Summer Fun

Things have been busy since the baby has been born. We've traveled to Maine, the mountains, Boston, and many other destinations in between. She's been such a good baby through it all. I thought I'd share some pics of the summer fun so far.

Above the kids playing at a local lake while. Avery and I chill on the lounge chair.

I guess it would start with the trip we took to Freeport, Maine for a soccer tournament Dan's teams were in over Father's Day weekend. While Dan was off coaching, we spent time shopping the shops and swimming in the pool. The kids had a blast. It was Zachary's first time sleeping in a queen sized bed in the hotel. Somehow, he ended up hanging off the bed every night, but managed not to fall all the way out. Below is them outside of the LL Bean outlet.

Shortly after this trip, Alexa was in her second tap/ballet dance recital. She did great as usual - knew every move without missing a beat. Zachary slept through the performance, as did Avery. But the rest of us were awake and proud of our little tapper. And yes, she looked a little Jean-Benet with all the makeup - hard to see in the picture though.

Next was the the annual July 4th parade in town. The kids decorated thier bikes and rode them through the parade. Then we sugared them up on cotton candy and watched the rest of the parade go by. Alexa learned about America and that it was it's birthday. Zachary learned about Unlce Sam (as he walked by on stilts in the parade), and couldn't understand why Santa had lost so much weight and got so tall.

We had a birthday cake for America, and all the cousins enjoyed playing after a long day! Don't they look darling? I think after this someone ended up crying and complaining that someone had stepped on them, etc. Suprisingly, we captured this really good shot.

After this Alexa attended a Fairy Camp for a week at her preschool. She made a lot of really fun crafts and had a great time. She then attended VBS at our church. She again, enjoyed her week. Both of these weeks I enjoyed just 2 kids for a little while! Small luxuries.

The end of July we celebrated Alexa's 5th birthday. She recieved her long awaited Bitty Baby American Girl doll. She named her Mary Kate, and she has since accompanied us on every trip to wherever we go. She is in heaven with this doll. Thanks to her big cousin Madilyn, who at one time enjoyed her own American girl but is now 13 and sinced moved on, Alexa has obtained some much valued hand-me-down accessories for the doll - which have also accompanied us to various destinations.

We then packed up and headed north to the White Mountains with Grandparents and Cousins. We visited Six Gun City, which I discovered has not changed a bit since I was there 25 years ago. The only thing that had changed was people's sense of shame. Women and men were walking around in bathing suits and sneakers. I should clarify - women and men who should NOT be walking around in bathing suits and sneakers if you know what I mean. Seriously, it wasn't THAT hot, put on some shorts and a tank top already!! Needless to say, the kids had a good time, and Zachary managed to get his long awaited pistol and promptly began shooting at people walking by. I guess I made it 3 years without weapons, not bad. Alexa chose an indian tom tom. Not sure about that one. We also discovered on this trip that the kids don't like Icees (frozen treats you drink). After investing about $20 on these delicious treats in signature plastic boots, they both took 2 sips and said they were "spicy". Lesson learned - buy one to see if they like it first. Here are the kids with big cousing Trevor and Madilyn (who was rockin the aviators).

Next of course, we hit up Santa's Village. Now that was well worth it. A really great park - great rides, got to see Santa, the whole shebang. I discovered at both of these places, that my kids are pretty fearless when it comes to rides. Zachary was a bit more choosy, but Alexa was ready and willing to hop on roller coasters, log rides, you name it. I love that about them. I don't think I got on a roller coaster until I was 15 or so and went on the Cannonball at Canobie Lake. I think I've been on maybe 3 roller coasters my whole life. And we didn't get any frozen Icees in Santa cups this time.

Also during our mountain trip, the kids did some fishing, hiking, playing in the river, swimming, playing, roasting marshmallows, and just having fun. And Mary Kate was there for it all. Here she is enjoying the campfire with Alexa.

Then we visited the Aquarium. I think we went on universal camp day, because every inner city camp was there. But we had a good time. The kids really liked the exhibits and we got to see a Harbor Seal show. Zachary was surprisingly terrified of the sharks in the big tank and would run away when they swam by, despite us telling him they could not get him.

And here's my littlest lady, just smiling the whole time!
So now, we are going to hang around and enjoy the rest of the nice weather. Before we know it the school buses will be out and my little lady will be starting Kindergarten!!