and the last horrah...

AND......after all the chores were done  (and we could barely lift another muscle) we decided our first summer vacation of 2013 needed one last Horrah....so we headed on over to Fort Williams, with a picnic Italian Sandwich dinner.  We took a walk on the newly renovated Cliff walk (even though it was still over 90 degrees out), took tons of photographs, and even got to see a big oil tanker coming in to port (Lucas was thrilled...LOVE this age!).  We walked over to the fort and got daring enough to try the tunnel.  Then we walked back and headed over to our favorite once a year treat at Willard Scoops.  The ice cream is all homemade and the "perfect kiddie size" (not too big).  An awesome ending to an awesome week.  And on deck for our next vacation....Hackney Cabin August 11-18......can't wait!

7 July

Family Vacation Sunday.....

Chores and unpacking and mowing the lawn..  But early in the am......the color run!  OMG!  SO, So Fun....
A bunch of wild and crazy people there to do a little exercise and get......"all gross" My hair is still blue after two showers but I'm sure it will come out.  Awesome fun with friends.  Can't wait to do it next year as a family!

6 July

Summer Family Vacation Friday and Saturday......

I want to remember.....
9 kids 10 and under doing everything together.
Movie nights and Movie mornings
Swimming all day at the State park.
Kids running hand in hand into the water....
The FOOD!  Hanging out in the kitchen making apps....
Playing cards until the wee hours (or was it playing with electronics and watching you tube)...
Guys on the the grill, girls in the kitchen.
Waffle breakfasts
Sending two men into the Market Basket....
Laughing.....lots.
Lots of grownups to help with doing hair, playing, and healing boo boos.
R man rocking out to Warrant at Breakfast.
Girls playing barbies, and legos.
R Man saying he wouldn't mind sleeping in the basement with the tools.
Wishing the kids had the whole summer together......VERY soon!

Love this weekend.....all of it.

5 July

Family Vacation Friday....

WE were basically doing errands, getting haircut and packing up all day for our Big Summer 2013 Couusin reunion.  So exciting!  And Today was the Day!  Out Girl got her ears pierced!  Little tiny hearts with sparkles inside.  The woman at the piercing booth said that it was the easiest child she had done in seven years.  B was so excited!

5 July

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

4 July

Family Vacation Thursday.....The Fourth Of July

WE're at the beginning of a heat wave in these parts so all we could do was.....find water.  Luckily, we have an amazing beach nearby.  After the kids complained about not wanting to go and swim in the salt water (T brought a book).....we couldn't get them out of the water.  WE happened to see some friends during our epic schlepping all the way across a very large parking lot and ended up hanging out with them for the day.  The kids had a blast walking the beach and Body surfing all day...

Afterwards, we headed to the Sea dogs game for food, baseball land fireworks.  It was a total blast and Trevor even caught a game ball.  Love this tradition

3 July

Family Vacation Wednesday......a Foggy, cloudy morning slowly faded to total sunshine.  YAY!  FINALLY, let the summer vacation begin!  T and his friend K had been planning a golf outing since soccer season (in the FALL) and Today, it happened!  18 holes, walking at 7 this morning.  To say the boys were excited would be an understatement!  They LOVED it!  Then in the late afternoon we decided to beat the crowds at the Lobster Shack for our annual "lupper" there, Hot Dogs for the Kids, a lobster roll for me, fried scallops and Clam Chowder for J.  I think we started this tradition way back when Lucas was still in the baby carrier: (summer 2008):

These are usually some of my favorite photos of the year, the kids love climbing on the rocks and watching the waves crash .     This year "cat" came along to learn about the ocean and the waves.  Great

Memories!

  

2 July

Family vacation Tuesday involved a very large stump grinder on another Rainy Day.  A Long Run with a neighbor and friend, a Rock-n- Bowl and arcade day with some new Friends (and surprisingly seeing some old friends there too!) and a Fixed washing machine.  Fun!  Life is good!

1 July

Hello  July!

Summer Vacation Day 3:
Was a great day for
The First day of Summer School
 the driving range in the morning....
moving a few wood piles (in the POURING rain)
A great run with a friend
Board Games
And the Movies with buttery popcorn in the afternoon (Monsters University)

30 June

Summer Vacation Day 2:

I want to remember:  How we still were able to make a broken washing machine, a grocery shopping, and laundromat trip into a fun family adventure. Seven bags of chips and a six pack seemed like enough to get us through the day week :)

How T got to go the very first of our newly formed church Youth Group adventures.  Fishing in the ocean and Saco River.  The family in our church that is running the group has a big boat and the Dad is a sea captain.  T  surprisingly felt a little sea sick, but was fine when he got home.  He caught two Mackrel (and they named their group the "Holy Mackrels")

Eating Everything strawberry, muffins for breakfast, cut up strawberries all through the day and shortcake for Dessert.  Feeling so inspired to make things and totally trash the kitchen with all the fresh food coming in.

Our Mini golf adventure with the littles (we took a 4 on pretty much every hole)

Our dinner outside on a gorgeous evening,  (wasn't it supposed to rain?!?)

The annual making of the jam....

After several years.....I've gotten pretty good at making this freezer jam.....all kinds, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry.  I think I still have some in the freezer from last year.... It's so easy....no boiling!

