kids both had a blast! Of course, I forgot my camera on the way out the door (it's always exciting to leave the house with two dogs on a leash)! But the dogs (and the kids) were so good we were invited back. I'll try to remember my camera next time! Both Chloe & Chase LOVED the petting!

Busy Saturday

Chloe on the left, Chase on the right: they've become really good friends, and always look so cute lying together. Of course, when I went to take a picture, they started screwing around and I couldn't get a good one. Chase has a lot of Percy (our prior male golden) in him ... he charged the camera each time I tried to take a picture!

Well, I think Santa and I are done Christmas shopping - that's a relief! However, we've done NO decorating yet. I can't believe it - we've never let it go this long. We're the only dark house on our street! Every day seems to be consumed with everyday things ... walking the dogs, bathing the dogs, mopping the floor of mud from the dogs ... hmmm, who said two dogs wouldn't be any more work than one dog? I've spent 3 weeks now doing load after load of towels, because it's been raining here and the dogs' feet get muddy and have to be wiped, and the dogs go outside and wrestle and then need a bathl. Oh, and sometimes the muddy dogs walk on the thick bathroom rugs, and then they need washed too! Good news on the laundry front, though: yesterday I nearly had a breakdown over the volume of laundry, so I set the kids to the task of hanging up their own clean laundry - and they did it! It was a miraculous breakthrough. That will save me an hour each week if I can get them to hang their own clothes!

Yesterday the boys raked leaves again for a couple hours ... I think they've about all fallen and been dragged to the road. Now we just need the lawn to dry out. We added new mulch to the play area in the back yard a couple months ago and it looks great, but now we need to add mulch to the gardens and the back of the yard (where the grass doesn't grow). Can I get away with setting my kids to manual labor over the Christmas break??? I don't know ... but I may try, IF I can get someone to deliver mulch between Christmas and New Years!

Gary cooked a fabulous breakfast this morning, but now it's nearly time for lunch. Looks like leftovers.

I haven't been blogging as much, because I joined Facebook over Thanksgiving and there are so many ways to waste time there ... it took me 30 minutes just to receive all the gifts/requests/information/etc this morning. I need to get quicker, or put more limits on myself.

I need to be reading ... I just finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (and really enjoyed it) and now I've got 556 pages of fine print in The Secret History to get through before bookclub Thursday night. I think I'll try to make some progress today ... and I'll try to blog more often Reggie!

Ben Climbing Chimney Rock 1

This video, plus the two which follow below, make up the 11 minute ascent and descent of Ben's rock climb at Chimney Rock, NC over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Ben Climbing 2

Ben Climbing Chimney Rock 3

This is the last part of Ben's climb, and his descent. (Watch videos in this order: 1, 2,3)

Chloe & Chase

They finally wore each other out ...

New Countertops

My Christmas present came today ...

Chloe & Chase

Doggies playing together ... they've become good friends ...

Chloe & Chase

Here's why we got two dogs ... so they can play together!

Chloe & Chase

Chloe is the fastest eater we've ever seen!

Grove Park Inn

We stayed at the Grove Park Inn for Thanksgiving. The Great Hall has a fireplace big enough to stand inside. Here's a picture of the boys in front of it (it's kinda dark, but the big fireplace is behind them).

Ben relaxing in a rocking chair in the hallway of the Grove Park Inn, looking out over the spa and the grated fires burning below.

One of the beautiful Gingerbread Houses - the National Competition is held at the Grove Park Inn each November, and the houses decorated all the hallways -they were incredible!

Me, looking at gingerbread birdhouses!
Me, in front of one of the many decorated Christmas trees.

Happy Thankgiving

I have so many pictures to post, it will definitely take me a long time once we're back home! The computer in the hallway, the only one where I can download my pictures from my camera, is having a problem connecting to the internet, so until it is fixed, no pictures ... ;-(

We went to Asheville NC for the holiday! We drove out here on Weds morning, and stopped at the Hiddenite Gem Mine along the way: http://www.hiddenitegems.com/
It's a very rustic place, and we had great fun sluicing for gems ... we found emeralds, garnets, florite, sodalite, and some others we haven't identified yet. Ben's very interested in rock and gems, and he's got a big dictionary at home, so we'll have lots of rocks to look up! He got a rock tumbler last Christmas, so he'll have lots of stock to tumble now!

