Mother's Day

One of my gifts for Mother's Day was this video Paul and Rudy made for me. It has become Paul's new hobby, so if you need a video made for an event or an occasion, let him know!

Primos Locos

What happens when tres primos locos get together?

Superheroes save the world (or at least the house).

And after saving the world, sometimes a superhero just needs to be a kid and have some water and watch Scooby-Doo.

Rudyisms

I can see it because I have really good eyesight. I can hear it because I have really good earsight.

I love you even when you don't wake up right away. (Said on a weekend when he comes and lies in be with me until 7am)

I told Rudy we both need haircuts this weekend. He said, "Don't change. I love you just the way you are."

While playing in the doctor's office at the Children's Museum: "I'll be the doctor and you be the nurse. 'Cause I'm a boy and you're a girl." Suffice it to say we had an immediate talk and I had him recite several times "Boys can be nurses. Girls can be doctors."

Rudy is very excited about, and has many questions about, his new cousins (both of my sisters-in-law are pregnant). Some recent discussions include asking how the baby gets out of Patti's belly. Paul and I hemmed and hawed for a few minutes and then told him there was a 'private area' on women for this. He then begged and pleaded for me to show him it and wasn't very happy when I wouldn't.

We recently found out that Patti and Chris are expecting a boy. Rudy was very excited because he thought Max needed to have two boys in his family. When we told Rudy what the baby's name is going to be, he got very excited and said, "That's a good name for a baby!"

Lately whenever we ask or tell Rudy to do something, he flips it into his response. So if we said, "Eat some more of your chicken." He would respond, "Okay, chicken man." It's funny and a little annoying at the same time.

A Pirate Adventure

Sunday was a cloudy, partly rainy day. But a local lighthouse was having Pirate Day, which we knew Rudy would enjoy, and it included a boat ride, which Paul was looking forward to, so we ventured out after church. Although this lighthouse is VERY close to us, and just around the corner from a place I used to teach, neither of us had ever been there before.



It is the tallest lighthouse in our state and the third tallest in the United States.

The Dread Pirate Rudy (Princess Bride anyone?).

Heading up the lighthouse. There were 228 steps - no, we didn't count, the steps were numbered and donated by different people.

It was rainy and foggy when we got to the top, and the height of it scared me some, so we didn't spend much time up there.

At the top, we took a break to be pirates.





After hanging out at the lighthouse, we headed over to the docks where the boats were. With my history of motion sickness, I chose not to ride the boat, so Paul and Rudy headed off. Paul was exhausted when the ride was over (after an hour), he said he and Rudy explored every possible corner of the boat (meaning Rudy didn't stop moving, as usual)!

Riding under the bridge that leads to a local town.

I love this picture- he's so intent and content and still all at once.

A clam boat that had just come in filled with clams. Apparently these clams go directly to the Campbell's factory (as in Campbell's Soup) that is less than an hour away from us. The captain of the boat Paul and Rudy were on said that these clams would be in soup by Tuesday. Pretty quick turn around!

We had a great time at the lighthouse and plan on going back for other events. It would have been great if it had been a sunny day but at least it only rained a little bit on us.

The Next Bobby Fisher

Friday was a beautiful and sunny day, and Rudy and I were able to make it to the playground for a little while.
He showed off his skills on a piece of equipment that you jump and grab onto and then it spins around. He's been practicing a lot on it when he and Paul have gone to the park.

He also practiced his Spiderman skills by hanging onto the bridge here.

Soon we are going camping with some friends we've made through Rudy's adoption. Although Saturday was grey and cloudy, we knew we had to check out the tent. So we set it up in the back yard. Rudy was soooo excited and has been asking everyday if it's time to go camping yet.
Here he is with a goofy pose while hanging out in the tent.

Another one. I seem to be able to get pictures with a goofy look, or pictures of the back of his head, so I take the goofy look.

Our tent and chairs all set up and reayd to go. Too bad we had to then take it all down and pack them back up!

Saturday night, Rudy wanted to play chess. he's played with the pieces a few times but this time he wanted Paul to teach him how. The irony of thiss that Paul doesn't like playing board games with Rudy because Rudy quickly gets distracted or acts silly and starts making his own rules. However, Pau explained the chess rules to Rudy in language he cold understand (these pieces are all like superheroes and they all have special powers) and they played. Rudy actually made it through the whole game, and the next morning pulled the set out again and set the tnire thing up on his own, with all but 2 pieces in the right spot. maybe we have he next Bobby Fisher i n our family!

Sunny Seaport

After working around the house all day yesterday, we decided to get out today. The day started out cloudy and cool and we were a little concerned, but the sun slowly appeared and it warmed up some.
There was a Barbeque and Bluegrass Festival at a local seaport. we had never been there before, so we decided this would be a good day to go. We are sorry we had never been beforeand are already planning our next trip back. It was beautiful, relaxing and lots of fun.

There were bands playing and you could hear them as you walked around. We wandered around a bit and found a playground. Right before the playground were these two pirates we encountered>

The one on the right looks particularly fearsome! We'll call him the Dread Pirate Rudy.

The playground had a big wooden ship to climb on. The Dread Pirate Rudy stood and looked over his land.

He conquered his fear of the pole and successfully slid down it by himself.

Later at the Maritime Museum, we found a costume for the Dread Pirate Rudy - he still masters the sneer very well!

At the top of the museum was rooftop access to look over the seaport and the forests around. It was a beautiful view and gorgeous weather.

Here is me with the not so scary pirate. (It was a little windy up there!)

Paul and I decided to try the old "hold your hand out and take a picture" with so-so results. When Rudy saw us, he wanted to take a picture of us.

I think we'll have him do it from now on - this picture turned out much better than the one we did ourselves!

We walked around the seaport on all the boardwalks and saw lots of trees and cedar water and ducks.

The Perfect Weekend

We had very little planned this weekend so we were able to have a very relaxing family weekend. On Saturday we ran some errands and then, at Ruy's request, hung out in the backyard for a while. It was very windy and even though the three of us don't have pollen allergies, we were all sneezing and coughing by the time we came in.




Rudy exploring the very back of our yard - his first time there. I love this area - I think it seems like a great hideaway. If I was a little younger (just a little), I might hide myself back there!





Saturday night we went out to dinner to a local Irish restaurant.

Sunday morning Paul woke up early to start cooking breakfast and Rudy actually slept in some. So by the time Rudy woke me up, Paul had started breakfast and picked some flowers from our yard.
The butterfly and card were made by Rudy at school and the disc is a movie Paul made with Rudy. It is very cute - Paul asks Rudy questions about me and then he made a photo montage.

Sunday we went to church and then after lunch, we went to the movies to see Oceans. Paul and I really enjoyed it. Rudy couldn't seem to sit still or stop asking questions - fortunately there were only 4 other people in the theater.

After the movie we came home and Paul cooked flounder for dinner. It was a great Mother's Day weekend with my two favorite guys.

The Big Prize

Our church had a Chinese Auction last weekend. Rudy went with me during the day to help set up and found a tool set that he REALLY wanted. I told him I would put tickets on it and try to win it for him. Many of the other people working also said they would put tickets in for him, too. Later that night, at the auction, word got out to more people that Rudy wanted the tools so others added their tickets. I think by the time the prize was drawn most of the tickets in there were for Rudy! Earlier in the day, when we were talking about it, someone told Rudy that we could call him and tell him if he won the prize. So when a friend's ticket was called, and he handed the tools over to Rudy, I called him at home. Grandpa let him answer the phone and I told him he won. He was VERY excited.
Our priest, Mother Mantelle, told him to bring it to church the next day, so he was very happy to show it off to everyone!


He wanted Paul to pose with him.

Maybe he will work in construction - Uncle Bill could sure use someone else in the family to help with repairs!

Sunny Day

We went to a Children's Festival last weekend at "Mithmill". It was a much hotter day than we anticipated. Here they had a traveling zoo and Rudy got to feed the chicken some food.

He also enjoyed the inflatable clown that had balloons floating around in it.

Iron Man

A friend from church, with 3 boys a few years older than Rudy, gave us some of their old superhero costumes. The other day Iron Man was saving the world in our house.

Fun Friday

Last Friday, when Rudy and I were off, we ran a bunch of errands in the morning, took Grandmom to the doctor's and visited my old job. So when we got home after all that, I let Rudy pick what he wanted to do. It was a gorgeous day outside but he really wanted to play with playdough.







After doing that for a while, he decided painting was next on the list.

I'll have to take a picture of the painting, but this one he is starting became a rainbow, The Eiffel Tower, a red ghost and Ancient Egypt (his school has themes each week and Europe and Egypt were recent ones!).

He's a such a great age because he made almost no mess, and when he was finished painting, he put the lids back on the paints without even being told.