Back to School

This summer, we decided to do something a little different for the kids. We got a manny. His name was Jesse and the kids loved him. I loved him. He was great with them, but even more, he was great for me. You don't realize how stressful it is getting your kids, their stuff, yourself and your stuff out the door in the morning. It was so, SO nice not to have to deal with timelines and lunches and sunscreen and whatever else always comes up during the morning push to get out the door. It was a win, win for everyone. Hopefully we can get Jesse back next summer.

All good things come to an end though and new adventures await. School started today for both Cece and Sully. Cece's going into her second year of pre-school and Sully moved up to Toddler II's. We went shopping for back to school clothes last week and Cece picked out a horse dress to wear on her first day back. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up she responded, "a mermaid". We start swim lessons next week. =) When asked what Sully wanted to be when he grew up she responded, "a race car driver". So, there you go. My mermaid and my race car driver on their first day of school.

PS - Here's Cece last year on her first day of school. Time flies!

Summer Vacation - Maine

In late July, we took the kids, the dog, the camper and the grandparents up to Maine for a week of summer fun. We stayed in mid-coast Maine, in a town called Lincolnville, just north of the Camden/Rockport/Rockland area. It was a great location to get out and about and visit lots of cool places along the northern New England coast. Maine is one of my absolute favorite places to visit and the second time in three years we opted to visit for our summer vacation. I'm sure we'll be back again and again. Warning...there are a ton of photos in this post!

We rented a two bedroom cottage on Pitcher Pond so Nana and Gramps would be comfortable and so we had a full kitchen and bathroom at our disposal. Our family slept in the camper. It's really the perfect set up - camping, but with the comforts of home. We also had a few house guests - my godparents, Di and Adrian and Cece and Sully's godparents, Kris and Gina come visit for a few nights.

 

We made a fire pit in the front yard (because duh), enjoyed dinners on the deck (including lobster!), and ran and biked on the many dirt roads and trails surrounding the pond. Sully even made his own dig pit in the driveway. That kid loves dirt!

 

Pitcher Pond turned out to be a great location. The pond is what we would call a lake in Connecticut. We brought our canoe so we could fish and explore the pond. The kids definitely enjoyed that. We were about 10 minutes from the ocean too, so it was really the perfect location - best of both worlds!

We did a family hike (ie about two miles) in Camden Hills State Park. What a beautiful place. We'll have to go back when the kids are a little older. Cece did so great, she has really enjoyed hiking this summer, which is awesome. Sully was a little tired and made me carry him the whole way. Oh well, a little more exercise for me!

 

 

We visited several local beaches. The kids LOVED this. We got to explore the tidal pools and find sea critters. Wade in the salt water and throw lots of rocks (Sully's favorite part). These beaches may not be full of sand, but they are truly special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On one of our vacation days we visited the Camden Snow Bowl, taking the chair lift up to the top and hiking down. At first, Cece didn't want to go on the "lift chair" but once she saw all of us do it, she agreed to ride with Grandpa to the top. It was a slooooow ride and it took at least 20 minutes to get the the top. Sully was into it for the first 4 minutes and then spent the next 16 fighting me, struggling to get loose from my death grip (we were 20 feet in the air, it wasn't going to be pretty if I let go). So, needless to say, I was happy to hike down, even if it meant carrying Sully the whole way. 

 

We made several day trips to the small town of Camden. What a cool little town. Classic New England. Lots of shops and restaurants. We took an "Eco-tour" out of Camden Harbor to explore Penobscot Bay. We saw porpoise, sea birds, seals and of course, lobsters. Summit even got to come along. 

 

We took a day trip to Acadia National Park. You need more than one day to really see Acadia in all its glory, but we did the best with the time we had. It was an absolute spectacular day. We went up to the top of Cadillac Mountain and drove the auto road around the main loop of the park, stopping at several different scenic areas along the way.

 

On our way home we stopped in Bar Harbor to get James some local beer, the kids t-shirts and ice cream. So much ice cream on this trip!

It was such a great week and lots of fantastic family time. There's no place like Maine in the summer. That's why it's called Vacationland!