Lemon Aid

The kids had many many lemonade stands this summer. A neighbor submitted the pics to the local paper and it was published this week. They were so excited. It was a great way to entertain them and they learned a valuable lesson.

 

Click on the article to read the caption.

2008 BLoCk PArtY!!!

How to Catch Fruit Flies

Everyone knows what happens when no one eats the bananas, oranges, apples and plums we leave out on the counter to encourage our kids to eat healthy.....you wake up and the kitchen is full of fruit flies. I could not get mine to go away after throwing things out, buying a new trash can and wiping down my 30 year old cabinets. So after a quick Google search and a few household supplies I caught every last one of them. Here is how you do it:

Pour about 1/2 a cup of balsamic vinegar or any other sweet liquid into a large shallow bowl---think "what would a fruit fly like" even a few pieces of fruit would work. Cover very very tightly with plastic wrap making sure it is completely covered. Poke 10-15 holes with a toothpick and set out on the counter. Come back later to a bowl full of drowning fruit flies. They fly in but are not smart enough to fly out. Worked like a charm.





I'm thinking 4th grade science fair with this one!!!

Homemade Tepee

This is what you get after and good storm, dead branches, and very creative kiddos. They did this all by themselves....and experts say kids don't play outside enough. Our kids live outside.

Uncle Corbin, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Jan

My baby brother is currently serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Guatemala. Mikes dad and step mother are also serving a mission in Detroit Michigan. We love them all and miss them. We do get to go and see Bob and Jan for Thanksgiving this year. We have to wait until June 2009 to see Corbin.

Elder Corbin Coil



Brother and Sister Haire

CHATHAM LASERS

Vermont May 2008

McKenna 3rd Grade Clap Out

Emmys or the Cowboys????

It's gonna be a late night. The Primetime Emmys are on and the Cowboys play at 8:00. Mike and I have trouble staying awake---we stiil are not used to watching Eastcoast T.V. GO COWBOYS!!!

Image hosted at bigoo

Madonna Countdown

I made this widget at MyFlashFetish.com.

Blog Blog Blog

So I gave in and all it got me was an entire day sitting at my computer. My butt is sore and my eyes are burning but oh how I love this technology. We live so far from where came from but yet we all remain connected. To all of our family, friends and loved ones....we think of you often.

First Day of School

They are off to 4th and Kindergarten!!! We can't believe how grown up they are.



Walking to the bus stop



Best Bus Stop in Chatham



All the new "Big Kids"



Jackson's first trip on the bus



Bye Bye my Baby

30,000 screaming TWEENS

All you have to do is mention the name and yes the girls scream. For those of you who are wondering who I am talking about it's Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas. The kids loved it---ours ears hurt after for days, and would you believe Jackson fell asleep. All said they did put on a great show.

You Call This Vacation

After a change in plans and a cancelled summer trip to San Diego we spent the time and $$ fixing up the house. We ripped the doors off the shower and hung a curtain. Thanks to Mike, 2 days of work, and a trip to Ikea the shower looks great. Don't worry we sat by the pool, went to the beach, and slept in. It turned out to be a great vacation, and we get to enjoy the fruits of our labor forever. Or until we redo the bathroom--not sure where the jetted tub will go in our 70 year old house.

Hey Ball Boy!

The kids both left the Yankee game with game balls. McKenna got hers from a grown-up who was verbal abused for not giving it to a child and Jackson bugged the ball boy until he got his. Persistance pays off---the Yankees lost but the Haire Kiddos scored.

Jelly Fish Fight

During the summer all of New Jersey goes "down the shore" aka going to the beach. We spent a day at Spring Lake. The beach was covered in dead jellyfish. As soon as we explained to the kids that the dead jelly fish would not hurt them, they had a contest to see who could collect the most in 10 minutes. The contest ended with a jelly fish fight. Not sure who won but is was defiantly not the jelly fish or Spongebob :)

US OPEN

Mike and I got to attend this years US Open. We got to spend the day watching amazing tennis and relaxing in style. I left early to get the kids settled for the first day of school and he got to stay and watch Serena and Venus battle it out. It was the best sporting event I have ever attended.

