Lake Placid and Cinderella

Ice cream to celebrate a great performance!
The theatre has a cute little porch.

Mom and Dad with Joe before the show. They are so proud.

We were all happy to see him before the show.

The rehearsal hall at the colony, the picture turned out a little blurry.

Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, come on team it's bobsled time!

Hanging out in the rain by Lake Placid.

One of the cute stores we stopped at and the place where I bought the boys the bears. The couple restored the property and own 72 acres and a mountain. They were so interesting.

Joe and Megan at breakfast.

Joe had some free time this morning right after rehearsal so we met him for breakfast at a local diner in Schroon Lake that reminded me of Cafe 52. It felt just like home. We had a tasty breakfast and enjoyed spending time with our Joe. He had rehearsal and a voice lesson so he had to get back to Seagle. We got back in the car for our long drive to Lake Placid. What a windy hilly drive. I was feeling a little queasy in the backseat and was so happy to finally get out of the car when we stopped at some shops on our way. It was a rainy day but it did not hinder our plans. At Lake Placid we saw the venues for the 1980 Olympic games and the ski jumps were amazing. I could get nervous just looking at how tall they were, people are crazy. We went in lots of shops and toured the area. It was neat to see and looks like the perfect ski town. Luckily there was no snow on the ground. After our day we headed to the hotel to get ready for the main event, Cinderalla. Joe had the leading role in Cinderella as Prince Charming. We were all so excited to see him. We were able to tour the Colony before the show. Seagle Music Colony is the oldest summer singer training program in the country and was founded in 1915. Each year there are over 1,000 applicants and 32 students were selected for this summer season. The show was fabulous and Joe did an awesome job. He truly is amazing! After the wonderful show we got ice cream with Joe and were able to talk to him. This was his final performance so he was relieved and very happy.

Boy's Night

Coop has continued his recovery from the croup, so the I went to work today and the boys stayed with Katie Collier. They both absolutely adore her. When I got home tonight, we headed into town for dinner - Cafe 52. I didn't get any pics - too busy trying to wrangle in the two munchkins. After dinner we grabbed some Frosty Boy and headed home. A quick shower and we watched the BMX Big Air on The X Games - every time they stopped Cooper said "Mour"(His version of more). It must have worn him out, because he fell asleep in my arms - it doesn't get any better than that for a dad! Looking forward to spending the day with my boys tomorrow. We miss Mommy, but hope she is having fun!

Surrogate Blogger

In Jessie's absence, I have been asked to carry the blogging torch. I accept this request with honor and will do my best to bring honor and respect to the Hurst Family blog.

I stayed home with the boys today since Coop was sick - he is doing better today. After I saw Mommy off this morning and the boys woke up we tackled the kitchen for some pancakes. With Alpha Platoon of the Pancake Cooking Soldier Brigade by my side, we whipped up some great homemade pancakes. Afterwards, we played a bit until Pawpaw came to pickup Baylor. Since Coop needed to be low key and couldn't go outside, Pawpaw took Baylor for about 4 hours so he could "stretch his legs". He played with his cousins Shelby and Tyler at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's house and had a great time. Coop and I hung out all day - I worked some today and he was right by my side "assisting" me. This evening Baylor and I feasted on a gourmet meal of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, while Coop settled into some left over Chinese. Coopster enjoyed a warm bubble bath in the kitchen sink afterwards. All in all, not a bad first day without our pal Mommy! Although..........bedtime is forthcoming!

Saratoga Springs

The dinner was very tasty.

We looked all around the old inn.

The Yaddo mansion. I could live there.

A carousel ride in Congress Park.

Pop by the music horse.

Picking the perfect hat for the horse races. The hats start at $320 and go up to $780 in this store, unbelieveable.

Such a cute pink purse.

There are painted horses all over main street.

The cotton candy was awesome.

We left early in the morning and arrived in New York right at lunch time. We drove to Saratoga Spring and met Megan at the Circus Cafe. It was such a cute restaurant with a circus theme. The best part of the meal was dessert, cotton candy. There were so many cute boutiques and shops to look in. We went to Congress Park and walked around and went on a carousel ride. The gardens were beautiful and it was so nice to be able to walk to everything. We also went down Broadway Street to see all the lovely old home. They are huge and so spectacular. I picked out several as homes I could live in one day. The race track just opened at the beginning of the week for the seven week season. We were able to see the track and it is so neat. It made me want to read Sea Biscuit again. We also went to Yaddo an old home with a wonderful garden sanctuary. For dinner we went to the Old Bryan Inn which was built in 1773. It was the home of a revolutionary way soldier and hero. What a neat place with so much history. After dinner we drove to Schroon Lake to see Joe after the show. He did not perform tonight but was required to go and watch. We were all so happy to see him after it had been so long. What a fun and tiring day.

Swimming and a Shot

Working hard during his last class.
He likes to swim on his back.

We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home and Baylor was happy with is blizzard. Cooper ate his whole cone in the car. Ice cream always makes you feel better.

He was telling Baylor about his boo boo.

He wanted to show off his battle wound.

