On March 10, 2011 there was a litter of 9 labrador retriever puppies born in Lancaster. The breeder is Etta Eberly in Stevens, PA. Don and I went to see the litter with the intention of picking out a female. However, there was a frisky male with large paws and a big head…he was yellow Lab and just adorable at 6 weeks old. You could actually pick him up and cuddle. We paid a deposit and went back to pick him up on 5/16/2011 at 8 weeks of age.

Charlie cried 2 days and 2 nights, it was heartbreaking. We put him in a crate at night for sleeping….he slept, he cried, he slept, he cried. After the 2 days, he was fine, lots of energy and ravenous appetite. After a week, Charlie slept through the night! He was put in the crate at 10pm and held his urine until I took him out at 7am! AMAZING!!!

Charlie was doing fair at the housebreaking. He had maybe 1 accident a day in the beginning. He quickly progressed and only had 1 accident every few days. I had read that you can train puppies to ring bells to go outside. Don went out and bought wind chimes that he hung on the inside of the front door. Every time we went out, we had Charlie ring the chimes with his nose. Charlie is very intelligent and he quickly learned that hitting the chimes meant going outside. He has NOT had any accidents since the chimes were hung. However, we did in fact take the chimes down. Why? Because Charlie loves to be outside. He likes to sit on the grass and watch the wind blow through the trees, feel the sun on his face, watch the birds fly by. Hence, Charlie rang the chimes every 30 minutes, he would pee a small amount and then sit on the grass and look around. After several days of Charlie ringing the chimes every 30-60 minutes…..we removed the chimes

We took Charlie for his first vet appointment and everything checked out well. His weight was 24.7 pounds (10 weeks). We also took him to puppy training classes (12 classes). Don did most of his training. Charlie can sit, down, stay (for 5 seconds), give his paw and he was a big hit when he rolled over! Charlie will do anything for food!!!

When we first brought him home, he loved to play in his water dish. Etta had told us that he was the only puppy in the litter that would play and scratch at his water. That continued at home and Don immediately got a dish that he could fill with cement on the bottom which kept Charlie from tipping the dish over.

At 12 weeks of age, we took Charlie to Chambers Lake to let him see the water. Yes, Charlie did more than just see it…..he went in, he swam, he loved it! And then he came home and slept! He now retrieves toys that we take with us and swims in water above his head

So we took Charlie to the vet the other day. He is now 5-1/2 months old, and weighs……..70 pounds, yes, 70, that was not a typo! The vet was shocked, as were we. The vet said, he’s not fat, he’s just muscle and bone. She said he will be well over 100 pounds! He is so strong. He listens most times on the leash and then he sees a squirrel, another dog, rabbit, a leaf blowing down the street…..and there he goes…..off and running…..and dragging me behind him! He almost pulled Don over when he took him to the lake for swimming. Don immediately went out and bought a choker chain. Charlie has been much better. We are feeding him to make him heel and it works better.

We are teaching Charlie ‘leave it’. When he has something in his mouth that he shouldn’t have, such as, tissue paper, cell phones, rocks, etc. we say ‘leave it’ and show him a treat. He quickly drops the item and takes the treat. He will do anything for food, so now he looks around for things he shouldn’t have, like the dish towel from the kitchen, and he brings it into the living room looking at us and waiting for one of us to say ‘leave it’ so that he can get a treat…..he is so smart!

Charlie has adapted very well to our life style. He sleeps or rests at Don’s feet while he works on the computer and I am at work. He greets me at the door when I come home. He knows if he sits, instead of jumping like a Mexican jumping bean, that he gets a treat! Most nights he follows me to the counter and sits waiting for a treat

Charlie loves to retrieve. You could throw a ball, toy, whatever for 30 minutes and he will continue to bring it back. He is even learning to ‘leave it’ so that it can be thrown again, and again, and again!

I would highly recommend Etta as a breeder. She also has golden retrievers. heeberly@dejazzd.com

Charlie is a pleasure and a love. He loves to be petted and hugged. It’s time to teach him new tricks…..I’m thinking, picking up his toys at night and putting them away!

On Monday August 1, 2011, Brian and I took Cole (7), Annaliese (6) and John (3-3/4) to Disney in Florida. This was the kids first airplane flight!  Boy did they enjoy it!  The look of surprise and glee in their faces when the plane took off was priceless   We arrived at the Hotel Dolphin, dropped our bags and headed for The Magic Kingdom.  We got to see Cinderella’s Castle, Disney train ride, Dumbo, parade, the Haunted Mansion and many other rides.

