Duncan is a Jumpin Dragon to Vera’s Meercat !

Duncan’s 4th Big Top Birthday Party was a fun day had by all.  Thanks to all who were able to attend  and helped clean- up.  Grandma Donna’s clown persona & Grandparents Shaw wonderful and tasty Birthday cake capped off an excellent day for Duncan.

(From Top left to Right:  Grandma Joan and Aunt Franciea, Grandma Joan with the children, Grandma Donna with Duncan, Nana Eve with us, Duncan performing for Nana Eve, Daddy Sean on beach with Duncan, Papa J (me) on beach with the kids, Duncan and Vera running along the white sands of GulfShores Beach, Vera Eve’s first bathing suit pose

We will catch-up on Duncan’s 4 th birthday on the next post.  Here is our final warm pictures from our Summer 2011.  We try to go every year to Gulf Shores, Alabama  during late September since our friend Paul Galbraith died and left his family bereaved in Foley, AL in 2007.  His Mom, Aunt and one cousin who live there are like family to us.  Vera Eve is named after Paul’s Aunt and Mother, who have no grandchildren respectively. 

Fortunately for the kids, they live close to Gulf Shores and the beach/ island where there is alot of amusement for young children. 

Our Bright and Shining Son is 4 years old today.  We had a wonderful Birthday Party for him yesterday. Thanks for all who thought of Duncan at this wonderful time in his life.  I am still trying to catch up with all the pictures taken from our trip last week to Alabama and other end of Summer activities.  More pictures from Duncan’s Birthday and other events will  be posted soon.

 

(Some shots from last week..Clockwise from top: PapaJ with kids at Ocean City, Papa& Vera& Vera on Beach in Ocean City,  4 foot crack in The Washington Monument from earthquake, NorthBeach VFD, “earth friendly”store sign down from Hurricane in NorthBeach, Duncan& Vera with their cousin Gabriella in Frontier Town and their Uncle Mike Hoover, Duncan’s first ride on a horse..yeah…giddy-up )

The week from Sunday, August 21 to  Sunday, August 28, 2011 will be a memorable one for most on the East Coast of America.  For me, my Tuesday, August 23rd started with me finalizing my preparations for my first solo trip with both of the children to Ocean City, MD for four days.  As I left the house around 1:10pm, I had a couple of stops to make before the 3 hour stretch to Ocean City could begin.  The last stop was at Duncan’s school around 1:30pm.  I can honestly attest  that I noticed nothing unusual at around 1:50pm, when a 5.8 earthquake centered near Richmond, VA  shook the ground as far north as Pennsylvania.  I was 5 minutes from the Bay Bridge.  Playing CD’s for the children, I didn’t notice anything unusual until 1 hour and a half later, when with the children asleep I attempted to make a cell phone call and got nothing.  No tone. No menu.  I thought I had hit a dead zone, but noticed I had full connection.

Not until I was outside of Ocean City, did I notice there was an unusual amount of earthquake jokes on the local radio station when I tuned in. 

Well, our Ocean City trip with Grandparents Donna & Pappy in the next door cabin, and Mike and Michele Hoover with their daughter Gabriella just outside of Ocean City, shaped up to be a interesting and fun week with family and fun.  And it was… until just two days later… All of Ocean City received a mandatory evacuation order because of Hurricane Irene.  Then the wait at home through the ordeal that was Irene all day Saturday, August 27.  48 hours without power seemed a blessing compared to what others had to go through with Irene.  Hope all of you are safe and sound. 

We are having one of our busiest summers ever as a family. We have had visits from friends, three baby arrivals in our friends circle, a family reunion and a visit from relatives who live far away and whom we haven’t seen for over a decade. Needless to say the children can keep up with every turn that comes their way; the parents, well …..sometimes we just manage to crawl into bed. We know these are special years for Duncan and Vera and we intend to keep up with them, even if we are physically challenged in doing so. Hope you all are having a great Summer as well.

SUMMER is officially here for 2011.   SPRING 2011  ended with Duncan riding a  mechanical horse at DC Pride, visits with Grandparents Pappy and Donna Hoover and  Uncle Aldo.   We also celebrated Mee-Maw Connie’s birthday with her son Isaac and Uncle Christian.

CONGRATULATIONS   DUNCAN!!!  Love Papa, Daddy & Vera