Mainely speaking

I grew up spending a week on the southern coast of Maine for nearly ever summer since I was about 7 years old. The memories of entire days spent on the beach with evenings full of restaurants and exploring the coastal towns of York, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport and long evening trips to LL Bean. As kids we thought it was just insanely cool that LL Bean was open 24 hours. Returning to these somewhat hallowed grounds with my mom and my family proved nothing short of magical*.

Wells Beach

Welcome to Twinkle By The Sea

Our first walk to see the beach**

Making memories with Gamma

Inside the Scoop Deck

Memory making

The flip-side of the magic is that we were all honestly sleep deprived as the kids were up at 5:30am everyday and anytime we got in the car to go somewhere they would fall asleep, rendering our exploring to a minimum. Regardless, we managed to do a lot in our week. We saw Cars 2 which had Luke on the edge of his seat and me sord of in shock at the violence of it, John and Ellie took a nap.

We built sandcastles, boogie boarded and searched for crabs with my brother and his family.

As all the kids played together creating their canal-moat-boat launch, Ellie looked at my mom and said, "you wanna take pictures of your kids?"

Luke filled up on fish and chips and tried lobster for the first time. He is a fan to say the least. On our first Monday back home I told him we would be having chicken and broccoli for dinner and his response was, "well but Mom, that's not lobster!?"

This is him showing a kid he just met on the beach his take out container of lobster claws. The kid thought we found them on the beach. The lobster claws are still living in our fridge.

We went to the beach everyday.

We did make it to Kennebunkport.

Saw them making taffy in York and walked the Marginal Way in Ogunquit. We took two trolley rides and watched a lot of Disney cartoons.

Waiting for a trolley, Ellie fell asleep.

The Marginal Way

On another trolley ride, Luke fell asleep.

John and I spent an evening in York at Fun-O-Rama playing duck pin bowling and we both agreed it all kind of felt like a summer love first date.

Another date was had at Federal Jacks for a beer sampler and some mussels. After I boasted about how I was going to jog everyday, we only actually went twice. Still it's better than not going at all.

Fun times

Proof

The outdoor shower

Luke pointing to the back spiral staircase that he walked up all by himself, unbeknownst to us.

Our last morning and we found a surprise from cousin Jake on the front porch.

Thanks Jake for the Ugly Dolls!

*I would be lying if I didn't tell you that by Thursday John and I were both a little on edge, missing the routine of home and feeling as if the kids were running the entire vacation. My mom is pretty saintly for enduring our dual tantrum that kind of lasted into Friday. In the car one evening I told John we should listen to the country song, "You're gonna miss this." My mom laughed and I told Luke I was sorry for being grumpy. He looked at me and said, "You still love me though, right mom?" Perfect timing.

**Also just so that we never forget this, Luke gagged at the smell of the ocean and the first night we brought him to the beach he threw up his dinner. I found myself yelling, "this is vacation and we are going to have fun (god dammit!)"

A trip to the beach is really no walk in the park

This vacation post deserves it's own space and is too much of a gem to get lost within the all-inclusive vacation recap.

We are done having kids. If you are unsure if your family is complete there is one simple way to figure out your answer. Take the kids you have to the beach. I swear to you it will seal the deal.

Our house was about a tenth of a mile from the beach. An easy walk down a sandy path, from all of the recent rain it was riddle with potholes and the like but for the most part an easy walk to and fro. Right. Our plan was to put Luke in the umbrella stroller which would later offer a space for Ellie to sit/nap (our car was far too small to bring along the Bob Double Stroller which no doubt would have rocked the beach, but I digress) and carry Ellie in the Baby Bjorn. We also had two beach chairs, a beach bag equipped with water, Ellie bottles, snacks, magazines, and a big towel, an umbrella to keep Ellie in the shade, and a bucket of beach toys for Luke. Not too shabby.