We returned to the hotel room, showered, ate dinner and walked through Epcot for 3 hours.  At 8:30 we sat down to wait for the 9pm fireworks.  The kids were so excited…..and then the drizzling started at 8:55………steady fine rain 9:05……….POURING at 9:20!.  The kids were so mesmerized by the music and fireworks that the rain was not a deterrent.  At 9:20, we took off RUNNING to get back to the hotel.  We had so much fun….running…..laughing…..and getting SOAKED!!!  Everyone slept well that night!

Our second day we set out for another park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  We saw a couple of shows and took the safari ride.  We got to see elephants, rhino, giraffes, and many other animals as they roamed free throughout the kingdom.  We left the park in the late afternoon and went to the hotel pool (there were about 6 pools to choose from!).  The kids love the water……I swear they have ‘fish’ blood!

Our 3rd day we headed for the waterpark, Blizzard Beach.  It was fabulous!  We started out on inner tubes through the lazy river.  We then took on the slides at the baby pool.  John was in heaven……his first experiences with many different slides.  We took a lunch break and then tackled the bigger slides.  The kids had a blast, including John who was not afraid of any slide that he went on!  The one slide was 136 steps to the top!  We did that slide a few times. We went to the Boardwalk and had dinner.

Our 4th day we went to another Disney park.  We saw Hollywood Studios, got to see some shows, rides.  The highlight was getting autographs from Buzz Lightyear and Woody.  Sssoooooo exciting, well worth the 1hr and 10 min wait!  After the park we went to the hotel pool for a few hours.  Tonight we ate at Epcot in Italy.  After an hour wait for dinner, we had a delicious meal.  Brian ordered a birthday cake for Anna (she turned 6 the next day).  The waiters all came out and sang Happy Birthday to Anna in Italian!  She sat with her head down looking at the cake.  When they all left the table, Anna looks at Brian and says “You should have told me!”  Too funny!!  We saw the fireworks again tonight, no rain, the kids loved the show but were disappointed that it didn’t rain!

Our 5th day we went to another waterpark, Typhoon Lagoon. Again, there was a lazy river, MANY slides (this one was 148 steps).  They also had a slide that was partially covered, you could not see anything it was so dark…..I thought for sure that John would have been scared…..no, he couldn’t wait to go on it again!  And we did, 2 more times!  We had dinner at the Boardwalk.  Brian bought a cupcake and candle and we sang Happy Birthday to Anna!  It started to rain, the kids were thrilled and we again rain home in the rain.  They shared putting the pizza box on their heads!

The last day we spent at the hotel pool and the arcade, which was a big hit!  Anna got 4 braids in her hair poolside and Nana got a small braid of beads in her hair.  At dinner our last night, Brian asked the kids ‘What was your favorite thing?”  Cole, the video arcade; Anna, the fireworks the night it rained; and John, the waterslides.  For Brian, ‘watching your faces when the first firework went off’.  For Nana, spending 7 days with her son and grandchildren and watching the kids with daddy and how much fun they were all having!  What a blessing they all are!

The wait in lines were at least an hour but the kids managed to handle it.  Brian typically had someone on his shoulders for most of the time in the park (which you will see in the photos).  He pushed 2 and carried 1…..not sure how he did it…..guess that’s being a loving Dad!  Brian never tired!  We renamed John “I can’t walk; I can’t swim”……John would throw his head back, his arms back and cry ‘I can’t walk’……that was Brian’s cue to put him on his shoulders. The typical temperature every day was 95 to 100 degrees with smothering humidity!  You would sweat just standing in line!

It was a fabulous time, I will do it again, hopefully NOT in August!  Enjoy the photos (I am definitely not the best photographer)

So Kate and I met 1/2 way on the NJ Turnpike and exchanged children.  I gave up Anna and took Cole.  John was upset, he wanted to go with Cole in Nana’s car.  John, next year, I promise!

Cole, 6 years old, stayed for 4 nights……which was 1 night too many for his mother, she REALLY missed him!  Cole was excited that he got to stay for more time than Anna….that’s his competitive side.  I still remember when he was a baby and now he comes over and sits and has conversations with us!  Where have the years gone?  He made his bed each day, asked to help with getting dinner ready, packed his clothes, AND carried all of his things outside to the car….none of which I asked him to do……he just knew what needed to be done and he did it!!!

We played tennis twice.  We were on the court for an hour and 15 minutes…..Cole’s idea….he was just having so much fun.  He did really well….I fed balls to him and he had many FANTASTIC shots.  Now he tells everyone that he beat Nana at tennis.  We went and bought a ball hopper and plenty of tennis balls for practicing.  Good thing I got my steroids renewed for the posion ivy…..need that extra boost of energy.

We also went to the movies and saw the Karate Kid with Jackie Chan.  Great movie and of course Cole did his karate moves as we were leaving the theater.  Yes, we had popcorn……I need some veggies

We spent a day at Dutch Wonderland.  Cole went on many more rides this year.

