Summer Part 1

We just got back from vacation in North Conway, NH.  We have been going to the reigeon for a few years but we really found a gem this time and will be going back next year if we can get a time slot!  It had everything we needed, kyak, canoes, fishing poles etc and close proximity to hiking and a great little town.  

I was sorely dissapointed by the local yarn shop - I had planned on getting a bunch of yarn and working on a new project.  But, on the bright side, I practiced my chanter a lot and made some improvements.  Getting better!  

It was only steps to the little sandy beach and the bugs were minimal and it had comfortable beds!  I miss it already.

The sunsets were amazing and the view, sigh.

We went on a couple of excursions into the woods.  Willow was having a bit of a tough time because she wants to do everything herself and in this spot there were beautiful pools and tiered waterfalls but a little much for a wee one.

This Diana's Bath.  Beautiful spot and a great spot to adventure.  It did make me a little nervous for the kids but amazing to see.  I can only imagine what it was like to be walking in the woods and just come across a place like this.

More awesome sunsets.

Eliot and his big kid cousin.  He and his sister was so great with the kids.  Willow just adores him and his sister.  I wish they lived closer I would have some awesome babysitters!

Family photo!  

This was Sabbaday Falls.  This was a little more mellow than the other spot and the kids had a good time tossing rocks and hopping around on the stones.
 

He is too cool for smiling now.  He lived in that hat, love it.

The lower falls.  So beautiful.

W spent most of the vacation in the buff.  Saved me a ton on diapers but now she is potty training like a puppy asking to go out and pee in the grass, lol.

Fishing off the dock was fun, too.  And really shallow so I didn't worry about my little water bugs.  The last day a HUGE snapping turtle came right up to the dock and the kids had fun feeding it the rest of the worms.  They caught a lot of fish through the week, I was pretty impressed.

On one of the longer hikes they highlight was wild blueberries.  Living the Blueberry's for Sal book!

Spring Updates

I meant to post and spread out the photos over the past month but it got away from me.  So our spring update has arrived.  

Baseball season is in full swing, and actually almost over.  Eliot is in the next level up from t-ball this year and blossoming in the sport.  He is a very consistent hitter and is getting the rules down a little better this time around.  He still bats lefty and throws righty.

We took a little family jaunt to the beach on one of our warmer days.  It was nice to see the water after so long!

Willow loves collecting rocks just like her brother used to.  It's funny how the memories flood back at each little stage she is having.

Thankfully we have now put away the hats and warm coats now.  We were admiring the purple flowers in the background of this one and Eliot is just out of frame telling her not to eat them.

The daffodils were beautiful this year!  They seem to have taken to where I planted them so hastily several falls ago.  I am planning for some more this fall, too.

Easter was fun this year with our little egg hunt.  Willow got it a lot more than I thought she would.  She had some coaching from big brother in the days leading up to it.  She had graham cracker bunnies in her eggs that she LOVED.  Wow, she begged for those for a long time afterward!

More of the spring flowers that were in the woods right behind the house.

I love these white ones.  They are so fleeting and I watch for them on our walks every spring.  They are lon gone now replaced by the biggest dandelions I have ever seen!

She loves picking the flowers off of the bleeding hearts.  Thankfully the plant is so profuse it doesn't seem to be doing any harm.  The perennial garden is so over grown at this point it is going to take a ton of work to get it to where I want it.

I've gotten most of my seeds in now, too.  A lot of things are peeking up and several things self seeded.  I'm waiting on the squash and tomatoes and some of the cut flowers until the weather warms up a bit more.

We had a nice visit from Texas Grandpa and Willow loved sitting in his lap.  She doesn't let many other people hold her so I was pleasantly surprised to see them cuddling and reading.

Some more fun photos:

This week:

Keeping busy as usual.  We have had some nice warm days lately!  I say warm and I mean in the 50's but I'll take it.  It is great to get outside and move our bodies!  Eliot is practicing for his upcoming baseball season. He has moved up from T-Ball this year.  

I have been doing a lot of photography on the weekends.  An old friend of mine is starting a caramel business so I did a series of product shots for her.  Next up will be some editorial style shots and hopefully a fun family portrait mixed in.  

I'm following along with a photography blog taking photos thinking about particular themes.  'Form and Repitition' are the subjects this month.   It's been a nice way to take more photographs that perhaps have a connection to each other.

Another trip to the dentist for my boy.  Poor kid does not have good luck when it comes to teeth.  He is awesome about brushing, we are working on a floss routine but still winds up needing work.  He got a tooth infection and had to get a root canal!  I'm scared to think what the bill is going to be - hopefully insurance covers it.  He is so good at the dentist - just Novocain.  He didn't need sedation and was told he was better than the adults that have it done!

Another arty photo.

Here is a to-do project I have been thinking about for at least a year now.  My dad and I found this old chair.  I am meaning to recover it and refinish it.  I think it will be a nice addition to Willows room once I get it organized.  It is a very low chair, a Victorian corner chair, if I am not mistaken.  Right now it makes for a good rest for whoever is over playing darts in the 'man cave' with Kevin in the middle of the night!

And finally enjoying the twilight hours.

Puddles

When you live in Maine and the snow starts melting what do you find?  Mostly mud but a buoy struck me as funny.  We keep getting glimpses of spring and then snow and cold. 

This was a warmish day at 40 something.  Puddles and umbrellas.

We ended up cutting down a tree in our backyard in the fall.  It was the tree that had the wooden swing on it.  Unfortunately it had been dying and loosing branches for quite a while.  It is now firewood in the 'man cave' and we are trying to decide what to plant.  I am thinking a willow or a flowering tree.

Here's hoping we don't get too much more snow from the storm that is headed our way.  But - we will manage.