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Kennebunk Inn
Children's Museum of Maine
Joker's Fun & Games

Christmas!
December 25, 2005
On Christmas day, Mark and Kelly opened presents at home and then we all headed over to Pa and Grandma's house to celebrate the holiday with Uncle Joe, Aunt Tracey, Jordyn, Sareena, Joey, Alex, Uncle Andy, Aunt Cathy, Andrea, and Matthew!

Christmas Eve!
December 24, 2005
We all celebrated Christmas Eve at home with Gram and Grandpa!

Christmas card!
December 23, 2005
View our 2005 family Christmas card!

Neighborhood Christmas party!
December 18, 2005
Our Greenlodge neighborhood held its annual Christmas party, and the kids got to visit with Santa and ride a sleigh!

Snow storm!
December 9-10, 2005
Here we go again. With Paul away in Seattle, Dedham gets 10 inches of snow.

Friday: The storm begins!
Saturday: Aftermath!

Broken fence
December 4, 2005
Another small snow storm brings on a mishap by our neighbors, who lost control of their car in the slippery streets.

Decorating the Christmas tree!
December 3-18, 2005
Mark and Kelly get busy with our Christmas tree!

Children's Museum!
December 1, 2005
Mark and Kelly explored castle life at the Boston Children's Museum!

Paul's 20th high school reunion
November 25, 2005
Paul attended the 20th reunion of Dedham High School Class of 1985 with Dave and Chris.

Kelly's birthday party!
November 25, 2005
Kelly celebrated her 4th birthday with friends and bowling!

Kelly's family birthday party!
November 24, 2005
Since the family was already together for Thanksgiving, we also celebrated Kelly's 4th birthday, with presents and cake!

Thanksgiving!
November 24, 2005
We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with the Thurrotts at Cheryl and John's house.

Bagels and Beer
November 24, 2005
Paul heads to Canton with Jeff and Chris for an annual Thanksgiving tradition: Bagels and beer!

Kelly turns 4!
November 24, 2005
Kelly's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year, so we started the day off with some surprise presents and a little early-season snow!

Paris
November 18-20, 2005
Steph and Paul spent a long weekend in Paris, France. It was a great trip, and we got a lot done, mostly on the city's Left Bank. We also met some new friends, Fabrice, Anne, and Rose. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

Latin Quarter - November 18
Île de la Cité
Île St. Louis and the Seine
St. Germain - November 19
Tour Montparnasse
Paris Metro
Invalides and Rue Cler - November 20
Tour Eiffel
Left Bank
Jardin du Luxembourg

Playing in the leaves!
November 6, 2005
Mark and Kelly helped rake up the leaves and then played in the pile they made.

Halloween!
October 31, 2005
Mark dressed up as Batman and Kelly dressed up as a cat to celebrate Halloween this year!

Pumpkin carving party!
October 30, 2005
Jeff and Kerry held their annual pumpkin carving party and Mark, Kelly, Paul and Steph were on hand to create a couple of custom Jack-o-Lanterns!

Mark at soccer!
October 30, 2005
Mark played soccer again this fall (in addition to basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring, and swimming in the summer) and did a great job. He's really turning into a super athelete.

Paul & Jamie's birthday party!
October 28, 2005
Paul and Aunt Jamie celebrated their birthdays together at Cranberry Lane, along with Aunt Cheryl, Alexa, Uncle Jonathan, Kaitlyn, Liam, Grandpa, and Gram!

Montréal
October 16-19, 2005
Steph and Paul spent four days in Montréal to relax, check out the city, and eat out. We visited Vieux Montréal ("old Montréal"), Notre-Dame Basilica, Chinatown, the Old Port of Montreal, the Underground City, Quartier latin, and Outremont.

