Stonehurst Revisited

After hitting the beach for a short amount of time the Cape and cousins Saturday, I needed to spend some time in tree cover doing a bit of hiking. We had plans to meet up with friends Tamara, Ross and baby Elsa and we wanted to try and find a spot in between our houses. Mike, who always seems to pull a good plan out of his pocket, suggested we revisit the estate where we got married, Stonehurst, and check out their hiking trails.

I don't think we've really been back since the big event except to pick up some things there the next day. 

And can ya believe it, that was a whole 4 and a half years ago! It's such a beautiful estate, house and grounds, and I'd always wanted to check out the trails. During the wedding planning craziness, there never seemed to be time to do that so it was great to finally fulfill that want.

Mostly happy kids, good weather, good friends, good time. Not much more to say than that so enjoy the pictures. 

Finding Sticks

More Sticks (and the House)

View of the Field

Fun Destroying Pine Cones

Sharing Pine Cones with Elsa (she was unimpressed)

Monkey in a Tree

Upside Down Baby

The Morrow's

The Hines's (with a not very cooperative Dylan
 - he was really on the move that day)

Walking the Wall (Don't worry Mom, I held his other arm tightly)

21 Months

If Dylan were his age times 12, he'd be having a rip roaring time tonight. However, as he's only 21 months and not 21 years tonight, he's snuggly nestled in his crib with all of his stuffed animals. A wild party night for the big guy.

On his 20 month post, I mentioned that he was starting to form some two word sentences. While still only stringing 2 words together, he's doing that a lot more often. He likes to point out "mama car" or "daddy hat" (Dada has now evolved to Daddy.) And the day we've come to fear is steadily approaching....when the little one becomes a parrot. Normally he repeats words when we ask him "can you say word" but now he's starting to just repeat new words he hears or says to him. It's not super consistent yet but I'm definitely watching the words that come out of my mouth a little closer. Mike and I have also been working on how quickly and accurately we spell words since that's what we do when we don't want little ears to understand.

While last month I reported Dylan was really into ABC's, this month the focus has most definitely been on numbers. He can show you "1" with his finger and he likes to count things "1,2,1,2" (we're still working on 3). He still likes to read alphabet books but he really loves to read counting books. Our bed time favorite the last couple of weeks is an abridged version of Dr. Seuss's 10 Apples Up On Top. And speaking of counting, a new trick that Mike and I really love to hear is Dylan's impression of Sesame Street's Count "ah-ah-ah!"

Reading with Bedhead

Books are still a big part of Dylan's day and he loves to be read to while sitting in our lap. Many times during the day, we'll hear "read, read" and we'll see Dylan handing us a book he's brought to us. I hope that love continues for a life time. I know that all parents think their child is a genius. Proof that Dylan really is - he pulled out a book the other day and said "Oppsite" and sure enough it was his book of opposites. That's a pretty big word that he only missed 1 letter of.

"Uh-oh" has almost been completely replaced with "oh-no" and his love for Harry Potter has only blossomed more. It's become part of our bedtime routine for Dylan and I to sit down and watch a few minutes of the movies before bed time which is just after dinner. Dylan very often will meet me at the door when I get home, smile really big (which warms my heart) and just when I think I'm going to get a big hug, he says "Harry" and runs into the living room to sit on the couch. Getting him to sit down with us is getting harder and harder since he's so focused on his favorite activity that comes next. He's learned many of the character's names and even knows Harry's last name. We hear this many times a day:

Anyway, the point of the "oh-no" is that surprisingly, the movies don't scare him (yet) but if something disturbing is happening (like Professor Lupin turning into a werewolf), he'll say "oh-no, oh-no,OH-NO!"

Mommy Kisses!

The 2nd nap is officially a thing of the past and his 1 nap lasts from one and a half hours. Another new thing Dylan is experimenting, which I really don't understand, is walking with his eyes closed. He finds it very amusing. For the most part, we do to. It was not so funny when he ran right into the refrigerator door with a bang then fell straight back on the floor. Who am I kidding, that was funny too (after Mike was sure he wasn't hurt, of course)! Another sense he's playing with is smell and he now likes to try and smell things, which is more of an outward nose breath. It's pretty cute.

HAPPY 21 MONTHS MY CUTE DYLAN!

