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Learning About Niagara Falls

Posted on July 7, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When NHL heard that we were going to visit my brother and his family, he was excited to hear that we were thinking about going to see Niagara Falls. Although he had been to the Canadian side of the falls years ago, he had no memory of this.

As the trip got closer NHL kept asking questions and telling us things about Niagara Falls. You see, at NHL’s new school, they learned about the falls. My son was like an encyclopedia of knowledge telling us one thing after another.

As we were driving toward Niagara State Park, he asked if the water we saw was the Niagara River. He was fascinated with the water under the bridge. Then, as we walked into the park, he noted how quickly the water was flowing.

First, we looked at the American Falls and he was blown away with the beauty, just standing there and taking it all in.

Of course, NHL was really interested in the Maid of the Mist boats across the water. We promised him that another time we would take him on this.

Then, it was time to head over to see the Horseshoe Falls. These really had NHL’s attention. He thought it was funny getting cold water misted by the water.

He also liked the view of the Skylon Tower. Yes, this was another item he had learned about in school. It made him so happy when TechyDad mentioned taking a photo of him with the Skylon in back. Here he is posing with Cousin SG.

Have you ever been amazed by something your child has learned at school? I would love to know.

Summer memories and learning are something I recall from my childhood. I hope to continue this tradition and Niagara Falls was just the start.

Other recent posts about Niagara Falls:

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cousins Educational family interesting milestone nhl photos road trip school summer travel weekend

The Majestic Niagara Falls

Posted on July 6, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

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cousins family nhl road trip weekend Wordless Wednesday

Cousin Photo Quest – Summer 2011

Posted on July 3, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As anyone with children knows, getting photos can be tricky. I can not even imagine a world without digital cameras, where you can click away and not worry about wasting money printing a roll of film with perhaps three good shots out of all of them. Of course, the more children you add into a photo quest, the more “interesting” it can get.

When we gather together with my brother and his family, we always try to get some photos of the four kids. This has become the running joke in the family because the kids are getting older and have their own agenda these days.

Trying to get all of the kids into an area can be tricky. We may snag three of the four like this:

Meanwhile, the little guy was off running around. Eventually, he figured what was going on and went to the other kids:

Then, when they finally all get into the same picture frame, it’s quick motion with everyone doing something a little different:

Here is the perfect example of everyone being together, but four different agendas at the same time. At a certain point you just realize it is not going to happen.

Of course, I can not complain when we get a beautiful photo of three of the four kids when it captures a wonderful memory of something like Niagara Falls.

Still, it is rather nice to capture a moment when all four cousins are playing nicely together.

No, they may not be looking at the camera, but it sure does show how well they get along during the summer of 2011. Thanks for the memories kids!

Categories:
cousins family photos road trip summer

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly – 10th Anniversary Edition

Posted on June 27, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As I have mentioned before, Friday was my 10th Anniversary with TechyDad. He went to work, NHL went to school for his last half day, and JSL and I stayed at home to do some cleaning. We had someone stopping by later in the day to check on a clogged bathroom sink. Thanks to this sink, we were forced to wash hands in the bathroom tub.

The day did not exactly go as planned. You see, thank goodness the plumber came early. He showed up at 11:30-ish instead of 2-3. I had to leave shortly after to pick NHL up from school. When he left, we knew we had some large issues. He said he would go to lunch, get supplies, and come back about an hour later to get to work. In the end, he was at our house until about 7:30 at night. Our initial plans were shot and even other items had to be changed. Still, we made the best of the situation.

The Good:

We went to my parent’s house to have cake with the boys before putting them to bed there. Thanks to fumes, we could not stay in our house. Here are the delicious cakes that we had

Once the kids were FINALLY into bed, TechyDad still wanted to head out to dinner. Since it was almost 9:30, we had limited choices. I recalled a new Sushi place not too far away, so off we went to Mr. Fuji Sushi. Our experience at Mr. Fuji’s was amazing. The food was delicious, the people there super nice, and the atmosphere wonderful. Since it was so late, we ordered two appetizers and three sushi rolls to share.

To start we had Age Tofu and Vegetable Tempura

Then we had a Philadelphia roll, Avocado Peanut roll, and Sweet Potato roll

Yes, I believe this is the best sushi I have had in a long time. We will definitely be heading back to Mr. Fuji again soon.

The Bad:

We thought that the plumbing issue would require snaking the pipes. When they tried to do this, the snake refused to go down and kept going up into the pipes instead. When JSL and I left to pick up NHL at school, they were debating a few options.

