What else do you do with summer vacation but dress up like your sister and do each other's hair the same. This started from buying them the same Geox sneakers for school. Of course they are not wearing the shoes in the house for the picture. They are so darn cute - don't you just want to squeeze them?
Happy 8th Birthday Tessa - August 14, 2009! Tessa loves Flamingos and Littlest Pet Shot, so she ws so excited for her "surprise cake" mommy baked. She enjoyed the day on the morning walk with her daddy, playing Wii with her sister, going swimming when mommy got home, her choice of dinner (Beef Stroganoff) and cake, ice cream and presents. A wonderful day and evening!
Tessa thought she was getting an American Girl doll (this package seemed to big and heavy for that - but that was her guess). Luckily she was very excited for the super fast scooter to take on her morning walks with daddy and play with the neighborhood kids. She also received the Kirby game for her DS, Littlest Pet Shop bath set and the 9th Bone book.
Tessa's birthday party with her friends was on Saturday August 15. She wanted to go Miniture golfing (probably from the glow in the dark golfing we did with the family in Boise). There were six girls at the party. We did some putt putt (did not keep score - they are 8). Had ice cream at the Castle (in Chester - 20 minutes from our house). Then we went back to our house to play a couple of games: life saver necklace competition, water balloon toss, cup cake decorating, and pizza eating (ok that was not a game - but still fun). We are the rebels of the NE - we opened the presents at our party - they do not do that here - it really irrates the girls).
Pixie loves birthdays too. Playing in the tissue is tons of fun! Luckily she does not eat tissue - not enough plastic in it - I suppose....
The famous NY Rennaissance Faire is only about 15 minutes from our house in Tuxedo. It is incredible! It runs every weekend in July and August. It has been running since the 1970's and hosts over 160,000 visitors each summer. The structures are permanent buildings with lots of shops and food. They do a Joisting show, live battle chess, magicians, comedians, acrobats, etc, etc... The girls were sad not to have a costume like so many others. They did get the flower rings for their heads. They will be better prepared for it next year!
The royal court just prior to the Live battle Chess match.
Look at the village at the Renaissance Faire - they are serious here about this fanasty world. It was hours of entertainment to watch the visitor to the Faire.... Look how pretty those girls look too.
Shift from Renaissance Faire to Boise, Idaho....You may wonder why we would go to Zoo Boise when in the past two months we have been to four zoos - Philadelphia, Bronx, Central Park and Boise.... ok Boise is not the same as the others, but we really wanted to see the new Africa Exhibit that we had contributed to (we had been members for seven years at Zoo Boise). The exhibit is incredible! It was well worth the wait! We loved it! How can you go wrong with Giraff and a jeep the kids can play in.
Glow in the dark miniture golf - with all the Gibson cousins - how fabulous is that . Great idea Christine! Dad and Leone and Katie came from Utah while we were in Boise - BIG thank you! It was so much fun for all of us to golf - ok - Baby Ava slept through it - but that is a good baby thing at three weeks of age. What a fabulous course of safari animals, sea animals, and dinosaurs with sculpture and beautiful paintings on the walls. The course is not lines up properly to get hole in ones - good thing we are not competitive... well good thing Joel was not there (he is a bit competitive).
Gibson Cousins in Christine's backyard after minute golf.
Papa Te, Leone and my siblings and spouses (minus Joel who stayed in NY).
Quick trip to Pocatello to celebrate Grandma Gibson's birthday.
Mrs. O'Hara (Dagny's 2nd Grade teacher) came to NYC and Dagny was so excited to be able to see her while she was there. We had a great visit at the hotel the night prior to us flying to Boise.
Ice Skating lessons - final day of class - they both passed Basic 3! It was more exciting to pass the class with Grandma Becky there watching!
Burlington, Vermont trip with Grandma Becky. It was worth getting up early to make it to our first stop - Lake Champlain Chocolates! We watched them make chocolate and share their story. Chocolate samples were fabulous!
Montpellier, Vermont - collecting capitol buildings. Another state capitol that makes Boise look huge. Beautiful capitol building and grounds and they have a dome - make it easier to find....
