Eli's 1st Camping Trip!

Back in June we took Eli on his first camping trip! We spent two days and one night camping in amazingly beautiful Acadia National Park. Originally we planned on staying an extra day and night, but after one very frigid night camping along the coast (with Eli snuggled into Joe's sleeping bag for warmth) we were all exhausted and it just didn't seem worth braving another night when our warm beds were just an hour and a half away! All things considered though the kids did pretty well and they loved being outside day and night (well, most of the night)! The first night (after spending the afternoon exploring the coast near our campsite, discovering crabs, and "freeing" periwinkles) Eli also enjoyed his first S'more. Can you see in the picture above the chocolate covered cracker stuck to his leg and the melted marshmallow in the cup holder?:) Ummm...we might wait a good year or two before his next S'more!:)

Eli was quite happy and content spending the morning exploring around camp!

A late morning canoe ride (for Lily and Joe while Eli napped in the car)- and a little swimming after at Echo Lake. I believe that Lily was trying to catch (maybe step on?) some little fish in this picture!

Water Ballet!

And the afternoon of our second day we hiked this trail for the first time and the views were absolutely incredible- and it was perfect for kids!

My little ones could throw rocks in the ocean (or lake, river, pond, puddle,etc...) all day long and be happy!

We couldn't resist topping off the afternoon with a quick little stop at the lighthouse.

And here's Eli exploring the road near our campsite- dragging his trusted blanket along the way!

Just before dinner on our 2nd day we packed up camp, enjoyed dinner and ice cream at Joe's favorite restaurant (Mainely Meat)...

took in the views (and the beginning of the sunset) on top of Cadillac Mountain and headed home! Overall two pretty great days on the coast with our little (growing) family!

Flying By

The summer is just flying by!

Watercolor

Lily LOVES to paint- I think it might be one of her favorite things to do!

So for her birthday we bought her all of the materials to do wet-on-wet watercolor painting. We have only done it a few times, but this was our first attempt. It was so fun to watch her create and experiment and blend all of the colors (all of these were made with just red, yellow, and blue watercolor paint)!

Fort Knox

One morning back in June we found ourselves in Camden picking up Joe's long dreamed of family canoe (he finally found one used, in great condition, at a fantastic price). Unfortunately it was sort of a miserable morning along the coast and with the cold and rain we just couldn't take the new canoe out for a test run. So we spent a little time in Camden and headed home after lunch. But then the weather started to clear a bit and we decided to take a little unplanned detour to visit this incredible bridge and observatory and Fort Knox! It was one of those sweet little side trips that you don't plan that end up being so much more fun than expected!

The view from the observatory!

We could even see our truck (with the new canoe)!

Fort Knox

With lots of stairs and tunnels our kids LOVED exploring!

And with all of the pattern and amazing light contrast I LOVED photographing here!

Inside the Fort looking out!

When the kids are a bit older I think it will be a fantastic place to take them back to to learn a little bit more about the history right in our back yard!

Long Time...Few Posts

I realize that my posts have been few and far between this month. What can I say? It's been a crazy few weeks with work, travel, visiting family, organizing life, dealing with all day morning sickness, and trying to squeeze in a few of the things we love doing during the all-to-short Maine summer! Truth be told, lately by the time the kids are in bed I'm just flat out exhausted. I try to remind myself that I'm growing a baby and this is normal!:) On top of this, I've also been having computer problems again for the last few weeks (or maybe even longer really). Today I broke down and went out and bought a new computer this morning. It should be a few days before I have it and maybe a few more before I get around to loading all of my photo software on it, but it will happen. I promise I have pictures and stories to share...the 4th of July, our big trip to the zoo, Eli's first camping trip, etc... it's just taking me a little longer than usual to get there!

Feeling Crummy

I'm feeling pretty crummy these days. Truth be told I feel like this pregnancy is kicking my butt just a little bit! All of my pregnancies have been pretty similar- I usually have about one blissful week after I find out I'm pregnant before the all day nausea sets in. Most days I feel pretty sick and exhausted. I have to force myself to eat because often eating just makes me feel worse. I'm not going to lie, I don't really enjoy being pregnant. Oh, don't get me wrong- I love the outcome, but I find the process to be rather challenging (amazing, but challenging). Is it worth it? Yes, every single second of it! It is really one of the few times in life when being sick every day has an absolutely wonderful outcome. And trust me, I realize that there are many, many women out there who would give their right arm to feel the way I do. So yes, I'm feeling sick and totally exhasuted, but I guess it's a small price to pay to be part of growing a new life!

The Bog Boardwalk

We love The Bog Boardwalk!

I think we've been there (multiple times) in just about every season. It's so fun to watch the bog change along with the time of year. And, the boardwalk is actually great for little kids because the boardwalk trail sort of keeps them contained- they can sort of just run and explore and the boardwalk keeps them right where they should be!:)

So when Nonnie was visiting us a while back we decided to take her out to the bog for the first time and we had such a nice time walking and exploring and discovering (and taking pictures)!