vacation day four

This is the end, I promise.

We headed back to the beach and spent the entire day there.

The kids met several other children who lived on the coast and knew all about what was living in the plants. We got there at low tide which was perfect for exploring.

All manner of critters were found. Crabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, snails.

And of course, there was much digging to be done.

You have no idea how hard it was to resist a little push after I took this picture.

That's it. No pictures of the 17 hour drive home. You're welcome.

vacation day three

Ha, I'm like the relative with a captive audience and a boatload of slides!

Next up was Portland Head Lighthouse. Ominous sky. It rained just a bit before moving on.

vacation day two

Day two was spent in Portsmouth and Kittery, ME.

If you get a chance to go to Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth it's wonderful. There are homes representing eras in Portsmouth from the 1600's to the 1950's. Actresses representing the women of these households interact with the guests. Upon entering the garden of the governor's home, the girls met his wife. She invited them to join her while she weeded. She showed them how to use her special tools and let them go to work. I wish they'd spend that kind of time in our yard. I get about 5 minutes max. They sat and chatted with her for a good 15 minutes. Later she gave them a tour of her greenhouse and I'm now on the lookout for Venus flytraps and Sensitive plants to add to our own pots here at home.

We then headed to a Submarine museum. Guess who liked that place better?

Chris got claustrophobic within seconds. I had no idea just how cramped subs are. I was busy gasping for air. The smell of hydraulic fluids is overwhelming even after years of being decommissioned.

More tomorrow.

family vacation day one

I promised these to family and friends ages ago. Sorry for the delay guys.

Our first day at the beach in NH.

Look mom, I found you a heart shaped rock!

Look mom, I found you seaweed!

Glenn spent most of his time exploring the rocks.

Who knew there was such a perfect example of the fossil record in NH?

More later.

the new 'do

The girls and I were out at a local coffee shop a few weeks ago. A friend who hadn't seen Ellie in a while commented on her long hair. She asked if Ellie had been growing it to donate to Locks of Love. (The short answer is no. Ellie's been growing her hair proudly after several years of self-inflicted haircuts that nearly drove me out of my mind. Who knew a pair of Hello Kitty craft scissors could do so much damage?) That lead to Ellie asking what Locks of Love was on the drive home. After hearing the explanation she was quiet for a moment. Before we'd pulled in our driveway she announced, "I'm going to do it. You won't change my mind. Make the appointment mom."

So I did. For the next day.

She definitely made the 10 inch requirement.

Done.

Sad as I was to see it go, this is perfect for the summer. She told me last week the bangs are the next thing to go.

love of learning

June. End of another school year. Hard to believe.

In the whirlwind that has been the last two weeks, I realized my youngest will no longer be a preschooler. She's had the most wonderful two years at a local Montessori school and I wanted to give them a little something to remember her by.

The design is based on the school's logo - a trinomial square. The quilting is minimal - just 1/4 inch on either side of the seams to start with. I added the heart beacause of how much Trixie loved school. Above the heart, the school's initials are quilted in lowercase script. Though you can't see it in the photo, the numbers 1, 2, 3 are quilted to the right of the heart in the rulers. Some of the fabric is from the American Jane collection, though if you have it, you may notice that in the fabric you have, the little girl is a redhead. A little work with a fabric marker and now she looks much more like Trixie. That particular piece was a charm square. I loved that it had a girl and a little rug in it. (Those of you with Montessori schools in your lives will understand the meaning of the little rug.) The name of the quilt is from the school's motto "Where the Love of Learning Begins".

I was able to get a quick picture during the carpool pick up time today - my last one at that school. Trixie's a kindergartener now.

the kids

We've had a big weekend around here. After a year of preparation and a lot of hard work, Glenn came of age at our church this morning.

He read his faith statement before the congregation as did the rest of his class. I'm amazed at what all of them put into these statements and how each one was such a clear reflection of who that child is as a person. From what we can tell, Glenn is a bit of an existentialist.

His Godfather, hero and style icon, Uncle Monkey, came in from out of state for the occasion. I know he'll check in here at some point this week and I want him to know that his presence meant the world to Glenn.

Family and friends headed back to our house for some lunch, cupcakes and good conversation.

We're incredibly proud of him.

the kids

So, a quick update on the kids.

Glenn has started his lacrosse season this past week. Luckily it didn't start over spring break when this picture was taken. We were at the arboretum and he would much rather have been chasing his sisters around instead of drawing. Unfortunately, he'd sprained a muscle during the break and was off physical actvity for a week. He's lucky I didn't post the picture of him in the double stroller at the zoo the following day. When we got there, all the wheelchairs had been rented, making a large stroller our only option. He likely spent the entire day praying we didn't run into anyone he knew.

Ellie's begun figure skating lessons. She took to the ice incredibly well during a PTA event at the YMCA a few months ago. I had to drag her off the ice when the event was over. She was in the center of the rink attempting to do spins and jumps. I think we may have found "her thing". She's already asked to continue lessons this summer and wants to join a friend in a class this coming fall called "theater of skating". Oh yeah. Looks like I'm going to learn how to sew spandex and sequins.

And little miss Trixie - She had her first piano recital a week ago. Her piece was "The Tooth Fairy". Everytime I reviewed what she needed to do - sit still while you wait for your turn, bring your music to the big piano, etc. - she would finish off the instructions with, "and then I bow!!"

the kids

You know how women who have curly hair want straight hair, and women who have straight hair want curly hair? Proof it starts young -

They've been begging me to use the curlers on their hair for months. For the record, Trixie lasted about half an hour before they fell out from dancing all over the house.

the kids

I finally figured out how to get pictures from my phone to the computer. The first two are from August, but they make me smile-

Proof that they really can get along. And that it used to be warm here.

These make me laugh (and feel some pride that I have documentation of him being silly).

Chicken dancing with Trixie at the pumpkin farm in October.

the kids

Saturday was our, now annual, Open House with Santa.

Dear Santa,

I'd like some action figures and itunes money.

I'd like a purple Barbie car and a bathtub for my teddy bear.

I want fame and paparazzi.*

No? Okay, how about a hot tub?

(I wish this was a joke - it's not.)

For Carol - Trixie as one of the Three French Hens in her preschool's Christmas Pageant.

You should have seen their can can!

* Santa's a quick thinker - he suggested that she grow up and find the cure for a disease to become famous.

the kids

A week late, but here's Halloween:

Ellie went as a character she created for her comic book, "Super Kitty".

This was the final costume choice after many, many other ideas. It started with Princess Leia about a month ago. I was thrilled - I already had a pattern from when Glenn was Obi Wan Kenobi, she had the perfect hair for the buns, and I could make Trixie an ewok suit (no one loves a theme more than me). As soon as I showed her the pattern, she informed me that was not the Princess Leia she wanted. No, she wanted to be the bikini-clad, Jabba the Hut's slave version of Princess Leia. Over my dead body. I rejected several other inappropriate choices before we both agreed on this one. I made sure to pick a sparkly fabric for the cape to appease her a bit. I also love the mask, which I'm certain my mother wore to a costume party in the 60's.

The first letters I drew for the "SK!" on the back were rejected. She was quite clear that they needed to have VERY POINTY ends.

Trixie got this number as a birthday present. There's really no topping spandex and tulle.

I realized that this is the first year I didn't get a photo of Glenn (or force him to take one with his sisters) before he took off with his friends. He did the bare minimum that would still get him candy - a werewolf mask with his regular clothes.

One for the kids, one for mom, one for the kids, one for mom...