Haire Family Favorite Adventures '07-'08

I sat down with the family last night and asked everyone what was their favorite thing we have done since we moved to NJ. I thought that this would be a fun way to share some of our adventures. Part of the reason we wanted to move out here was to take advantage of all the great things this part of the country has to offer. It has been so fun to watch McKenna and Jackson experience more of the world. They love it all. It was a lifelong dream of mine to live in NYC and now we get the best of both worlds. We live in an amazing town and we have spent lots of time in the city. So here goes the Haire Family Favorites---

Jackson

We have had to the chance to attend a few Yankee games as well as spend a day picnicing on the field. This part of the country loves baseball and I have to admit it grows on you. Jackson loved going to the Yankee game with Grandpa Bob, Mike and McKenna. They took the subway, ate footlongs and watched the game.

Nothing like a $10 hot dog at Yankee Stadium.



We were so lucky to have Grandpa Bob come help us move in and see our new home. We love you!!!




Last fall we drove to a pick your own pumpkin and apple farm. New Jersey is the garden state and everything grows to fast and tastes so yummy. While we were paying for our pumpkins I let the kids choose an apple to snack on. Jackson found one as big as his head---it weighed over 1 lb.

"THE 1LB APPLE"



McKenna

Last Christmas Santa brought the kids Hannah Montana concert tickets. That afternoon was McKenna's favorite. The whole family went and it was fun fun fun!!! To see the kids rocking out at a concert was great. The show was great--Mike and I even enjoyed it.





Mimi (my mom) came out last October. We had always talked about having a girl trip to NYC. We got to do it and we had a blast. We woke up early took the train. We watched the Today show film and made it on camera. Mike and Jackson watched us from home. Then we headed to American Girl. McKenna picked out Kit and Mimi picked up the bill. After that we shopped and headed to see The Lion King. It was a day to remember. Thanks Mimi---we love you and love having you here. Come back soon.

Today Show at Rockerfeller Center



Breakfast at American Girl



The Lion King



Asleep on the train after a long fun day



Jen

Some of you may not know this but I love Madonna. Not as a role model but I just love love her music and love watching her dance and perform. After her last tour I decided no matter the cost I would go to a concert. Last February I read somewhere that she would be doing an exclusive concert for her NYC fans and there were only 2,000 or so tickets being given out. People waited 40 hours to get tickets. Mike made a few calls and surprised me with tickets. I had know idea he had got the tickets---what a fun surprise. Thanks sweet hubby:)I took my friend Courtney with and it was awesome. She sang for about 25 minutes and we were super close. After pushing our way through the crowd and getting lots of dirty looks. What a fun night. Check out the pics......oh yeah Mike got tickets for her current tour and we are going on October 6th. Can't wait





We spent last Thanksgiving in NYC. We went in the night before. Waited in line to see the balloons, had some pizza and headed to our hotel. We went with our neighbors the Kennedy's. We woke up early and headed to the parade. It was great. Lots of people and perfect weather. We ended the day with dinner at the Hilton and then headed home to catch the Cowboy game. It was a day to remember and so fun to watch McKenna and Jackson enjoy the parade. Not sure if we are going back this year. Maybe this year we will watch it from above.

Night before the parade



Macy's Parade (ck out that set up mom)





Favorite Balloon



Dinner--it was mmm mmm good



Mike

Mike spent a full year working without much vacation. One of the first days he had off was Martin Luther Jr day. We decided to take the family to Philadelphia. It was cold but we had such a great time. We looked at all the history. Hung out at the hotel, swam in the pool, ordered room service for dinner. It was a great family week end.

We love hotels!!!



It was Jacksons job to stock the fridge---funny huh! I can't live without my Diet Coke.



Where it all went down---God Bless the USA we are proud to be Americans.



Let Freedom Ring



Banker Boy on the steps of the First Bank of the United States



Betsy Ross House



Longest Continuously Lived on Steet in America



LOVE





That is just a bit of all the fun we have had. Stay tuned for me--have fun catching up. Will do more later---need to get some stuff done.