Pawtuckaway State Park

This morning we swung by our friends house to pick Liv and Andrea up to head to Pawtuckaway State Park. There's a family beach and a nice playground for the kidos to play. Liv and Jude had a wonderful time splashin' in the water. As I heard on NPR on the way over to the park, NH has had 80% cloud coverage for the month of June. (Joel's colleague Dr. Mary, the state climatologist, was on The Exchange this morning....) It was the perfect way to spend the morning and to wipe away the cloudy blues.

While Camping...

Jack has been depressed ever since we came back from our camping trip. One might guess that he's been pouting about not being able to join the family on our excursion.... but in reality, it's because he had an adventure of his own. Most of the state parks in NH don't allow our furry friends to join us in the wilderness. Joel's colleague Mary, and her husband Dan, were kind enough to volunteer to dogsit for us. Jack was in dog heaven. Mary and Dan have 2 dogs of their own. They have a yellow lab, Murphy, and a black lab mix, Ranger. Not only did Jack have playmates while we were gone, they also have a doggie door that convienently exits to a nice fenced in yard. Here lies Jack (on the left) and Murphy...finally pooped out after a long day of play.




One upside to getting rained out of our last day of camping....Mike and Angel were able to enjoy a traditional New England feast, lobster. Lobster was the topic around the campfire one of the nights while we were roasting s'mores. The guys had it in their heads that Mike just had to take on the challenge of eating 2 lobsters. Without much pursuading, Mike and Joel were able to finish both of their crustations.

Happy 4th and More....

4th of July this year started our mini vacation. It was a much needed break from all of our unpacking. Mike and Angel were our official first overnight guests. Mike's birthday is on July 4....we got a chance to sing Happy Birthday to him on his actual birthday!

The next morning we headed out for our adventure to White Lake State Park. We were excited to see blue skies....as it has rained for almost a month straight. The Caswell's were brave enough to join us on our journey. We had a great time camping with everyone. (Eleanor took a real liking to Uncle Mike.)

The shallow fresh water was a huge hit with all of the kids....

The playground was a new addition this year..... and right on the beach. Could life get any sweeter?

Surfin' USA

The wildlife was up close and personal at the beach. Through the night we heard the loons...



Our canoe made the trip with us. One of the great things about car-camping..... we could really camp in-style.


The views were phenomenal... the lake is a glacial lake in the White Mountains. We were rained out of our last day of camping. All good things must come to an end.

Getting Settled

The last week has been a busy week all-around. We've been movin' and shakin'. Trying to keep Jude's schedule and activities as normal as possible has been a bit of a challenge while getting settled into our new house. Jude's been doing a, "Good Job!" adjusting to his new environment. Even though we've moved many, many, many, times..... this move takes the cake for being the most difficult. You never realize how much stuff comes with having a child.... and you never really realize how much time is taken away from packing when you're spending time with your little one. It's all been worth it! We're mostly unpacked, and already having guests come for visits. We had a great group of friends helping us with our move... THANKS!!!!


Jude was a sport at Lowes while we picked up some of the essentials... lawn mower, dehumidifier, closet hardware.... