Crazy, CRAZY Day!

Today was kind of insane. I began my morning by participating in the Warrior Dash, which was so completely different from any other 5k I've ever done!

For one... the entire course was muddy.  The WHOLE THING. That's not typical,  but we were running all around a farm,  and we have gotten so much rain lately that the whole place was a soggy, boggy mess. The running trails were rutted and covered with rocks,  broken branches,  deep puddles, and basically every ankle-twisting hazard you could imagine.  It was all very steep and narrow, and also involved climbing over a few stone walls. In other words, it was brutal! And that was just the running portion!!

We eventually got to the obstacles.  I did all but two of them.  I lost my momentum on the low walls, and only made it over two before I quit. The only other obstacle I avoided was climbing over a large haystack-- not because it was too hard,  but because it looked painful!! Hay is nasty stuff!

I did,  however,  do some things that I still can't believe. I climbed over a GIANT (15 to 20-foot-high) wall, hauling myself up with a rope and climbing down the back. I climbed mud hills and slid down them into pools of muddy water. I walked across a series of narrow, mud-covered boards suspended over a big muddy pond (and didn't fall!). I navigated the pile of old tires (easy). I scaled a VERY high cargo net, and also did a lateral cargo net climb. I JUMPED OVER FIRE (way scarier than I thought it would be!!). And then I waded through thousands of gallons of mud while ducking under strands of barbed wire. I needed help with that one, because my feet got stuck snd I could NOT get them out-- luckily, my running buddies were right there,  and they hauled me out. Teamwork!  There was a lot of that out on the trail today,  which was kinds of heartwarming.  Everyone stuck with their groups,  helped each other out, and cheered each other on.  It was a very cool experience!

We didn't stay too long after the race. I did my best to hose off, but it was hard to do while still remaining clothed. So we all had beers (free for participants... even at 10am, haha), and then my parents (the designated photographers) and I left. I took a shower when I got home, and now the tub is covered in mud. Oops!

And then I had a nice, relaxing afternoon... not! Haha!

As soon as I was clean,  its was time to eat a quick lunch and take the kids over to the town's 4th of July bike parade! They did great!! Niko was sad that they didn't place in the top three,  but there was a lot of competition this year! And everyone got a ribbon for participating,  which seemed to make him feel better after a while.

Then,  after that, Gus and I threw a suitcase in the car and headed about an hour away to lovely Lexington!  As in,  "the battles of Lexington and Concord"? Home to Minute Man National Historic Park?? My 5th grade teacher self was very excited!

The real reason for the trip was to celebrate our eighth anniversary with a night away. I picked Lexington because it wasn't too far,  and because of the historical significance. I wanted to see where the first battles of the American Revolution took place!

And... I did! My very accommodating husband drove me to Concord just so I could see the bridge where the first shots were fired. We saw all sorts of other cool stuff along the way, but the bridge was what I had been wanting to see since we moved here!

After doing the Warrior Dash this morning,  then walking all around Lexington and Concord,  I was exhausted and hungry, to say the least! We had a yummy Italian dinner, walked around downtown Lexington, and then came back to the hotel to relax.  The big plan for tomorrow?  Sleep as late as we want!!! I need that, after the day I had!! :P

Old Sturbridge Village

Hey, it's been a few days! How did that happen??

On Wednesday, we drove down to the zoo in Rhode Island. It was pretty hot and humid, and we had thunderstorms in the afternoon. Quite a change from the last time we went in May, when the kids fought over who got to be wrapped up in the one blanket we had! It was cold! Definitely not so much this time!

Then, yesterday, we mostly stuck close to home and did exciting things like laundry. We went out to lunch at Friendly's, which is always a big hit with the kids, but that was the extent of our exciting Thursday!

Today, however, we did something completely different! We live about half an hour from Old Sturbridge Village (OSV). I had never been before. A few days ago, I Googled "life in Massachusetts in 1830," just to see what life was like when our house was built. OSV popped up in the search results. It surprised me, because I knew it was a living history place, but I thought it would be set in the 1600s (Pilgrims and all that-- with it being Massachusetts and all!). But it's not! It's set right around 1830! And, it's normally a pretty pricey place to visit. But today (and a few other Fridays this summer), all tickets were $5/each. It was destiny! So, we decided to check it out!

The weather started out looking pretty threatening-- the forecast said we were supposed to have showers all morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon. We took our chances, and lucked out! It was perfect! And, I think it worked to our advantage-- The "$5 Friday" event had the potential to be super crowded, but I think the scary forecast might have kept some people away. Really, it wasn't bad at all! I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to going again and bringing Gus! Maybe next month! :)

Anyway... we saw all sorts of things. Every single building/shop had someone inside demonstrating an aspect of life during the time period. We saw people hammering tin, spinning/dying yarn, forging hooks out of iron, making shoes, operating a printing press, running a store, and much more! The kids' favorite house was the one where they could touch everything-- mostly the wooden toys from the era. Maya liked dressing up in the period clothing (Niko refused).