Cape and Cousins

Two weekends ago (I feel like I start out most of my posts that way) we had, as usual, a chopped full weekend. We got a call the week prior about how we had "won a travel package" from a drawing that we "entered" at the home show. What really happened is that they got our name from the registry and called us to come listen to some sales pitch before they gave us anything. For some reason, Mike thought it would be fun to take a day trip to the Cape, waste a few hours and then get some "free" stuff. As much I usually hate those sort of things, for some reason I agreed to go with it this time. After breakfast, we all got ready and got loaded up in the car for the hour and a half drive to Dennisport on Cape Cod.

And well, can you guess what happened? Yup, we got suckered in! After learning about this travel club (updated time share type thing), it did end up sounding appealing to us. There are a lot of benefits to it that fit the way our family travels. Also, I've got my mountain home but Mike wanted a beach home. Well, now we own a small portion of a beach side hotel on the cape.

We had plans at home that night. Unfortunately, the trip down took much longer than anticipated since we had to agree to a deal and sign a lot of paperwork. At my complete embarrassment, Mike's cousin and his family were at our house a full half hour before we got back! They were great sports about it and made themselves at home while waiting for us. 

Once we got back and we quickly made dinner for the hungry kids, a good time was had by all. Dylan played well with his cousins Justin, 2 years, and Ryan, 13 months. Mike and I had some quality time and conversation with cousin Erik and wife Jessie. With kiddos that young, nights end a lot earlier than they used to when we used to get together with them. The adults jamified (got pj's on) the little ones in preparation for the trip home and that's about the time we finally remembered\got a chance to pull out the camera.

Justin and Dylan were having a lot of fun with twilight turtle in the tent (say that 10 times fast). Every once in a while, I would open the tent and snap a shot. I think I got some pretty amusing shots.

It had been a long day for us. After our visitors left, Dylan was put to bed and Mike and I enjoyed just a bit of relaxation time in front of the boob tube and then hit the hay ourselves. There was another day left to the weekend and we were going to need some energy for it as well.

Last Snow Hike

While we were in NH with the Kelleher's, we had to get in a last snow shoe trip, or so we thought. (We're in NH now getting some snow so we might still squeeze another one in this season!) We bundled up the kids, put them in packs, and headed out to the waterfall to see if we could actually see, well, water this time (as opposed to a few weeks prior when all we saw was snow and ice).

Dylan Getting Bundled for the Trip

Ian Getting Bundled for the Trip

The tricky part about this is that with all the snow melt, we didn't know what the state of the trail would be. We don't have extra snow shoes (and Mike hates them anyway), so I was the only one wearing them on the trip. While the snow base wasn't super deep, some parts of the trail were hard packed and slippery and the rest was deep and slushy...tough conditions for moving up hill! But, Sean and Beth were troopers and stuck with us for the trip.

Once we got to the stream crossing, we knew the waterfall viewing upstream would be cool. There was a lot of snow melt water flowing down.

We lost Dylan to dreamland not too far into the trip.

After our family photo ops, we continued down the straight path then turned right again to head up to the falls.

Dylan Catching Some ZZZ's

When we got to the falls, we were not disappointed. I think it's the heaviest water flow we've ever seen on it!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

Note - I'm standing weird to keep Dylan sleeping comfortably.
Mom of the year or what?

Possibly my record number of peeps in a self portrait.

What's that at the top of the falls?

Closer look....hi!

We headed on up the trail to take the connecting path that loops back down to the condo.

When we got back down to the packed\slick spots towards the end of our hike, Mike grabbed Dylan (now awake), sat down, and tried out the ice slide. It worked! So, Beth and I followed suit. There were 3 spots for it, the longest of which was at the very last part of the trail. Beth slid a good 20 feet to end the hike, winning for the longest ice slide this season. What a fun way to end the hike!

At that point, it was time to pack up and head home. We really love being able to share our place up there with friends and always have a fun time when we do. I'm glad the Kelleher's joined us for a fun time and I hope their able to come back during the summer to enjoy more mountain activities then.

Gravity + Snow = Fun

As usual, I'm behind on reporting on our life. I blame picture uploads, a busy life and working on taxes (ugh!). So, let's rewind to two weeks ago when we had a weekend of fun with friends at our place in NH.

About two years ago, thanks to facebook, I found out that one of my high school friends, Beth, moved up to the area. She and her husband, Sean, had lived on Martha's Vineyard for a couple of years overlapping my first years in Boston, but I didn't know about it until they were moving. After a few other locations and the arrival of their son, Ian, they moved to the Boston area. Beth came to my baby shower and we vowed to get together soon and often. The best laid plans often get pushed to the side when you have young kids, which we both did. 1 year plus and several failed attempts at getting together later, we finally did get the families to meet up. We had a great time hanging out with them and have managed to get together with them several times since. With the families successfully dating, it was time to take our relationship to the next level - a weekend away together.

