Happy Birthday Aaron!

 Our big event this week was 

Aaron's 9th birthday!

It was his great wish to go to Canobie Lake Park, 

an amusement park just 16 minutes from our home.  

It's a "family birthday" year, so all 6 of us went to the park together for our first time. 

It's a pretty big park, very similar to Lagoon in Farmington, Utah where Scott and I grew up.

We all started at the park together at 9 am for opening, and spent 3 hours on rides.

They have a nice mix of little kid rides mixed with thrill rides. 

After 3 hours, it was super hot and we were hungry.  There is no outside food allowed in the park, so we tailgated with our air conditioning, 

even singing to Aaron with cupcakes and candles from the van. :)

Then, Scott took the little kids home for naps and a rest for the afternoon, and returned at 4 pm for 3 more hours.  Then, at 7, he took the little kids home again to sleep.

Aaron and Timmy and I stayed until the bitter end when the park closed at 10 pm.   

13 hours of rollercoasters, 87 degree humid heat and rides!  (luckily there was a nice breeze)

The best part was that there were hardly any lines, so we rode many rides multiple times and really got to see and ride everything in the park.

Aaron had a great time and loved also getting some birthday wishes via mail. XOXO

Thank you!

The next day, Scott and I attended a wedding for our friend, Nate.   It was a beautiful wedding, and one of the rare times we have ever hired a babysitter for a whole day alone together.

Herr Dr. Professor Stapleton with the remnants of his Shirley Temple. :)

So very relaxed here just a few days ago.   2 days off of work and with a wife who got sick for Memorial Day.......has him pulling some all-nighters this week to make up work.  What a great husband and father he is to our family!

The very stylish and sweet Mr. and Mrs. F

One of the most interesting parts of the wedding was at the reception.  They had a non-stop dance from their families native country (Montenegro was what we were told).  It was about 45 minutes long non-stop dancing, holding hands, forming a long chain, solos, etc.   It was super-fun to watch and the singer was fantastic!  There were a lot of hands raised with handkerchiefs swinging.

We wish the bride and groom much happiness, and are so happy we got to celebrate with them!

In todays news....Mr. Oliver got his wig tamed.

The new summer cut.

Wishing everyone a happy end to the month of May!

Lucky number 13

 Oliver is the 11th grandchild on the Stapleton side, and the 13th grandchild on the Parker side.
In the Parker family, the number 13 is considered a lucky number for several reasons.  So, I thought this shirt that Mike and Baerbel gave him as number 13 was very appropriate for Lucky Ollie!

Last Sunday, we hung these beautiful prayer flags from Napal that Janice (Macha) gave to us.  She said that the dorn the beginnings and endings of all the trails in Napal, and had the thoughtful and lovely idea that we could put one at the beginning of our trail.  

The missionaries were over for dinner and Skyping with their mothers for Mothers Day.  As our family spiritual thought, we read the symbolism of the flags to the kids before we hung them up.   

"Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to gods, which is a common misconception; rather, the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.

The prayers of a flag become a permanent part of the universe as the images fade from exposure to the elements. Just as life moves on and is replaced by new life, Tibetans renew their hopes for the world by continually mounting new flags alongside the old. This act symbolizes a welcoming of life's changes and an acknowledgment that all beings are part of a greater ongoing cycle."

 I tried my hand at making Wechmaenner again, with a cookie cutter.  Much more uniform. :)

I don't know if this is the best of all the Wechmaenner recipes, but the kids sure inhaled them.

 We've been enjoying the warm weather very much.

Oliver's favorite "past time" at the moment seems to be 

finding his way to an open potty to swish his hand around.  

This moment was made possible by Cora for leaving the bathroom door and potty open!  Ugh.....

Since this was the 10th time or so, I thought I'd better catch a photo.....beacause hopefully it's the last!

I can't get videos to upload, but I can include a LINK here:

Oliver on the Slide:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vR8ZhKqkC7LC3qMK2

Fun with AR Stickers:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QnEH1mP4DuE8kFeL2

Cora the Fairy:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/wdRupmvRNxQWeoZE2

Which Brother will Ollie choose?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/uvZrvo2ONK4riaUx1

Sending our love to all of you!

Katie and Scott

Spring has Sprung

There are beautiful blossoms all over town.

Our apple tree has begun to bloom.

The forest trail has begun sprouting up greenery.

This picture represents the cleaning motivation beginning to return to me.  It's been such a busy year with a newborn.  Now that Spring is here and Oliver is over a year old, I finally felt the Spring Cleaning bug hit me.  It's been a long time since I was motivated enough to give my fridge a thorough cleaning.  Hooray for motivation!  I cleaned all the nooks and crannies of the fridge that haven't seen love for a long time!   Now I just need to hit the other corners of the house one and a time.

The kids were so excited to get some ice cream from their 

bus driver who also drives an ice cream truck.  Such a treat!

The biggest excitement of the month was Papa Tim flying in on May 4th.

He and Scott worked over the basement ALL WEEK!   They were tireless, and often skipped sleep and meals to get more done. 

 They completed the electrical, put in a new banister, worked over the stairs, installed doors on the water/well systems closet, installed the lighting, installed the insulation, and completed all the drywall on the ceiling!

