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Today:

A early work day (REALLY early) so I got to get out on time to see the kids get off the bus (it was the first day for the Kindergartners in our neighborhood).

A nice walk with just my girl to the bus stop pointing out all the mailboxes.

Beal's cheesecake ripple ice cream (probably one of the last of the season).

some new wrestling moves (The flopification pot--courteousy of Curious George, and massive tickle attack).

alot of pretending to be scared (Trevor likes to try to sneak up on people and scare them).

And FINALLY when the energy wore down (thank god Josh can handle all that boy energy)....bedtime.

growing. (and a letter)

2009

2008

Trevor and Breanna,

Today was your first day of school! I can't believe how fast you guys are growing and even this summer the change in you guys.. I want you both to have great school years and just remember that I'm your biggest cheerleader:) Love you.

Trevor,

Today was your first day of second grade! You were so confident getting on that bus it was so great to see you without any worries whatsoever. I'm so glad you have your best buddy in your class. I know that last year was a huge growing year and this year you just going to keep building off that great foundation. You are reading everything in sight and I know you are just going to soar this year with everything. You have an A+ attitude. I'm a little sad that as you get older, things seem more and more "hands off" with the parents being there and knowing everything about what you do all day. It's hard for a mom to let go especially when It just seems like I was holding you in my arms as a newborn yesterday.

However, I know what a fantastic and kind person you are and what a great friend you are to all. With those skills, you are going to excell at whatever challenges you face.

Breanna,

This year, you turn five. It is your last year of prechool. Girl, I know that you are going places. This is going to be YOUR year. YOu are going to be so ready to march our of that prechool and straight into Kindergarten that you are going to make my jaw drop. YOu contuinue to surprise us on what you can learn and we really are just scratching th surface of the person that you are. So go get them my shooting star, show them what you can do! I'll be your biggest fan every step of the way:)

Love ,

Mommy

First Day.

Change is always hard for me, especially when I see you guys growing up so fast. Gosh I wish you could have stayed in early preschool and first grade forever. You both had great first days.

Memorable Moments:

The excitement.

Eggs for breakfast.

Pictures

A BEAUTIFUL day

Your "bus plan"

How you had your own camera out to take pictures of Breanna

Gammie coming to spend the day with us (and make some yummy relish)

the quiet house

You waving to us outside the bus window.

Breanna in green stars

that you loved your class, your friends, your teacher and the "really comfortable" red chairs

That you actually had to do "work" anf have music n the first day

riding bikes and playing outside afterschool.

That I didn't have to miss a minute of your smiling faces and your stories about your day.

Make your own pizzas for dinner

How tired we all were at the end of the day.

What I will miss....

Riding bikes with you at Lucas' naptime

having a full house for lunch

beach and waterpark days

having those seven year old conversations all day long

The hum of Breanna's toys, watching Curious Georgeand Clifford and and that cash register.

waking up and lounging in our PJS until lunchtime if we wanted to.

YOU and YOU.

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First Day of school!

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Today....meeting your teacher for the first time, doing a little reading and getting reaquainted with the playground. YOu are so excited to go on the bus and see your friends tommorrow! You are the big kid in the school now....don't forget how proud I am of you:) Love you my big second grader!

Goodbye summer.

This afternoon we all attended Breanna's preschool open house (it's her third year there and she just waltzed right in!). The program has expanded from one classroom to three since we started there. The new space and classroom looks amazing. Although I'm sad to see summer vacation end, I'm so excited about this school year for everybody. There are some really great things going on.

After some playground time, we headed home for some dinner and a campfire in our PJs to celebrate the last night of Summer Vacation. Lucas was his usual self and had us in stitches with his yelling and funny faces. The fire was warm, and the conversations great. A great ending to the some of the best times of my life..... Until next summer......

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Harvested. I'm so excited about a possible Mother-daughter date to make some relish out of these.

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Another lost tooth!

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Right Now.....(and what we should have been doing all summer)

I'm convinced that my mission in life is to potty train these two.

We are going bottomless as much as we can and doing pretty well at it too (only a few accidents).

Roll up the carpets, it's going to be one wild and crazy ride (but worth it in the end).....

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Just a perfect weather day with a bit of fall in the air....and a great cousin visit (complete with a lot of fooling around and wrestling by two school aged children). Thanks so much for the pool time and lunch, we'll be sure to do it again real soon:)

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What Love means to a 4-8 year old...

Trevor: "It means being sad and missing someone when they are not here to spend time together with you...."

And Other Touching words from the mouth of babes. (taken from an e-mail)


A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:





'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love..'

