Category Archives: Family

Beverly Homecoming

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This Sunday, Becky, Catherine and I took part in some of the events around [Beverly’s 40th Annual Homecoming](http://www.beverlyhomecoming.com/). In the early afternoon, we took a tour of the [US Coast Guard](http://www.uscg.mil/)’s [Hospital Point Light](http://www.lighthouse.cc/hospitalpoint/index.html). Normally closed to the public, they open the grounds and lighthouse for tours one day a year during Homecoming. There is a private home on the grounds, which is the residence of the Commander of the First Coast Guard District. I must say, it’s a pretty nice perk for the commander… the grounds are gorgeous, the view is spectacular, and I’m assuming that the house is pretty nice inside too. As the house is a private residence, they don’t do tours inside, but they do allow you to walk around the grounds and climb up to the top of the light. Catherine had a lot of fun on her first trip to a lighthouse!

ppp|Peter and Catherine|ppp

Mom and Dad enjoyed it, too. 🙂

We also went to [Lynch Park](http://www.bevrec.com/lynchpark.html) to check out the [Guild of Beverly Artists](http://www.guildofbeverlyartists.org/) exhibit, and later on, we returned to the park to have some fried food at Dick and June’s, listen to the “Night Owls” concert, and to see the Re/Max hot air balloon!

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You could take a ride in the balloon for a $5 donation, but, frankly, the balloon didn’t go much higher than the tops of the trees in the park, and the line was pretty long, so we just watched and enjoyed our dinners. All in all, it was a very nice, relaxing day, with lots of fun activities in our little hometown. You can check out [all of the pics](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/beverly_homecoming/).

We’ve got a friend in Pennsylvania

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fff|ppp|Johanna and Dan

Johanna and Dan

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Well, to be more precise, we’ve got Family in Pennsylvania. And we went to visit them last weekend.

The ocassion? Cousin Johanna’s Wedding. (Congratulations Johanna and Dan!)

It was Catherine’s first long road trip and she did very well in the car. We didn’t have to stop any more times than usual; we just timed our stops according to her schedule. The drive did take a little longer than normal because our stops were longer than we’re used to. As always, Peter and I loved the drive, and the ‘us’ time that it allows us.

Before the wedding we had the opportunity to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Wood and Aunt Kirsten and Uncle Mark. We even took a nice swim in the hotel pool! The warmer water and more quiet atmosphere made the experience much better for Baby Catherine. She really enjoyed being in the water, and Mom and Dad had fun with her there, too!

Johanna and Dan had a lovely wedding. The torrential rain was nice enough to taper off by noon leaving a bright, sunny day! By a stroke of amazing luck everyone from Peter’s side of the family was in attendance. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, grandkids and great grandkids! (See Catherine with her [great](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/johannas_wedding/before_the_wedding/P1100648.JPG.html) [grandparents](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/johannas_wedding/before_the_wedding/P1100649.JPG.html)!) The wedding photographer got a large group photo. What an opportunity!

To everyone in PA (see all pics from the weekend here) it was great to see you (or to meet you in Catherine’s case). We hope to see you again soon!

Island Girls

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fff|ppp|At the Beach

At the Beach

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Catherine and I had a splendid week on Martha’s Vineyard with my Mom. We missed Peter, of course, and were very happy to see him when he came back down on Friday night. Here’s what Catherine did during the week.

*Waved the Dads off on the “Daddy Boat”

*Bought some zucchini with Mom and some limeade with Peter at the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market

*Belted out some songs at the Community Sing with Mom and H

*Watched glass bowls being made at Martha’s Vineyard Glass Works.

*Ate her fair share of an “Oink” with some family members

*Attended her first parade: the annual Festival of the Holy Ghost parade

*And she took a dip in the Ocean.

*She was so lucky to get to spend time with a ton of people! Grammy, the Delisles, H and E, Allison, Cindy, Auntie Marcia, Uncle Kevin, Matt and Christine, the Homoleskis, Uncle Corey, Beth, Auntie Susie, Nancy and Casey, Grandpa, John and Roberta, Craig and Edie, many, many others, and, of course, Mom, and Dad!

A multitude of photos from the week can be found here.

