Grab some tea or coffee and be ready for a long post. I'm going try to finish off all about our vacation in one post. This is going to be pic heavy and wordy, so be warned.
We had some "new" and "first" type of things on our vacation. Dale decided this would be a fun pic for some reason. It was at our first rest stop.
Not sure how well you can see it, but there were two people, totally zonked out.
Something new and a first for me was getting my hair straightened. I have been wanting to try this for some time, and it is definately not something I would do on a regular basis as the process is long, and would be damaging to hair if done a lot, but it was fun for a change! My normally curly hair looks like this freshly trimmed and straightened!
The hairdresser assured me it would stay that way for a week if I applied some spendy smoothing/straightening gel. I made it last several days. It got a real work out that very afternoon as we went to the Old North Bridge in Concord, and it was quite windy. It stayed straight!
Isaac had some "firsts" as well. He started on some solids.. cereal and applesauce or pureed peaches. I tried a bit of banana with him too. He LOVES the peaches, I have to say! I tried him on a sippy cup, but he doesn't seem to get it. I still nurse on demand, so he is getting plenty of fluids, and he can "kind of" drink from a cup. Also, he had his first experience in a swing on the playground.
He LOVED it! He would coo and chatter at me, and look up at what few leaves were left on the branches overhead. It was so cute!
Also a "first", was a finished Baby surprise jacket! I had it almost done before we left, but just couldn't quite find the time to complete it. So I brought it along and was able to finish it on a cool day just in time for church the next day.. but it was 70 out! LOL
He actually ended up not wearing it again until after we got home, so here is my adorable little model:
I managed to finish our new jumpers before we left, but not our blouses. I ran out of the right color thread for the blouses and by the time I got more there wasn't enough remaining time before our trip to finish them. Here is a pic of our family with us gals in our new jumpers:
While in Massachusetts, we attended New England Baptist Church in Medford. We were a little late getting in for morning service, and found out there was a guest speaker from Reformers Unanimous! It was good preaching and I was thinking at the end of service that the Pastor didn't do his usual calling us out in front of everybody (and and my dh go way back) and was breathing a sigh of relief. Then right before the closing prayer it happened. He announced our family and had us ALL go up there before the entire church and greeted us formally and had Dale close the services in prayer. So much for being safe! We were able to minister that evening by singing for the church. I love to hear my children sing praises to the Lord!
Our children had their first sledding experience for this year while we were gone. I know I just mentioned about 70 degree weather, but that doesn't stop a New Englander. Around my mother's house there are a ton of pine trees. This time of year there are a ton of pine needles on the ground. It is thick and heavy, and on the hill behind Mom's house you can actually sled on them!
We took our children for the first time to the Old North Bridge. My mom came along too, and we had an excellent family outting!
My mom and I had this ongoing debate about the name. I kept saying it was called the "Old North Bridge" and my mom held out for the "North Bridge". When we got there, it was settled, at least in my mind.
See that? It is even etched in stone! :P
If you ever are in New England take time to hit some of the historical sights! If you ever need a study to do for history, you could take a peek at the Revolutionary War. Just studying New England could take you all the way through High School!
Here are some more pics from that outting:
The OLD North Bridge:
Minuteman Monument with a poem from the Concord Hymn by Emerson:
On the path going up to the old Butterick House:
The Butterick House:
All of us in front of the Butterick House:
We visited the Butterick house and watched the video about the cannon that was stolen and found later... very interesting!
After our wonderful stay in Massachusetts, we travelled up to Maine. The good weather followed us, as our first day at the beach and playground was like spring! The water was frigid, but that didn't stop us from getting a little wet.
At the Short Sands beach there is a nice playground that we like to visit. They upgraded it in the last year and part of the new stuff was this funky seesaw.
And who can resist a pic of a cutie-patootie? Isaac seemed to enjoy the beach too!
We only had one day of that warm weather, then the temperature plummeted and the wind picked up. A couple days into our visit a storm was making our way towards the coast, and the waves were impressive! It was almost too cold to play on the playground. Between the high winds and the dry sand flying, you couldn't smile or talk for fear of the enamel being scoured off your teeth!
This was the first time we came home with one person missing. Our oldest got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for an extended visit. They drove from Maine to Florida and he is spending time with them down south. He has gone to the Kennedy Space Center and absolutely loved it! He is enjoying the extra time with grandparents, of course. Oh, and today, they are going to Sea World! He and Grandma and Grandpa will be back here in time for Thanksgiving.
We are celebrating Dale's birthday tonight, though it isn't until tomorrow. I will be attending a quilt show with a friend of mine in the afternoon, and figured it would be more relaxing to do the festivities tonight!
In the kitchen right now I have a chocolate cake baking, cheese thawing for lasagna, and I'm cooking up a ham bone to make split pea soup for supper tomorrow. It smells very good in here!
So, back to work for me... laundry, school, cooking....
Blessings!