We learned Ethan Allen was a Revolutionary War Hero from Vermont - not just a furniture guy.
Peace - Love & Ice Cream - Ben and Jerry's dream is a happy place for all that visit. The tour is fun and the "Sample" at the end is a single scoop! We got to try their new flavor "Whirled Peace" - amazing! We all loved it! We still bought more ice cream after the tour and ate it while we waited for the rain to pass. Yes - the kids had to get cool t-shirts from here.
Dinner outside on Church street. Great food and place to people watch! Mom did a great job getting us front row parking - in the Mall parking lot. Her mall-dar is incredible in any state - even when you are not looking for one.
If this is not a Christmas card picture - what is? The family as Vermont Teddy Bears at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory - The bear "flavors" are Chocolate, Honey, Buttercream and Vanilla. Guess which of us is the "alien bear"?
Yes we are sucker parents - after the tour the girls got bears - not the big one....
On the tour we got button bears. They are cut out of the left over fur from the bears they make. They hang off the bear tour pin you are given to go on the tour. How fashionable are they? I plan to wear mine in NYC - that should get me mugged....
We took the car (and family) across Lake Champlain on a ferry from Vermont back to New York State. Great way to see the 120 mile lake - beautiful! Yes - every experience for Tessa involves a book - just like her daddy...
Fort Ticondaroga - there is more to it than Joel's favorite pencil. Perfect place to watch Lake Champlain and Lake George! Great strategic point for the Revolutionary War. Sad it was a State Park and not a National Park - no stamp, but still worth seeing - even on a hot, humid day!
The girls at Kings Garden (Children's Garnden) at Lake Ticonderoga. What fun kid sized Adirondack chairs.
Battlefield Saratoga - Hooray - this one was a stamp! Tessa loved playing Revolutionary war soldiers and building forts with Lincoln Logs. Look at her sporting her Junior Ranger badge!
The monument of Saratoga. Joel and I climbed the 188 stairs to the top and hurt for days after it.... Mom was too afraid of the open narrow stairs and the kids refused to get out of the car... ohh the joys of a family vacation!
Sitting in Adirondack chairs in the Adirondack mountains (Lake George) too fun!
Mom - the beauty in the lake - enjoys Lake George. It reminds us of a large commercialized McCall.
New York State Museum in Albany has a very humbling exhibit to 9/11. This was a Fire Truck found in the debris after the towers fell.
Grandma and the girls in front of the "Egg" performance center at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY by the state Capitol building.
Riding the 114 year old Carousel in the New York State Museum - the museum is free and so is the Carousel - Woo Hoo!
4th of July celebration with front row seats on the Hudson River and the Empire State building (lit in Red, White and Blue) in the background. Happy Birthday America!
The family on the Circle Line pier with the NYPD reserved seating (next to the Intrepid) - amazing view with cinders raining down upon us during the show - boy were we close!
Getting ready for the fireworks on the 4th of July with Manhattan skyline behind us. Empire State Building is behind Dagny.
In the background is one of the six "Macy's" Barges that shot off the firworks. We could see five of the six barges and the fireworks in unison over the Hudson in celebration not only of the 4th of July, but also for the kick off of the celebrations of the 400 years since Henry Hudson navigated the Hudson River in September 400 years ago. Behind us is New Jersey - we have learned as New Yorkers to never say anything nice about Jersey...
We finally made it to the Central Park Zoo! The girls had to have a picture with the enterance used in Madagascar. We were excited to see the Penguins - Ricco is my fav! We felt robbed - there are no giraff, lion, hippo or zebra here - small zoo. The sea lion show and baby monkey was cool though. It was a bit underwhelming after being at the Bronx Zoo and Philadelphia Zoo!
Do you see the Red Panda in the tree behind the girls - if not - it is a super cute picture of the girls...
Dagny designed her own shirt for 4th grade kick ball - end of the year tournament. Her team took first place - undefeated!
