Our Insta-Vacation

hi!! i am back!

We had a great vacation to Maine and Boston...filled with all kinds of fun.

We drove a lot, there were quilt shops to see, and sewing to be done in the car....we met up with old friends and made new ones...

We hunted sea glass on the local beach...ate at very colorful local food joints...visited with relatives...checked out those lobsters before they became dinner.

And so much more.
(Sorry that the picture is small. If you want to see it a little better i think all you have to do is click on it) 




Leslie

Quintessential Maine...to me....

I went through our vacation pictures looking for the pictures that said Maine to me. This is what i put together. Maine ,to me, in a series! ok you could probably just translate that as a lot of pictures....but i could not help myself. I wanted to share with you what we love about it there, other than everything!

...lobster dinners! Yes, he is waving hello(with the help of my wonderful Aunt)...

...beach combing for shells and mermaid tears(aka sea glass)...

...blueberry picking in the wild barrens right on the coast...

...relaxing on the beach...i know the picture is blurry/weird but i love how it came out...

...the fruits of our labor in the previously mentioned blueberry barrens...aren't they pretty? they are the shade of blue that Delilah's eyes are!...

...the lobsters, getting comfie together before the unfortunate demise for dinner!...

...Delilah getting to know the lobsters. the picture looks like she is asking Chris if it is ok for her to touch it!...

...My Dad and Mitch hanging out at the beach campfire, waiting to roast marshmallows...

...The kids waiting for the next big wave at our favorite stop in Maine, Schoodic Point...

...there is that wave they were waiting for!...

...and this is the picture that tells you why my kids don't eat lobster...it is pretty hard to eat something you made friends with and named(Bob and Larry, if you were wondering) a few hours earlier...

Leslie

A Hike and A Hunt

*Gratuitous Belly Shot* The baby even got in on all the vacation fun and went on it's first hike. Leave it to the husband to try to capture me on film, despite my objections. I think it was making him a little nervous to have me, climbing up and over the rocks, but i did ok...only needed a little help, and he was there with it ever step of the way.


The kids had so much fun, Grampy came along and we explored the trail. Mitch was tracking animal tracks, ie sneaker marks, but we did not tell him what it really was. At the top the view is gorgeous, looking out over the water, islands, several harbors, lighthouse and mountains. There was an artist there capturing the view too. I watched him paint for a little while...he did not seem to mind!

This week we also spent some time at a family favorite spot called Jasper Beach. We have gone for many years. The rocks are beautiful and we bring home more than we should every time. My aunt mentioned that we are a family of Hunters and Gatherers....and she is not kidding. We all have a love for rocks and sticks. They are all over my house.

These are my favorite shots from Jasper...Avery was enjoying the water but it was cold cold cold!! Leaping out of the way was so cute.

Mitch had the most fun just throwing the rocks or filling his bucket and then dumping it!

Maine we will miss you, until next time!!!

"Vacation, oh how we wish you were Forever!"

i did not mean to neglect our vacation pics for so long...but it has taken me this whole week to get back into the swing of things and back to real life. I have been in mourning...sort of a post vacation funk. Maine holds a magic spell over this family and we are so ok with that.

These two girls could not get enough of one another....well really they never can. When they are together they never leave each others side and when they are apart they call each other on the phone.

We all spent lots of time watching the waves crash on the rocks...we pit stopped there almost every single day.

I am pretty sure he is barking orders at someone... that or he wanted to go somewhere we would not let him, lest he fall into the briny deep!

Vision of our Days

We have been enjoying cousin camp!!! There has been tie dye, which makes the prettiest laundry you have ever seen. There was night swimming on the 4th of July. Ice popes that were very festive. The kids did a fashion show...very silly. And we had a game night. Didn't Avery looks thrilled with bingo?! If you want to see some fun pictures of our 4th go check them out at my sister's blog, here. There are also a few more cousin camp pictures here.

We've Been to the Beach

***Brace yourselves, this one is picture heavy....***

We went to the beach this week. Not just any old trip to the beach, we went camping at the beach.

We did not have to go far, obviously since we were camping there, to enjoy the sun and sand and wind and cool weather. The kids and Chris got to do what they love to do at the beach...flying kites!

Mitchell, showing off a little when i wanted to take a picture. He saw the camera in my hand and then started getting goofy. And, yes, that is a mohawk you see. We are trying out yet another new summer hairdo.

The sky and clouds were so amazing to watch while the fog was blown out to sea. I love the dark colors. The ocean kept changing from a dark gray to beautiful greens and blues. it was so pretty.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Avery...we have one that is very similar to this from when she was about 3 or 4 flying a kite on a beach in Washington state. My how she has grown.

This time Mitchell could get in on it, he has always been too small, not strong enough, to manage a kite in the wind. So, these are pictures of his first time ever flying a kite.

And a great shot of the boys flying the big kite together. Chris has many large kites and trick kites that he likes to bring along...and nice daddy that he is he lets the kids have a go when he takes it out.

Oh, and building the obligatory sand castle...look what a great job he is doing!! Careful, careful...

then, oh no...i think you can guess what is about to happen!!!

as for the camping part...because i am sure that any of you that know me in person are wondering(especially after reading about our first trip in the woods)...it was good!! Beach camping is way better than woods. The weather this time of year is better too. And we slept great every night, Chris made all the food and did all the work. The kids and i just played at the beach!!! How hard could it have been?

Mostly Wordless???

I almost forgot the best part of the week...all the snow pictures. Most people head for warm weather during spring break but this little family tries to find what snow is left. Here is a few of the best shots from the ski trip.

Gone North!!!

What did you do for spring break? We went north and then on a whim went further north. Chris wanted to get in a little more skiing before the season was done. This is the view from the top of Whiteface in Lake Placid.

This was the amazing view from our hotel room right in Lake Placid. It was amazing. Those things right in the middle are the ski jump towers from the 1980 winter olympics.

This last shot is a picture of the bobsled run all lit up from our hotel balcony. Cool right? we all had a lot of fun and i have lots more pictures to share. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I just wanted you to know that i am still here and have not fallen off the face of the earth.