New Year's 2013

Our mellow at-home New Year's Eve this year...

We played with blocks...

 We constructed castles...

 We danced to 80's tunes...

And danced some more...

We played drums with blocks...

We played a mean air guitar when we thought no one was looking...

We enjoyed quiet family time together...

Meanwhile, three states away, my mom was busy rocking out at a late-night New Year's party with my brother (gold tie) and pals.

Christmas Photo Snappin'

A whole series of Christmas photos, in that annual attempt to get the perfect Christmas card snapshots.

The Fans

At every cross country meet there are fans. But the cross country fans pictured below are some of the loudest, craziest fans out there. You guessed it: They're the Leones.

Kathleen (right) and her friend wait for the runners to pass. And when they do, you can count on these two to be jumping up and down and screaming their lungs out.

Some of the youngest fans were also some of the cutest.

Lucia was never run from point to point so fast as she was at those meets when we wanted to get to the best vantage points quickly.

Okay, this fan just looks exhausted.  

And then there are the Leone fans who decided to enter the "open race" after the official meet had wrapped up. Check out Andrew booking it down the finish line.

And Joe makes his move on this woman in the closing stretch. 

And did you ever see such a face on a runner? That's my man, Joe, competing in the open race—in hiking boots, no less—and making it interesting for everyone.

Evan Wynn

I took on the job of Dane County Campaign Coordinator for Evan Wynn this election cycle and met some great people in the process. 

Every politician should be like Evan Wynn—a statesman, a patriot, and a gentleman. It is unfortunate that redistricting made things so tough for Evan this year. We are hoping to see his name on a ballot again soon.

Working for the campaign was a true honor and, as you can see, the whole family joined in the effort.

One-Week Boy Scout Camp

Just a day after arriving home from Maine, we sent Kathleen off to her convent retreat at Mater Redemptoris in LaCrosse and the next day sent William off on his week-long camp-out with the Boy Scouts. It would be William's first time away from home for anything more than a night. Although we don't have photos of Kathleen headed off to her retreat, we do have some send-off and homecoming photos of Big Will.

William with his gear—the night before departure for camp.
William was one of only two boys in how troop who earned a badge for packing in and out,
meaning he carried all this on his back for the whole long trek from van to their camp site. 

Saying goodbye to William for a week was definitely not easy.
Here I am, fresh out of bed, no shower, all teary-eyed, saying goodbye to my little man for a week. Oh, how I missed him!
Note our dead grass in the background. Hottest summer on record, and William was headed out for a week of very warm camping!
(Note the swim trunks. They did a swim test immediately upon arrival.)

Waving goodbye to William, already loaded in the Boy Scout van.
William had second thoughts just before they left, but we encouraged him to go, and he had a fine time.

The van, loaded with boys and a trailer full of gear.

William is home!!!! Never, ever was I so happy to see William. What a long week.
William endured severe storms that brought down their tent, a bout of pink eye, and one of the hottest weeks on record—
and survived to tell the tale. Can you tell how happy Mom is in this photo? 

Before heading further into the house, William needed a round of foot and leg washing.
Filthy does not begin to describe this boy, fresh from a week at Boy Scout camp.

Leones Top Cadillac Mountain

On one of our last days in Maine, we wound our way up Cadillac Mountain (yes, in the van), the highest point on the eastern seaboard, and the first place to view the sunrise in the Unites States most of the year. The top of this "mountain" is flat rock, and the view is magnificent. No sudden drop-offs, which made this mom of squirrely kids very happy.

Elizabeth & Lucia

Cadillac Mountain

Leone Go Tide Pooling

We decided to head out very early one morning—earlier than we would normally arise on vacation—and catch low tide at one of the area's popular tide pooling spots. Se we began our hunt for the perfect spot to find intertidal creatures. 

We hiked and hiked and hiked. Having been told there were good tide pools along this path, we were a little discouraged when at first we couldn't find a thing. Then, we found a spot with good access down to the water where it looked like it had receded a bit. We headed down, only to find we were up to our ankles in mud. Not the best spot. 

It took a while, but at long last, we came upon a sand bar that obviously had been under water a short time previously. We headed down and ventured out, scoring some great tide pooling finds. All in all, the outing was a success, even if the tide was coming in by the time we found the favored spot.

Kathleen heads out on the trail, eager to find those tide pools. 

Elizabeth and crew scale a rock to get a view of the water and locate tide pools.
 

Elizabeth.
It's awfully early in the morning to be hiking already with my seven children!
The open Atlantic is just to the right of my face in this photo.

Joe, Dad in Charge, with Baby Lucia on his back. 

We finally make it down to a tide-pooling area, and Marguerite stakes her claim.
The open Atlantic is behind Marguerite.
The inlet area is dry during the lowest tide and under water up to the darkest rocks during high tide.

This is the inlet area that dries completely at low tide. It was very shallow, and the kids found all kinds of great creatures.

Joe (with Lucia) and Therese explore where the inlet meets the ocean.

Leones Do Jordan Pond

With a two-year-old and a one-year-old, this wasn't our year to do some of the more spectacular and challenging hikes that Acadia National Park has to offer. Rather, we opted for hikes that were do-able for everyone. Even so, some hikes proved their own bit of challenge, if only for the length of the journey with little girls on parents' backs.

The hike around Jordan Pond was idyllic. A path with woods and bluffs on one side and the Jordan Pond (which is a lake, not a pond) on the other made for some magnificent views. Following are some shots from our several-hour trek around Jordan Pond.

Where's the raft? And where's the Mississippi? Our Huck and Tom.

Early on our trek. Marguerite had not yet made her way onto anyone's back.

A moment with hubby—and only two kids hanging on. ;) 

Anna Marie was a lifesaver when Marguerite decided she wasn't going to walk.

The pause the refreshes. We were a tired crew by this time!

Look at our handsome Andrew 

William and Andrew scampered up every rock pile they could find. 

Lots of bridges on this hike. Will, Therese, and Kathleen take a breather.

Marguerite spent at least the last half of the hike on my back. Once there, she seemed happy!