First Vineyard Weekend

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This weekend, Becky and I went down to [Martha’s Vineyard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha’s_Vineyard) for the first time this summer. It was definitely a lot later than we usually head down – normally we’re down by Memorial Day weekend… but we were just a tad [busy](http://prwdot.org/2006/05/27/a-dramatic-arrival/) then, and have been in the weeks since.

For the benefit of those who have just recently started following our blog, let me give you a little background on Martha’s Vineyard. Becky’s parents own a cottage in the [MVCMA](http://www.mvcma.org/) campground in [Oak Bluffs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Bluffs%2C_Massachusetts), a town in the northeast corner of the island of Martha’s Vineyard. It has been her family’s tradition for over 20 years to come to “The Island” during summer vacation to rest, relax, and play. Up until the summer Becky and I got married, Becky would go down to the island every summer for the whole summer, along with her brother and mom. Her dad would come down on weekends on the “daddy boat”. After we got married, Becky and I would regrettably go down only on the weekends.

It’s hard to explain the Lowe Martha’s Vineyard experience. It’s not the typical tourist experience, which involves coming down for a weekend to see the sights, eat at restaurants, party at night, and stay at the inns. The Lowe experience involves relaxing afternoons sitting on the swing in front of the cottage… walking down to the beach for a swim… having a home cooked meal on the picnic table in the yard… taking the kayak out into the pond. I didn’t get it when I first came to the island – I was looking for the typical tourist experience, and that just wasn’t what the Lowes were about. Eventually I grew to love it for what it was… a retreat from the bustle of the real world.

You can see [photos from this past weekend](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/travels/2006/vineyard_july_7-9/) on the island. Becky and Catherine are staying down there all this week, and I’ll be joining them once again, on the “daddy boat”, this coming weekend.

A confluence of visitors

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Catherine got to meet a bunch of new people today!

First, she met Ken and Terri, out visiting the northeastern states and provinces from Mount Vernon, Ohio.

ppp|Catherine and Terri

Catherine and Terri

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Ken and Terri took us out to [Acapulcos](http://www.acapulcos.net/) for lunch, took a brief walk with us down to the ocean, and then went to meet my parents and my aunt and uncle John and Joan, who were in the area to take their granddaughter to see Charlotte’s Web at Beverly’s own [North Shore Music Theatre](http://www.nsmt.org/). We met for ice cream at [Cherry Farm Creamery](http://www.cherryfarmcreamery.com/). I think I’ve had more ice cream in the past week than I have in the past year. 🙂 Which is not an entirely bad thing… 😉

ppp|The Woods

The Woods

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Thanks to the Farnhams for taking a photo of the Woods. 🙂

Tonight, we just hung out at home with mom and dad, ordered some pizza, and adored the lovely Catherine. After they left, Becky and I got to spend some quality time with our daughter. 🙂

ppp|Laptop and Stomachtop

Laptop and Stomachtop

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I love my daughter. Can you tell?

For pics of the good times, see [Farnhams and Woods](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/farnhams_woods/), [At Home With Catherine](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/home_catherine/), and [Grandma and Grandpa Wood](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/grandma_grandpa_wood/).

Grandma and Grandpa Wood

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It’s been a busy week here in the Wood household!

My parents arrived here on Wednesday evening, so we have spent quite a bit of time with them, giving them plenty of opportunities to hold Catherine and get to know her. I’ve put up an album with [photos of Grandma and Grandpa Wood](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/grandma_grandpa_wood/), as well as an album with photos of a trip we took yesterday to [look at furniture](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/furniture_trip/) – rocking chairs in particular. They’re here through Sunday morning, and the three of us will miss having them around… but we will get to see them again in July for my cousin Johanna’s wedding.

On Tuesday, [Jenny](http://raingirl3179.livejournal.com/) came down to visit Catherine, and also brought dinner for us. We had pasta with a meat sauce recipe Jenny got from the Food Network… yum. 🙂 I also took a few [photos of her and Catherine](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/jenny_visit/).

On Monday, we drove out to Townsend to see Becky’s parents, and meet up with her aunt and uncle Kevin and Susie and their boys Hugo and Elliott. The boys did some frog hunting out at the pond… I think they ended up catching (and releasing) in the neighborhood of 3-5 frogs. Nice work, guys! They also got to meet their new cousin (first cousin once removed, that is). We took some [photos of the day](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/frog_hunting/), but that album requires a family login to view. If you need a family login, just register for an account in [our gallery](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/), and I will add you to the family group.

Today, we’re meeting up with [Amy](http://waltondammerung.prwdot.org/) and [Will](http://pulchersentio.prwdot.org/)’s parents for lunch. They had plans to be out in the northeast for a trip, and asked if they could stop by to visit Catherine. Of course! In the meantime, my parents are making the rounds, visiting my dad’s siblings in the area. We’ll be meeting up with them later this afternoon for ice cream.

Tomorrow is my last day before going back to work – alas! It has been a wonderful two weeks off. Some people might not consider it a vacation, but I definitely enjoyed getting to spend every minute of it with my family and friends. It will be hard to leave my girls at home and go back to work, but I think it will be good for everyone to get back into a routine.

Bon Voyage!

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My sister Kirsten and Brother-in-law Mark are leaving today for a mission trip to Taiwan! They are traveling with a group from their church – nine adults and nine teenagers. Join with us in sending them prayers and well wishes for their trip! They are scheduled to return on July 4. We hope that all goes well and that they have a safe return!

ppp|Mark, Becky, Peter, Kirsten

Mark, Becky, Peter, and Kirsten

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First Father’s Day

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I write this as two of the lovely women in my life are fast asleep. Becky is on the couch, Catherine is in her car carrier on the floor in our apartment, both enjoying the darkened room and air conditioning. We just got back from a trip to the [Old North Bridge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_North_Bridge%2C_Concord%2C_Massachusetts) for a father’s day picnic with Ken, Dianne, and Corey. We ate in the picnic area at the North Bridge parking lot and then went for a walk across the bridge. The weather was very nice, although it was a bit hotter than I would have liked. After our walk, we got back in our cars and headed over to the [Kimball Farm](http://www.kimballfarm.com/) in Westford for some ice cream. Yum. Now we’re at home getting in some R&R. You can see our father’s day pics [here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/fathers_day/).

Yesterday, [Jenn](http://www.misspresident.net/) and Matt came up to visit. We went to the [Atomic Cafe](http://www.atomicafe.com/) for lunch, and then drove up to [Gordon](http://www.gordon.edu/) to show Matt around (it was his first visit to the North Shore). It just happened to be the day that they were having the groundbreaking, *finally*, for the new science center. At my commencement in 2001, all of the science majors presented President Judd with bricks symbolizing our desire for a new science building to be built. Since I started at Gordon in 1997, I’ve seen three new dorms, a new cafeteria addition, a new music building, new arts building, new parking lot… Finally, almost 10 years after I started at Gordon, they’re getting started on a new science building. Sheesh. Anyway, after we finished our tour of Gordon, we went to [Lynch Park](http://www.bevrec.com/lynchpark.html) and had some ice cream at Dick and June’s, and then Jenn and Matt were on their way. You can see our pics from the day [here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/jenn_matt_visit/).

Yesterday’s News

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Happy Two Week Birthday, Catherine!

ppp|Catherine|ppp

Yesterday, Catherine passed her car seat test!

ppp|Car Seat|ppp

In infants with certain respiratory and other problems, doctors will often request that they take a ‘car seat test’. This simply involves placing the child in a car seat while they are still hooked up to their vital sign monitors. They remain in the car seat for two hours, and their vitals are monitored for the duration. If they don’t have any serious drops in their vital signs, they pass! Catherine passed with flying colors, so that is great news! She is one step closer to coming home. The doctors have still not given her the official okay to head home, but the rumor we have heard is that it could be this weekend, possibly Saturday. So keep your fingers crossed!

Also last night, we let the folks at the hospital take care of Catherine, and we went out to dinner with Becky’s family to celebrate Dianne’s birthday!

ppp|Mom and Kids|ppp

We had dinner at [Vinny T’s](http://www.vinnytsofboston.com/). We wish that Catherine could have come along, but she will be able to soon enough!

You can see [yesterday’s Catherine pics here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/baby/catherine_day_14/) and the [pics from Dianne’s birthday here](http://prwdot.org/gallery2/v/events/2006/dianne_birthday/).