The Calm after the Storm

Hurricane Irene came and went without much damage, although our power went out this morning, unexpectedly, after the worst of the storm had passed, and has been out since. After being cooped up for 24 hours, we all needed some fresh air and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, decked out in rain gear just in case!





With only one more week left of summer, we hope sunny skies return tomorrow!

One Last Shot

So long, New Hampshire!

A Bonding Boatride

It's our last night at the lake house; the rain has passed, the cousins have gone, and the rest of us decided to go out for one more ride on the pirate ship.





It wasn't just quality time with the human family, though. Emily and Kate also bonded with Bailey -- which is a big deal if you know how Emily is around dogs anymore!




It was a nice, sweet ending to a wonderful trip. I think we're all sad to be leaving tomorrow!

My, How They've Grown

One year ago:


Today:



Okay, really, only Kate and Charlie look a lot different, but all of them are definitely growing up too fast!

Crafting with Cousins

We didn't get to spend much time outside after the race because it started to rain, and big cousin Amy was prepared with a back-to-school themed craft for the kids.



And when all else fails on a rainy day, well, there's always TV!

Backyard Bouncing

We got back to the lake house to find that Brian and the kids had set up their own bounce castle, so it was a doubly fun bouncing day for Emily! (The other kids were bouncing too, but I quickly learned that even something as cool as their very own bounce castle doesn't always hold kids' attention very long!)

Race Day Carnival

I'll admit it: we have been completely, utterly, unabashedly spoiled by the VIP access at Ironman races. So you can imagine our reaction when we realized the company was not sponsoring Timberman this year, which meant no viewing tent, no catered meals, and most importantly, no finish line access. I've done without all that before, but not since having the girls. Fortunately, we knew Timberman had something else to offer: a bounce castle and bungee trampoline!



Because he knew we'd have a long stretch of time while he was on the bike, with no tent to call home, Daddy suggested insisted we take the morning easy and just show up in time for the run. We managed to get there with just enough time to spare for the bounce castle before we went over to watch him finish the bike and start the run.





Then, while he was out on the first loop of his run, Emily finally got to try out the bungee trampoline. (Last year, we almost made it to the front of the very long line before she broke down and decided she just couldn't wait any longer.) I think this year she realized that it was definitely worth the wait, because she had a smile on her face the entire time. Maybe next year she'll manage some flips!




The bungee took just long enough that afterwards we didn't have to wait long before we caught Daddy finishing his first loop on the run.




While he was running his second loop, we still managed to find ourselves some free food, even without the catering, because Stonyfield Farm was giving away free Greek yogurt and smoothies! So Mom-Mom, Kate and I helped ourselves to some of that, while Poppy and Emily splurged at an ice cream stand -- all of which helped us cool off during what turned out to be a very hot and humid morning!



The day was so hot, in fact, that all any of us wanted to do as soon as Daddy finished was get back to that nice, cool lake!

Marina Means Ice Cream!

Just before dinner, we squeezed in another boat ride to the marina, which all the kids know means ice cream. Emily even remembered from last year!






There were a bunch of flavors, but Emily chose a chocolate and vanilla twist just because that's what Jack and Charlie got. Personally I was eyeing Ben's milkshake!






Back on the boat, because a boat ride with this crew isn't complete without watersports, the cousins all took a turn tubing on the ride home.



I think the theme here is to wear out the kids as much as possible before bedtime!

Mermaids and Fishermen

After lunch, we went back down to the beach, where Emily requested that Uncle Steve and I bury her which soon ended up turning her into a mermaid. Her attention span is so short, though, so she was cracking it and ready to move onto the next thing almost as soon as we finished!




The next thing happened to be "making it rain" with Uncle Steve and a couple noodles, which soon turned into a game of fishing for cousins.





Whatever she's been doing, she's always having fun up here!