Then we drove on to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville: http://www.groveparkinn.com/Leisure
No time for spa treatments as we brought the kids, but it was a wonderful holiday there. Lots of activities take place in the Great Hall ... live music, big screen football (Thanksgiving afternoon!), Santa's arrival, and lighting the big Christmas tree. The Grove Park is known for it's huge fireplace, and it was roaring with a grand fire the entire time we were there. The grand Terrace was heated, and provided breathtaking views of the Adirondack mountains. We sat out in the rocking chairs each night. We spent each evening strolling the halls, looking at the many decorated Christmas trees, and taking in the National Gingerbread Championship Gingerbread houses ... winners and losers were all amazing! Now the kids are motivated to make their own ... we'll see if we can find the time!
Thanksgiving Dinner was huge, and amazing. We had reservations in the Blue Ridge Dining Room, and sat right next to the large picture windows overlooking the mountains. It was just so beautiful ... and so nice to be here, so close to all the activity. We spent Thanksgiving afternoon at the Sports Complex, playing tennis, ping pong, pool and swimming. That night, we watched the Wizard of Oz on the big screen in the ballroom. What a tradition!

We've loved every minute of it. Today we spent at the Chimney Rock State Park: http://www.chimneyrockpark.com/
We took the elevator up to the top, had lunch, then walked around the Chimney Rock. We walked down, and Ben did some real rock climbing on some real rocks! (video coming soon!) Then we hiked out to the Hickory Nut Falls and back, then came back to the GPI. We're all a little tired from the hiking! But, Gary, Ben & Alek then went to the Sports Complex and played tennis. I stayed in the room and read. I'm readding 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle', and I'm really enjoying it so far.

Tomorrow we head home via Linville Caverns: http://www.linvillecaverns.com/

Then on Sunday we pick Chloe up from her mom's house, and our new dog CHASE comes to live with us! The boys (all three of them) are really looking forward to having TWO golden retrievers, and I really like CHASE. He spent the weekend with us last weekend, and got along really well with the family. He's a one-year-old rescue dog, and is as quiet and polite as Miss Chloe is. I think he'll make a nice addition to the family. More on him later!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alek is #1

Alek found out on Monday that's he's top popcorn seller in his PACK for the 2nd year in a row! Way to go Alek! He loves to sell popcorn, and loves to pick out his prize for doing it. This year he picked a sleeping bag (I think). We're so proud of him ... now he and Daddo have several nights of deliveries to do ...!

If you bought popcorn from us ... it will be coming soon!

Exercise Update

I'm still feeling well, and I went to water aerobics both Friday and Saturday mornings. This morning we took Chloe and walked the 2 miles around the Apex Lake. I jogged on the down-and-up hill parts, and it felt really good. The boys rode their scooters, so we weren't stopping every 2 minutes to throw rocks and pet dogs so it went fast!

Friday my on-line shopping paid off! I had decided to get the Dante Bellefleur faucet, and found that a couple showrooms in Raleigh had them. So, armed with my internet shopping pages, I trekked out to the showroom. Indeed, they had the Bellefleur in stainless steel, indeed it was impressive - much bigger than I thought it would be. Retail is $455, and the showroom was offering it for $359. HA! I asked if they would negotiate on the prices, and the saleswoman said that they usually don't. Ok, I said, thanks for letting me see it. I can get it for $273 and free shipping on 3 different web sites. She made a note of that, and we parted ways. I kept looking around the showroom, because they had really cool sinks and other faucets and stuff. Then she came back and said they'd sell it to me for $250 plus tax. I took it! I feel so proud of myself, I don't normally ask for lower prices. So, I came home with it. Oh, and I found some knobs I really liked there, so I'll probably go back and get them when it's time. So, now they have a loyal customer and their going to make a big profit from me on knobs, I'm sure.

Saturday night we had a spaghetti dinner with the Cub Scouts. They were supposed to go camping, so they'd made all the meatballs, sauce, salad, garlic bread, etc so we all went over to the church and had dinner together. It was very nice. We hadn't planned on going camping because Alek's Viper Challenge football tournament was supposed to be on Saturday, but it was postponed due the all the rain Friday. So Ben and Alek have spent Friday night and most of Saturday playing with their friends, which has been very nice.

