Kids Halloween 09

This is what Halloween does to a kid...absolute maddness.

My little police-woman had a great time arresting Angus (of AC/DC guitar hero fame).

Good Morning!

Bye, Uncle Tim!!

On Saturday we met Tim in Lake Placid for a farewell lunch. He is now off on a 6 month adventure with his buddy Shawn. I hope they have a great time. The plan is to tour breweries across the country and end up in Portland for the winter. Good luck guys and please be safe!!

Carpet Stains

I am now in possession of more child-free hours than I have had in eight years, six months and 13 days, and I'm a bit lost. That's not to say that I am sitting alone in quiet introspection desperately trying to find something to do, that I am not. I have found that when both of your kids are in school for the full day, your closet of demons explodes right in the middle of your living room, leaving you disoriented, confused and not sure how to remove demon from a wool carpet. I have tons to do.

The summer months have left our house in camouflage mode, that is to say if you walked in for a visit you would find it perfectly presentable, a little bedraggled but nothing you wouldn't expect from a house with two kids and a dog. Stay for a few days and you might notice that things aren't what they seem. Sure there aren't any bits of sand sticking to the bottom of your bare feet as you pad around the house but in the shower you wonder how they got so black. As you step outside into the bright morning sunshine to greet the day you might notice how it didn't seem so intense in the dining room. And you must be cautious while exploring the corners of any room for you might be taken down by a great, floating, sticky, creepy phenomenon known as the cobweb.

I have to admit that in spite of the floors, windows and cobwebs I have taken a little time in these first few weeks of school to enjoy life a bit...I even went back to bed after the kids got on the bus last Tuesday! I do feel the joy ride coming to a close. If I am going to spend the next eight months sequestered from the cold and snow in these four walls, they might as well be clean. And who knows, maybe while toiling in the midst of cluttered kitchen cabinets and demon stained carpet I might figure out what I want to be when I grow up!

Football 09

I just LOVE this picture!

First day of school!

No time to reflect on the absence of my kids for 7 hours every weekday now, I just might get teary. Gotta go walk with Mom and Grandma and not think of how independent they are.

(They still need me, right?)

I have been sitting at the computer with this same blank screen for over an hour now. I had hopes of capturing the last month, pulling it down and weeding my way though the memories and pictures and then somehow producing this amazing synopsis of life with the Clement's. This however is not in the cards. My lovely children have decided against sleep tonight and will not give me a moments peace to think. I have been up and down the stairs exactly 14 times in the last 40 minutes, not much of a window for creative thought.


9:11 PM. Lennon hasn't made a demand in a few minutes (maybe she's sleeping) and Colton has just finished his book. Here goes!

After months of waiting we finally went to Maine! We were there for 7 days and enjoyed every one of them. Our first day was a little turbulent and led to the purchase of a new tent, screen tent and air mattress at Wal-Mart (not the ideal place to spend your first day in Maine). Once camp was set up we settled in for the week.



Thursday we met up with Kate and Adam. We talked, ate, talked, walked down the long breakwater, talked, found a great little beach and talked. So much fun and it left me wishing we lived closer to eachother.

I could go on and break down each and every day after that but I think a few pictures will do the trick. We didn't want to come home and will go back soon! Vacations are wonderful!

(Lennon took this picture!)