Living, Loving, Learning

I LOVE fall! I love the chill in the air, the bright leaves, steamy bowls of homemade soup, cozy sweaters and scarves and most importantly, a trip out to the orchards. We went to Cider Mills in MI last weekend with the Moms. As soon as Lucy saw these ponies (donkeys?) she started her "uh, uh, uhs " and pointing. No doubt about it, she wanted a ride. So a the ripe ol ' age of 18 mos. Lucy gets her first pony ride and she loved it. Griffin is an old pro at such experiences, I almost think it is about time to get him out on a real horse back ride. This is not a great picture of either of them, but I just had to show you how much they look alike. No mistaking them as siblings! It is like totally impossible to get a good picture of the four of us - time to call in a professional!! The first of about six apples for Lulu. She had to taste test every varietal, of course!! She has been eating apples whole like this since she got her two front teeth at well under a y...

Wow, it seems like blogging has been scarce lately. Mainly this is due to my lack of a camera. I lost my battery charger somewhere this summer. While I am trying to figure out where it is or if I can replace it, we have just been using a little disposable number. Griffin and Lucy helping set up the inside of the tent. We had a fantastic time camping last weekend. Griffin had a birthday party for one of his pre-school pals to attend on Saturday morning so we did not hit the road until noon. We headed straight over to Rough River Dam State Park, about 1 1/2 hours away. The campground was ok. Some of the spots were really terrible - small, no shade, tightly packed together. Luckily, we were able to grab a spot on the outer loop that was a little more private and shady. After setting up camp, which took awhile because we had a new tent and Griffin and Lucy were "helping", we took a great walk in the woods. We came upon this little cabin in the woods....felt like I was about to...

is a really good way to live. We had a great trip to Kentucky Lake! We drove over there on Thursday morning, and by that afternoon we were all out on the boat having a great time relaxing together. The fact that we were out on the water at all was pretty amazing. Our friends, The Webbers , whom we were meeting, had not had an ideal trip so far. They had blown a boat trailer tire on the highway on the way down, the rental house definitely did not live up to any one's expectations and on Tuesday the alternator in their boat had broken. In fact, shortly after we arrived, they received a call that the boat was fixed after two days in the shop (a short turn around for these parts!!). Bruce and I volunteered to stay with the kids (our two, the 2 Webber kids and their cousin) while Chris and Chanley picked up the boat and put it back in the water. Shortly after they left we got a phone call from them - they had blown ANOTHER trailer tire!! It was nuts and of course there ...

It was finally time to leave the Cape and although there was lots of wonderful things we would miss.... Griffin and I agree, the outdoor shower is on the top of the list.

One of the coolest things we saw on the Cape was this community playground. It is located in the town of Truro and friends, Joyce and Georgia, actually helped in the construction of it. It is right next to the senior center which I think is so cool. It is evident that this is an artsy place from all the cool artwork and design evident. The kids had an absolutely wonderful time playing here. And of course, you can't make a trip to the east coast without checking out a lighthouse. This is a very pretty one, located right by the cliffs and surrounded by a golf course. What a view!! Ahhhh, I already miss this scene alot. I always forget how soothing the water is until I've been away from it for a while.

On the harbor side of the Cape, there are some nice beaches too! The water is still and shallow and clear - perfect for little kids. Griffin found all kinds of treasures on the beach when walking with Gran. It was cold that day, so Lucy and I stayed cuddled up just playing in the sand. Great moments.

Provincetown is the "big" city on the top end of the Cape. It is a funky little city filled with shops, restaurants and tons of unique people. It is marvelous. It is one of those rare little spots on this earth that felt truely, come as you are, everyone accepted. It made my heart so happy to be there. The homes and streets have such a distinct look. The clapboard siding (I think that's what it's called), marvelous gardens and yard art. This home was a particuluar favorite. A harbor is right there, in fact, that is where the whale watching tours depart from. After a day of dragging the kids through the shops I thought they had earned some play time so we headed down to the little harbor beach. It was so cool that day, but that did not stop Griffin from wanting to be in the water so we made him strip his shorts off in a futile effort to keep them dry. Lucy wanted in on the action big time - I think if I would have let her, this little mermaid would have bee...

Well, the 15 hour drive to the Cape turned into an 18 hour drive. My kids did FANTASTIC!!! I was shocked by how well they held it together. We left at 5 AM and cruised straight through, only stopping for quick breaks and one sit-down dinner. Lucy cried for about 10 minutes one time, as we were trying to find a place for dinner and that was it - the rest of the time it was smooth sailing. My little ones are going to be great travelers and I cannot wait to show them this big groovy world of ours!! I had been afraid to do much traveling with them before this, but they have proven themselves in spades. We arrived at the Cape late at night and went to be pretty quickly. The kids were up pretty early and for sure, the first thing on the agenda was THE OCEAN. Griffin was so excited, he saw that water and went running straight for it - the frigid water temperature and 70 degree air temperature did not slow him down AT ALL. I think Uncle Leo was happy to have another little soul share his lov...

We had such a fun week in Michigan, before we headed out East. The most fabulous part was the surprise 40th birthday party that the Marino's threw for Bruce. Seeing as his 40th isn't until the end of July, it was a HUGE surprise. The morning of, we drove over to their place (leaving the kids with the Moms for an overnight - Lucy's first overnight!!) so the guys could go golfing. Bruce was so sweet, handing me a $50 as he walked out, saying, "Why don't you ladies go do something fun like get a pedicure!" Little did he know, we had a lot of things to do before he got back. By "we", I mean Gabriella and by "a lot" I mean amazingly small amount - she is so organized!!! All party paraphernalia had been hidden and so we pulled it out and decorated the house and yard, set up tables and chairs and Gab got the food ready to go (of course, she had enough for everyone Bruce had ever known!!) We finished in enough time to enjoy a beer or 4 before the r...