We also rode in a horse-drawn wagon, which was Maya's favorite part by FAR. She loved it!

There were also some fun areas where games of the time were set up... the kids played jump rope, tried to walk on stilts, played a version of badminton, and then chased a wooden hoop around with a stick. It was really a lot of fun! Niko got a little upset because of the mosquitoes, which set him off on a whiny rampage, but lunchtime seemed to hit his reset switch. All in all, it was very interesting. And, shortly after we left, it began to POUR! So that worked out pretty well, haha!

Tomorrow is a crazy busy day. I am running the Warrior Dash in the morning, so here's hoping I don't die or become dismembered in any way. Then we have the 4th of July bike parade for the kiddos, and then Gus and I are going away for the night to celebrate our anniversary. Busy times! But I should have lots of blog about on Sunday, if I'm awake enough to do it!

Frogs, Newts, and Trucks... Oh My!

Today was another hot day! We started out by getting some errands done, and then we headed out for a walk on the Rail Trail. I've been determined to find tadpoles for a while now, but have not been successful. Still, we brought the kids' little nets, and my mom and I caught (and released) a few little froggies for fun. But there were no signs of tadpoles. We did, however, see a few of these gorgeous Swallowtail butterflies. They were HUGE!

We also saw a lot of turtles, though they plopped off of their logs and into the water before I could get photos. Boo!

Anyway, we continued our trek. It was very green, very humid, and very buggy. Niko whined the entire time. That part was not so pleasant! On a related note... we hardly ever use the stroller anymore, with the ONE exception being the Rail Trail. Their little legs never go as far as we need them to! So it prevents whining, sort of...

So we kept on walking and, suddenly, found a small pool that was absolutely FULL of tadpoles. FULL of them, I tell you! We made a note of where it was located, and I vowed to get some tadpoles on our return trip.

We got to the point where we usually turn around, and took a short rest on the bench there. My dad told me to watch out, because something was on the ground right behind my shoe. And it was this little fella!

We'd never seen one of these on the Rail Trail before. A newt! And we found another one just like him a few feet away. So cool!

On the way back, I got us some tadpoles. But I didn't have a jar or anything, so you might be curious as to how I got them and transported them. Well, let me tell you! haha! We have this little folding potty that is actually very small, and I sometimes bring it along when we are out in the wilderness where there are no bathrooms. It uses these disposable plastic bags. So... I put a (clean) bag in the potty, and dunked it into the pond to fill it with water. Then I used the net to catch the tadpoles. And then I very carefully removed the bag from the potty, and carried it home. Tada!

Anyway, there are five tadpoles altogether. Their little aquarium is murky (just like their pond), but they seem happy! They are all already in the process of growing legs. I plan to release them back into the pond once they're done. No more pets here! We just want to observe! But here are a few pictures of them. Take a really good look at the second one.

Yeah... that second tadpole is not going to be a frog. It's going to be a NEWT! I actually managed to get two newt tadpoles! You can tell by the fringe around their heads-- that's their gills. Crazy! So we should, in theory, have three frogs and two newts. So cool!

After we came home and got them settled into their new home, the kids and I went over to the town library to check out their trucks and diggers event. The Department of Public Works brought out a bunch of their huge vehicles, and the kids got to play around in them. It was fun, but it was in full sun and was brutally hot. Thankfully, the library was nice and cool. So we checked out some books and signed up for the summer reading program. It was fun!

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the deck while the kids splashed in the baby pool. Then, when Gus got home, he and I went out to a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary. All in all-- a great day! :)

Hot hot hot

So... today was hot and sticky! We finally got a thunderstorm a little after 7pm, and it has cooled down considerably, but tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter. It's a heat wave! Good thing we have fans!

We headed out to a local state park this morning to walk around before it got TOO hot. I had been there a few times before, but today was the first time we actually located some of the other landmarks in the park-- like the old sawmill. It was very pretty and interesting, even if it was humid! The kids did pretty well, but were definitely ready to go home when we got back to the car!

We looked for frogs while we were out there (hence the nets), but were unsuccessful. The stream was nearly impossible to get to, since the banks were so overgrown. Niko was a little mad about the whole thing, but he got over it! We're going to look for more frogs at the pond across from our house tomorrow, most likely!

After we got home, we ate lunch, then my mom and I went to get haircuts. She needed one, and the heat was making me wish I had shorter hair, too. So I went along. We also went shopping, and came home with a little inflatable pool for the kiddos. We set that up, and they had a good time splashing around in the ice-cold water. They wouldn't get their whole bodies wet, but it sure did feel good to stand in it and cool off!