Vieux Montréal - October 16
Notre-Dame - October 17
Vieux Montréal
Chinatown
Old Port of Montréal
Long walk across Montréal - October 18
Vieux Montréal - October 19
Auberge Les Passants du Sans Soucy (our hotel)

Kelly's first day of preschool!
October 4, 2005
Our little girl is growing up! Here's a picture of Erica, Mark, and Kelly on the morning of Kelly's first day at preschool!

Patriots game
October 2, 2005
On a perfect fall day, Paul joined John, Brian, and Jeff for tailgating and the Patriots game vs. the San Diego Chargers.

Joe and Rachel in Boston
September 19-26, 2005
Our friends Joe and Rachel stayed with us and visited the Boston area and parts of Rhode Island.

John F. Kennedy Library - September 22
Newport, Rhode Island - September 24
Providence, Rhode Island
The farm in Waltham - September 25

Los Angeles
September 12-18, 2005
Paul spent a week in Los Angeles, California for work, and then Steph joined for a long weekend, along with their friends Kip and Nicole from Phoenix. We visited the L.A. Farmers Market, the Getty Museum, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Mulholland Drive, the San Antonio Winery, Santa Monica, and more!

Morning in L.A. - September 13
Sai Sai & Universal Studios - September 14
Dinner in L.A. - September 15
Mulholland Drive - September 16
Santa Monica
San Antonio Winery & Ciudad
L.A. Farmers Market - September 17
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Getty Museum

First day of school!
September 7, 2005
Mark rockets into the second grade at Greenlodge Elementary after his successful first year! Paul, Steph, and Kelly come along to see him off.

Last Day at Hale Reservation!
September 5, 2005
Hale Reservation closed for the season, and we came out to say goodbye until next year. Joined by Jeff and Kerry, and Jon, Jamie, Kaitlyn, and Liam, we had a cookout, did a little fishing, and went swimming. Paul was the last person out of the water at Membership Beach this season.

Whites' Labor Day Cookout!
September 4, 2005
We visited Pa and Grandma for a Labor Day cookout! Mark and Kelly swam in the pool, and we all visited with family and friends.

A Day in Boston!
August 27, 2005
We spent another day in Boston and visited the Swan Boats in the Public Garden, the Boston Common, Newbury Street, and the observatory at the top of the Prudential Center!

Fishing trip!
August 21, 2005
Paul, Jeff, and Bob headed off the coast of Cape Cod for their third annual deep-sea fishing trip. Paul landed the biggest catch of the day--a 37-to-38 inch striped bass, and we caught 11 fish all together: 8 stripers and 3 blue fish. After the expedition, Steph, Mark, Kelly, and Kerry went to Bob and Susan's house to cook up the fish and go swimming.

White's 40th anniversary!
August 14, 2005
Mark, Kelly, Paul and Steph joined Uncle Andy, Aunt Cathy, Andrea, Matt, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Tracey to celebrate Pa and Grandma's 40th anniversary!

Quebec City!
August 7-11, 2005
We all traveled to Quebec City in Quebec, Canada for a family vacation. Mark and Kelly had a blast in this unique and beautiful city, where they played in the pool, rode in a horse-drawn carriage, visited beautiful historic sites, ferried across the St. Lawrence River, saw a huge waterfall, spent a day in Canada's largest water park, and more! We also took a lot of video on the trip as well.

Pool at Hotel Palace Royale - August 7
Breakfast and Rue St. Jean - August 8
Vieux Quebec
Video stills from day one
Terrasse Dufferin - August 9
St. Lawrence Ferry
L' Observatoire
La Chute Montmorency
Video stills from day two
Valcartier Village Vacances Parc Aquatique - August 10
Goodbye Breakfast - August 11

A Day in Boston!
July 30, 2005
We spent the day in Boston and visited Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the New England Aquarium, the Public Garden, and Copley Square.

Stowe, Vermont!
July 20-23, 2005
We all traveled to Stowe, Vermont for a family vacation. Mark and Kelly had a great time at the swimming and playing at the hotel, visiting Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory, traversing Lake Champlain on two ferries, going to the top of Mount Mansfield in a gondola, riding an alpine slide, visiting the town, and riding a pony! We also took a lot of video on the trip, and include some stills from those movies here as well.

