A week at the beach

Earlier this month we were not only lucky enough to spend a week at the beach, but we also got to spend it with family who we never get to see often enough.  Here are some of the highlights (and low-lights) of the trip.

Sand sculptures and cousin time. Can you see Elsa and Olaf in the background?

A little evening dip. Just to get our toes wet. (And our nice clothes.)

We may have missed the fireworks at home but we had a pretty nice spot to watch by the beach. The first time the kids got to stay up to watch.

Crowded beach, cold water, finding creatures and building castles in the sand.

A friendly game of barefoot soccer.

Crossing state lines to a quieter beach. Lots of frisbee, windswept hair and lobster and chowder for lunch.

Kaelyn wasn't feeling so great for a couple of days. (Between her getting sick and Brennan leaking during the night or naps I think we washed sheets more times that week than we usually do in a year). So we took a break from the heat to get a closer look, and touch, at some sea creatures and make our own starfish.

And of course some ice cream to keep us cool.

I'm guestimating that between everyone we spent at least $100 at the arcade. But hey, it was worth it for the angry bird pencil topper and crazy light up "frog" thingy we "won" at the prize booth. Brennan's obsession with motorcycles continues.

Jenness Beach. Boogie boarding. And the art of throwing sand.

A beautiful dinner out (with more lobster, seafood and eating flowers) was capped off with dessert (I think Brennan ate the most) and gorgeous walk on the beach.

And it may not be perfect, but after several failed attempts this group picture is as good as it gets. And the only picture you'll find of me.

A day in Portsmouth for a walk in the park, some shopping, a view of the harbor (and Maine) and a yummy lunch.

Brennan "doing his work" at the beach.

And finally, our little surfer girl. Kaelyn fell in love with boogie boarding. This video doesn't do justice to how much fun she had, even after several face-first spills into the 55 degree, ice-cold water.

Speaking of spills...

I think everyone would agree it was a fun vacation. We can't wait to see everyone again and we can't wait to go back to the beach!

June = lupines + strawberries

As we get ready to embark on our July adventures, let me tell you about our June.

Seems like we've been pretty busy since this little girl "graduated" from Kindergarten.

Performing their good-bye song. I got a little choked up.

With her teacher Mrs. L and one of her best friends.

We've just been trying to soak up the summer at the pool and the park. But also, trying to enjoy the beauty and fruits of June in New England.  One of our first missions after school was out was to go and see the lupines which are abundant just an hour north of her in the mountain region.

An old steel furnace where we stopped for a picnic on our way home.

Bren wasn't feeling great that day so this was the only picture I got of him at our picnic.

Jelly Face

We also spent a morning picking strawberries at a nearby farm. We picked about 9 1/2 pounds. We've eaten quite a bit since they are a favorite of everyone's. But we also made jam and froze a whole bunch to use in smoothies. We're already through our first jar of jam.

We may have sampled a few while picking

She chose her outfit wisely that day.

It's a beautiful time of year! Up next, the beach!

Soccer mania

Maybe I never got around to posting about Kaelyn's soccer during her season, but being as the World Cup is going on right now and all and that seems to be on at our house all the time, I feel like now would be a perfectly appropriate time to tell you about Kaelyn's soccer season.

For starters, I can't believe how much longer her hair is than the last time she played soccer. I actually was able to put it in a pony tail or braid each Saturday. Isn't she adorable in her soccer outfit?

Brennan was a little disappointed at first that he didn't get to play this year. But he's looking forward to playing when he turns four.

The soccer program here was different than the one in Indiana. Coach Chris was their head coach, complete with a British accent. Instead of just warming up and then playing games every week they worked on their skills through fun drills for a majority of the hour. They usually spent a little time at the end of the hour to scrimmage another team.  Honestly, I think this worked out better for Kaelyn.  She really enjoyed and excelled at the drills. She did not, however, like the scrimmages very much. At this age it's still pretty much a swarm of kids following the ball around and she didn't like trying to force her way into the mix. But I actually think she could do quite well once she gets on a team where they play actual positions.

Daddy got to help coach one week when her regular coach was gone.