We went to visit Siobhan and Fionn.  Siobhan was so excited to see us!!!  Cole got to hold Fionn.  Cole and Siobhan then played with her new bike.  Cole didn’t want to leave but we promised Don that we would play the SORRY game.  It was Cole’s last night….Nana lost at Sorry….Cole thought it was great that the boys (him and Don) won the game!!!  Ah, memories of  Brian and Aunt Barb playing games in North Wildwood….both sssssooooo competitive…….that apple didn’t fall far the tree

After the Sorry game, we watched a movie and then took the binoculars outside to look at the stars.  There were 1000′s of lightening bugs lighting up our trees….so cool!!!  Beautiful stars too!

Cole’s favorite words       ……awesome…….oh my God…….let’s play tennis!!

Every morning he played Miss Pacman on the TV…..shades of Aunt Barbara again…..playing every weekend on the boardwalk at the 26th street arcade…..along with Jerry, Tom and I.  We were all a little competitive on that game

Needless to say, a great time was had by all……looking foward to making this an annual event!!  Next year we can add John and Siobhan to the sleepovers

Here are some photos:

This was Anna’s (almost 5 years old) first annual Summer vacation to Nana and Don’s.  She stayed overnight for 3 nights.  That is a long time for her to be away from her family and she was absolutely wonderful!!!  She was a pleasure.  We had cousin Siobhan come to visit during the day also.  I took Anna and Siobhan to the mall to get matching dresses from Macy’s.  We then stopped to to eat at Chick Filet and then, yes, of course…..Dairy Queen   We came home and played in the pool, while Don used the ‘bubble’ machine to send bubbles across the pool.  Anna and Siobhan played so well together and shared all the toys.  After nap time, we painted our toes and fingernails PINK!!!  Check out the photos!!!  Siobhan came back the next day and we played at the indoor playground at the mall (it was 100% humidity and 98 degrees outside).  Another trip to….you guessed it….chick filet and Dairy queen.

Anna and I went to the movies also while she was here.  We saw Toy Story III (a tear jerker) and Shrek.  Yes, we had popcorn….my body is craving vegetables

Nana has poison ivy/oak and needed to take steroids……this is a good thing…….I had plenty of energy to keep up with the girls in the heat and humidity!

Here are some photos…..

Don and I got to babysit Cole, Anna and John overnight on Saturday.  We all had a great time!!!!  We got to play outside, ride bikes, visit the cabin to play on the bocce court.  Everyone was very good and went to bed easily…..they were probably exhausted from all our activity!!  On Sunday, we went to cousin Fionn Padraic christening.  Daddy Bri is the proud godfather

Here are some photos from overnight.  The christening photos are on thekellehers.com

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Siobhan and Fionn came and stayed overnight while Chris and Bridget went to a wedding.  Don and I had a great time babysitting.  Both children were soooooo good.  Don is suspecting that Fionn had his voice box removed…..he never cried the whole time he was here!!!  He did a lot of smiling and cooing.  Siobhan ate like a champ, played and she certainly loves books.

Here are some photos:

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Don and I had a wonderful time on vacation 3/2 through 3/12/2010.  We went to a VERY small island called Caye Caulker off the coast of Belize (below Mexico).  Caye (pronounced ‘key’) Caulker is 4 miles long and 1 mile wide.  The 2nd largest barrier reef is just east of the island.  Caye Caulker is known for fishing, scuba and snorkeling.  There is not much ‘night’ life entertainment.  The residents maybe poor in finances but certainly rich in Spirit.  Their motto is ‘no shirt, no shoes, no problem’.  They have signs that say “Go Slow’ which definitely describes their way of being.  You need to ask for your check, meals take at least 30 minutes to prepare, they never bug you to buy more drinks….they just let you be.  The roads are sand covered with LOTS of pot holes…..a little sore with bike riding.  You spend your time trying to dodge the pot holes.  There are no cars, only golf carts as taxis or to rent.

We stayed at a place called OASI, owned and operated by Luciano Estriazle and Michael.  Our hosts were fabulous people!!!!  So accomodating, fresh flowers in the room each day and VERY clean apartment.  We had a refrigerator and stove (not that I cooked of course).   There is cable TV with HBO and STARZ.  The ceiling fan and cool tropical breeze through the windows, kept us very comfortable.  There is also air conditioning, which we didn’t use.  We got 2 bikes which was included with the room rate of 65.00 per night!!!

Our days were pretty much the same……wake up and drink coffee on the front porch, listening to the birds and watching them play in the bird bath at our apartment.  We would then bike into town (about 10 minutes) and would sit and have breakfast at our favorite spot….Femi’s.  It was right on the water and we sat and watched the birds, people, boats, water……the orange juice was ssssoooo fresh and sweet.  We usually stayed here for about 2 hours each morning.