Innsbruck Inn - July 21
Ben & Jerry's
Lake Champlain
Video stills from day one
Mount Mansfield - July 22
Stowe
Video stills from day two
Innsbruck Inn - July 23
Topnotch Stables
Video stills from day three

Boston
July 12, 2005
Paul went into Boston for a computer trade show and took a few pictures of Beantown.

Aunt Beth, Harrison, and Alyson visit!
July 11-14, 2005
Mark and Kelly's Aunt Beth and cousins Harrison and Alyson came to visit for the week. We all went to Hale Reservation every day and had fun around the house. Here are some pictures from their trip:

At Mark and Kelly's house
Hale Reservation

Hale Reservation!
July 5, 2005
With summer in full gear, we've returned to our normal summer schedule, which involves going to Hale Reservation every afternoon until it closes at 8 pm. Mark and Kelly are both taking swimming lessons, and we go swimming, fishing, and boating, and play ball, and cook out as often as possible.

The farm
July 3, 2005
Paul and Steph picked this week's share at the Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Cookout at Cheryl's house!
July 3, 2005
Mark and Kelly got together with the whole family at Uncle John and Aunt Cheryl's house for a cookout. After lunch, they got to run through the sprinkler, and play ball and Bocce.

Kerry's birthday dinner
July 2, 2005
Paul and Steph joined Jeff, Kerry, and Darren for dinner at Meritage in Boston to celebrate Kerry's birthday.

Providence, Rhode Island!
July 1-2, 2005
Mark, Kelly, Paul, and Steph spent a few days in Providence, Rhode Island where they experienced the Duck Tour, Providence Place, an IMAX movie, and the Biltmore Hotel.

Farm dinner
June 27, 2005
For the past few years, Paul and Steph have had a Sunday night tradition with Jeff and Kerry, where we split a share at the Waltham Fields Community Farm and then prepare a dinner with the vegetables we get. Here's a typical example: Scallops a la Jeff.

Flag Day parade!
June 14, 2005
This year, Mark got to be in the Flag Day parade, a Dedham tradition!

Loughran cookout!
June 10, 2005
Jim and Ruth Loughran hosted their annual cookout at Contentment Corner, and Mark and Kelly were on hand for the festivities!

Clark School Family Day!
June 5, 2005
Though it's been a year since he's attended Clarke School, Mark was invited back for Family Day 2005, where he got to meet up again with his old teachers and classmates.

Red Sox vs. Orioles
June 2, 2005
Paul and Steph joined Jonathan and Brian at the Red Sox game. It was an amazing ending: It's the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Red Sox are down by 1. There are two outs, and two men on. David Ortiz is at the plate, with a 3 and 2 count. Home run! Sox win. Pandemonium. The good kind. Read more about the game.

Yard work
May 30, 2005
With Spring weather finally kicking in, we made some headway on overdue yard work, spreading some of the massive mulch pile and cleaning up the mess left behind from a full week of rain.

Back to the beach: Opening day at Hale Reservation!
May 28, 2005
Everyone was excited to get back to Hale Reservation, where we'll be spending most of the summer again. Today was opening day, and while it was still a bit chilly to go swimming, Mark and Kelly played in the sand and docks, went on a canoe ride, and ate some snacks.

Kaitlyn turns 2!
May 14, 2005
Mark and Kelly helped cousin Kaitlyn celebrate her 2nd birthday!

Mother's Day!
May 8, 2005
Mark and Kelly celebrated Mother's Day at Gram's house, with Mom and Dad, Grandpa, Aunt Cheryl, Uncle John, and Alexa, and Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Jamie, Kaitlyn, and Liam.

A week in Seattle and Phoenix
April 24-May 1, 2005
Paul traveled to Seattle for a work trip and then swung through Phoenix for a few days to celebrate Kip's 40th birthday.