Getting ready to soak the coaches on the last day

Caught on iPhone

In a blink of an eye

So I blinked the other day and all of a sudden my baby girl was all grown up. Seriously. One minute she's getting ready to take a shower before bed (OMG, she takes showers and not baths anymore, where has my baby gone?) and the next minute she's showing me her first loose tooth. Which, she is super excited about by the way.

She had her first ever dance recital yesterday and yes, she got to wear make up. When we were getting ready for the rehearsal last week she said to me, "You will have to teach me to put make up on by myself soon." To which I replied, "I think we can wait until you're a little older." And she responded, "Maybe when I'm like 12." 12! Do girls wear make up when they're twelve these days? Did I wear make up when I was twelve. I don't remember. She's half way there already! I was thinking more like 20.

And next year she's going to have to take a real dance class, like with a studio. No more baby Park and Rec classes for her. She loved her class this year and had so much fun at recital. I hope we find a class as good and as convenient for her next year.

And even though we are pretty much the only people in the country still in school, I simply cannot believe that this is her last week in Kindergarten. Only three more days until she's a first grader. FIRST GRADE people! How is this even possible?

I feel a little cliche writing about how fast kids grow up, but I still just can't believe it. The loose tooth thing took me totally by surprise. By the way, anyone know the going rate for a lost tooth these days? I just want to make sure the Tooth Fairy is prepared.

Bike week

We just happened to be walking around downtown yesterday, and decided to play on the lawn in front of the State House for a little while before dance class. Much to Brennan's delight they were holding a little ceremony to kick off Laconia Bike Week in front of the State House as well. Instead of running to play in their usual climbing tree with his sister, Brennan sat on the bench next to me and watched as about half a dozen Harley's rode up and parked as part of the ceremony.

The boy has been a little obsessed with motorcycles lately. My best guess is that his interest comes from a tandem obsession with Mario Kart (not that he actually plays, he just watches). And don't you dare refer to his new balance bike as a bike. It's his motorcycle. Usually his "Bowser motorcycle."
 

He loves Mario Kart and motorcycles so much that he's started a morning routine of riding his "motorcycle" in circles through the playroom and living room pretending he is racing in a Mario Kart race. He even talks to, and about, his other characters that he's racing with. His character changes often but he usually picks what I would refer to as one of the bad guys. Bowser, King Boo, Walugi (sp?). Sometimes Mario.

Oh, and he's playing Dada's motorcycle game on the iPad as I type this.

If this motorcycle phase doesn't wear off before he can drive (and buy) one of his own, I am going to be one uneasy mama.

Take me out to the ball game

"Take me out to the crowd!
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks..."

Yeah, you know the rest. What red-blooded American doesn't? I grew up around baseball. My dad loved baseball. He played and so did all of us kids (well, softball for the girls), at least for a little while. He even coached our softball team. And, while I could never really sit and watch or listen to a whole baseball game, it seemed like Bob Uecker's voice was always in the background while we played outside in the summer. I can still remember the old radio my dad listened to in the garage all spring and summer long. Baseball will always be America's game. And whether you actually like baseball or not, going to a game just can't be beat.

Brennan was too afraid of the Fisher cat to get in the picture.

So, even though baseball isn't the favorite sport in our house, we thought it would be fun to take the kids to a game. Last Sunday we went to see the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in action. Rain and storms threatened all week but we actually ended up with a beautiful afternoon for a game. I think I can safely say that the kids thoroughly enjoyed their first baseball experience. In hindsight we should have explained the game and rules to them a little more before we got there, but they had fun none the less. I know it's an afternoon I'll always remember.

Aside from the actual game, they had a blast in the kid zone before the game. We seem to be finding them in a lot of bouncy houses lately for some reason.

Brennan actually had a pretty good swing and hit the ball well, but he was still disappointed he didn't get it in any of the holes.

And of course, the snacks were a big hit. We thought we would get them hot dogs too - because what's a baseball game without a hot dog? - but the game went so fast it was ending before we had a chance.

The peanuts were Kaelyn's favorite. She loved that she could throw the shells on the ground. I think she paid more attention to the peanuts than the game.

Brennan, on the other hand, actually seemed to really be paying attention and he asked a lot of questions. I was a little confused when he asked about the red team and the white team since the only colors on the field were blue and grey. Perhaps we need to work on colors more before he starts preschool.

"...One! Two! Three strikes your out at the old ball game!"