Today turned out a little different than we originally anticipated. Baylor was able to have his final swimming lesson this morning before it started to rain. He did a great job and has learned so much during his lessons with Miss Sarah. We think she is great and did an awesome job with Baylor, our little fish. Last night Cooper started to cough in the night like a seal. When he woke up he sounded wheezy. Since I am leaving in the morning I wanted to get it checked out. He was fine all day yesterday and this came on very quickly. Thankfully I took him to the doctor because he had croup and they gave him a steroid shot. He was not a happy camper and was very upset by the shot. He had a rough afternoon but is doing better tonight. Daddy is going to stay home with him tomorrow so I feel a little bit better about leaving. This is my first time ever away from Cooper so it makes it even harder to know he doesn't feel his best. I am praying that he feels better quickly and that he has a great time with Daddy and Baylor while I am gone.

Girls Night

The picture turned out dark but it was so fun to sit outside.

Tonight several ladies from our Mops groups got together at McAllister's for dinner. One of our friends who moved to China last winter was home for the summer. It was so nice to talk to her and see her at dinner. She had some great stories about China and what life is like there. They leave again next week and will be gone again until Christmas. We are praying for safe travel for her family and an easy transition for her two little boys.

Surprise Visitors

Sarah and Baylor
Hi dog. Sometimes he was walking Emme and other times she was walking Coop.

This is fun.

Playing ball with Beanie.

This evening after dinner Mimi, Sarah, and Emme came over for a surprise visit. Sarah just returned home from Florida and the boys have missed her so much. We haven't seen her in two months and they could not get enough of her and they were so happy the dog came for a visit too. Sarah had a busy day at basketball and volleyball camp. They all had fun playing in the yard and on the swing set. What a great surprise. We love you Beanie!

Boogety, Boogety, Boogety - Let's go racing.

I am not a big racing fan - specifically NASCAR, but today was a special treat. Due to our relationship with FedEx at work, I was lucky enough to receive one of four FedEx Racing suite passes for today's race. We went early and were greeted to a huge spread for breakfast, followed up by an up-close pit road tour. After the tour, it was back up to the suite to wait for the FedEx driver Denny Hamilin. I got him to autograph a couple of items in the gift bag we received - a die cast car and a hat (donating these to the Harvest for the Hungry Silent Auction). What really got me going was that Joe Gibbs then came up to the suite - he gave a short speech and then signed autographs (another hat for the auction). He also brought one of his Super Bowl Rings. He joked about nobody making any quick moves with it, but put it on down on the counter and let people try it on and take photos. YES - that's me with JOE GIBBS Super Bowl Ring on. For those of you that know me, you know that I am a huge football fan - meeting Coach Gibbs and wearing the ring was the highlight of my day. The race was great - we were given NASCAR Fanviewer hand-helds - which have TV, Radio, Driver to crew radio frequencies and race statistics on them. It was cool to keep track of everything that was going on. All it in all, it was a pretty cool day and I was happy to be able to partake while Jess and the boys hung out at home. I am blessed to have such a great family and an absolutely WONDERFUL wife. As much as I travel and work - she was very cool about me being gone all day today! I did come home to some beautiful driveway artwork!

Monkey Joe's

With Daddy by the big Monkey Joe.
Yeah!

In the obstacle course.

My little monkey.

Getting ready for the slide.

Since it was raining this morning we wanted a fun family indoor activity. Several friends have told me how great Monkey Joe's is so we decided to try it out. What a great place. There are lots of bounce houses, slides, obstacles courses, etc. They are huge and so clean. There was a fun place for Cooper to play and he even went on the big ones with Daddy. Baylor had a blast and was sweating with a super red face. After bouncing we headed to lunch at On The Border, yum. We finished more projects tonight and Mimi and Pop came over to help. We could not get it all done without their help. We love you!

Wonder who's watching the boys?

Oreo time - one look at the boys and it should answer the title question. Jessie is gone tonight helping her cousin Jenny prepare for their little boy who will be coming soon. After dinner and some playing, I decided that we needed a boy's night Oreo eating lesson from an old pro, Daddy - although I didn't partake (I had one of Cooper's, but I am on a much needed "healthier eating" plan). Anyway, we had a great night - shades of next week when Mommy is gone for FOUR DAYS in a row?!?!

Take me to Egypt

My little King Tut.
Baylor and Mimi outside the museum.

Having fun in the tent.

Taking Pop for a ride. Look at his new cheese face.

Going for a ride.

Making a bracelet with Mimi.

Riding on the Nile crocodile.

Buying lots of food in the marketplace.

Sandy goes really fast.

We love the museum.

Do you like my safety goggles.

He loves his Pop!

We went to the Children's Museum today with Mimi and Pop. It was a special treat that Pop was able to go too and the boys were so excited. We were anxious to see the new Egypt exhibit and the King Tut artifacts. The Egypt exhibit had lots for the boys to do and it was so cute. Cooper loved the marketplace and Baylor loved the giant crocodile. Let's just say the King Tut artifacts were not a huge hit with the boys but the rest of us like looking and reading. It is amazing how old the pieces are and how ornate. We did lots of our favorite exhibits too and had a great time. We can't wait to go back again soon.