Rebecca- age 8



'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'

Billy - age 4



'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'

Karl - age 5



'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'

Chrissy - age 6



'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'

Terri - age 4



'Love is when my Mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'

Danny - age 7



'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that.. They look gross when they kiss'

Emily - age 8



'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)



'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'

Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)



'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7



'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'

Tommy - age 6



'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'

Cindy - age 8



'My Mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night...'

Clare - age 6



'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'

Elaine-age 5



'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'

Chris - age 7



'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'

Mary Ann - age 4



'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'

Lauren - age 4



'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)

Karen - age 7



'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'

Mark - age 6



'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'

Jessica - age 8


And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Summer Memories 2009

We remember (in random order):

How much it rained

Strawberry and blueberry picking (making my own jam for the first time!)

The big waterslide in our yard

Days at Aquaboggin

The cousin photos

Our garden (the weeds!)

THe Star Wars Cake and Trevor's birthday party

Visiting with Barb (and she almost ended up in the ditch!)

Breakfasts at Becky's

Riding bikes

Our bird feeder contraptions

Conversations with Lily

the VA Beach vacation (and the flat tire incident)

The guys on the waterslide at Trevor's party (what was Mike wearing?)

"See all those ribbons....Those are for parking!"

Grandpa's jokes ("DO you Know what the He** you are doing?")

A candle in Trevor's birthday pancake

"You can never have too much Caulk"

Trevor:" Mom, maybe you can google it or look on the BLackberry?"

Being at the lake with perfect weather (and not so perfect)

Breaking in the new fire pit with the disco poker stick

S'Mores

Lobster

The Ocean

Playing in our own yard

Fort Williams, playing on the playground and the kids running into the water with all their clothes.

Family, celebrating and being together....Just looking over and seeing everyone in one place in MY yard.

Seeing Bre and Kevin playing together

THe outdoor concert...kids running, playing football, baseball and ring-around-the rosie

Having fun until we collapsed

Spending time with the grandparents and great-grandparents

All the kids playing in our new toyroom

The kids fishing off the dock

The sunsets

Hose fights

Trevor's fun with his friends Nick H. and Niall

Canoe rides

Duck, Duck goose

Red light Green light and Musical chairs

The library reading program

The kids making up their own games with the weave poles

Jeff swimming after the runaway shovels in the rain storm

Pop-pop's visit (sorry you ended up at the Kids' table!)

Sam's poor neck

Lucas: " Me need a book on fishing"

The Carranos' visit

The horrible beach parking

The lighthouse tour

reading books, fighting over flashlights and finally Sleeping in the tent with the smell of all that great fresh air.

Shopping at L.L. Bean and Lunch at Gritty's

Lucas' "disher" of icecream

making our own ice cream and eating the freshest farm food

Farm Camp

Our anniversary weekend in Boothbay

Staying down at the beach with our dinner and until it got dark

THe Sea dogs game, catching a fly ball and the fireworks

Yorks Wild Kingdom

Bre feeding the ducks and deer

Watercountry

Our vacation weather (perfect!)

Lunch in a downtown cafe (with the kids!)

movie night

The sidewalk art festival

Chasing Waves

Lucas napping on the run

not missing a thing.

School starts in one week---Oh MY!

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For some kids, the social aspect of school is a difficult one. Not you, ever since preschool you have been everybody's friend. That is your gift my boy.....don't take it for granted. It's such a blessing. You are really enjoying spending some one-on-one time with some special friends this summer.

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Back to the grind....after a really busy on the go week last week, we are savoring the last bits of summer rediscovering how nice it is just to stay home.

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Today...

On our last day of vacation, we went searching for a perfect bakery breakfast and waves and found them both. We haven't seen anything like this in years (and on a sunny day to boot!) Thanks Hurricaine Bill:) What an amazing end to a perfect week.

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today...

a 5K

a little relaxing and reading time

a healthy lunch in a little cafe downtown

a sidewalk art festival (alot of window shopping and "look at this...")

a nap in a backpack

a thundershower

a fishing game

some art time

some silly time

a homemade pizza dinner

a movie night.

tommorrow.....

a stop at the farmers market, a Scratch bagel breakfast and hopefully off to spot some BIG waves. (last day of vacation:( )

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Just the perfect hot, sunny, day for Watercountry (boy were those weather men wrong)! We had such a blast we stayed from open until closing! We're definately going back next year:)

Highlights:

The pirate place (and three other AWESOME kiddie areas)

The Double Geronimo

bringing our own lunch

The weather!

the Dragon's den

Lucas napping in the stroller

Mommy even riding some of the scary ones

The Friendly's 1500 feet outside of the park (we were soooo hungry!)

Lucas on the ride home (boy I wish I had a noise cancelling headset to block out all that yelling from excitement).

Today's inspiration

here.

and here.

