Ahhh...peace & quiet...

We were very content with our campsite.  It was large and private (Although not quite private enough since some of our neighbors insisted on being extremely loud and obnoxious!).  Those reclining chairs are super comfortable and we tried not to leave them for very long.

Natanis Pond

This morning Amber accompanied me on my run...she seemed to enjoy the view from the overlook that we ran up to...

2nd Anniversary Weekend

It's time to make our annual escape!

He really needs a break from the World right now, so I took him to the most peaceful place I know - Natanis Point.

And then there were three...

She is now in 7th grade, so this morning, for the first time, these guys all started going to school together!

His Turn

Because the 7th graders needed an orientation day yesterday, he got to enjoy an extra day of summer vacation!  Today he started 8th grade.  He's not real keen on school, but he said that today was a pretty good day so that's a good way to start.

He's a Freshman!

 

Today was his first day in high school.  He said it went great and he is really happy to be there now.  He loves to learn and is ready to succeed!

Picnic on Penneseewassee

The last day of summer vacation is so bittersweet.  We are so sad to see these warm, fun-filled days end... 

I left the office to meet them at the lake for a really yummy picnic lunch.  It was great to be able to spend my lunch time with my family!

New Entry

Today my husband finished up the new entrance to the downstairs.

What an improvement!

Wow!

This spring she decided to plant Mammoth Sunflowers and they have grown like crazy!  We're starting to wonder if they're going to grow taller than the house. She and Amber harvested some of the spent blooms and hung them in the barn to dry so that she can feed the birds this winter. 

Our 1st 'Chocolate' Egg!

We bought some French Marans pullets this spring and they're finally laying!  Well, this first one isn't much of a prize, but the girls were having a hard time keeping it from Amber!!

Check out that paint job!

Way Too Busy

This license plate certainly describes our life too!

"We have a 1055 in Market Square!"

Why not?

We've been wishing that we could afford to trade in our Suburban for a newer one.  She's getting tired.  A local dealership got in a whole line-up of these big commercial cargo vans.  They are much more reasonable priced and just as big - plenty of room for all of us and our stuff!  Jokingly I asked the kiddos if we should get one for our family.  Some of them are horrified; the others think it would be a hoot!

They're a family!

I took the kiddos to meet my 'boyfriend' and discovered that he's been cheating on me!  He ran off and got married to Mrs. Yak....

And apparently this has been going on for a while.  They had a baby!

 Awwww...he's awfully sweet!

Picnicking Again

Today we got the dreaded school shopping done really fast, (Right there is one of the big differences between sons and daughters!) and headed back towards home as fast as we could.  We ordered some sandwiches and enjoyed a picnic at Snow Falls.

Swimmers

This afternoon we were early for an appointment, so we stopped by Crescent Lake.  We were going to just hang out and relax, but they finally decided they couldn't resist and jumped in in their clothing!  No worries.  Between the 5 of them they were able to come up with enough dry clothing.  And being cold and wet was totally worth it, as far as they were concerned.  The swimming was so much fun!

We do try to have fun...

Love that smile!

Ahhhh...

It must be lunchtime again...I love summer, when we can go lay down on the grass in the park and truly relax for a while...wake me up when it's time to go back to my desk!

Learning to drive...

'Just another Manic Monday'

That seemed as good a reason as any to drive the hot rod to work!

Happy Belated 15th Birthday!

Better late than never, right?  And isn't he such a good nephew to bring me those yummy whoopie pies?!

Hit the Track for Black 5k

This morning we raced to help raise funds to keep the Black Mountain Ski Resort in Rumford open.  The kiddos can't wait to compete in Nordic races up there this winter!  We even roped in a nephew to run with us - this was his first run and he really enjoyed it.  It was so exciting to attend the awards ceremony afterwards because we all placed in our age divisions!!  There were 2 firsts, 2 seconds and 2 thirds.  Our prizes were giant, yummy cupcakes and we couldn't have been more proud.

'Lunch' with Friends

It was too rainy to go to the lake at lunch today, so we met some friends and had our feet pampered.

Loony

 

We found another great lunch spot today at Lake Penneseewassee in Norway.  Then, 2 loons surfaced, one on either side of us.  That made it an even better lunch spot!  Wow!!

I have a new boyfriend...

I met him at a local petting zoo, Harvest Hills Farm.  Mr. Yak is just the sweetest boy!  I've never met a yak before, so it was pretty cool to actually get to pet one.  I spent a long time scratching all his itchy spots and finally my husband decided that he really did seem friendly and fed him some grass.  What a cool critter!

More Bantys!

Yesterday afternoon we discovered a surprise when we visited the chicken coop - one of our bantam hens hatched out 5 chicks!  This is one of the hens that my step-daughter won at auction, so you can just imagine how excited and proud she is right now!!

Over-sized Load

Our neighbor's new house was delivered this morning....

As you can see, there wasn't much room for my Suburban on this side of the road, so it was a bit nerve-wracking to pass by.  We just barely fit!

Scout Camp

We dropped the boys off for a week at camp today. A few hours later I got a message that little brother passed his swim test and earned the merit badge!  Yay!!  He was really anxious about taking that test.  We are super proud of him for leaping over this hurdle!

16th Annual Beach to Beacon 10k

Today they raced in Maine's biggest road race, which attracts World-class competitors, and all of the best local runners.  6245 runners showed up from 16 countries, 39 states and 250 Maine towns.  They each finished in the top half of their divisions and we couldn't be more proud!  These kiddos are amazing!!

Norway Lake

Today was the perfect day to eat lunch on the deck at Boomers.  The food was yummy and service was great.

'Yeah, I'm chillin' on a dirt road...'

Listening to Jason Aldean's 'Dirt Road Anthem' while cruisin' on a beautiful summer day.  It doesn't get much better than this!