We would then ride another 10 minutes to another favorite spot…..the Lazy Lizard ‘at the split’.  This was an eclectic bar with tables that sat partially in the water…..so you got to cool your feet and legs while sipping on your rum punch.  We usually got lucky and found 2 recliners under the palm trees (there were only 3 recliners total).  We sat there with a rum puch for a few hours, doing what you ask?……looking at the water, the birds, people, music, clouds, whatever…. totally mindless

We usually came back to the apartment around 3pm each day.  I got to recline in the hammock on the front porch of the apartment, Don took a nap.  I rocked in the hammock and looked at the birds, clouds.

We did ‘attempt’ scuba diving.  We signed up for the Resort Dive and learned a lot…..especially the fact that you can die doing scuba!  The gear we had on was ridiculous….I couldn’t tell which button inflated or deflated or sent me down or up in the water.  Don’s mask kept filling with water, after he swallowed about a gallon, he decided scuba wasn’t for him and he got out of the water.  I decided that scuba wasn’t for me before I even got in the water…….being flipped over backwards off the boat into the water with all that equipment….that was enough for me!!!!  We spent the rest of day talking with our tour guide on the boat while 2 others from our class did their dives.  What a colorful life story he had…. He is Belizean, ‘adopted’ when he was 2 months old.  He was found by a 61 year old American woman who was living in Belize.  She had 8 grown girls living in the US. She raised him and they moved all over to different islands and also US.  She recently died at the age of 97….God bless her.

We also went snorkeling.  I had a cold (probably from whatever germs were on the respirator from the scuba equipment) so I did not go in the water.  Don only snorkeled a short time and then we both sat on the boat talking with the tour guide.  Yet another colorful story.

We did take a day and went to Belize to see the Mayan ruins at Lamanai.  It was an hour ferry ride to Belize, followed by an hour van ride, an hour boat ride on the North River to the site of the ruins.  We then walked for an hour through the jungle (saw a monkey) to the different sites…..it was ssssooooo hot, we must have lost 3 pounds of sweat.  We then got a homemade fabulous lunch………rice with veggies, curry-type chicken, potato salad, cole slaw and bruschetta.  The tour guides mother makes the meals…she got up at 4:30am because she needed to cook for our group of 20!!!  What an awesome job…Reyes & Sons was the tour guide.

Favorite spots…..Femis for breakfast; Rose’s for dinner; Habaneros and Don Corleone were pricey but sooooo worth it!!! Happy Lobster for lunch, along with Rainbow Cafe for lunch.  We would NOT eat again at the Sand Box.  Syd’s was OK.  Most places were lower prices than US for meals for 2.  We ate ate Roses several nights……they display the fish they caught that day, crab legs, shrimp, grouper, etc.  You pick what you want and they grill it.  You get 2 side dishes and 2 rum punch for $35.00 for BOTH of us!!!!

We would both return to Caye Caulker again….loved the people and the laid back lifestyle.  Looking into land for retirement spot

Here are some of the photos, check them all out…

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Chris, Bridget, Siobhan, Don and I went to Virginia to visit Uncle Frank and Aunt Helene. We had a really nice visit. The food was awesome and company superb!!! Jennifer and Megan stopped by also. Siobhan was pleasant and entertained all of us!!!
Here are some of the pictures……Chris has more on his web site www.thekellehers.com

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Brian and I took Cole (5yrs old) and Anna (4yrs old) to their first Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall in NY City to see the Rockettes.  The show was AWESOME!!!!  We had 3 Dimensional glasses on, as they showed Santa traveling on his sleigh through NY City.  Cole kept lifting the glasses up to check that things weren’t ‘really’ flying at him!  He kept ducking as he watched the show……so cute!!!  Cole and Anna were so good, they really enjoyed the show, as did Brian and I.

We went to Starbucks before the show for lunch.  The day was warm and rainy…..really raining.  After the show, Brian took Cole to Wii store to get a new game.  I took Anna to the American Girl Doll store.  The place was PACKED with little girls and mothers.  I had Anna pick out a doll and asked the cashier to get the doll and outfit, after all, how much could an American Girl doll cost? in NY? at Christmas time?…..well, $140.00 later we left the store!!!

Here are some of the photos 26212639264526692687

We arrived in Valletta Malta at 11am. It is a 15 minute walk (uphill) to the center of town. Don negotiated a horse and buggy ride for 50 euros. It was awesome!! The driver stopped at a few sites, explained the history and then waited while we got out and took pictures. There are a LOT of churches in Valletta. The center of town has a large shopping area with no cars and lots of outdoor cafes. We of course started our day with a gelato and ended it with lunch and wine at the cafe.

Here are some pictures…
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