So, the Kellehers joined us for some fun at our place in NH. With winter winding to a close, the plan was to split the day skiing and then do a little hiking. Once we woke up on Saturday, Beth and Sean decided they'd rather take a drive to soak in the scenery and we're gracious enough to take Dylan along for their adventure so that Mike and I could do some skiing!

Wow! What a rare treat for Mike and I to hit the slopes together. We haven't done that in two years! So, we headed to Loon Mountain, enjoyed the sun, stayed protected from the wind, and had a great day of skiing.

View From the Lift

While we were skiing, the kids had a nice nap in the car while Beth and Sean saw the gorgeous Franconia Notch and drove up and down the Kancamangus highway. We all enjoyed the mountains in our preferred ways then joined up for a relaxing afternoon and evening at the condo. However, Dylan had never been sledding so it was absolutely necessary to do that event before winter totally escaped us. We didn't travel far. Right outside our door were some high snow banks so all but Sean (he opted to listen to a soccer match online) headed out with our sleds. 

Dylan loved the split second down the hill part but really didn't like getting out of the sled and going back the hill. Beth and Ian took a few runs too but Ian much preferred checking out all the dirt and streams of water in the parking lot.

Dylan and Me

Beth and Ian

Mike and Dylan

Weeeee!

And that was plenty of adventure for one day. We all felt like we had full days but then had hours of relaxation and play around the house. The perfect mix for a "vacation" day. After the little boys went to bed, we adults entertained ourselves with competitive board games. Good time, good times!

Mini Picasso

A year ago, when Dylan was in daycare for a short stint (while Mike was recovering from back surgery), he was introduced to finger painting. There were a couple of times, probably before his first birthday, that Dylan and Mike continued this activity at home. However, with lots of other activities keeping the boys busy, finger painting was forgotten. There was a very long stretch of time that Dylan did not dip his fingers in paint.

I'm not sure what prompted it, but Mike pulled the paints back out a few weeks ago and I was surprised with a beautiful painting Dylan created upon my arrival home from work. Dylan enjoyed the experience so much, it was decided it must be done again and soon! This time, though, Mom would get to see the fun!

On St. Patrick's Day, our family all wore green. Other than that, our big celebration was finger painting! Right after I got home (and still in my gym clothes), I laid out a drop cloth, put a smock on Dylan and busted out the paint. At first, Dylan very carefully put one finger in the paint and slowly spread it around.

Getting Started

Then, Mike reminded Dylan that he could use his whole hand and then he really got into it! His whole hand got in it, we handed him brushes to use and feet even got involved. I would give him a choice of a color or two to add to the mix, Dylan would pick, I would put on a dollop and he painted away!

He's Even Got Paint on His Nose!

He was very focused and had a great time. After we flew through several canvases, it was time for us both to hit the bath....we were covered in bright colors. Thank god for washable paints! We've definitely got a little Picasso on our hands that wants to create. We'll be sure to give him the opportunity to do so a lot more often.

Aquarium

Last week, I took a day off work for Mike and I to run around town doing some errands\shopping related to our upcoming addition. While it's still months away from the time we break ground, we have a lot to do now in order to get our budget together. So, we're devoting a lot of time to the project right now. Unfortunately, a lot of these showrooms don't have hours that work with our schedule, hence the need to take some time off to get some rounds done.

It was a packed day and Dylan was a serious trooper being dragged around all day long. And, even though he had a great time "playing" in all the showrooms, we decided to spend the last hour of our busy day doing something fun. Since we were in the neighborhood, we went to the New England Aquarium for some fish viewing.

Creepy Yellow Eel

Big Ol' Manta Ray

Myrtle the Turtle!

Well, Mike and I had a great time looking at fish. Dylan had a great time running around, climbing up on what he could and touching everything he could in the touch tank.

Pat, pat the Penguin

Touching the Fish

Myrtle the Turtle!

Trying to Get a Better Look at the Penguins

Fun in the Gift Shop

Harbor Seals at the Entrance

As Dylan was a little bit of a tired mess and Mike and I were definitely a little worn out from the day, we  did not feel as if the hour we had there was too small of a time frame. It was just enough time to see some cool things and have some family fun.