Waterplay, Clam Festival & Summer Camp

The kids and I were finally home this week and were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather in our own back yard.  It felt nice to get everyone back on schedule and get life back on track... as much as that happens these days anyway;)  Last week we spent some time experimenting with water.  All of the kids got involved and did really well with it.  We looked at different container volumes, how many containers it takes to fill other containers as well as what sinks, floats and how to make heavier things float.  Benjamin's favorite part was splashing in the water table, and as we found out he LOVES the sprinkler.  The water was so cold that N & J wouldn't get in it, but I couldn't keep Ben out of it. He was shivering, but would scream when I pulled him out. Thankfully he is crawling/getting around a little better now so he can "crawl" himself in and out of the water.  

In other happenings Noah had a week of summer camp at Camp Ketcha and really enjoyed himself again this year.  This favorite part was archery which he was prideful that he could do it by himself.  Our garden in exploding and we are trying hard to keep up the the lettuce, cucumbers and beans.  Yesterday we spent the morning at the Clam Festival.  The favorite part of both N & J was looking at the trucks on display by the Ford company...... and the face painting:)  Gabe is settling into his new job nicely and we are thrilled at his more tolerable hours, as he is home for bedtime on most days!  James continues to love his cars and just be such a fun kid.  His latest thing when saying goodbye or good night to someone is to say, "Goodnight, see you when I wake up in a couple days and a week.".... so cute:)

Freeport Camping 2012

Just to keep things interesting and active this summer my parents bought a camper.... They bought it from a family just north of here, so the kids and I helped my mom pick it up... then we had to try it out... just to make sure it worked ok;)  My mom and I took the kids to a small campground in Freeport, so as not to pull it too far at first....... it was quite a scene as we figured everything out for the first time, oh and my mom is still on crutches. We all had so much fun and it was so nice to get back to camping, not in a tent, with 3 kids. I didn't get the chance to take many pictures, but here are the few I did get.  The top picture is of Noah who had proudly decorated the car with pinecones.  The bottom picture was of Noah going on the campground's flashlight candy bar hunt.  Fun times and we can't wait for the next camping trip!

Summerfest 2012

While Gabe was working hard the kids and I headed north to enjoy Summerfest in East Millinocket.  Maybe listing what we didn't get to do during this 48 hours would be easier:)  The kids decorated their bikes and rode in the kids parade the first evening which was followed by a magic show.  Noah is at that age where he thought that the magician was the funniest thing ever, he was laughing so hard.  The next morning the firemen filled the park with foam and Noah ran around and play in it... James preferred to watch and was pretty mad when it got on his feet, so Grampa carried him over to the hose to wash off.  We spent the rest of the morning enjoying Smith Pond.  The kids loved playing in the water and taking a canoe ride with Grammy Civiello.  That evening Noah and James had their first experience with water guns..... there is a small chance that they enjoyed it;)  This was followed by a campfire, s'mores and fireworks (we finally got to see some after the failed July 4th attempt).  The next morning we were able to see the parade before heading home.  Chief Brown called Noah & James and asked if they wanted to ride in the fire truck during the parade..... Noah was beyond thrilled and this ranks pretty high as one of this favorite summer events.  I didn't get a great picture, but you get the idea. James on the other hand had no interest in that and was more than happy to collect all of the candy from a safe, quiet spot on the side of the road.

July Fourth 2012

Well, we made it through the 4th of July.  Noah was still recovering from the GI bug everyone else had.... it has been a rough 2 weeks as we have largely been housebound... I hope that this bug is gone forever! Anyhow... We spent the morning in Freeport at the parade (and, of course at the sales;)). I found these Lightning McQueen shirts at Target and the kids were thrilled.... I am sure these will be a new favorite. The pictures are pretty typical of each kid:) In case you are wondering James is probably licking the sidewalk in the picture with Gabe...  We didn't stay long in Freeport because Noah was really still not up for too much activity.  In the evening we packed everyone up and headed for the fireworks....... we tried to ignore the clouds.  We ate Otto's Pizza under a tree on Congress St. to shield ourselves from the rain.  We pressed on in the rain to the Eastern Promenade hoping that the rain would stop, but by the time we got to the festivities it started raining harder and the lightening started.... They cancelled the fireworks/concert for the night and we ran back down Congress St. to our car just in time to beat the torrential/hurricane severe weather that soon followed... fun times:)