1000 Islands

We took the Uncle Sam Boat Tour around the American and Canadian sections of the 1000 Islands.  The boat tour was pretty cool!  We saw lots of neat old mansions and some beautifully remodeled homes on "Millionaire's Row". 

Ready to start our cruise!
(nice face Katie)

We got to cruise right past this old pirate ship.
Not something everyone gets to do on this tour!

They even let all of the kids take a turn driving the boat.  They each received a Captains's License after driving the boat.  The Captain made sure they didn't hit anything!

The smallest island in the 1000 Islands.

Our boat tour ended at Heart Island where we toured Boldt Castle. This castle was built by George Boldt as a testimony of this love for his wife.  His wife passed away before the completion of the castle and he stopped all work on the castle.  No one would ever live in this beautiful mansion. 

View of Boldt Castle from the boat.

Boldt Castle's Yacht House

A side view of the castle from the island.

The Alster Tower (Play House)
This was completed before his wife passed away
and was occasionally occupied by the Boldt family.

John took this picture of us!

Katie took this picture.

We took a lunch break at the Admiral's Inn in Alexandia Bay, and then the kids went swimming and played in the sand at Scenic View Park. 

 

Another perfect summer day!

First Day of Summer Vacation

Splash pad fun in the sun!  The kids played in the sand and had a blast running in the water.  It was the perfect way to cool off on a hot day! 


I have no idea what the boys are up to in this picture!

This evening was the St. James Fair, a fundraising event for the kids school.  It had everything a kid could want at a neighborhood street fair; food, games, prizes, and fun rides!  A total money pit for parents!  The kids loved it! 

Katie and John riding the swings!

Luke driving the little cars.



They were all able to ride the ferris wheel together!

Hi Mom!

Katie spinning round and round!

Luke trying to win a stuffed animal!

Katie and the other twirlers performed their Jackson 5 routine at the fair.  I was able to get the entire routine on video this time.

Ta-da!

Last Day of School!

Summer is finally here! Schools out for summer!  It felt like this day would never get here. I am ready for summer (at least as of today, although I might be ready to send them back to school tomorrow). 

Katie ready for her last day of 2nd grade.

John on his last day of Kindergarten.

John's Kindergarten class put together a little concert for the parents and then Ms. Abrams presented special awards.  John's award was for being the Model Student.  I am so proud of you, John!  That is an awesome award!

John after receiving his Model Student Award.

John & Ms. Abrams

Katie's received the Awesome Writer Award and the Best Smile Award!  Way to go, Katie! You have a beautiful smile that lights up a room!

Katie & Mrs. Abbass

Officially finished with Kindergarten and 2nd grade.
I can't believe I have a 1st and 3rd grader!

A flashback to the first day of school this year!

We got ice cream afterschool as a special end of school year treat.  But the best treat of the day was picking up Aunt M at the airport! 

Aunt M playing some Wii with the kids!

Such a fun way to start the summer!

Talent Show

The twirlers performed their Jackson 5 routine at the school talent show. Katie did a great job! I love how she kept a big smile on her face while she was twirling!

I guess I need to work on my videoing skills because I somehow cut the video in half.  Better luck next time.

School Days...

walk-a-thon and school picnic! 

Katie ready to start the walk-a-thon!

John ready to get walking!

Katie getting her card checked after a lap.

John's competitive nature came out
during the walk-a-thon.  The most laps from each boy
and girl from every grade level won a medal.  He did
some serious speed walking, and tied
for 1st place with 27 laps!

Picnic lunch with my favorite kiddos!

Silly man!

Katie on the playground after lunch.

The kids had a Tie-Braker Egg Race to see who won
the medal.  John's egg fell off his spoon on the
way back, so he didn't get the medal.  :-(

It was a fun and exhausting day at school. 

The kids walked about 4 miles!

Father's Day...

...A day to celebrate your Dad! I miss not being with my Dad on Father's Day, but I am looking forward to being with him in Texas in about a week!

Dad's are special.  I love that my dad always made time for us when we were little and that he is always there for me when I need him.   

We knew that Donnie wasn't going to be here on Father's Day, so we had a Dad's Day before he deployed.  I am glad that Donnie could think about that day and all the fun we had at the baseball game today on Father's Day!

Donnie is an amazing dad.  He adores spending time with his children and makes sure they know how much he loves and cherishes each of them in their own special way.  Happy Father's Day!  We love you!

Field Trip!

John's Kindergarten class took a great field trip to the Aqua Zoo in Alexandria Bay! The kids were able to see lots of different kinds of fish and other sea animals.  John was super excited to see the shark!

Of course, once we got there he saw lots of other neat animals. They were able to touch some of the starfish and sea anemones. 

John touching the starfish.

The kids loved Al the Alligator!

John and his buddy, Carter being silly!

I thought the shark egg was the coolest things we saw.
You can see the yolk sac and
the shark swimming around inside. 

We had a picnic lunch at the Thousand Islands Scenic Park.  The kids were able to play on the playground. 

They also loved running around and exploring the park overlooking the beautiful Thousand Islands and Boldt Castle.  This field trip was a great way to wind down John's Kindergarten year!

I can't wait to take Katie, John, and Luke back to Alexandria Bay. So much more to see and do here!