Then we just relaxed on the deck, ate a yummy dinner, and listened to the storm approaching. And now it's nice and cool. I plan to enjoy this while it lasts (much like the cat, who has situated himself in an open window!). :)

Siegfried's Birthday Party!

Ever since we moved here, I don't even know how many pictures I have shared of the kids visiting Siegfried the Stegosaurus at our local children's science museum. Not only does Niko LOVE dinosaurs, but Siegfried is sort of an icon! We always have to visit him when we go there. And today was a very special day-- it was his 49th birthday! He has been at the museum ever since it first opened its doors, and they threw him a birthday party today!

We got there early and had a little time to explore and color some dinosaur masks. Then we all filed into the planetarium, and listened to the reading of the book Siegfried, read by the author herself! Then all the kiddos paraded down to the courtyard (where Siegfried is located) and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. And then we had cupcakes and punch. Cookie herself (the author) cut the birthday cake. And then my mom bought the kids an autographed copy of the book, which they insisted Gus read to them at bedtime.

Anyway, it was really hot, and we are gearing up for a thunderstorm, but it was fun!

Let's see, what else? This morning, Gus took my parents out on the canoe for a little lake exploration. Then we went to lunch at the place Niko has dubbed "the baseball restaurant" here in town. Then it was off to Siegfried's birthday. And then we spent the rest of the afternoon on the deck. My friend Caryn had given me her old inflatable pool, and I thought I would inflate it and fill it. Well... it has a lot of holes in it, apparently! It is now in the trash, and I think we're going to get another one. We shall see!

Summer's here!

And so are my parents! :) They arrived on Thursday afternoon, after over a month of driving across the country with their trailer. The kids were very, very excited-- not only to see Grandma and Grandpa, but to see The Trailer! Niko instantly found their board games, pulled out Scrabble, and made himself at home at their table. It was a very exciting time!

Yesterday morning, we left the house bright and early to go and pick strawberries with Caryn and her kids. It was pretty warm, but bearable, and the strawberries were very small and sweet! We ended up with over twelve pounds of fresh berries, which will all get eaten in various forms. They really are delicious!

After lunch, Caryn invited us to come swimming in their new pool. And it was hot, so we did! It was REALLY nice! The kids didn't want to leave, but we had to get things done. Niko cried the entire way home (and then some) because he wanted to stay. That part wasn't too fun to listen to, but we will definitely be going back soon! The water was lovely!

After that, we went home and processed twelve pounds of strawberries! They were very ripe and delicate to begin with, so they were already developing soft spots by the time we got home. We pulled out the nicest non-squishy ones and saved those for eating raw. Then, we (my mom and I) went through the rest and washed/de-stemmed/chopped them all and put the results into plastic freezer bags. So we're all set now. But I would be lying if I said that part was fun. It wasn't! At all!

Then, today, Niko had his very last t-ball game of the season. He is already talking about next year, and how he is going to be on the same coach's team again. I don't think that's in the cards, since the coach's son will likely be moving up to the next level and Niko will still be in t-ball for another year. But, he's been very lucky to have such a great coach for the past two years! He's going to miss him!

After that, we went to have lunch at our local only-open-in-the-summer restaurant, which was delightful. Then we headed back home, and the menfolk went out in search of trailer-washing supplies, while I picked up around the house. Caryn and her family came by for a bit, because her son was begging to see the trailer. So they got the full tour, and I got to show her the new patio furniture.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing things like grocery shopping, washing dishes, and playing badminton outside. Tomorrow, we're going to take the canoe out, and we are trying to figure out a camping trip up in Maine, if we can. We're only a few days in, but it's been a great visit so far! I think Massachusetts in the summertime is one of the best places on earth (in my completely unbiased opinion)! :)

Got the camera out...

I don't think I posted about it on here, but I made the decision to close down my photography business about a month ago. I enjoyed it, but it just wasn't sustainable. And the more sessions I did, the less time I had for the kiddos and for my own sanity. It just wasn't worth it, and it was also sucking the joy out of photography for me. So, I shut it down. And I haven't regretted it for a minute, so I think it was the right decision!

Since then, however, I have hardly even taken out my bigger camera. I've been content to live more "in the moment" with my little point-and-shoot camera, which fits neatly into my purse, or clips onto my belt loop. It's certainly a lot more portable! But, despite being a very nice little camera, it simply can't do what my big ones can.