Day 1
John's sister and I took the kids while the guys carried all the gear. Ellie was strapped to my chest as I tried to push the stroller in the sand. Not so much. It didn't bugde, so I pulled it. Heaving 38lbs of Luke and carrying Ellie was a struggle, but I managed, no biggie, we were on the beach, whatever. That was day one. I didn't realize how much of a chore it would be on days 2, 3, and 4.

Day 2.
Once again I pulled Luke, but this time John had Ellie. On the handles of the stroller were the bucket of toys and a chair, all dangling within an inch of falling off, the stroller at times tipping on it's side with Luke hanging on for fear of being face planted into the hot sand. John trailed behind wrestling the umbrella and one of the chairs that kept opening up on him, the overstuffed beach bag and Ellie, who dangled like a rag doll.

Day 2. Leaving the beach.
Luke was done. Overtired, it was time to leave. He started throwing sand just as Ellie was screaming for a bottle. The beach was packed. Families were all around us and the great beach mocked us. "Let's see you gracefully escape" it taunted at us.
I had Ellie and Luke, I need to get them home, Luke repeatedly threw his dump truck, Ellie alternated between screaming and smiling. Good times. We got Luke strapped in and Ellie's legs moved like a puppet on a string, I put what I could on the handles of the stroller and prepared for the pulling of the dead-weight. All eyes were on us. I looked back to see John wrestling the umbrella, it was a scene straight from a Chevy Chase Vacation movie. A woman looked at me and said, "oh I remember those days" as her grandchildren danced about her feet. I declared back, "this is great birth control, we've realized today that we're done, no more kids for us!" Everyone laughed. At least I made them laugh and could laugh with them.

We trudged on. I looked back to see John still trying to compose himself, the damn chair opening up on him over and over as the umbrella slid back and forth preventing him from moving quickly. I just kept laughing. The wooden ramp from the parking lot to the beach was just steps away, I was almost to a hard surface, I started counting the seconds, it was so close and yet so far away. 10, 11, 12, 13...16 seconds and were on the ramp. Phew. I took a breather and turned around. John was lagging far behind. Eyes squinting, brow furrowed, totally pissed.

The kids and I moved on, Ellie dancing, Luke muttering, our house just a few moments away. I turned around again, John was closer but still steps behind us. The chair opened up on him again and the umbrella slipped to the ground. I laughed. I couldn't stop, it was pathetically hilarious. He yelled, "Well that's just what I needed. Tomorrow we are bringing a blanket. That's it!"

The next few days we left the umbrella home and used a towel to shade Ellie in the stroller (which also did have a shade cover too, we were extra cautious), Luke held some of his digger trucks and we figured out a better way to put the chairs on the stroller. We still were the variety show leaving the beach, but it was a little better each day, learning a new trick to the game. I am impressed with families of more than 2 kids. I really don't know how we would have done it with 3.

I really think Chevy Chase could have written those 15 minutes of daily hilarious hell. I need to go ask my mom how they did it so seemingly perfect when were kids.

Vacation: The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

A week on Cape Cod with John's family proved to be both relaxing and a whole lotta work. We went into it with low expectations. Our kids thrive on their schedules and sleep best at home, they travel well (in the car that is) but pretty much are total failures at sleeping in strange places and regulating themselves to new situations. We carry on though, teaching them new things and exposing them to a world oustide of Glens Falls.

The Good.
Luke was awesome at the beach. Digging in sand is his forte and he full on succeeded at shoveling and keeping himself entertained which was a 360 from last year's beach trip where we chased him every which way. He understood boundries, didn't steal toys from strangers and asked for help when it came time to refill his pail of water. He was thankfully, for us, very intimitated by the ocean, a good kind of fear for a 2 year old I think.

Being around family and watching all five cousins play and interact. It was at times also ugly. Read on!

Finding out that Luke loves Fish and Chips.

Our morning neighborhood walk that preceeded our 3 hours of beach loafing.

Stolen kid free moments enjoying coffee and a snack at Buckie's Bakery.

An anniversary dinner (four years) in Chatham, Ma.

The Sundae School. OMG best sundae on the planet.

Luke repeating all kinds of words. Which had an ugly moment too.

Actually getting to read magazines from cover to cover.

Exploring Old Sturbridge Village on our way home, can't wait until they are old enough to really appreciate and enjoy it. We watched one of the reanactors prepare a meal, the woman was making a mixture that would eventually lead to a loaf of bread. Luke yells out "Pizza!"

Realizing that I crave our scheduled life as much as the kids do.

The Bad
The fact that the kids were up around 5am nearly every day and 6:30 was considered sleeping in.

The Ugly
Luke pushing and punching his 6 month younger cousin multiple times throughout the week. We were shocked. He was in time out repeatedly, this was not my kid. By Thursday night though they were sharing a snack in the recliner, phew. Thankfully Leo didn't take it all too personally, but man it's disheartening to watch.

Luke hearing me say "God" in an expletive way and repeating it about 5 times in the same manor. We are now biting our potty mouthed tongues.

Ellie throwing up mutliple times throughout the week. Dealing with a bad diaper rash and teething craziness kept us homebound and sleepless for all of Thursday. Not cool.

The fact that I took 2 trips to the laundry mat and still came home with a mound of dirty laundry is leaving me speechless.

The time on the highway when we were going 75mph at 10:30pm, I was sitting between the kids in the backseat and I unbuckled Luke's carseat instead of my seatbelt. Good Times.

The camera broke on our third day there. Pictures hopefully will follow soon.

It really was a wonderful week away from our monotous scheduled life, and while it was worth it to be together as a family, extended and nuclear, it was also good to come home. The break renewed our spirits and while we may still just be exhausted parents, we're also refreshed with new perspectives and appreciation for the life we live.

Vacation Updation

Luke's first beach experience! Life IS good!






So it's been awhile, eh? Vacationing with a busy 1 year old wore me out and well I guess I just needed a blogging break. Maine was fabulous, though rainy and although we've been at this parenting thing for more than a year we didn't realize how different vacation would be too. He was up at 5:30am everyday, and due to the tiny yet cute house, was bunking with grandma. So we had to rush in quickly to save her some extra sleep while we corraled him in the upper living area (yes the kitchen/living/dining room was on the top floor). Somehow she and Joyce slept through his early morning gear up and go action.


We also realized that no longer can we selfishly lolly-gag in beach chairs reading indulgent magazines and when the sun beats too hard, go frolic in the ocean.

My idea of vacation bliss (though actually I did get to do this a bit as John was super-dad!)




He ate sand and seaweed, thankfully he was spared ingesting any seagull pooh.




Daddy tried to keep him contained in what he called, "Luke-A-Traz"



We chased him all over as he met friends, tried to keep him from eating whatever he could find in the sand, and happily sat in the crashing surf regarding the fact that our suits were filling up with wet sand. It is the beach afterall and I'm not complaining. Seriously. It was just kind of funny how we were so excited to have a vacation, thinking it would be like all of our other sans children vacations. A totally relaxing, sleep in, do what you want week off. How naive of us. Obviously parents don't get weeks off and vacations as we knew them are now different. Just another enlightening experience in parenthood.

He totally loved the ocean, no matter the temperature!



He ate his weight in clam chowder and shamelessly flirted with every waitress we met. Grandma and Joyce certainly helped keep him entertained with long walks on the beach and gave us a night off to dine alone. Even though we had lots of rain and even a tornado warning we made the best of it, enjoyed our ocean view and loved falling asleep to the lullabye of crashing waves. On our last day at the beach as we were packing up all the gear I looked around and said to John, "are you sure we've got everything?" He put his arm around me, kissed me on the cheek and said, "honey, the only things we're leaving here are our memories."