Bar Harbor Camping Adventures- July 2012

Last weekend Gabe had his very first 60 hour weekend shift as an attending...... we thought it better if the kids and I weren't around;) He actually had a pretty manageable weekend to get his feet wet.  Thanks to my parents camper we were able to make it to Bar Harbor again this year, we even got Grandpa, Aunt Amy, Trey and the Pelkeys to come with us. There were plenty of boats to be seen.  James hiked to the top of Bubble Mountain all by himself for the first time, which made me more than happy to not have to carry him on the round trip. It was a bit of a rocky start as he fell twice in the first 500 feet and I thought for sure it was over, but after some gentle persuasion he made it.  I didn't give him the chance to hike down because I didn't want to push my luck, but maybe next time.  Now if we can only get Benjamin to walk up............  Saturday afternoon we took a lobster boat ride on the Miss Samantha (BTW I would highly recommend this for those with little ones since kiddos under 6 are free!!!).  Noah and James were beyond excited when they pulled up some lobster traps... It was a very similar experience to a lobster fishing book they have, so they said many times, "that is just like in our book".  Trey was not overly impressed with the mountain or the boat ride, but he did have the time of his life playing with Ben in the camper while they should have been napping...... the two of them with no nap was unpleasant at times;)

While we were camping Noah and James did not sleep together and I think that they missed each other because our first night home I found James asleep in Noah's bed and the next night Noah asleep in James's bed.  The last picture is of Noah pulling his brothers around on the cooler pretending they were going on a place ride..... to my pleasant surprise this actually didn't scratch the floors:)

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.