Thanksgiving Vacation (11/19-26/2011)

For the ninth consecutive year, we had our Camenga Family Thanksgiving get-together.  This year, we were back in Florida for the fifth time and, because of great distances and job responsibilities, our numbers were a bit diminished.  Still, we had a good time.  Andrew, Kristin, and Elisa flew down from New York, we drove down from West Virginia, and Mom and Dad made the brief trek from Cocoa as we all descended upon the South Daytona Homestead.  From Sea World to Sugar Cookies, mayhem at the park to manatees at the Springs, we had a lot of fun and the kids will never forget their encounter with the dolphins (thanks for sharing that day with us Gramma Lin).

Speaking of Sea World, here we all are feeding the dolphins

Same kids...different dolphin

Uncle Andrew either showing the kids a new use for the air conditioner OR explaining why we don't play with the air conditioner...you choose

Jonah, Elisa, Eve, and Cate on our "Hey, look at the manatee" adventure

Mommy and Eve showing off their star leaves

Grampa John, Gramma Lin, Aunt Kristin, Uncle Andrew, and cousin Elisa

An actual, in-the-flesh, coming to the surface to breath, full on manatee

Aunt Kristin and Grampa John opening Thankful Gifts

Uncle Andrew explaining the finer points of story-telling for toddlers

Cate, Jonah, and Eve at the beach before we headed back to West Virginia

A little trip to COSI (11/11/2011)

We made it back to COSI just before Thanksgiving and, as luck would have it, there was a "special" Dora the Explorer exhibit.  The kids loved seeing the character statues and playing in Diego's wildlife center.  We don't get over the COSI often enough, but when we do, it always makes us think that we should get over there more often.

Here they are with Diego (and that cat of his...what's his name?!?)

Here is Cate the Hermit Crab

 Here is Eve working those monkey bars.  This is the first time she's ever successfully transitioned from one bar to the next (oh so proud)

 And here is Jonah in a house of his own creation

Three tiny little kids in a tiny little sub...plus daddy wedged in the back blindly taking this photo

 They worked hard moving along this wall from left to right - no one even fell off

First Day of Pre-K (8/25/2012)

So, the kids woke up, had breakfast, watched a little TV, got dressed for the day, played with some toys, and then we all headed out the door for their first day of Pre-K.  Jonah was oh so ready for me to just leave them there, Cate wasn't too sure, but she was excited about school, and Eve cried.  I was strong until I got home...and then I cried.  Eve continued to cry, though a bit less each day, as the school year wore on (and I managed to learn to enjoy the daily three-hour-break).

Here they are as we were about to head out the door.

First Trip to the Movies

As usual, it has been a while since our last update and, as such, I have a lot of updates to do. So, let us begin where we left off.

Back in July, we took the kids to the movies for the first time. "Winnie the Pooh" was the movie of choice, although I think Eve really wanted to see "Cowboys vs. Aliens." It was a lot of fun. We snuck in some snacks, sat in our comfy chairs, watched the previews (which were all, thankfully, very mild), and then watched a delightful 67 minutes of Pooh and his friends.

This kids really liked it. They didn't panic when it got dark, no one complained about it being too loud, and they were all smiles afterward.

Now, whenever we drive near the theater, a place to which they have only been once, they have a tendency to ask, "Can we see a movie."

They're hooked!

The Wedding Weekend

We attended the wedding of my cousin (Marissa) on July 16. This was our first such event to attend since the arrival of our children so, we set out with fear and trepidation. Despite our darkest concerns, the event came off without a hitch (except for the planned hitching) and we had a very good time in Columbus.

Here is Eve enjoying some water from one of the "BIG GLASSES"

Eve, still drinking, and mommy directing Jonah's photo shoot of Cate

Cake anyone?

The lovely bride (Marissa) and the dapper groom (Jamie)

Eve and Jonah on the dance floor

Back at the hotel...let the mayhem ensue.

The kids loved jumping onto the bed (something that is an absolute "NO-NO!" at home).

Jonah, sizing it up

Cate, leaping forward

Eve, landing safely

Jonah - mid air

Cate - mid air

Eve (and duckies) - mid air

Birthday No. 4

It was a BIG day for our three little ones. We started the day off at Krispy Kreme. To be honest, though they like the doughnuts, for them it is all about watching the doughnut-making-machine (pictured in the previous post). After Krispy Kreme, we headed home to rendezvous with Gramma, Grandad, and Aunt Leeann after which we headed to Chuck E. Cheese (no photographic evidence of this adventure exists). After we ate pizza and accumulated about 1500 tickets, we headed home for cake, ice cream, presents, and exhaustion.

Here is Jonah in his new pirate getup...Avast!

Opening their new Tag Reader

The excitement of the cupcake had worn off...now they were down to the business of finishing the cupcake.

Speaking of cupcakes...

Here's a collage of some of the day's events. You can click on the image for a super-sized view.

Happy Birthday Cate!

Happy Birthday Eve!

Happy Birthday Jonah!

Birthday Morning at Krispy Kreme!

The kids had a great time on the morning of their Birthday watching the amazing Krispy Kreme donut making machine.

THE CIRCUS...

...three months later.

We brought the kids to the Charleston Civic Center for their first circus experience. It was a rousing success. They loved it all...the lights, the sounds, the animals, the crazy jumping guys...all of it. Cate's favorite was the pony dance (unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of that). Jonah was awe-struck by the Motorcycles in the Sphere if Death. Eve just liked being able to sit with Mommy and Daddy without much interruption for three hours.

Without further ado...

The "side show" tattoos

In circus gear (Jonah appears to be praying for a dad who would NOT take a picture of his own son in a pink and purple circus outfit)

The painting elephant

Glowing Necklaces? Check!

Sphere of Death? Awesome!

Line of Elephants? Sweet!

This is only about half of the tigers in the show

Some mid-air flippery

Trampoline Dancer Guys

The big finale

The Ring Master's exit

Mommy with three tired, over-stimulated children

Oh...one more thing from Dollywood

We saw this wagon and thought it must be the original minivan concept.

In a pinch, it'd get the job done.

Pigeon Forge Vacation - Everywhere Else

Between our two days at Dollywood, we headed to Ripley's Aquarium where we encountered to standard aquarium fare. It was a lot of fun...especially the penguin tubes and the interactive fish tanks.

The kids admiring one of the many "Walls o' Fish"

"Inside" a fish tank

Deep Seas with Eve

I'm not sure what she was looking at or what she was thinking about, but this is a classic cute Cate pose

When you stand (or lay down) on this trout it shakes so, Jonah had to try it out

More interested in their reflections than in the penguins

In the Penguin Tube

The family at the falls

A little Smokies adventure

Eve's theory of perpetual motion

Serenity

A little more serenity

And some more

It was a wonderful vacation