Trip to New York

This summer the boys and I headed to New York to celebrate my cousin's graduation from high school.  We had just gotten back from Germany a week earlier, so Hans had to stay behind and do pastor stuff.  I'm sure glad the boys are good in the car.

 The boys seem to like being on vacation.

 Hopefully Jimmy will always tolerate a good beat down from the Fiene boys.  They love tackling him.

 My Uncle Tim is so kind and always offers to take the boys for rides on the tractor.  They LOVE driving the tractor.

 John looks so intent and Uncle Tim looks a little worried.  These are completely normal things when it comes to John.

 Although, out of all 3 Fienes, I would be most worried about this one.  Anders is a stinker.

 My aunt always has fun things for the kids to do.  Tractors and bubbles...the boys couldn't be happier.

 The boys loved this outdoor dog kennel.  They played in here for a long time.  I should get one of these at home!

Gus was given a SpongeBob camera for his birthday.  John and Gus had a great time taking picture of each other.

Mother and daughter.

Love these two to pieces.

We had a wonderful weekend.  The boys and I got to see a bunch of family and the boys managed to charm them all. 

Great Uncle Whitey and Aunt Anne's House

It seems to be the tradition that every time all of the Ruppert kids are in town there is a get-together at the house of my uncle Mark, the guy my kids lovingly referred to as "Uncle Whitey" since the whole Great Uncle Mark and regular Uncle Mark was getting too confusing.  I think my mom came up with the name.  Or my Aunt Diane.  Either way it was the name thought up by one of his sweet older sisters.

When we all arrived a photographer came and took a big family picture. Which reminds me that I actually need to order one of those.  The guys were all ready to change out of their white shirts and jeans.  Just when my cousins thought we were all done and had changed, the ladies made them get dressed again so we could get a picture of my grandparents with the grandkids and great grandkids.

 While we absolutely LOVE our grandparents/great grandparents the only difference between Gus and the rest of the guys is that Gus is not as good at showing his displeasure.  Three of these guys had already changed into comfy clothes and had to dig out the white shirts again.  They were great sports about it though.

 Everyone enjoyed talking to long lost Mark.  Since he hasn't made an appearance in 5 years.  Mark goes for quality, not quantity.

 The boys enjoyed playing with the trains my Aunt Anne keeps around.  My cousin Ben was a big Thomas the train fanatic too.  My Aunt Nancy also brought the boys some new Hess vehicles.  These were a big hit.

 John always gives a hug to show his thanks.  Gus says thank you quietly without looking at you.  And Anders is quick to say thanks but doesn't always want to take the time to stop what he is doing.

 What's a birthday celebration for my grandmother without cheesecake?  My aunt found these cool candles where the fire matched the color of the candle.

 Anders wanted some cake.  He is asking with his eyes.  He usually gets his message across.

 Fritz enjoyed the cool air and the grass that was not filled with thistles or ants.

 Fritz also believes he is a lapdog.  There is no convincing him otherwise.  He isn't always good about giving a clear signal before he plops right in your lap.  If you are on the floor he assumes you are there to pet him.

Gus and my Aunt Nancy had some nice bonding time over Fritz.  I'm pretty sure he told her that Fritz was a comfort dog.  Seems only fitting that I can't convince Gus otherwise.

Games

My family loves playing games.  I remember playing a ton of games when I was little.  The funny thing is I don't really like playing games.  I know, I'm weird.  Not only am I the only one in my family that doesn't always enjoy a good game, I also married a guy who loves games.  I'm outnumbered in many ways.

 John loves knocking people off of the board but he doesn't like it when it is done to him.

 This game took FOREVER!

 Hans and Mark were getting ready for the big trivia game that night.  And by getting ready I mean cheating by reading all of the questions and answers.  (Editor's Note: The questions we read never came up.  Katie is just a sore loser.)

 I love this picture.  I wish John's face wasn't so blurry.

Fun with Family

It was so nice to have a large portion of my family together.  Most of the family in New York hadn't seen my brother in 5 years.  Everyone enjoyed talking, playing and relaxing.

 This is Hans' idea of a fantastic vacation.

 The boys convinced Grandpa to explore the field behind the house.  Later that day we saw a bear come from this field.  Thankfully we were all inside at the time.

 The boys had a great time reading to Great Grandpa.

 This is my uncle Mark with Gus.  My parents really didn't think about the confusion it would cause their grandchildren when they named my brother Mark.  To help the boys we referred to my Uncle Mark as Uncle Whitey.

 Anders is always up for some one on one attention.

 Anders likes to tickle.

 Poor Jimmy didn't get tickled.  He got tackled and kicked.

When Gus saw this picture later he said he wanted to be strong like Jimmy someday.

Jimmy

I realized when I was looking through my pictures that I don't have any of my cousin Ericka.  I plan to remedy that the next time I see her.   I had a good time trying to get pictures of Jimmy because he hates having his picture taken.

 He was refusing to pose for a picture so I waited outside the basement door to snap some pics.

 I'm not sure what Aunt Diane is saying, but I love the look Jimmy is giving her.

 And, because I keep snapping photos, I too am getting the look.

 Jimmy just refused to pose with his mom.

What a stinker!

Next time I will focus my efforts on those who want their picture taken....I'm talking to you, Ericka.

A Train and Its Makers

For Christmas, my Aunt Diane gave John a kit to make his own train.  He was very excited but mean old mom had to contain the excitement and keep him from opening the kit on Christmas day while the house was filled with 3 million other toys.  On top of the fridge was were it sat for about a month.  Then Diane called me to say they wanted to visit and the first thing John thought of was waiting until Jimmy, his "train cousin", could help him.  John actually waited for 3 more months until they came during spring break.

 We had to tell John to stop talking because it was taking him a million years to screw in one screw.  Jimmy was feeling like it was going to take all day.

 All done with the building process.  John just loves his train.

He was excited that he could do anything he wanted with his train.  After much contemplation he decided to color it rather than painting it.  He is so proud of what he made.

A Fun Filled Week

My cousins, Jimmy and Ericka, wanted to spend their spring break at our house.  They came to visit last year and decided it was worth another trip.  I have to say that I am completely honored that my teenage cousins want to spend time with me and my family.  For almost a week our house with filled with family and lots and lots of fun.

Aunt Diane brought stuff for an Easter Egg Hunt again.  The boys are always game for an egg hunt.

 Gus is a bit of a diva and felt he needed a coat before he could focus his attention on finding his eggs.

Anders had a lot of help.

 The boys had a great time entertaining their great grandparents.

 And, they are always trying to sucker people into playing games with them.

 John had his first soccer practice while they were here.  John remembers going to Jimmy's soccer game a summer or two ago and was excited that Jimmy and Ericka would be there to see him practice.  Aunt Diane found these cool soccer suckers to celebrate the occasion.

Anders managed to make a huge mess with his sucker.

Yet again I find myself severely lacking in pictures.  But, we all had a wonderful time and look forward to seeing them all again.