Anyway... I was outside playing badminton with the kids this afternoon (Niko's new obsession), and was thinking how nice the lighting was... I went in and grabbed my camera, and bribed the kids to take a few photos by promising to play more rounds of badminton. Yes, that actually worked! And here are some of the results! :)

In other news... Maya had her (long overdue) 4-year appointment at the doctor's office today. She weighed in at 32.8 pounds, and was 39 inches tall-- solidly at the 50th percentile for both! She also had her last shots until she is 12 years old. Three shots in total, which she took like a champ. She is doing great, but we already knew that! :)

And in OTHER-other news... my parents will be here tomorrow! They are currently in New York state, not too far from the Massachusetts border, on their cross-country trailer adventure! We've been tracking their progress, and the kids are so excited! Not just to see Grandma and Grandpa, but to also see The Trailer! I am pretty sure Niko wants to live in it, haha!

Father's Day in Review

It was a fun, relaxing day! I only wish it hadn't started sprinkling when we were out on the lake, causing me to get totally paranoid about being stuck out on the water during a thunderstorm. We cut short our canoe time because of that. Had we known it was going to stop completely, we might have stayed out longer and followed through with our plan to have a picnic in a little spot that can only be reached by boat. We were actually fishing right in front of that spot, so that we'd be the first ones there at lunchtime! But alas, the sprinkling began... sigh...

Backing up... We did have a great morning out on the canoe, at our friendly neighborhood gigantic lake, haha! It really is huge, and there are so many little spots to explore (especially if you have a smaller watercraft, like a kayak). On our way over to the cool picnic spot, I peeked around one side of an island and saw a beaver dam! We went right over to it and checked it out. We didn't dare go much farther, though, because the large number of lily pads told us one thing: shallow water! So we turned around and went back out to the deeper spots as soon as we were done looking.

After that, we mostly fished. Or rather, we spent a lot of time reeling in Niko's fish. Every time he dropped his hook in, he caught another fish! I didn't even photograph them all, but here's a sampling:

He had a blast, though he wanted the fish nowhere near him. And we threw the fish back, both because they were too small and because we don't really eat fish. We're catch-and-release fisherpeople. In fact, I think Niko might have caught the same fish more than once. Survival of the fittest? haha!

Meanwhile, despite fishing in the exact same spot, with the same hook and bait and whatnot, Maya caught only one fish. And it fell off the hook and back into the water before I could get a picture. Thankfully, she is so good-natured that it didn't really bother her. She just wanted to snuggle with me.

Here are a few pics from my spot in the canoe, before I forget! This was Gus' Father's Day present, so it was fitting that we took it out today!

So... then the sprinkling began. The forecast had said it wasn't supposed to rain until tonight, but it's been wrong a lot of the time. I thought that the storm might have moved in more quickly than they thought. We really had no way of knowing if the sprinkling would stop, or when. And we were almost as far from the boat ramp as we could possibly be. So we headed back. And, of course, it stopped sprinkling right before we got back to the ramp. Still, we packed it in. And, since our peanut butter sandwiches no longer seemed very appealing, we drove down the road to our awesome local restaurant that is only open in the summer. We had great food, and Niko got his fill of playing checkers...

The rest of our day was spent relaxing. We played a little badminton in the back yard, then Gus snuggled on the couch with the kids while they watched a movie. I made him a special dinner, and that was that! I really hope he had a good day. Because I know I did! :)

Happy Father's Day!

I want to wish a very Happy Father's Day to our amazing dads. We love you guys!! But I am especially fond of a certain dad who lives in this house. Nikos and Maya are two very lucky kiddos!!!

Here's hoping the rain doesn't start until much later, and that we get to spend many fun hours on the lake today! :)

What a day!!

We began our morning with an early t-ball game on the BIG field... the one with the snack shack, the announcer booth, etc. It's where the older, more hardcore Little League teams play, and it is an amazing field. Such a fun experience!

And, even though this we still have one more game, the league decided that today would be a great day to pass out trophies to the t-ball kiddos, since they would all be playing at the field at some point. Niko loves his trophy! He currently has both this year's and last year's trophies on his nightstand, so he can gaze at them from his bed. Silly boy!

After the game, we came home and knocked out some chores. Because after lunch, it was hair and makeup time for our little dance star! She had her big recital this afternoon, and she was absolutely amazing. We'll be getting a copy of the DVD when it's ready, and I will definitely find a way to share it, but seriously... this kid loves being on stage. Who knew???? She can be so shy, but she apparently loves the limelight. She never stopped smiling, and she danced her little heart out! Her age group (the youngest kiddos) were the highlight of the show to begin with, simply because they were so little and adorable. But when I went to pick her up backstage, complete strangers were stopping her to tell her what a great job she did. And, of course, she went back to being Shy Maya. But yeah... she was a star! We were such proud parents!

-------------------------------- Ok, I have to add just one more! My friend's husband (also a photographer) brought his nice camera with him to take pictures of all the girls. This is one he got of Maya, and I love it! I don't regret my choice to bring my smaller camera, since it allowed me to be more "in the moment" and enjoy the show, but I really am glad he got this one of my sweet little cow, hehe!