Pictures From the Edge

I'm not sure where to start in recounting a month's worth of good times. How about starting with the standard "where did that month go"?... since I really can't believe that four weeks just raced by that quickly. Life changing events (Meg got crowned a doctor), milestones (Molly turned 3 and a half and America turned just about as old), and not so surprising things (I got a royal beat down in chess... by an eight year old) all occurred without ever having to leave the state of Maine, because, you know, it's the way life should be. But leave we did to visit friends and to cap off our trip with a week on Block Island, where we had, perhaps, the best stretch of weather I've ever experienced out there. Best of all, when we flew home, no one threw up on me or John. Wowza -- what a month.

I have no idea how to organize any of our malarky and a daily diary may finally move you to tears if you've never had the pleasure after some of my other ramblings. I, of course, don't have a representative smattering of pictures of our good times (and not so good times like when Jack liked to banshee yell all night or Molly took home the trophy for world's latest bedtimes/effective stall tactics). My parents are hardly in any photos yet they were AMAZING (seriously, who puts up with my traveling, one-parent circus for three weeks and then tells us that we can stay longer -- all with a straight face?). I hope they know how wonderful they are since I high tailed it out of town quicker than an on-sale firecracker on the fourth of July so that I could continue my successful run at avoiding painful goodbyes. My brothers and their families are also completely underrepresented but we got to soak up time with all of them even if it made schedules a little nutty. I was also too busy yukking it up with friends to take any actual pictures and instead committed all visits to memory. Crud.

 Has anyone noticed that I'm off on a tangent?

Okay dokey... here's one attempt to document our time. Cousins (my side... the other side comes later) -- oh what fun we have with them. What little imps they can be. Oh what absolute messes they can be...

First of all, I'm pretty sure there is nothing that will bring people together more than camping. Second of all, these nut jobs were so goofy that I think we scared any other creatures away except for the eat-'em-alive mosquitos that took 2/3 of Molly with them, poor thing (that moose that ventured our way did so at night, smarty pants). Finally, I learned that you CAN camp with two kids but without your partner... if you want to sleep tucked in a corner, breathing nylon at the foot end of the tent because your two small people take up so much ever-loving room with their legs, hands, feet, and pinkies. Don't think that their feet don't smell, either. Oh, you can also do it if you have other people cart your gear for you (thank you!).

Thick. As. Thieves.

No wait, make that a triple. 

Hanging with his homeboys at the campfire. And by homeboys, I mean giant, flesh-devouring mosquitoes. 

Men Men Men Men. Chris, on principle (the one I'm still figuring out), refuses to try for a nice picture. Hey, I may fail every time to be photogenic, but I don't TRY TO BE DIFFICULT. 

This kid... oh, this little man (you know, the one who is 2/3 of year older than Baby Jack but weighs 2/3 as much) -- he redefines hilarious. 

There they all are: Megan, Molly, Erin, Evan, and Jack... waaaaaaaaait a minute...

Okay, that's better (and note to self... don't bring footie pajamas camping again).

Morning mess.

Love is in the air. 

We also joined the crew back at headquarters where the kids were super good listeners about not going in the water at the splash park (and yes, Jack is trying to drink the water from one tiny sprayer). 

And finally, Megan joined us at Grammy and Grampy's for a couple of nights. 

Hil-arious and serious dance "class". 

Followed by face painting, of course... which naturally had to occur 30 minutes before company arrived. 

Clean crew.

And that's all I've got for now. We've missed being here so we shall see if we can ramp back up quickly here, ayuh. On that final note, happy belated holiday.