First Communion

Grace had her First Communion on Saturday. She was very excited. Her dress was made by my mom (originally a flower girl dress for Julie's wedding) and I quickly stitched together a veil for her. Cost = less than $5, time = less than 5 minutes. It was doubly exciting as Tony was home for the weekend after his first 2 weeks on the job in California. He'll be out there a total of 9 weeks before we can join him.

Autumn in New England

We've been able to get out and enjoy some sights around Massachusetts this fall. Recent excursions have included a tide pool exploration field trip with Grace's second grade class; a Columbus Day visit to Plymouth Plantation and Brandt Rock in Marshfield, MA; a day trip to Newport, RI; and an afternoon hiking at Wachusett Mountain.

Adventures in Wisconsin

We just returned from a 3 week visit to Wisconsin. The kids top ten favorite things were:

1. Eating lots of ice cream (WI state fair sundaes with chocolate or cherries; Belt's soft serve in Stevens Point; two birthday cakes with ice cream to celebrate David's birthday; crazy, make your own sundaes at Max & Erma's that ended up a green and brown color mixture...)

2. horseback riding

3. fishing with Grandpa

4. making Grandma's famous zucchini bread

5. kayaking in Door County

6. spending time with all of our 13 cousins

7. swimming in lakes, pools and rivers

8. camping

9. 10 mile bike ride through Peninsula State park

10. Grandpa's new game at the family reunion..."find the quarters in the pile of leaves".

Sightseeing in New England

We had a weeklong visit from Grandma and Grandpa Kubisiak and Janelle and her two girls at the end of June. We were able to take them to the beach, the children's museum, an audubon preserve as well as a nice trip to SW Vermont. Most of all the kids had a great time playing with eachother and with their grandparents.

What's David up to?

The girls get most of the focus here but David is also a busy little guy. I signed him up for a few classes during the school year. He really liked gymnastics and a nature class. He's pretty good at entertaining himself while the girls are at school too. He loves playing legos, lincoln logs and dress up (just like his Uncle Joe did). He also loves to be outside digging for worms and playing with balls.

School's out

School ended here in Wellesley on June 18th. The last month or so of school was incredibly busy with lots of recitals, parties, projects, playdates etc. The girls had a great year and are happy to know that they'll be in the same school for at least another year.

Grandma Mitzie's 78th birthday

We celebrated Mitzie's 78th birthday a few months back. (March 1st) It has been a difficult year for her as she (and we) struggle with her worsening Alzheimers. She was actually doing fairly well then. We got her out for a haircut and shopping a few days before her birthday. She even went bowling with Tony and the kids and I. Her biggest problems currently are progressive weight loss and weakness, tiredness and difficult behaviors. We just switched her anti-depressant and that seems to be helping with everything but the behavior. Next week she will be getting her remaining bottom teeth extracted so I'm sure that will bring additional challenges.