Next steps are to dry wall the walls, have someone mud and tape the drywall, then, painting, flooring, and the closet doors around the furnace.....and other touches. 

 It's amazing all they accomplished and we are excited for the finishing touches and to use this new room!   Thank you so much Tim for coming and sharing your expertise and all your hard work!  

We love you!

Some April Moments.......

April came in like a lion and went out like a lamb, as they say.  Here's a LONG update from April.

 Oliver in his debonair new shirt

 We had some warmer beautiful days thawing the winter.....

 and then several snow days sprinked in

 The kids and I discovered the Dear Leap Trail - 

beautiful little loop just 6 minutes drive from our home.

 Scott placed his logs for the new bridge - causing a couple days of back pain.....

but it was all worth it!   We now have easy walking access around our entire property.

One day.....this day in fact..... minutes after this photo was taken.......Cora pulled out her toddler potty for fun.  I didn't know this.

While I was talking to my sister on the phone, she used the potty.  Oliver was quick to check it out.   She put it "all the way" up on her bed to keep him from getting it.

As you can see, he is quite able to climb up onto her bed.  Cora runs in to tell me that Oliver got into the potty.  I came in, and found him swishing his hands in a yellow substance in the little potty, happily splashing it all over himself and the mattress.  Agh!

At least there was no bedding already on the bed!   From some other accident that morning!

Beth Pitcher turned our very plain cultural hall into a wedding wonderland for her daughter, Chelsea's wedding.  Amazing!

 Cora continues to dress up into 5 different outfits a day, leaving a trail of laundry behind her.

 April hiking in our woods is the very best!   The snow is gone and the water levels are high and rushing.  Best part?   No mosquitos!  

There are only a few precious weeks to enjoy the semi-warm weather with no bugs.

 Timnus Falls is back!  So lovely to have a little stream and waterfall in our backyard.

 Cora and I made a tiny batch of rice krispees with the few marshmellows 

and 4 cups of rice krispees we had.  

They were yummy!  

She said I could have the gingerbread man, Dad could have the angel, Ollie could have the star and she wanted the heart.  I got the best end of that deal!  Don't worry I shared.  Cora has a generous heart.  She is always giving things away to make others happy.

 Feeding this kid is one of the most time consuming parts of my life right now.  

He is a bottomless pit.

 Aaron enjoyed a very fun field trip to tour historic parts of Windham.  

He was most excited that he was allowed to bring a camera to take pictures.

 Searles Castle

 Yes, we have a real castle in our town.  Pretty awesome, right?  

 Windham Museum

 Windham Town Hall

 Sadly, his camera ran out of batteries, so he couldn't take photos of Indian Rock and Windham Tower.   That happens when you take 800 pictures in an hour.  :)

 Timmy saved up his money to get this special toy.  He has the red one, and he is very fond of it.

 Great night for a fire, hot dogs and smores.

 Aaron did a report and poster about Griffin Park.

We both learned a lot about our town in the process.

You can see old photos and learn about Windham History on these blogs: 

http://www.windhamnhhistory.com/searles.html

or this one:

https://windhamnhhistory.org/page/9/

I got to meet up with my dear friend Annie for Indian food and a temple session.  

Cora got a special surprise from Grandma Pat - 

a new dress for her Dollie that Grandma sewed herself!

NOT pictured are the grueling hours and hours Scott spent up in the attic re-insulating and cleaning up after the blasted squirrel.  I made 5 home depot runs in a weekend to pick up 30 bags of Rock wool insulation, that wore me out completely.   Scott has worked for days and days tirelessly to get the insulation installed.  We were getting burned out, so as Spring Break approached, Scott insisted we take a break and get outside.

Scott took off work for a couple of days so we could enjoy the outdoors before the mosquitos hit and enjoy some family time.

We went Rock Climbing in Pawtuckaway State Park on Monday.

First time we have been rock climbing in ages, and first time ever alone as a family, I think.  It was a beautiful spot.  Great place to return for sure!

The next day, we went for a very snowy hike 

Beaver Brook Trail

Yeah.....we're pretty extreme....proven by this sign here. :)

We then did the Flume Gorge Trail, which is closed at the Flume, but has winter access right up to it.   It was beautiful!   

Cora, of course, is well prepared with the best winter hiking attire.  She should write a book about the handy method of wearing a fancy dress over her hiking pants and boots.  Very warm.  Very warm.

The FLUME from the bottom.  See the ice falls?

From the Top

Avalanche Falls

All in all - very pretty, but tough hiking.  This is what we all looked like when we were done. 

So we ate at a greasy diner and felt better. :)

 We had a day at home, and then decided to get out for our last 2 days for vacation.  

I took 5 kids (by myself) to the Boston Aquarium.  Whew!  That was my city-run for the month.  

Friday, we went North instead.  Much more easy-going.

 This is the SEE Science Center in Manchester.

 Timmy JUST did a presentation about Dean Kamen in his class at school.  He was excited to see this poster and a display of an invention by Dean. 

Saturday, we pulled out the Pickleball court!   So fun!

Perfect Driveway game.  Thanks G&G Parker for the Christmas gift.

Now, if we can survive the chaos of May and June - the kids will be out for summer break!