Step 1 : Wash all the strawberries in a strainer and Let the kids do the cutting (YIKES!) .....hopefully there are no stems in the jam...
Step 2:  Help each kid figure out where to stand so no one is squished and there is no fighting or crying.  Pull two chairs up to the counter.   sharing a chair is apparently not an option.
Step 3:  Start mashing the strawberries with a meat tenderizer (Oh, I forgot I do have a potato masher!) in a LARGE bowl.  Manage the kids arguing over whose turn it is to mash by setting the timer for three minutes each. Clean up spilled juice from all over everything....clothes, the floor, the wall and the counters.
Step 4: add 2/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of the instant freezer jam pectin to a clean bowl.  Add 1 2/3 cups of the strawberry mixture.  Stir for three minutes.  Manage whose turn it is to stir (see #3)
Step 5:  Funnel into jars....manage whose turn it is to hold the funnel and whose turn it is to ladle.  Repeatthe clean up part of step 3, then Keep scouring the kitchen to look for more containers and clean them.....there are ALOT of strawberries.
Step 6:  Place the jars on the counter to settle.  Have the kids make the labels that say "Strawberry Jam 2013"  Because one of my favorite things ever is little Kids Handwriting.  I want to remember it forever.  Manage fighting over who get to make the most labels.
Step 7: Repeat like 20 times.  It comes out much better when made in small batches (and everyone gets a turn to do everything)
Step 8:  Get the kids ready for bed.....tell them that the next morning first thing they are going to have to each write an essay on how to get along better before they touch an electronic device.  Collapse and realize that this should have been started earlier in the day when there was more time for clean up.
Step 9:  Clean up the kitchen, sweep and wash the floor.  Put the jars in the freezer.
Step 10: Give jars away to friends and family :)

29 June

Summer vacation day 1...I want to remember....

How were making this one a staycation because we live in vacationland after all!

How we dragged the kids out of bed on a misty Saturday morning to go strawberry picking and it was the best picking ever

How B said," I got a good one" with each strawberry she picked..How Kevin watched the littles all day so J and I could go to Ts swim meet TOGETHER.

How T totally rocked his 3 100 races and his first 2 200 yard races ever, taking 25 seconds off his 100 free time.

Pizza at Kevin's after with FaceTime calls to plan our little family reunion In a week...

Making the jam...stay tuned for another post on that..

Taking apart the washing machine....and hopefully fixing it. No laundry on vacation!!

28 June

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

27 June

These Days.....

The only time that shes not talking or commenting, or yelling "MOMMM!!" or singing or Dancing or taking videos or asking, "why??" is when she's doing this.  It's awesome and exhausting all at the same time (but mostly awesome)

26 June

If there is one post that reminds me of my family life in childhood, it's Split and Stack.

I laugh reading that post when I think of my own kids and all the complaining that goes on when it comes time for chores and doing what needs to be done to make this backyard become finally finished and this household run (and the youngest usually complain the least).  It's funny how I don't really remember  from my childhood vividly the trip to Disney or Europe or even every detail of the many camping trips we took.  But I  remember "doing wood".  And "doing" wood involved many weekends....Sometimes riding up to our land, with my Aunt and Uncle....Always with a tuna fish sandwich with crunchy carrots and peppers in it and Chocolate pudding pie for dessert.  I can still taste it.  It was part of this being together around a chore which made our family, our family.  Here's to the stuff they will remember, the mundane daily stuff that makes strong families......I'm thankful for the work.  

25 June

L 10 Things Right Now......

Watching: they r all watching the new North America series and loving it. 

Loving: Nerf Wars, building Forts and dressing up for battle.  Farm camp and reading

Wanting: a big trampoline for the backyard, a pool, to go to a theme park

Eating:  Watermelon, strawberries and snacks...He loves to snack this one.

Playing: With his iPod,  legos, nerf war with big Brother, sister, cousins, and sometimes even Mom, Stratego with T.  

Singing: Everything

Asking: If he can have a snack for the car.....if He can play his iPod or get a new game.

Negotiating:  What is he not negotiating......He's the Master

Wearing: Hand me downs from a friend.  Black Sport Shorts, Lucky Charmed Shirt.  Any Shirt that represents a New England Team or a tank top.  New Nike Sneakers (just like his big brothers)

Looking:  Forward to Times with cousins, Farm Camp, anything summer.  His next snack....

24 June

this week is all about Camp......Golf and Farm and hot and humid and sticky weather.  A special playdate to a friends pool..  Coming home tired, dirty and with tons of stories. The memories of a childhood well lived.  Summer has only just barely begun.     Ahhhhh Summer....I Love you :)

23 June

Today...

an impromptu visit from the cousins for some early summer fun!  Running and playing in sprinklers,  preparing for battle, eating good food and enjoying a late afternoon campfire (just before the thunderstorm).  Fun, fun Day!  Tomorrow on to golf and farm camp.....let the summer whirlwind begin!

22 June

Hello summer!!!
Today...we started clearing the trees from the backyard....really, exciting progress! The boys were out there helping, clearing brush and moving small logs...Trevor even made everyone lunch!!! We're all excited about what our new backyard is going to be. In the evening we settled in with some BBQ sandwiches and choice beverages....then off to our favorite Dairy corner and another episode from the North America series...I love weekends at home!

Favorite Links for Your weekend.

This week.....Not Your typical Mom.  Loved this and her blog.  She is the real deal.  OMG I cried.  Replace the word Autism with Down Syndrome and this could have been my post.....
this week in my garden.....

What's in the Share

I laugh because I can

The Directly Proportional Law of Housekeeping

They Do grow up too Fast

Friendship

I meant to tell you sooner

Surviving Summer