Right now all 3 of my boys are outside raking & blowing leaves, and trimming bushes. Ah, the benefit of boys! I'm off to shower and then head to my friend Rhonda's Dove Chocolate Party. Sounds interesting!!!

Halloween

I know I've been missing for a while now ... I'm getting well! Last night I downloaded the Halloween pictures onto the home computer ... but then discovered that something is wrong with it's internet connection so I can't upload the pictures nor email them to my computer here in my office. So, you'll have to wait a bit longer for the pics.

We have a fun night tonight ... it's Alek's end of season football party at the pizza place. I think he'll get his trophy tonight so I've got to remember to take my camera!! Gary's out of town tonight so Ben and I both will go ...

Tomorrow I'm not working (yes, I'm not supposed to be working any Tuesdays or Fridays but things have been so busy at work for the last few months that I've been working parts of each day) and I'm going two places: 1) to look at kitchen faucets at a few showrooms in Raleigh (we're re-doing the kitchen counters and need a new faucet) and 2) to the going-out-of-business sale at the Rug store in Raleigh (I want a new colorful rug for under the kitchen table for Christmas). Let me see if I can upload the color of my new countertops here ... oh, I can, and here are the faucet options too ...Giallo Fiorito Granite for the countertops and the kitchen walls (our kitchen is mostly open, so there's just a small wall behind the stove, between the countertop and the cabinets)

Price Pfister AshfieldDanze BellefleurKohler Clarinette

Which do you like best?

They each come in crome or stainless steel, each have a pull-out sprayer, and each have a single lever controling temperature and water flow. So far, Dad likes the Clarinette, Andrea likes the Bellafleur, and Mom doesn't like any of them. Gary and I like each of them, so I need to see them all in person, if possible. I saw the Ashfield at Home Depot, and it's large and impressive. I won't be installing the soap dispenser even if the faucet comes with one, so don't let that be a deciding factor. The Bellefleur is a bit more obsure, and the Danze company is a little more upscale (sold only through distributors, not Home Depot or Lowes), but surprisingly not more expensive. Well, I guess I should say I was completely surprised by the cost of ANY faucet, and when I got over that, then I wasn't surprised that the Danze wasn't more than the Kohler or Price Pfister.

Another weekend ...

Another weekend has come and gone and still no blog from me ... I've been sick all week, even stayed on the couch all day Friday and did nothing. I'm feeling better, but haven't had the time to sit and catch up on stories and photos and such. We just got back from seeing Madagasgar 2 - very enjoyable. We took a hike around the Apex lake this morning, and that about did me in. I've got a ways to go to get my stamina back after being sick last week. But, I think I'm feeling better ... have a good night!

Biking

We finally, FINALLY, got it all together ... we got all the bikes working, sized correctly, attached the new bike rack to the back of the van, and drove to the American Tobacco Trail and went for a ride. We went 4 miles, it took us a little over 30 minutes. But it was a good ride.

The day here was so beautiful, there were lots of horses on the trails, lots of runners and other cyclists. We looked so athletic with that huge rack on the back of the van!!

After the exercise, we snacked on orange slices, pretzels and diet sodas. It was a terrific afternoon.

Last night was a lot of fun too! Alek and I went to a Halloween party at one of his friend's house, and Ben and Gary had a special night out. They started at the NC Museum of Art, then went out to a Japanese Steakhouse for dinner, then went to our favorite game store, All Fun and Games, and bought a 300 piece puzzle. They completed it this afternoon, so after the bike ride we stopped by and bought another. We have a special table that's perfect for puzzles, and my parents got us one of those felt puzzle keepers a couple years ago. So, if they put that down first, they can then move the puzzle at any time.

Right now, were taking baths early so we can watch A Series of Unfortunate Events tonight. Hope your weekend was great!

Walking With Dinosaurs

We had a night out last night! We went with our friends, the Meyers, and had dinner in downtown Apex at Anna's Pizzeria - it was already packed when we got there at 5:15! Then off to the RBC Center to see Walking with Dinosaurs. It's a big show with animatronic dinosaurs. There's a palentologist who narrarates, and it takes you through the millions of years the dinosaurs were on the earth. The dinosaurs themselves were incredible - very life-like. I never thought of them as protecting their young, and interacting with each other. I thought it was fascinating. The boys liked it 'ok'.

