Halloween

Anyone who knows me knows Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I do, however, try to make it super fun for the kids. This year I thought the kids were old enough to go to the pumpkin stroll at Roger Williams. We had a really nice time, but it was soooo cold. Patrick was also able to be in the Halloween Parade at his school.

Outside Education

When I was growing up I loved going on outings with my parents. I remember going almost every Sunday to a different place. This fall we took several family trips. Some we went together and some I went solo with the kids. We were also fortunate enough to have a visit from Ken's sister Chrissy. The kids loved going to the zoo with Auntie Chrissy and Uncle Tom. I also took the kids on a Sunday morning to the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Patrick had been asking me for quite a while to see a real meteoriod and I know they have several different types of space rocks. They loved seeing all of the pretty gems, and many of the dinosaur bones.

1st Day of School

I can't believe it. I'm now one of those mom's who has both her kids in school. This year Patrick began Kindergarten at our local school, and Renee began her first year of preschool right down the street from our house. Ken took Patrick to his orientation at Kindergarten, where he took to school like a duck to water. Luckily, I had the Jewish holiday off so I was able to put him on the bus for the first time. There may have been a few tears. (All mine of course, and only after he left. ) After putting Pat on the bus, I was able to bring Miss Renee to her first day of school. She was so excited to be one of the  "big kids". No tears at all from her when I left. After school, I loved hearing all of the chatter about how their day was.

New Hampshire Part 2

Friday in New Hampshire was a changing of the guard. Kenny's parents left in the morning, and later in the day, my parents arrived. Before they did though, we got in a little mini golf per Patrick's request. I couldn't believe that Renee played the whole way through. Pat was of course super competitive, just like his Daddy. However, the winner of the day.... was me. I was super psyched! Anytime I can beat Kenny is a happy day for me. :)

That afternoon the old people arived, and we went on the train. Kenny and I took the kids last year and they loved it. We knew they would again. They had a marvolous time yelling at Papa to keep his head in and listening for the loud whistles. That evening, my parents got to experience the giant shopping cart. It was really funny to see their reactions.

The next morning vacation bootcamp set in and we were off to Santa's Village bright and early. We met up with Auntie Kand Uncle John. Once again the kids had a great time. We all took turns riding with the kids and seeing the sights.

New Hampshire Part 1

Only a few weeks after we returned from Lake George, we loaded up again. This time we headed for New Hampshire. For the first half of the trip Kenny's parents joined us. This was an experience for all of us. It was the first time we had ever vacationed with them, and their first time camping in over 30 years. We all had so much fun. We drove up together, set up and spent the first day relaxing at the pool and campground. Patrick had a great time dunking Grampy in the dunk tank. Grammie taught Renee how to ride her bike.

The next moring we slept in a bit, had breakfast, and headed to Storyland. we went last year and the kids loved it, but Grammie and Grampy hadn't been in years. The kids had so much fun, taking Grammie and Grampy on all of their favorite rides. I couldn't believe how long the kids lasted at the park. We were there almost 5 hours.

Getting ready to dunk Grampy!



Patrick's turn for a dip



Riding the giant shopping cart with Daddy

Love

Relaxing by the campfire

Go Renee go!

We have arrived. Let's get dirty

The Traveling Johnsons Pt 1

Well, we're back! This summer was awesome! We spent most of it traveling with our camper. We went to Lake George, Plymouth a few times, North Conway, and Point Sebago Maine. Patrick and Kenny also took their annual Father/Son trip. This year they went to Connecticut.

Our first trip out this year was Lake George. We went for the Fourth of July with the Doraz family. The kids had an awesome time as always. Patrick loves racing around on his bike with Connor and Jack. The weather was super hot. We all had a great time cooling off in the pool every day. The kids ran around so much, they just crashed every night, which gave the grownups plenty of time to enjoy kid free time.

On the fourth, we went down to the lake for the fireworks. They were pretty good, and the kids had fun together. The only downside was waiting 2 hours for a trolley home. But it made for a good story. :)

                                                                   The Gang

Goodbye Falmouth St

Eight years ago in March, Kenny and I purchased our first house. It was a great house for the two of us and Buster. Once we had Patrick, we were still pretty comfortable. Fast forward a few years, add Renee, and we were more than bursting at the seams. However, it wasn't easy for us to just go out and buy a bigger house. The housing market completely crashed, and with it was our hope of selling the house and getting a bigger one.
Finally, this Spring our dream became a reality. We were able to rent out both floors of our Attleboro house and purchase a new one. We love the new house! It's in a great school system. It has a big yard with lots of room for the kids, and an awesome two tiered deck. They still share a room, but it is at their request. Now they have a room to sleep in, and a room just for their toys. Our living room is HUGE. Totally big enough to host the Harwood clan. :) We are looking forward to creating lots of new memories here at our new HOME!

                                                               Goodbye Falmouth St

                                                      
                                                                     Hello New Home