4-H rocket launch - the last meeting with our 4-H friends for the year. Dagny was one of two 4-Hers - old gal. She got the thinnest and fastest Rocket - it went super high and fast!
The entire 4-H club with our rockets, just prior to launching them! Safety first!
Mom and her friends Melody and Linda from school at the Cloisters museum in upper Manhattan. Amazing (and kind of creepy) midevil art exhibit.
Dagny at the Rockefeller home on the Hudson (Kykuit) - impressive glass street lamp at the entry door.
Amazing sculpture art at the Kykuit mansion. Most of it was brought their by Nelson Rockefeller - NYS Governor. He had the Picasso paintings put into tapestries - very cool to see!
Kykuit mansion - Mom, Linda, Melody overlooking the Hudson River!
Tis is our house - hee hee. It is the Rockefeller mansion overlooking the Hudson River! The grounds are even more impressive!
Family overlooking the Hudson River.
West Point - free Jazz concert overlooking the Hudson. Enjoying our picnic and the view during the concert!
Melody, Linda and Mom at West Point (Trophy Point - the cannons are the trophies of war!)
Million dollar view of the Hudson from West Point during the concert! What an amazing spot for a picnic and a free concert! 
Spinning the spurs for good luck at West Point! It is not midnight and the girls doing have a test - nor are they cadets....
We got to see Billy Elliott - It received the Tony for Best Musical for 2008 and well worth it! Boy can that boy dance!
Glow in the dark miniture golf - with all the Gibson cousins - how fabulous is that . Great idea Christine! Dad and Leone and Katie came from Utah while we were in Boise - BIG thank you! It was so much fun for all of us to golf - ok - Baby Ava slept through it - but that is a good baby thing at three weeks of age. What a fabulous course of safari animals, sea animals, and dinosaurs with sculpture and beautiful paintings on the walls. The course is not lines up properly to get hole in ones - good thing we are not competitive... well good thing Joel was not there (he is a bit competitive).
Gibson Cousins in Christine's backyard after minute golf.
Papa Te, Leone and my siblings and spouses (minus Joel who stayed in NY).
Quick trip to Pocatello to celebrate Grandma Gibson's birthday.
Mrs. O'Hara (Dagny's 2nd Grade teacher) came to NYC and Dagny was so excited to be able to see her while she was there. We had a great visit at the hotel the night prior to us flying to Boise.
Ice Skating lessons - final day of class - they both passed Basic 3! It was more exciting to pass the class with Grandma Becky there watching!
Burlington, Vermont trip with Grandma Becky. It was worth getting up early to make it to our first stop - Lake Champlain Chocolates! We watched them make chocolate and share their story. Chocolate samples were fabulous!
Montpellier, Vermont - collecting capitol buildings. Another state capitol that makes Boise look huge. Beautiful capitol building and grounds and they have a dome - make it easier to find....
We learned Ethan Allen was a Revolutionary War Hero from Vermont - not just a furniture guy.
Peace - Love & Ice Cream - Ben and Jerry's dream is a happy place for all that visit. The tour is fun and the "Sample" at the end is a single scoop! We got to try their new flavor "Whirled Peace" - amazing! We all loved it! We still bought more ice cream after the tour and ate it while we waited for the rain to pass. Yes - the kids had to get cool t-shirts from here.
Dinner outside on Church street. Great food and place to people watch! Mom did a great job getting us front row parking - in the Mall parking lot. Her mall-dar is incredible in any state - even when you are not looking for one.
If this is not a Christmas card picture - what is? The family as Vermont Teddy Bears at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory - The bear "flavors" are Chocolate, Honey, Buttercream and Vanilla. Guess which of us is the "alien bear"?
Yes we are sucker parents - after the tour the girls got bears - not the big one....
On the tour we got button bears. They are cut out of the left over fur from the bears they make. They hang off the bear tour pin you are given to go on the tour. How fashionable are they? I plan to wear mine in NYC - that should get me mugged....
We took the car (and family) across Lake Champlain on a ferry from Vermont back to New York State. Great way to see the 120 mile lake - beautiful! Yes - every experience for Tessa involves a book - just like her daddy...