Rearrange: the play room

Here it is! The newly arranged playroom - it looks so open and clear! I think it will make a very nice guest room for Mema and Papa next weekend! They boys came home from school and were ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over it.

Rearranging: the play room

After arranging the living room, I vacuumed downstairs and was motivated to work in the play room. WOW, does it ever look different! Without the piano, I could move the couch against the wall, pull the 'train table/coffee table' out to the middle of the room, and add a side lamp on a small side table. Love it! Now it really looks spacious for Mom & Dad's visit next weekend.

I'm trying to load the video ... keep checking back for it!

Rearranging: the living room

I spent this morning rearranging (and cleaning!) the house. The house hasn't gotten much attention lately; not since the weekend we moved all the mulch and pulled out the front bushes. So, I started by moving the piano into the living room - see the video above. I think it looks pretty nice. Not ideal, but definitely livable.

It was truly a super weekend here ... weather was cool and clear ... and we were out and about. Saturday started with my going to water aerobics (YES! it has been a while, and I was missing it), then on to Alek's football game (they won again!). After that, Gary and I took the manual belay class at the gym so we could belay Ben on the rock climbing wall. The dictionary defines 'belay' as:
Mountain Climbing. a. to secure (a person) by attaching to one end of a rope. b. to secure (a rope) by attaching to a person or to an object offering stable support.
Mountain Climbing. a rock, bush, or other object sturdy enough for a running rope to be passed around it to secure a hold.
Basically, we hold the bottom of the rope using a device so that Ben won't come crashing down off the wall. We're literally holding his life in our hands. This was a pretty serious training, and we learned a lot. We both passed, so now we can take Ben on the manual belay courses on the rock climbing wall any time it's open. This is great, because it's one of the few activities Ben enjoys.

After belay class, we head up to Duke University for their football game. We stayed through the first half. I have to say, I'm biased coming from the Big 10, because I had high expectations for an Ivy League school ... the stadium was old, the technology was old, and the band was small. Not too impressive. But a bit better than the UNC game we went to last year, which was more like a high school stadium. I guess NC State is the local place to see a great football game ... and so goes the local rivalry ...

Anyway, after the game we came home and had a quick dinner and ended the night with a few songs on Rock Band.

Sunday morning we slept in and then headed out to the North Carolina State Fair. What fun! We rode rides, ate corn dogs and stuff, walked through the exibits, held the baby ducks and ended the day at the Tractor Pull. It was rather cold, so we were ready to come home after 5 hours. We like going on Sunday morning because the attendance is low, and then we can leave early afternoon when it starts getting crowded.

We just hung out for the rest of the day and night, and went to bed early. Everyone was up and ready to go to school this morning ... we're hoping for the best ... later!

More Chicago Pictures

Sweetie-pie Lauren at Giordano's for lunch
Lauren at Giordano's, with Alek in the background
The fearless duo: Ashley and Ben
Lauren wanted a picture of her and her mommy for her new Chicago locket, but every time I went to take the picture, she ducked in front of Andrea!
Andrea, you and Lauren are just going to have to pick your favorite!

This was the closest I got to a picture for Lauren's locket of her and her mommy
Oh, this will look nice in Ashley's locket
Wasn't there a Beatles' album cover like this? The kids are standing in notches in the stone building - so cute - Lauren is in front, followed by Ashley, Alek, and Ben. Where's Lucas? I think he didn't pop out in this one. Andrea is looking at them of to the left.
Ben in the atrium of the Museum of Science and Industry
What a great picture! All the kids in the atrium at the Museum of Science and Industry!

Pictures from Chicago

Snacks in Andrea's new kitchen
Alek and Lauren waiting for the movie at the Sears Tower to start
Alek and Lauren looking out the windows of the Sears Tower on the 103rd floor
Alek at the top of the Sears Tower
Ben at the top of the Sears Tower
Lauren, Alek, Lucas, Ben & Ashley at the top of the Sears Tower

Lauren, Alek, Lucas, Ben and Ashley

Lauren, Alek

Lucas, Andrea, Ben, Ashley, Lauren, Alek