Seattle trip - April 24-28
Phoenix trip - April 28-May 1

Spring arrives!
April 19-22, 2005
After the longest winter in recent memory, Spring has finally come to New England. Here are some pictures of the flowering tree in our front yard. Update: Just a few hours later, the tree had fully bloomed, so we've added some more pictures. We also added some from a few days later, as the tree is about the shed the flowers.

Pennsylvania!
April 9, 2005
Mark and Kelly joined Mommy and Daddy for a quick trip to Pennsylvania for a surprise 60th birthday party for Grandpa! At Sharon's house, Mark got some more birthday presents and we got to catch up with Sharon, Aunt Ruth, and Karen and her boys Andrew and Ryan. The surprise party featured almost the entire McKiernan clan, including Paul's sisters Beth, Lori, and Jill, and their families.

Sharon's house
Surprise party

Mark turns 7!
April 7, 2005
The child formerly known as "Poopie" turned 7 this week! He had parties with both his family and a group of his friends!

Ireland 2005!
March 23-29, 2005
Paul and Steph visited Ireland with their friends Jeff, Kerry, and Darrin. We had a great time touring the western half of the nation, and got to see some sites we missed during our first trip there, way back in April 1993.

Shannon Airport - March 24
Ardrahan
Galway
Salthill
Aran Islands - March 25
Berry Lodge, Miltown Malbay - March 26
Cliffs of Moher
Bunratty Castle
Limerick and King John's Castle - March 27
On the road
Entering the Dingle Peninsula
Dingle
Dingle Peninsula - March 28

Hot tub in the snow!
March 12, 2005
We got a hot tub back in January, but since we usually go in at night, we hadn't had a chance to take any pictures of it yet. Today, with yet another winter storm dumping snow on us, and the kids home, we decided to spend an hour relaxing out in the tub. Here are some pictures and a short video!

Breckenridge, Colorado
February 27-March 3, 2005
Paul and his friend Chris visited Breckenridge, Colorado for two days of skiing. It was a great trip, but Paul fell sick with High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), a rare high altitude illness, and needed to be hospitalized. After a day on oxygen, and a little bout of pneumonia, all is well.

Congratulations!
February 8, 2005
Mark and Kelly have a new cousin! At 7:15 pm on February 8, Aunt Jamie gave birth to Liam Patrick Thurrott, who weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and was 20.75 inches long. Everyone is doing great. Congrats to Jamie, Jonathan, and Kaitlyn!

February 9 update: Here are some pictures of little Liam!

More snow!
January 26, 2005
It never ends! This morning, we woke up to 3 more inches of new snow, and it's going to keep snowing all day. Mark finally went back to school after two days off from the last blizzard, but Kelly was home and got to play outside this morning. The good news? A few hours of sun yesterday compacted the three feet of snow we got previously down to about two.

Blizzard of 2005!
January 22-23, 2005
This is the big one! Boston.com reports: "A howling blizzard slammed the Northeast on Sunday with more than 2 feet of snow and hurricane-strength wind that halted travel, flooded some coastal towns and knocked out electricity." Total snow accumulation for Dedham area is 24 to 36 inches, with drifts up to 6 feet. More info at The Boston Channel.

January 22, 8:00pm - five inches and counting!
January 22, 11:00pm - 8 inches!
January 23, 8:00am - Uh-oh. 2 feet or more!
January 23, 12 noon - The clean-up begins!

Las Vegas
January 5-9, 2005
Paul traveled to Las Vegas again, this time for a business trip to the 2005 Consumer Electronic Show (CES). Held as usual at the expansive Las Vegas Convention Center, CES 2005 was bigger than ever. But the weather was tough: It even snowed in Las Vegas, which is really unusual.

Hale Reservation nature walk!
January 2, 2005
Mark, Kelly and Mommy joined Nature Jay for a nature walk at Hale Reservation!

But wait, there's more!
Pictures from 2004...