Fort Ticondaroga - there is more to it than Joel's favorite pencil. Perfect place to watch Lake Champlain and Lake George! Great strategic point for the Revolutionary War. Sad it was a State Park and not a National Park - no stamp, but still worth seeing - even on a hot, humid day!
The girls at Kings Garden (Children's Garnden) at Lake Ticonderoga. What fun kid sized Adirondack chairs.
Battlefield Saratoga - Hooray - this one was a stamp! Tessa loved playing Revolutionary war soldiers and building forts with Lincoln Logs. Look at her sporting her Junior Ranger badge!
The monument of Saratoga. Joel and I climbed the 188 stairs to the top and hurt for days after it.... Mom was too afraid of the open narrow stairs and the kids refused to get out of the car... ohh the joys of a family vacation!
Sitting in Adirondack chairs in the Adirondack mountains (Lake George) too fun!
Mom - the beauty in the lake - enjoys Lake George. It reminds us of a large commercialized McCall.
New York State Museum in Albany has a very humbling exhibit to 9/11. This was a Fire Truck found in the debris after the towers fell.
Grandma and the girls in front of the "Egg" performance center at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY by the state Capitol building.
Riding the 114 year old Carousel in the New York State Museum - the museum is free and so is the Carousel - Woo Hoo!
4th of July celebration with front row seats on the Hudson River and the Empire State building (lit in Red, White and Blue) in the background. Happy Birthday America!
The family on the Circle Line pier with the NYPD reserved seating (next to the Intrepid) - amazing view with cinders raining down upon us during the show - boy were we close!
Getting ready for the fireworks on the 4th of July with Manhattan skyline behind us. Empire State Building is behind Dagny.
In the background is one of the six "Macy's" Barges that shot off the firworks. We could see five of the six barges and the fireworks in unison over the Hudson in celebration not only of the 4th of July, but also for the kick off of the celebrations of the 400 years since Henry Hudson navigated the Hudson River in September 400 years ago. Behind us is New Jersey - we have learned as New Yorkers to never say anything nice about Jersey...
We finally made it to the Central Park Zoo! The girls had to have a picture with the enterance used in Madagascar. We were excited to see the Penguins - Ricco is my fav! We felt robbed - there are no giraff, lion, hippo or zebra here - small zoo. The sea lion show and baby monkey was cool though. It was a bit underwhelming after being at the Bronx Zoo and Philadelphia Zoo!
Do you see the Red Panda in the tree behind the girls - if not - it is a super cute picture of the girls...
Dagny designed her own shirt for 4th grade kick ball - end of the year tournament. Her team took first place - undefeated!
4-H rocket launch - the last meeting with our 4-H friends for the year. Dagny was one of two 4-Hers - old gal. She got the thinnest and fastest Rocket - it went super high and fast!
The entire 4-H club with our rockets, just prior to launching them! Safety first!
Mom and her friends Melody and Linda from school at the Cloisters museum in upper Manhattan. Amazing (and kind of creepy) midevil art exhibit.
Dagny at the Rockefeller home on the Hudson (Kykuit) - impressive glass street lamp at the entry door.
Amazing sculpture art at the Kykuit mansion. Most of it was brought their by Nelson Rockefeller - NYS Governor. He had the Picasso paintings put into tapestries - very cool to see!
Kykuit mansion - Mom, Linda, Melody overlooking the Hudson River!
Tis is our house - hee hee. It is the Rockefeller mansion overlooking the Hudson River! The grounds are even more impressive!
Family overlooking the Hudson River.
West Point - free Jazz concert overlooking the Hudson. Enjoying our picnic and the view during the concert!
Melody, Linda and Mom at West Point (Trophy Point - the cannons are the trophies of war!)
Million dollar view of the Hudson from West Point during the concert! What an amazing spot for a picnic and a free concert! 
Spinning the spurs for good luck at West Point! It is not midnight and the girls doing have a test - nor are they cadets....
We got to see Billy Elliott - It received the Tony for Best Musical for 2008 and well worth it! Boy can that boy dance!
