International Cliff Divers

Nana's here and it means adventure. Aside from the usual museum, shopping and beach trip (even a date with Nathan!), we took advantage of the International Cliff Diving event and headed into Boston, where there are no cliffs.

It was a spectacular day! And if you know me, you understand that I was a bit concerned about the crowds - how to get into town, find parking, deal with all the people, etc. But, our adventure went off without a hitch. Parking - check, crowds - manageable, cliff diving - amazing.

The "cliff" was a platform extended off the top of the Institute of Contemporary Art. So the divers plummeted into Boston Harbor. It was truly amazing. We had a great view and oohed and ahed at these athletes. Nathan and I had seen cliff divers on our honeymoon in Acapulco (how sad that we wouldn't even consider going to Acapulco today with the crime in Mexico). Interestingly, diving off of this building was more difficult for the divers than a cliff because they use the contours of the cliff to judge the distance to the water (the building juts out over the harbor so you lose your visual about 1/3 of the way down).

We loved our Nana time and wish it were more frequent!

A Very Local Farm

I was just thrilled this year to have a spot to plant a vegetable garden. I knew it would be a bit of a challenge as we have a fairly shady backyard and let's face it, a very short growing season. I made a few critical errors in the beginning - not watering with enough frequency and not fertilizing. That said we had some successes - greens and well, greens. Nathan deemed it a fantastic salad! Our beets and carrots didn't take off. I do need to give credit to our tomatoes and they may fall into the success category if I can get another batch to ripen, though our plants weren't dripping with toms like they should be. The kids loved tending the garden and we're already making big plans for next year!

Birfday Weekend

Unbelievable how quickly time flies! Here we are three years later celebrating Gabriel's birthday. We needed to be in New Hampshire for a race for Nathan so we decided to make a special weekend of it.

Here's Gabriel opening his card that showed pictures of us watching Daddy bike up a mountain, our special cottage at Christmas Farm Inn and time at Storyland!

First up Mt Washington. You know the signs you see at restaurants - world's best burger - it's obviously an exaggeration. Well, this sign at the top of Mount Washington was true - unfortunately. Two years ago, we went to the top to watch Nathan and the weather was crisp but beautiful. This time not so much. Dare I say frigid? It was also described as horrendous. I tried to keep a smile on as I wasn't the one biking up the mountain but boy was it hard. With the windchill it was 33.

No playing on the rocks this time. We waited in the lodge until it was time to cheer the cyclists to the finish line.

And they emerge from the fog!

And now to brag - he took 20 minutes off his time and placed 3rd in his division (any other year, he would have won his division). He had a much easier recovery this time around too. And he naturally, hit his goal. Very exciting!

A fun but exhausting weekend for our little guy. Two nights up until 9:30 and then we arrived home on Sunday at 11:30. He'd rubbed his eyes so much he had little scabs under them. Yikes... I love the sleeping baby picture (can I still say baby? Probably not.). Maddie and Theo shared a bed for the first time and there wasn't too much kicking!

We have a favorite pizza place but with an hour wait we wandered over to a climbing store. Gabriel was so proud to get to the top. I fear Nathan may have had his interest peaked for a new hobby - ice climbing.

And then Storyland. Such a darling amusement park.

My three little bears.

Gabriel was just 36 inches allowing him to go on all the rides. The Polar Coaster was a one time ride for him. Maddie loved it so much she'd hop on it alone.

The shoes were Gabriel's favorite.

Cooling down with Hawaiian ice

While Nathan and Maddie went on the water ride, I took the boys to the ball tent. They could have spent all day here. It was a pretty impressive two level ball shooting, dropping, flinging wonderland for boys.

We had a great time celebrating Gabriel. I even had time for a lovely run, hike and sit by the river to refresh. We all agree that Jackson, New Hampshire is a perfect playground for our family!

The 4th Weekend

What a beautiful Fourth of July we had! I truly love this holiday. It's pure celebration and patriotism (naturally). This weekend we did it up with a bang. Nathan had Friday off so we had an all day date. It was fantastic. We played tennis or rather hit the ball or rather tried to hit the ball (me). Still enjoyable though. Then drove in to Boston to see the Chihuly exhibit at the MFA which Nathan proclaimed the best special exhibit ever. A very leisurely lunch at Pasta Beach - including wine and two lunches by Nathan. Then we ran out of time to look at some art galleries so stopped to have ice cream before heading home. Just what we needed! Though I did forget to mention that he tweaked his back on his morning ride. So maybe the enjoyment of the date was tempered by his prescription drugs (or perhaps that's enhanced).

Saturday we drove up to York, Maine to see our friends, the Atris, new house. A view of the craggy Maine coast is amazing and relaxing, especially so if you are on painkillers. Nathan in his dark wrap around sunglasses shared with me that he dozed off a few times during conversation on the deck in the comfy chairs! The kids loved exploring the rocks and swimming in the frigid water. I swear my kids are going to be sturdy little swimmers being exposed to this cold water in pools and the ocean. We had dinner in town before driving home, a short hour and a half. I don't know why I didn't take pictures.

Sunday it was off to Beverly on the North Shore to the Brownes' house. Unfortunately, Nathan overdid it on Saturday so it was just me and the kids. We had a blast. Goodbye craggy Maine coast, hello soft sand. I was even able to sit and tuck my toes into the sand as Gabriel stayed close by. He had an amazing time playing with Josh, who was so patient and such a good teacher to him. They threw balls, batted balls, dug themselves into the sand, all good boy activities.

Maddie, Ashley and Rachel - We tried to get the girls to put on a play. It was tough with three directors.

I was very sorry that Nathan couldn't join us. The dads played bocce on the beach and would have loved another guy. I did discover a new favorite drink - The Dark and Stormy. Yummy gingerness.

Still prone, it was Mama and kids on the 4th. We went over to Needham for a parade. Over 2 hours later, we finished. It was quite impressive. I think they had every emergency vehicle from every town within 20 miles in the parade.

I'd read about Mr. Muzi and was intrigued to finally see him in action. Since the 50s, he's painted himself red, pulled on his loin cloth and patriotic headdress, hopped on his horse and rode in the parade saying "how." No joke. You can imagine the response.

Everyone napped (fireworks are such a good bribe) so we went to swim at the Windsor Club before my somewhat pathetic attempt at a bbq (indoor made). Nathan was able to join us and we ate outside and did a 4th of July ceremony that my dad had found to help the kids understand what we were celebrating. And then, the excitement! My mom had mailed sparklers, which we thought were illegal to send through the mail but they aren't. The kids LOVED them. Really, who doesn't love sparklers?

And then it was in to Boston for 10:30 fireworks! Nathan's office has a perfect view of the fireworks and they are moving in the fall so we had to see them this year. Now I love fireworks and this was one of the most amazing displays that I've seen. They were exploding right at eye level. The kids were in awe. It was such a fantastic end to an amazing weekend (of course it would have been perfect with Nathan feeling better). Happy 4th!

Bonus Trip

Because great distance separates us, we call any trip outside of a major event a bonus trip. How wonderful to have Mom visit in March. The kids were thrilled as was I.

We shared the Drumlin Farm Sheepshearing Festival with her. It was a frigid day but very interesting.

This old sheepshearer cracked us up. Doesn't he look a bit sheep like?

And the strangest part of the festival - your choice for lunch: vegetarian or mutton chili! WHAT?!?

Grammie arranged her trip to see the kids' skating lesson.

A puzzle project was completed.

Grammie introduced Maddie to rag curlers. She looked so cute in the morning with ringlets.

Grammie and her kids (Maddie in the cape that Grammie made to match Felicity's little one).

We even had some mother/daughter time with a shopping trip and me being treated to some new spring clothes, and lunch and a tour of the Museum of Fine Arts. Such fun!

Musical Carpet

Jericho Hill

Take the longest sledding hill in Massachusetts, add Maddie and Theo and you have a lot of fun! Must say walking up that hill with Gabriel was something else, quite a workout. The kids loved zooming down the hill. Theo even brought his sled in for winter showtime to share with the class his accomplishment. Gabriel watched for a bit and then we tromped over to the playground. The unpacked snow was up to my midthigh - grueling. We celebrated at a delicious Brazilian restaurant afterward.

Myopia Sled Dog Races

I was so excited to see a sled dog race about 45 minutes from our house. It's something I've always wanted to see. We stopped for coffee and drove up north with another family to Ipswich. Though I was a tad concerned when the temperature was 3 degrees at 8am - luckily it warmed up to the teens and the sun helped. It was interesting to see the different dogs - much smaller and mangier than I expected - as well as the various techniques of the sled drivers. It was run like a time trial, so every few minutes we were able to see a new team speed by. Most teams were from New Hampshire and the owners pair young dogs with old to teach the youngsters (even as young as 8 months).

The Atris and Sanders bundled up for the dogs

Now CBS spotted our kids watching the teams finish and asked if they could be interviewed. Naturally, everyone clammed up but I think he got some cute footage. We'll see if they will be stars on the Sunday night news.

Now This is a Blizzard

So sorry December 2010, your blizzard was nothing compared to January 12, 2011 of 18 inches. It was the biggest snow storm I've been a part of. We loved the snow day! The downside is that the snow was very wet and heavy, making for some worry about our poor trees. We lost two large branches on our hemlocks.

Crazy husband trekking to the T to get to the office. It was a 2 hour trip.

We went out during the storm but it was pretty miserable with the wet snow. I think Theo was frozen here.

Our neighbors snowblowed our crosswalk, we did the walkway and then I corralled a snow plow driver into doing our driveway, for a very steep price. But, figured it'd be better than the four hours Nathan would need to shovel when he returned from work. He agreed!

The kids made snow villages and forts under the trees. It was very magical. There was slight concern that we might lose Gabriel in the drifts. His first words when he stepped outside were "I'm stuck." The best part of the storm was the next day when the sun was out and the world was a crystal wonderland. The trees still heavy with snow, sparkly snow everywhere, and kids excited to play. Maddie's class spent an afternoon working on physics - building ramps, testing sled speeds, etc. And Theo's outside time was spent sledding. That's winter for you!