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Yorks Wild Kingdom.

Today's highlights:

• getting to see Breanna feed all the animals to her hearts content
• the kiddie bumper boats (Lucas running off the ride and saying, "I loved that!")
• Lucas napping in the stroller
• The giant slide
• The Ferris Wheel
• The fun house
• Taking my girl on her very first carousel ride (and she loved it)...
• Having something fun for everyone.

What a fantastic weather day! Tommorrow.....water country!

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Tonight..... many hot dogs, peanuts and ice cream were consumed, one foul ball was caught, and a spectacular fireworks show was watched which involved staying up way past bedtime. Who cares if our team didn't win, I think we all died and went to seven year old boy heaven.

(and to me---the smells at the ball park on a perfect summer evening are pure heaven!)

summer.

Last night, it was so warm that we found ourselves having a picnic dinner down at the beach until sunset , making sandcastles, playing catch, walking, smelling the air, listening to the waves crashing and watching some great windsurfing action . This is the stuff that childhood memories are made of.

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There is just something about camping (even if it is in your own backyard). Maybe it's the smell of the air, the mosquitos, being outside, or seeing the first star come out. Maybe it's just about being together with nothing else in the way. Yeah, I think it's about that.

Just about one of my favorite pictures ever.

pretty girl....you are going to change the world. Love you.

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Today.....waking up in our tent to the smell of the fresh (and muggy) air, A lighthouse boat tour of Casco bay, a great lunch at Gritty's pub complete with a strawberry ice-cold beverage(virgin) for Trevor and I (while Lucas napped), a shopping trip to L.L.Bean, ice-cream for dinner, and camping in the tent for a second night. A Vacation day doesn't get much better (or busier) than that. We are determined make enjoying every last bit of this summer a priority this week. There is no room for laundry doing in here.

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Trevor was on cloud nine when he got to invite one of his best friends Nick to Aquaboggin with us. We rented a triple tube!

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The best part about today......after dealing with that beach parking fiasco and tired kids all evening, was eating a grown-up dinner after they went to bed (and then going to bed ourselves!)

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Starting out our Vacation with a visit with some good college friends (the best man in our wedding). They have (almost) the cutest little boys in the world. We're so glad you are here Mike and Traci! How did we let three and a half years go by without seeing you guys?!

On savoring motherhood.

Today's inspirational blog here.

today's inspiration....The invisible mother.

GO here.

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What Trevor is into.....

• riding bikes 24/7 (and a new/used mountain bike with gears that we got free at a yard sale a few years ago).
• you can only fall asleep with the clock turned around so you can't see what time it is.

What we're doing:

saying a sad goodbye to Jeff as he heads home, gosh I wished we all lived closer. When I was younger, I always pictured our close family living close toghether, the kids playing on weekends and us all helping each other with house projects and doing fun things together . But, then again, life never turns out how you imagined it, does it? Hey, it takes a village to raise a child..., and it was so nice to be close together for those weeks this summer. It's so nice that we are all going through the thick of this parenting stuff together anyway. Kev and Jeff, I miss you guys so much, I wish it was more than once every few years that we got together like this.

6 short work hours left until our vacation! We'll be celebrating with some good friends this weekend...so I'll see you back here next week!

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Just another shot from last evening....I can't get enough of seeing these guys together.

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8 kids around a campfire......just takes my breath away. After a rainy afternoon we were surprised with just a perfect evening of games, family and fun. What a celebration. More on this amazing family visit to come..

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just making up our own games....

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Today.....some fun by the pool just hanging out at home.

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Trevor had the little point and shoot camera all day today....EVERYTHING we did (188 photos) all day was either photographed or video-ed. It got a little annoying near the end, but it was pretty cool to see another point of view of our daily weekend life (mostly chores) I think we'll do it more often (If Trevor has anyhting to day about it:))

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It's blueberry season...and we're making jam.

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Being Free, Running, having fun until you drop. This IS summer...

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I could have stayed down here all night...it was so beautiful (wish we would have brought dinner...)

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It may not be just the fish they are after.....

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We did it, our very first painted toenails:)

the party.

more details to come.... we had the time of our lives. Enjoy!

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All eight cousins in one photo (and looking!)......priceless.

Seven years.

8/2/09

8/2/02

2:30 AM

Since I became a mom. It has gone by in an instant. Thank you my boy, for the person you are....for everything. Happy Birthday Trevor! Love you.

P.S. Yesterday you said, "Mom you must have had to get up really early on the day I was born...usually you like to sleep in!" (LOL!)

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A day at the lake when all the cousins were together for the first time in two years (Maybe tommorrow we'll try for that picture Grandma). Seeing all of them together just really made my heart smile. I Love Family.