Eastward

Our recent travels to New England involved a lot of firsts for the kiddos -- flying on an airplane, watching random cartoons (ugh!) on never-before-seen television stations compliments of JetBlue, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, cruising through the various harbors on a chartered boat, riding scooters, navigating a slip n' slide, boating in the Swan Boats (Make Way For Ducklings!), discovering french fries, playing carnival games (darts, anyone?) at a street fair, and -- of course -- meeting family and friends. All of this was followed by 1) a relaxing few days for me and Meg at a lake-side cabin in Maine and 2) an adventurous handful of days for the kiddos hangin' with Gailyn and her family.

JetBlue here we come.



Linda and Jorja enjoying a morning on the porch.



Garry and Anders engaged in reading a bird identification book.



Lovin' the Atlantic just as much as the Pacific.



Garry making his way into the ocean wading mix.




Jorja took to running and then flinging herself onto the Extreme Slip n' Slide for maximum speed.



Anders in the midst of his run.



Heading out for our chartered boat tour of various harbors and islands.



Accelerating down the dock.



Looking for cormorants.



Bubble blowing.



More bubbles.



Coach Garry teaching Jorja the tactics of scooter riding, while Anders zooms around on the bike.



Sand building with Ben.



Addison joining in the construction efforts.



Toting the kiddos around on our backs.



Keeping the kiddos from flinging off the edge of the rocks into Marblehead harbor.



Getting a closer view.



Poolside lunch with Missy, Kyle, and Ryan.



Kyle giving Jorja a boost.



Play fort entertainment.



The down slide becomes an up slide.



Early morning bird feeder painting.



A stroll through Boston Common.



Make Way For Ducklings!



A sunny afternoon lunch and stroll on Long Wharf.



Melting ice cream.



Dockside.



The swinging duo -- Clara and Jorja.



Meg teaching Jackson a few soccer moves.



The quiet and calm of Maine.



An unexpected discovery -- amazing food -- on the way to Maine. Our return visit on the way out of Maine feel short with locked doors and a revealing hours of operation sign. Despite its closure, Meg and Claire lingered...

Masks

Upon graduating from preschool, the kiddos celebrated via a festive party with friends, edibles, balloons, chalk, and face painting. The face painter's skills were phenomenal...

Anders wanted a lion mask.



His first glimpse.



Playing the part.



Jorja wanted a "George the Pink Dragon" mask.



Her first (seemingly hesitant) glimpse.



George the Pink Dragon.



Checking each other out.






The balloon frenzy begins...

When Ideal Parenting Becomes Less of a Priority

It certainly isn't a regular occurrence, but there are moments when I simply acquiesce to the persistence of Anders and Jorja's demands. Evenings at the dinner table tend to be particularly fragile ones...

No underwear? Go for it! Thick, cotton tights in all weather? Excellent choice! A video on our laptop? Why not? But hey, at least they're eating tofu cubes, avocado, and nectarines for dinner.

A Favorite Place

I can't specifically pinpoint what it is about the beach -- and bodies of water in general -- that I find addictive, but I find it ridiculously easy to spend hours there. Whether it's the saltwater, sea creatures, rocks, driftwood, or overall expansiveness of it all, the kiddos seem to be in agreement.

Dirt and Dance

The kiddos have kept us busy this last month with walks through the nearby ravine to scout for worms, dance performances, and general nearly-4-year-old demands, ahem, requests. We've also acquired two additional chickens -- both Buff Orpingtons -- which Anders and Jorja have named Flamingo and Fluffy.

Jorja stream-hopping in the ravine.



Meg and Jorja working on their shadow puppetry.



An early worm discovery.



Searching for bug life.



Dance performance warm-up.



Anders starting a foam antler trend.



Drumming with the foam rollers.



Toe exercises with Teacher Emily.



My dancing girl.



My dancing boy.



At one point, Jorja managed to tuck her dress into the back of her tights and dance around the studio with her hot pink tights in full effect.



Teacher Emily's attempt at staging a photo-opportunity for the audience.