Chip Leader

We have been playing poker with the boys lately. We let Benny play his own hand and don't give him any help or guidance. (We are nice like that.) George says it is good to learn how to play at a young age.

During a game the other night I warned Ben that he should fold because Jacob probably had a good hand. Benny followed my advice and folded. It turned out Ben's hand would have won the pot. So from then on Benny played on his own. He did win that night's poker game.

Here is a picture of Ben and his winnings.

Future poker star?

Is that Steve?

We saw this from the back deck....

And thought it was Steve.

But it was just a giant toad.

(And we like toads too but not as much as frogs.) We named him "Toad".

To the Beach!

We went to the beach a couple of weekends ago, had a great time and took lot's of pictures. The weather was hot and the water was not too cold. And the boys had Slushee's and ice cream from the snack shack. Here are some pictures from the day:

Jacob beginning his castle.

Benny getting into the act.

Run to the water!

In they go.

Still in...

A bit deeper.

Burying Ben.

Ice cream, sand and more sand.

Blue raspberry slushee's!

Tired out.

Jacob and the President.

Jackie's mother was drawn for two tickets to see the President today at Portsmouth High School. She thought it would be a great experience for Jacob so she took him along.

Here are the tickets to the event and the flag that Jacob was supposed to wave in an effort to get on TV(although he decided not to, guess he figured he is famous enough from the blog!).

Here Jacob poses with his grandmother before heading out to see the President.

They were greeted with a very long line upon their arrival!

Jacob was a bit surprised to see Darth Vader there!

Jacob and Grandma inside.

And a shot of Jacob with the President in the background shaking hands.

Jacob had a great time and would like to thank Grandma for thinking of him. A truly wonderful experience.

Yankees Win! Theeeeee Yankees Win!

My brother Colin and I signed up for a bus trip to watch the Yankees beat up on the Sox on Saturday. Some of the highlights:

The bus initially seemed comfortable and the weather was beautiful, the day was off to a great start!

But I soon realized the seats were a lot less roomy when the kid in front of me decided to recline. Being taller guys, Colin and I both had aching legs by the time the bus pulled back into Portsmouth!

Here is Colin just inside the entrance to the Stadium. You may notice it is a bit more roomy and brighter than the dungeon they call Fenway.

Here we are on our way to our seats in the upper deck. As you can see, the cramped conditions on the bus cost me one of my legs.

This is the view from our seats. Last row of the upper deck but right behind home plate!

Hmmm, did I mention that we had a few beers at the game?

And the Yankee Captain, Derek Jeter, took some time after the game to pose with us. What a guy.

And of course the Yankees won 5-0 behind a dominant CC Sabathia, on their way to a 4-game sweep. It was a great day and a great weekend.

Out on the Boat!

My parents took us out on the boat today. (George could not join us because was having his own adventure and heading down to Yankee Stadium on a chartered bus tour!)

The weather was perfect for a boat ride. There were a lot of other boats on the river because of the Tall Ships being in port. At one point we encountered a huge wave that sent Ben and I off our seats, up in the air, and then smashing back down again. Okay, it was not that dramatic - but we really were bounced around and I am waiting for the bruises to appear. Ben keeps asking my Dad if he caught the giant wave on camera! Despite the giant wave, we had a great time. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us!

Here are some pictures from the day:

Out we go!

One of the tall ships.

Jacob and his Grandpa.

Wenworth by the Sea. So nice...

Me and Ben.

Grandma, Ben and Ben's snacks.

Grandpa giving Jacob some lessons.

House Full of Kids

George and I had the Eberhardt kids stay with us this week. (I went to work each day so George was really in charge of all of the kids.) The Eberhardts, Pete and Julie, are good friends of ours. Pete is in the Army and has served in Iraq and will most likely be going back. He has recently been promoted and Julie wanted to go to his Change of Command ceremony in Texas without the kids in tow.

We were very happy to watch the kids for them. It can be so easy to forget and not think about the sacrifices that people like Pete and Julie make in order to serve our country. I don't know how they do it.

Dinner - these kids eat a lot!

Lot's of fun in the pool.

Katie - before doing one of her great dives!

We all went to Benny's last soccer practice.

Being good sports...

Ben in the net.

Hustling off the field.

And having ice cream after practice. (And after that we had pizza for dinner!)