Cole – 1st Grade – Fall 2008

Brittany – 5th Grade – Fall 2008

The kids have gotten their school pictures for this year. And I think they came out great, but of course, I’m a little biased!

A "Great Stuff" volcano.

Today was Volcano Eruption day at Brittany’s school. She wanted to have a reusable volcano, so Scott cut a piece of wood, and jig sawed out a hole big enough for the soda bottle to fit through it. She made a volcano out of “Great Stuff”, which is an insulation foam sealant. We had to let it set overnight, with a coke bottle inside of it to form the shape of the volcano.

She saved painting the lava of her volcano for last.

After it was completely dry, Brittany was able to paint it. It took several hours for her to paint it just the way she wanted it. I think she did a great job on it. Then she had to wait for today to set it off at school. She had her diet coke and her mentos ready.

Brittany’s volcano erupting! She didn’t quite get out of the way, so she got a small shower

She took a small diet coke shower, and was able to get Scott a little bit too! She had fun though, and that is all that matters!  Out of all the volcanos today, Brittany’s volcano explosion was one of 6 pictures that made it on the school blog!

This is the schools’ blog picture of Brittany’s volcano erupting!

To see pictures of the volcano, click here!

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Layout of Tammy’s Mom, Gloria Hemenway. She was only 59…So Sad

This is a hard post to write, but one that must be written. It’s taken me awhile to get to the point where I can actually write this out. We found out on September 1st, that Tammy’s mom, Gloria Hemenway, passed away. She had been battling Type II Diabetes for a long time. I knew she was in and out of hospitals, but I still thought she had a long time to go. She had to get around on scooters, as walking was difficult for her, but she was still so young, only 59. I was totally unprepared for that police officer at our door to tell us the news.

The kids stayed at Grandma’s house, while Scott and I drove back to New Hampshire to take care of the arrangements. It was so weird walking into my mom’s apartment without her there. It just felt weird, like I expected her to walk through the door at any minute…but of course that didn’t happen. I know she’s in a better place, and not in pain anymore, so I must take peace in that. She left behind 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

Tammy’s Family – Mom, Kevin, Tammy – Picture taken in 1995 – Mom was 46

My brother, Kevin Hemenway, has been estranged from the family for years, even my mom. We’re not exactly sure why. My brother hasn’t wanted much to do with me since I left home to get married 14 years ago. My mom was able to get him to stay home, once, when I came to visit, and that is how we have these last family pictures.  Here’s a little bit about Kevin from his O’Reilly media bio:  Kevin Hemenway, coauthor of Mac OS X Hacks and author of Spidering Hacks, is better known as Morbus Iff, the creator of disobey.com, which bills itself as “content for the discontented.” Publisher and developer of more home cooking than you could ever imagine, he’d love to give you a Fry Pan of Intellect upside the head. Politely, of course. And with love.

Kevin Hemenway, aka Morbus IFF, Tammy’s Brother

Kevin, from what I read on his website, is doing well. He has 2 daughters of his own, and I wish I could be a part of their lives. I’m an aunt, but I don’t feel like one. The only pictures I’ve seen of my nieces have been the ones he’s posted on his website. I tried to contact him while I was home, but he hung up on me, and then wouldn’t answer the phone any other time I tried to call. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I’d like to have contact with him, and his family.

My mom met both of my kids. Cole was a newborn the last time she saw him, but was always updated through yearly pictures, and she was an avid reader of our blog. Brittany remembers her as she was 5 at the time of our last visit. Brittany took her death a little harder. When I was back in Concord, my mom’s closest friends, all told me how proud she was of me, and how happy she would get when she got new pictures, or heard from me. It was nice to hear from other people how she really felt about me. I just wish my mom had told me those things personally, but she just wasn’t one of those emotional kinds of people.

Layout of Tammy’s Mom, Her Brother Kevin, and Her –Last Known Family Photo

Mom, if you can read this from heaven, this post is for you. I miss you more than you know. The layout at the top and this one is made with a kit called Spirit of the Wolf that Sherah Kraan made for me in honor of my mom, who loved wolves and embraced the spirit of the wolf.

To see pictures of Gloria Hemenway, Kevin Hemenway, and me when we were younger, click here!

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Well, another soccer season is over.  The kids had a fun time doing soccer again.

Here’s Cole stopping a ball from going in the goal!

Cole has found a position that he actually likes on the team – GOALIE!  Although, as a mom, it was kinda scary seeing all those kids running at my son trying to kick the ball, while he’s trying to trap the ball with his hands.  Thankfully nothing bad happened, and he did well.  Cole’s team was the Sharks, this year.

Brittany getting ready to kick off.

Brittany played forward again for the whole season, and was able to score quite a few goals.  Brittany’s team was the Chameleons.  I think the incentive of getting ice cream for each goal helps.  She really likes soccer, but now she’s on to something new.  Now, she’s trying gymnastics!  So far, she LOVES gymnastics.

On to other news, Cole lost his first tooth!  He was so excited!  He’s got another tooth that’s very close to coming out.

Pumpkin in 2005 at Tammy’s mom’s house.jpg

We have a new fur baby in our home!  He’s a cat that used to be my mom’s, that we now have adopted.  His name is Pumpkin, and he’s very lovable.  Checkers, our resident cat, was not thrilled at all with the new addition.  She and Pumpkin got into lots of fights, the first few weeks.  It’s getting better, but sometimes Checkers still feels she needs to show her dominance, and starts a fight.

Snow on our poor pumpkins!

This past weekend, we had the first snow of the season!  We couldn’t believe it!  Just earlier in the day, the kids had been outside playing with their summer toys, and then it started to snow, and they had to bring everything back in!  Our poor pumpkins had snow-covered tops!  The snow melted the next day, but still… it was only October 11th, and we got snow!!  Crazy!

To see the soccer pics, click here!

To see our new fur baby, click here! (be sure to click next to see the following pictures!)

To see the first snow pictures, click here!

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Self-portrait! Scott, Tammy and Trecia during the Smash Mouth Concert

Right after getting back from our unexpected trip to New Hampshire, there was a Smash Mouth concert at the SUU Centrum.  We had already bought tickets, and planned to go with one of my co-workers.

Smash Mouth!! Lead Singer Steve Harwell and Guitarist Leroy Miller

It was an awesome concert!!  I’m so glad we went, and we had a wonderful time.  It was way better than I had expected.  They played a nice mixture of the popular songs, and then played some rock songs.  They also announced that they are going to be working on a new record!

Smash Mouth – Whole band except the percussionist

Smash Mouth, a pop band from California, whose hit songs include “Walkin’ on The Sun” and “All Star,”  performed at SUU for Homecoming Week.  Last year, SUU had the Goo Goo Dolls.  SUU President Michael T. Benson said he hopes a big-name concert will become tradition for Homecoming Week.

To see all the pictures from the Smash Mouth concert, click here!

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On our way back from Concord, NH to Cedar City, UT, we passed right by the Niagara Falls exit.  We decided spontaneously to stop for a quick look, since neither of us had seen them.  We stayed on the American side, since neither of us had our passports, so we were able to see the American Falls, a small part of the Bridal Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls.  It was very cold as it was early morning as we were passing through, but the falls were amazing to see.  I hear the Canadian side is an even better view…but oh well..we didn’t have much time.

Niagara Falls – viewpoint from Prospect Point

From the U.S. side, the American Falls can be viewed from walkways along Prospect Point Park.  To walk from the parking lot to Prospect Point, take some pictures, and walk back to the car took us about 30 minutes.  It was a quick trip, but at least we can say we’ve seen the falls!

See the mist??? That is where the Niagara River "falls"

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border separating the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York.

American Falls is closest to you, with Horseshoe Falls in the distance

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the border and American Falls on the United States side. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls also is located on the American side, separated from the main falls by Luna Island. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. More than six million cubic feet of water falls over the crest line every minute in high flow,and almost 4 million cubic feet on average. It is the most powerful waterfall in North America.

To see our pictures of Niagara Falls, click here!

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Main Street, Concord, NH

We had to go back to my hometown, because of a death in the family (more on that in another post), so we took a break from all the chaos, and decided to take some pictures of Tammy’s town she grew up in.  Scott had never been inside a State Capitol Building, so we took a tour.  It had been a long time since I had been in there, so it was nice to go through it again.  We also took lots of pictures of Concord, and some of Tammy’s old “stomping grounds.”

To see pictures of the New Hampshire State Capitol Building, click here!

To see pictures of Concord, New Hampshire, click here!

NH State Capitol Building, Concord

A little history of the State Capitol of New Hampshire:

The New Hampshire State House is the state capitol building of New Hampshire, located in Concord on Main Street. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor and Executive Council. The building was constructed on a block framed by Park Street (named in honor if the architect) to the north, Main Street to the east, Capitol Street to the south, and North State Street to the west.

The current statehouse was designed in 1814 with the costs paid by the city of Concord. The building was built from 1816-1819 by architect Stuart James Park.

