Ben's 6th Birthday Party!

Ben is turning 6 soon, so we had his birthday party over Labor Day weekend. He chose a knight birthday party and really ran with it. I was excited because I was able to convince him to have the torch light cupcakes in ice cream cones instead of a formal cake I had to decorate.  He was excited for this huge dinosaur piñata we turned into a fire breathing dragon they got to slay.  We had a terribly failed attempt at jousting with helium balloons and hopefully no animals died at the accidental release of one... Ben had an excellent day and is loving looking at pictures and asking people if they had a fun time at his knight birthday party;)

The bottom pictures here are of James' ill advised attempt to get that helium balloon down from the ceiling in our front room... I was super thankful that I walked in when I did...

Belgrade Lakes- Part 2:)

The summer ended up being so crazy we felt like we really didn't get to enjoy our time at Long Pond like we usually do.  Fortunately for us, our friends are super generous and allowed us to come back for a round two visit that was fantastic!  Gabe worked a few of the days and nothing terribly exciting happened, but the kids and I relaxed, built some robots, went to the Augusta Children's Museum, did some fishing, kayaking/canoeing and what will likely be out last tubing/waterskiing of the year.  Thanks friends for another wonderful trip!

Tumbledown... Finally!

We have been trying to get out and hike Tumbledown Mountain since we moved here.  We kept hearing conflicting feedback from different people on how the trails were and how old the kids should be.  The kids were doing so well hiking this year at the speed and distance comparable to most adults, we thought that this was finally the year.  As it turns out there are several different ways to see Tumbledown.  There are a few different peaks and lots of people only hike up to the pond and back down.  Of course we couldn't take the easy way and thought it would be more rewarding to hike the trail not recommended for kids and come down the more appropriate trail from the pond.  For the record, it was totally worth it.  What a great hike!  The first trail was treacherous and a bit challenging at places, especially climbing through tight spots in the rocks.  The kids were a bit leery at different points, but they all did it and felt quite accomplished when we reached the top.  After reaching one peak, we went over to the second peak and down to the pond to have lunch.  Ben was the only one brave enough to get in the frigid water. James also experienced the frigid water, but it was only because he didn't heed our warnings and fell into the pond.  The boys all hiked without complaint, Audrey was a trooper riding on my back for most of the trip and we were back down to the parking lots after just 5.5 hours.  We will definitely be back to do this hike again next year! 

Winding Down Summer

The morning we dropped Sha at the bus station was the same day as the solar eclipse.  The kids were so excited and we had watched so many science shows on PBS I felt like I could count it as a school day;)  I was afraid Tuesday might be our last beach day of summer, so the kids and I headed to Crescent Beach for the day.  They all did so well and I even got to sit and relax for like 15 minutes while all of the kids rested while buried in the sand... they requested it, really;)

We are starting to wrap up summer and thinking about school, so naturally, we took a trip to the ice cream shop and had ice cream for lunch!

Fresh Air Visit 2017- Part 3

We spent most of Tuesday recovering from our trip.  It was great to have a low key day to regroup and get some laundry done.  Wednesday Gabe was at work so the kids and I took a trip down to the Maine Wildlife Park.  It really never disappoints there with so many native Maine animals including moose, deer, black bears, skunks and (the kids favorite) the albino raccoon.    It was warmer this day, so we got home and spent the rest of the day in the pool.  Audrey finally has gotten up the courage to swim with just one bubble AND to go under water.

Thursday I had to bring the kids to a meeting at church which we followed with a tennis lesson for the older boys and more exploring around Farmington.  Friday it rained, all day.  It turned out to be a welcome break.  Gabe, Noah and James introduced Sha to Risk, so they spent most of the day playing while Ben and Audrey were happily having a picnic and playing upstairs.  We finished the day with a few Harry Potter movies.

Saturday the kids and I went up to Kingfield and tried out the Maine Huts and Trails system.  I had not ever done this before and it is a really amazing set-up of huts and trails that cover the area.  We chose to just "hike" along the shore of Flagstaff Lake into the Flagstaff hut.  The whole walk along the lake was beautiful and we got to have lunch on the rocks at the beach.  The kids played for so long I thought we would never leave.  Next time I will certainly be more prepared with bathing suits! Sunday was Sha's last full day with us and we spent the day on boating and tubing on Androscoggin Lake.  We had a picnic lunch on one of the black sand islands and finished the day at the Bennett's house for BBQ.

We had a wonderful two weeks with Sha this year and were so sad to see him head home.  Thanks for coming Sha!