Grandma's Visit: Breakwater Lighthouse

We also drove down to the Campden/Rockport, which included a trip to Perry's Nuthouse (always). We ordered Pizza and ate it at a park on a harbor. Brad Fell asleep on the ground, got a sunburn and Gwen decorated him with flowers. My mom and I talked and laughed while the girls picked buttercup, and played on a gigantic anchor. Beckham alternated between being happy doing whatever we were doing and eating. Then we drove out to the breakwater lighthouse. We had to walk out to it in the harbor on a 10 foot wide, 1/2 mile walkway. It was quite windy and quite long, but it was an experience =0). And, lucky for us, we found more shells at the beach on the way back to the car. The girls loved collecting the shells (again), and even figured out they could use their dresses as baskets to hold them in. Everyone was happy, except Beckham who started getting sick, with a fever, halfway through our windy way to the lighthouse.

Grandma's Visit: Geocaching

Warning: hiding places are exposed within this post.

Grandma's Visit: Wonderland

We had a wonderful time with my mom here. . . Of Course. One of the first days she was here, we took her to a beach on Mt. Desert Island called Wonderland. Brad remembered it from his childhood, and none of the rest of us had ever been there. We drove in the right direction, found a small sign that said "wonderland", parked and headed down a trail. At the end of the trail, we found a rocky beach filled with seashells. We spent the next while searching for all kinds of seashells among the rocks. Seeing as my mom loves that kind of thing, it was perfect. We also discovered that Gwen would have spent hours and hours there, sitting in one spot, searching for shells. She especially loved the baby ones, and I mean itty bitty teeny tiny, you could hardly see them baby ones. Liv loved walking back and forth, climbing on rocks, going from person to person to see what everyone found, and show them the colorful pieces of clam shells she had collected. Brad found a biology professor to teach him all about different shells and what kind of creature inhabited them.

Great Children's Books

My mom and I took the kids to the Library and to Border's today. I was amazed at how hard it was to find great Children's books. I decided that the best way to find them is to get suggestions from other people. I know you have great ideas. Will you please leave a comment here with a list of books you love to read your kids, or have them read?? THANK YOU!!!

Seal Harbor

Today, We had our first excursion to the ocean this season. The coast is one of my favorite places ever, and I always beg to go. I even wanted to go last weekend in the rain =0). We went today and I'm already planning my next trip ASAP. We took the kids to Seal Harbor, on Mount Dessert Island. Brad spent a lot of summers there as a kid doing just what we did today. . . looking for sea creatures in the tidal pools. When we arrived, the tide was out the furthest either of us have ever seen it. We walked and walked, searching, and all we found were shells. Just as we walked back to our car, a woman came over to us to say that if we just walked a bit further, there were hundreds of sand dollars on the shore line. Sure enough, we walked where she directed, and found the sand covered in sand dollars! There were so many that Liv had a hard time walking without stepping on them. We also found sea urchins, 2 dead crabs, barnacles, snails, 1 hermit crab, more crab legs, clams, clam shells, and lots of green sea weed. I don't know who had the most fun, Brad and I were right there excitedly searching for creatures.

I also included a picture of my feet standing on a rocky part of the beach. One of my quirks is that I love rocks, and I always want to take them home with me. I told BR that I was using all of my self control to not take some of these rocks home with me (since I learned it is illegal to remove them from a National Park). He informed me that taking home rocks had never crossed his mind, and I realized not everyone has that urge. Seriously, I see them and I want them.

Labels for some of the pictures above: The rock BR is holding with the big squiggly thing attached is seaweed, the thing that looks like a grassy pebble is a sea urchin, the picture of the girls is of them holding the frisbee they were using to hold all of our finds, and after our family pictures is one of the sand dollars covering the sand.

Proof we were there

I have explained it before. We hiked Bald Mountain last Friday, I took pictures, I bonded with those pictures, I lost those pictures, I was sad. Well, now those pictures are back! A friend at church told me about a program that will recover deleted files from a memory card. It even works after a card is formatted! Amazing. So, now we have documentation of that experience which means we can always go back and remember it. Ahh.

When I was down loading these last night, Brad was genuinely excited, I know he didn't care much about the pictures, but he knew I did. . .Love him.

Dear Bank, you are now on day 85 of your 30 day limit

We have been in the process of selling our house, and buying a different house. We aren't moving away, just getting more space. Our current status is this- We made an offer on a house nearly 3 months ago, the sellers accepted our offer, but had to get approval from their bank (its a "short" sale. . . why they call it that is beyond me.). We are still sitting around waiting for the bank to approve our offer. In the very beginning, we were told that the bank had 30 days. When the 30 days passed, we were told, "Oh, well the bank has a pile of 3,000 other short sale applications to go through too, be patient, poor bank, poor bank..." Last Friday, we were told, "You guys are the top application on the pile, You'll know by Monday, for sure Tuesday." Today is Saturday, and we've heard nothing. Call me crazy, but I think 2.75 months is more than enough time. Get on with it already.

I love everything about days like today

Blue skies, perfect weather, working in the yard, swinging on the swings, joining in on the swinging, giggling children, freshly mowed green grass, a house that is actually clean from yesterday (that never happens). I wish all days could be like this, but I guess they can't. . . Oh, well. The weather has been perfect, and it is amazing how that is the perfect thing to make me feel alive. It helps that I finally feel like I have recovered from the newborn stage (which I love, but definitely sucks my free time), I am on top of things in our life, and I actually have little bits of time to do things that are "extra." (like blogging) Welcome summer!

I guess we are just going to have to go again

We just got back from one of my favorite things. Hiking Bald Mountain. I would describe the hike as shortish and steep. Which makes it very rewarding in a short amount of time. We decided to stop by a sandwich place we had never been to, hike to the top and eat at the summit. The weather held out for us (rain was predicted) and it actually turned out perfect. I came home from our excursion, excited to download the pictures only to realize they deleted somewhere between downloading and saving. So disappointing =0(. . . You will just have to imagine it as I explain. The first picture would be of everyone hiking up the trail, a steep face completely granite, with Gwen ahead of everyone else by at least 50 feet. And to think that she was the one we were worried about making it =0). Next a picture of the sweet, white, bell shaped flowers that will become wild blueberries late summer, yum =0). Then a picture of Liv next to the face we made on the trail. A circular area naturally carved out of the granite face, still granite underneath, with a bit of moss growing along the upper curve for hair. Brad added the first stick mouth, then Liv added the two rock eyes, and they both agreed on a pine cone nose. Next a picture of Brad with Beckham in the back pack, and Liv and Gwen standing next to each leg, all with their hands in the air celebrating our arrival at the summit. Followed by a picture of Liv and Gwen sitting on a rock, eating their grilled ham and cheese, overlooking the pine tree covered hills and the setting sun off in the distance. Next to last, a picture of our family at the top with the gorgeous view behind us, everyone smiling, and Gwen making a funny/scary face. Lastly, pictures of the descent, Brad up ahead holding Gwen's hand, and Beckham on his back, and a picture of my hand holding Liv's. The perfect outing. . . on the bright side, I think we will all look forward to doing it again.