The building was built in Greek Revival style with smooth granite blocks. The entrance is covered by a small projecting portico supported by Corinthian columns. The balcony above is lined with a balustrade separated by Corinthian columns supporting a pediment. Another balustrade lines the edge of the flat roof.

Tammy in front of the State Capitol building, Concord, NH

The windows on the first floor are rectangular in shape, the second floor are arched and the third floor are square panels. An octagonal drum with large arched windows supports a golden dome with bull’s-eye windows and supporting a small lantern. A statue of a huge gold-painted wooden war eagle looking to the left was raised in 1818. In 1957, it was replaced with an element-proof peace eagle statue looking to the right, with the original eagle given to the New Hampshire Historical Society.

NH State Capitol Building, Concord

The capitol grounds occupy 2.6 acres and are enclosed by a granite fence. No gate impedes the flow of visitors, as this is “the people’s house”. Several statues dot the yard, including Daniel Webster, General John Stark, John P. Hale, and Franklin Pierce, the only President from New Hampshire. On the State Street side of the building, a monument to George H. Perkins by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon was erected on the grounds in 1902.

Doric Hall

The main entrance opens into the Doric Hall (renamed the Hall of Flags).  The halls holds 107 battle flags for New Hampshire representing the Civil War, Spanish-American War, the First and Second World Wars, and the Vietnam War.

Senate Chamber

Senate Chamber, NH State Capitol Building

The Senate Chamber is located in the northeast corner of the capitol and consists of 24 members. Large arched windows light the chamber. Behind the rostrum are large murals arched to mirror the windows and depicting events in the state’s history. The mural to the left depicts the first commencement at Dartmouth College, next is Daniel Webster reading the U.S. Constitution, after that is Abbott Thayer teaching his art class, and the last is John Stark preparing for battle in the Revolution. The murals were painted by Barry Faulkner in 1942. Large curved tables surround the rostrum and are replicas of originals.

House Chamber

House Chamber, NH State Capitol Building

The House Chamber houses the largest state legislative body in the Union with 400 members. Large arched windows line the walls. The rostrum hangs portraits of John Hale, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin Pierce, and Daniel Webster

New Hampshire State House Inscription

The first session of the General Court began in 1819. The State House is the oldest state capitol in which the legislature meets in its original chambers.

To see pictures of the New Hampshire State Capitol Building, click here!

To see pictures of Concord, New Hampshire, click here!

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Brittany & Cole with Thor, the mascot of SUU

The kids got to participate in the Meet The Team Watermelon Bust during Welcome week at SUU.  All the SUU football players were there, and the kids had a great time.  They got to play lots of games, and eat watermelon.  The kids are both part of the SUU Thunderkids program, so they got a Thunderkids shirt while they were there.  Brittany saw another kid wearing their shirt, and getting it signed, she wanted to do that, but she was really shy.

Cole getting his shirt signed by the SUU football players

Both the kids put on their shirts, but Brittany still wouldn’t go and ask a football player to sign her shirt.  I got her started on the first one, and then she was off and running, and got a bunch of them to sign her shirt.  She was so happy.  Cole was the same way, he’d just turn his back, waiting for someone to sign it.  It was so cute!

Brittany and Cole with their signed shirts.

The kids got lots of signatures, and they had so much fun.  The football players were very cool, and when even call over other members of the team to come sign the shirts.

To see all the pictures from the SUU Watermelon Bust, click here!

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Carrying wet sand back to the sand castle

After San Francisco, we headed to Santa Cruz where we had a room for the night.  The next morning, we walked down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  We all had so much fun there, and spent the whole day, and up to 8pm at night there.  The kids had so much fun playing on the beach and in the ocean before the boardwalk opened, and then once the rides were going, they had a blast riding all the rides.  We spent the whole day from 10 am, until 9pm there.  The kids were exhausted, and were asleep as soon as they hit the hotel bed.

Looking down on the boardwalk

Voted the world’s Best Seaside Amusement Park in 2007, the 101-year old Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk features both modern and classic thrill rides, restaurants, miniature golf, video game arcades, and family bowling, all located on a mile of sandy beach.

Santa Cruz Beach and Lighthouse

The admission-free Boardwalk offers affordable ticket options and free summer entertainment. A truly unique California experience!

Scott, Brittany and Cole on the ferris wheel.

They are the last of the great seaside amusement parks remaining in the United States and home to two National Historic Landmarks – the 1911 Looff Carousel and 1924 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster. The entire property is also a State Historic Landmark.

To see all the pictures from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, click here!

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