a collection of memories that are near and dear to us.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

at long last the secrete fort is complete ~

we took an extra storage closet - some very vibrant paint (chosen by kate of course) - a few fun decals the the least expensive and easy to install flooring product we could find and voila! a secrete fort for the kids to hide out in and have fun!




Monday, June 25, 2007

a big shout out to our cousins on the o'neill side

peter's cousin matt and his wife mary beth welcomed the arrival of connor, their first born son earlier this spring. friends and family gathered in new jersey recently to celebrate as he was baptized. grandma and grandpa swenson were kind enough to send pictures along so we could see recent pictures of everyone.


one week to go!

(marty and joanne with ella & molly earlier this spring in maine )

this is it. thier last week of full time employement.
after an amazing tenure both marty and joanne
will retire at the end of the week, june 30th to be exact.
no doubt the fabius-pompey and fayetteville-manlius
school districts are better places
because of the work these two have done over the years.
i hardly see them slowing down
so we won't even suggest it-
just enjoy
you certainly enjoy it~
CONGRATULATIONS
From us all!

happy - happy


BIRTHDAY OPA!

a mere week and the kids and i will be descending upon you!
hope you are ready.
trey is totally into trucks and tractors -
think you can take him for a spin around the yard?
enjoy your day - we love you!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

hickory nut gap farm tour

~supporting local growers is good for everyone~

saturday afternoon we went and toured one of the local farms that provides many of the finer restaurants in town with meat and poultry. after realizing that the farm is just down the road from us in fairview we decided we wanted to get to know amy and jamie and see where all of those delicious eats really come from.
the tour was interesting. we got to get up close and personal with the pigs, the turkeys and the cows. trey was a little bit disappointed because he couldn't actually get ON the the cow. and kate - our little adventurous one...she desperately wanted to get her hands on one of the turkey hatchlings but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. she felt better about me holding it for her. jamie said the turkeys we held will be ripe just in time for thanksgiving this year. so who's coming to asheville for turkey?
we learned about grass fed live stock and how the natural consumption of the grass actually benefits not only the animal and the person consuming it but the ENVIRONMENT as well.
after seeing some other children off in a distant pasture riding some ponies kate informed us that she is going to have her party there...but it will have to be her second party because she is really looking forward to having her first party on the beach in maine with ELLA! that kate - she is always thinking. so who's up for a pony ride in august? or birthday cake on the beach in maine?
we also found out that they run a little farm store on site and offer shopping hours from 3-6 on thursdays. in late september they are going to open up one of their pasture for pumpkin picking and a corn maize. we'll be checking that out for sure. (mel - that might be a great time for you to come back up - the leaves should be nearing their peak)
after finding trey's shoes we filled up our cooler with more breakfast meat then an army could consume we said our good byes to the crew at hickory nut gap farms and promised to return regularly.








now that is some fine looking BACON in the MAKIN'


an afternoon of exploring

while trey and i caught a cat-nap this afternoon peter and kate set off on a royal adventure. they officially conquered butler mountain...
and kate claimed her thrown...
glad pete had the camera along so we could all share in the excitement!



the dog days of summer ~

we enjoyed a slower pace of life this past week without lydia.
we needed it more then i had realized...

Monday, June 18, 2007

baby steps...

see mom - i am making progress. one piece at a time.

today i went to Togar Rugs and came home with 4 authentic Turkish rugs to contemplate. i am fairly certain the two below will be staying and the others will be sent back. i have to commend Togar Rugs for their superior customer service and the great overall shopping experience they offer. i've yet to pay them a cent and they said i can keep these rugs out on approval for up to a month. talk about no pressure - KUDOS to Togar Rugs.
mom - what do you think?




melly & jeff come to visit

just when i thought our weekend couldn't get any better the cummings arrive. two of our very best friends from mooresville made the trek to asheville.
kate adores her aunt melly and was tickled pink to get some good snuggle-time in with her.
and trey - i think he found a new best freind in jeff. don't get me wrong, jeff is a very likable guy but i have never seen trey take to anyone the way he did jeff. "hand-hand"..."hand-hand" if we heard that once this past weekend we must have heard it one hundred times. trey just delighted in leading jeff around!
the only thing that could have made this weekend any better would have been to have the guldbergs with us. just like the good ole' days in mooresville. october can't come soon enough. we miss you judd and melissa.








our little trey bear

i just had to post this picture because it warms my heart.
trey is all boy and he is going through an extremely mischievous stage.
those darn eyes of his. they've been known to get the best of both pete and i.
he bats is long lashes and cracks one of his killer smiles...and instantly i melt.
i am afraid he could be trouble for us some day.

a visit from the devine ms. lux

julie lux (a.k.a. my boss) was in town this past weekend for a wedding and was able to stop by our house for a quick visit. she was a great sport. she seemed to embrace the chaos just fine and made fast friends in both kate and trey. as if her presence wasn't enough she came bearing gifts - great gifts by all standards. a tastey bottle of meritage for peter and i to enjoy - which we promptly did friday night. trey received a new truck and couldn't have been happier. it holds two cute little people that he has named ethan and emma.
julie must tune into the blog every now and again because she couldn't have found a more interesting gift for kate....a live butterfly garden. the set comes with a voucher that you return by mail and within days live caterpillars are delivered to your door. within 10 days the contents of the set will complete their metamorphosis right before our very eyes. i am thinking this may become a favorite gift of our to give this year. for more information you can check it out at www.insectlore.com
all in all a great visit! hope it won't be the last one.
the final picture here is just a treasure kate found on her way back up to the house after mailing her coupon off to insect lore... it is just a dead snail - but don't try telling her that. she has fondly named it sophie, made it a comfy place to live and has decide to keep it as her pet.



Tuesday, June 12, 2007

another wacky weekend with the sundberg family

this weekend the sundberg family graced us with their presence again - only this time erik was not in the "air" so he was able to join in the fun.

kids being kids...that's what this past week was -
and oh what fun did they have!












Monday, June 11, 2007

happy birthday meme~

a photo montage... Ode to Meme