Try to go in the attic and snake things and it may last 1-2 years IF we are lucky.
Replace the old pipes in the section that appeared to be the root of the issue with PVC pipes.

I went to pick NHL up and bring the kids home for lunch.

The Ugly:

When they arrived back at our house, I saw them hauling a long section of PVC pipe. I knew it was the best thing, but I was paranoid and worried about things. As they started to work in the basement on cutting the pipe open, it started to get more complicated. They could not get to the top of the pipe from the basement. Suddenly, wall removal was needed. Yes, I think I aged several years in this afternoon from making big decisions on the fly and listening to the noises in my house. I knew that they were capable, but it was driving me batty.

The guys came back upstairs to give me the news and I immediately knew we made the right decision. You see, the pipe in the basement was nearly closed shut. The old material has basically closed itself shut. I never went to look in the basement until a while later. I gave permission to remove wall to get at the sink pipe within there. The hole got larger than this, but you get the point from this view:

After a lot of power tool noises and labor in the bathroom with the wall and pipe fighting, they finally got that sucker out. Check this bad boy out. Yes, this nasty object was pretty much what was happening down stairs in the basement as well. Here is our corroded galvanized pipe from within the wall:

It was not an easy job, but these guys were amazing. They dealt with my paranoia and got the work done and well. They even cleaned up the mess when the tiles on the wall next to the sink spontaneously fell off – no I am not joking. Apparently, they were not put on right by previous owners. This was good under the sink since nothing was ruined getting to the pipes behind the wall. I was too sick at the mess during that time to take a photo. I am also sparing you from photos of the basement pipes and sludge that came out of them. Let’s just say old toothpaste and soap are not pretty nor do they smell nice.

In the end, the pipe is fixed, a few more will need this down the road, and we need a massive bathroom rehab soon. More good news, the pipe works and we have a new faucet that is not leaking. Thanks to spray that was used during the cleaning process on the tiles/pipes, there are horrible fumes in our house. It has been a rough few days and we are so very lucky that my parents are here for us.

So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly of our 10th Annversary!

Psssst. . . if you need a good person for home repairs in my area – just let me know. This work, along with the roof, and broken main water valve were done by the same person. Highly recommend.

Categories:
bad news decisions family food glorious food house messy nasty things photos TechyDad vent yummy

Golf, Food, Family, and Fun

Posted on June 20, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day around here are typically days that we try to do something fun and different with the kids to enjoy a day together. This year was no different. We opted not to go strawberry picking and took the boys to a local miniature golf location. They have the traditional outdoor one, but also a fun glow in the dark indoor one. Since it was beautiful outside, we did the outdoor one. For Father’s Day they were doing a pay for 18 holes and play all 36. It seemed like a good plan.

I opted not to play, instead I took photos, walked, helped the little guy (his first time playing), and whined. Yes, I was in a cranky mood. The boys were not listening, heat, and rough condition of the greens were making me wish we had gone to get strawberries. After a bit, I calmed down some and we muddled our way past 26 of the 36 holes. It was getting late and I knew the boys were getting antsy.

TechyDad picked a new place to try to lunch. We went to Saati Deli and Catering and had an absolutely delicious meal. The people were super friendly, the menu huge, and food amazing. TechyDad and I decided to split a big grilled cheese sandwich for the boys and get them a small french fry (they rarely have them). Then we split two sandwiches to try. I selected the Grilled Vegetable, Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Balsamic Glaze. TechyDad opted for the Feta Cheese, Fried Eggplant, Pesto, Lettuce and Tomato. Yum, yum, yum – we all loved the food we had. There is no doubt that we will be going back here again.

From here we splurged and went back to the ice cream place that Nana and Papa had taken us to a week ago. Since I was not a huge fan of the kind I had last time, I tried something new. OMG – I was in heaven. Seriously, check this bad boy out:

This has to be one of the best ice cream flavors I have ever had. It was Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough. What is not to love about what combination?

We went to do a little shopping and then went home to grab some items to take to Nana and Papa’s house. While there the boys played, TechyDad took a nap, and I prepared the Asian Salad that my father requested. Here is a sneak peak of what was in that:

We had a wonderful dinner with my parents, fantastic new-to-me watermelon, and then came home to get the boys into bed. No, it may not have been exactly the day we planned, but it was a great day with our family.

What did you do to celebrate Father’s Day this year?