A day in the sun

One of the really lovely things about where we live is our proximity to the ocean.  We haven't spent much time on the water this summer, so we were thrilled to have an invite from River's pre-school teacher to visit her and her husband at their cottage on the cape last Sunday.  Thom was out of town on a ridiculously short trip to Europe, so it was just the kids and I (and I could imagine nothing better than to spend the day with a pre-school teacher while doing the solo parenting thing!).

Toni and Derek's house is right on the water, and when we weren't under the shade of the porch snacking and chatting, we were down on their tiny beach enjoying the sand and gentle surf.

 Derek has a couple small boats - one that is designed for teaching kids to sail.  River went out with him solo before some other guests arrived (another family that goes to River's school), and he just loved being on the water. 

 Given River's history with boats, I wasn't sure he would last long (he's always been slightly afraid of the water).  Whether it was Derek's reassuring demeanor or the boost of confidence from wearing a life vest, River was happy and secure the whole time.

 After the little sailing expedition, we all took a walk up the beach to a little inland river created by the tides.  River and Derek walked quite a ways, exploring the creatures in the shallow water.

 Lila loved chasing the swarms of crabs which made their home on the beach.  I wish I had gotten a picture of them all together - there were so many it looked like the sandy beach was rippling.  By the time Lila got close, of course, they had scattered.

 She did manage to chase one around for a while before he too escaped the reaches of the terrifying toddler.

* Edit: That's funny.  I just reread the text here.  It's supposed to say "Her Cuteness MUST Be Stopped" but I'm too lazy to change it.

In spite of being forced to skip her nap entirely, she was adorable and happy (with only a few momentary lapses) the whole afternoon.  She loved the sand and rocks, but steered pretty clear of the water.  She was especially disturbed by the squishy feel of the seaweed on her toes.

 After a fantastic lunch, we headed back out to the beach.  Before it was their turn to go out on the boat, River and his friends waited excitedly for the guys to set up a little skiff for Daniel (the boys' father) to take out on the water.

I think River has new best bud - he was pretty much attached to Derek the whole day.

 Derek got Daniel out on the water while River bravely trudged back to the shore.  Once the second boat was ready, River and his friends went out with Derek to a little island across the way.  Apparently, River swam for a long time (his bravery boosted by that life vest).

Back on shore, the rest of us enjoyed some more time in the sun and sand.  Our pale skin was all pink by the time we left around 5pm, and Lila sacked out on the car ride home.  What a memorable, fantastic day!

Estes Park

On our last full day in Colorado we visited the town of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park with my parents, grandparents, my brother and niece.  Estes Park is a charming little town with a creek running right behind the shops on their main street.  We enjoyed a little window shopping and lunch before trekking out to the nearby National Park.

 The whole gang (from the left): Gordon, Frankey, Nelse, Sydney, Terry, Me, River, Janie, Lila, Thom

 I was so glad my grandparents could fly out from Nebraska to come visit us.  It had a been a while since we last saw them and they had never met Lila.  We had a great time re-hashing old stories and playing 3 to 13 late into the evening while they were there.

 Lila loved the little creek and was intent on sharing her sign for "water."  After lunch we separated in to two groups.  The altitude of the hikes in the National Park was going to be a bit much for Grams and Gramps, so they took a tour of the town with Dad while the rest of us tried to figure out the park shuttle system.

The information site in Estes Park was ill-equipped to handle our questions; after asking for the best shuttle to take for an easy hike for our little ones, the ladies at the desk suggested we "just drive up there" or "just skip the national park and head to the playground up the street."

Needless to say we worked it out on our own.

 Lila was thrilled, THRILLED to be in the forest.

 As requested, River found giant boulders to climb...

 ... and treacherous waters to navigate.

 We saw a beautiful bull elk munching leaves just off the trail.

 After a long hike we made it to the top of Alberta Falls.  It was a gorgeous view next to a precipitous fall.

 After a wonderful day we headed back to home base and ate Chinese food while screening Independence Day.  All around, pretty perfect.

The next day we had to say our goodbyes and head home.

 River and Lila were troupers on the flight.  Lila even took a nap!

Here she is on the floor of our plane, curled up in her standard sleeping pose: thumb in mouth, favorite blankie gripped tight.

It was a wonderful vacation and one we'll remember for a long time.

life on the playground

As summer draws to a close, we're spending as much time outside as possible.  Lila is a huge fan of the sandbox and River is a building machine.  Here are some of our recent adventures:

She's on a steady diet of sand and wood chips outdoors, and you can see little bits of her last meal on her cheeks.

River loves the Cambridge Common Playground (aka the conveyor belt playground) largely because of these great blocks.  He built this castle with a little help from some friends this weekend.

Lila loves the swings and squeals when she's in them.

With River in school, Lila and I get to spend one on one time exploring outside.  She had a blast crawling through the tube at Hancock this week.

home from the cape

Long, wonderful days at the beach

Lila learned to sit and got her first two teeth!

River lived for the outdoors

And playing with his cousin

Oma showered attention on her little girl

And so did Opa

Really, I only took a couple pictures...

We had a fantastic week!

Spring Fair

Last weekend we took River, Finn, and Lila to Parent's Nursery, the preschool River will be attending in the fall. They were holding a Spring Fair with a petting zoo, tons of games, a bake sale, and an auction to raise money for the school. We all had a fantastic time. Here's some pics of our time out:

spring is here!

I've been spending quite a bit of time working on the house the last couple weeks (cleaning the garage, re-caulking bathrooms, doing touch-up paint, and de-cluttering) in anticipation of putting it on the market this summer. We've decided to find a new place, one big enough to accommodate a growing family, so I'm working working working like a busy bee to have our home ship shape and ready to show. (No, I'm not currently pregnant, but there may be news of that in the coming months...)

When I haven't been hauling boxes to storage or running to the hardware store, I've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather and making daily trips to the park with River. It's been so nice to be able to get him out of the house, let him toddle around playgrounds, and join other kiddies on swings and slides.

I remember last spring when he was still a little blobby thing and the outdoors were pretty much lost on him, so these past weeks have been wonderful! Here he is in action: