I Perform My Own Stunts

If you don't believe it, I have pictures to prove it.
Liv ski-ed! Yesterday, the water was gorgeous. Just like glass all day long. So, I went for a ski. Liv was really excited and thought it was her turn after I was done. We got out the training skis and Brad's dad helped her practice on the lawn by pulling her around. She practiced standing up and then balancing while moving. As soon as Brad got to camp after work, we loaded her up on the boat, Took Brad for a ski so she could watch, and then let her go at it. She did awesome! She got up on the second try, and we estimated she skied for 200+ yards! She even went outside of the wake (on accident I am sure, but still!!). She fell pretty hard, and it didn't even phase her. When we drove around to get her we were all clapping and cheering, and she had a huge smile on her face and a slight look of confusion as she realized Brad was no longer behind her. She thought he was there the whole time. I didn't know this before yesterday, this is how a training ski works. Someone holds on to the ski rope from the boat.I wish you could have seen the look on her face. She had a huge smile the whole time.
When we drove the boat around to pick her up after her ski, she had picked up both skis and was holding onto them. So cute and grown up!

What a fun time. I wish you all could have seen it. What a cute little girl. She is definitely my daredevil!This is Liv saying, "I DID IT!!!" When she got back to the boat.
(Today, all she kept saying she LOVES to ski, and kept wanting to know if she could do it again)

Biking the Carriage Trails

Today was our first trip back to the Carriage trails since last summer. The carriage trails are a series of tons of biking/walking/horse trails on Mount Dessert Island. My understanding is that Rockefeller commissioned them to be built during the depression in order to give people jobs. They are awesome. This is where I fell in love with biking last summer. As a side note, biking is such a great hobby. I recommend it to everyone. If you are not already a biker, you need to try it! Anyway, we love this place, and we had a fabulous time today.

We started off our trip at the Acadia National Park visitors center. You have to go up a beast of a hill, they call it "Paradise Hill" I'm not sure about that. I just kept thinking, I'm glad I'm not the one pulling the girls. We rode to the Jordan Pond house and stayed there a while, walked to the pond and picked blueberries. Then we rode back.

Us enjoying the view of Jordan Pond from the trail.

Liv sitting on a lone chair on the Lawn of the Jordan Pond House restaraunt

The girls found nature to be so soothing, they both fell asleep before we got back to the car. (You can't see, but Gwen is clutching onto a diaper for comfort.)

Time Out

Well, Liv had a time out today, and it didn't turn out quite how I expected. As I was about to go in and get her, ask her why she was in time out, and then send her on her way, I found this.... Do you think that was very effective?? Because I am wondering.(For anyone who can't tell...sorry about the sideways picture... She's asleep)

Just call me Jane

Well, I was razzed enough, and finally decided to try my hand at the rope swing. By the way, I have tried it before, and the result was a complete failure. I guess toting around a 3-year-old has made an improvement on my arm strength. I did it, and for all you who coaxed me into it, here is a picture.

Smile!

Finally, I found something that will make Liv look at the camera, and smile....Bribery! Today, I promised Liv a bowl of magical Fairy Dust Yogurt(Anything sounds good if you say "Magical Fairy Dust" in front of it), if only she would smile at the camera for me....Happily, she complied. Yeah for me!(I made this tutu yesterday and she had a blast wearing it around...She even wore it when we went to the gym)

Dummers Beach, Smalls Falls, and Tumble Down Mountain

This post is way out of order, but it had to be posted! We went camping with our usual camping clan to kick off our independence day vacation. I had never been to this area of Maine before. Can I just say, BEAUTIFUL!! Everywhere I looked, the view was breath taking. We all had a blast, especially the kids. This place definitely goes on my list of places to take visitors, Who's First??

Fourth of July

There is just something about the Fourth of July! I love this holiday! In Maine, it is a day full of traditions. I LOVE traditions! Brad has had the week off, so that makes me love it even more!

Click here for the YUMMY Shrimp Boil Recipe

Just a few pictures of my trip to Utah

Here are a few pictures from my trip. First, this is of Gwen on the plane. I took this picture because I think she looks so GROWN UP! She was such an angel flying there, that made all the difference!Here are some pictures at the cemetery. My cute brothers and dad... Me with all my siblings... Somehow, I didn't even get a picture with my mom (My grandfather is her dad). I think it is because she was always occupied talking to cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins, friends from highschool, etc.I was so sad I didn't have my nice camera with me. It was just too much to carry with me on the plane. My grandfather was a veteran, and all of his grandsons held the flag over his casket as a soldier played "taps" on the bugle. You could see the shadow of the flag on the casket, as well as the reflection inside the boys sunglasses, and then another soldier presented the flag to my grandmother and said, "In behalf of the president of the United States, and the United States Airforce, I present you with this American Flag, and thank you for the service Elton Stratton gave for his country." It was really neat!This is my grandmother. I wish you could see her face better. She is beautiful!! She seems to be doing well, although I think she was tired. It was a really long week! She is coming on a 2 month RV trip, with my uncle, to the East Coast in a couple of months! I am excited, they are likely going to come to Maine, if not, we will see them in Boston.All in all, it was a very nice trip. We got NO SLEEP and we were both POOPED!

7-7-07

For the last 6 months, I have been excited about our little 7-7-07 adventure. The Saunders 2007 Triathlon. What better way to spend the luckiest day of the century, than participating in our first triathlon?? So the question is, how did I end up in Las Vegas along with all the other superstitious gamblers??
Exactly one week before the race, I found out that my Grandfather had passed away. A sad day, but a good day, he had been living with cancer for 3 years and had gone down hill quickly in the last month. Traveling was quite an adventure. Gwen came with me. We spent 2 1/2 days there, and 36 hours traveling to and from. Maine to Southern Utah is a really long trip! Gwen was a trooper, even though she hardly slept the whole time. The funeral was really great. My grandfather had a really cute sense of humor, and really loved his family, a lot of sweet/funny stories were told and it kept the mood light. Gwen is named in honor of him (She has his mothers middle name) so I thought it was appropriate that she was there, although, I really wish he could have met her while he was alive! I am still totally bummed that I had to miss the triathlon! Brad was a good sport and swam and biked the course with me on Tuesday, then I went on to complete the run. It was awesome to actually finish the course, but not quite the same as doing it with everyone else. I am hoping that I will get the chance to do another tri, at the end of the summer, if not, definitely next year. Judging by these pictures of Brad, Liv and I trying on our gear, I think everyone else missed out too!
Who knew goggles and swim caps were so flattering!

Make way for Tarzan

Every once in a while, on a lazy day at camp, someone brings up the idea of swinging on the rope, into the water. Fourth of July was one of those days. Since I don't have enough arm strength to hold myself up on the rope, I opted to take pictures. These pictures make it look like so much fun, they almost convince me to do it, even though the experience will almost surely result in pain and embarrassment.

Strawberry pickingThis week we set off to pick strawberries with Nana, Bridgette, Nora, and "Great Pampy" (this is what Liv calls Brad's grandfather.) We had a great time, even though we almost melted in the sun. It was the most beautiful setting as we stood in the field overlooking silver lake, and we could eat all the strawberries we wanted. How can you beat that! I really thought Liv would just stuff herself, but she was so intent on finding and picking the red ones, and filling her basket, that she hardly ate a thing.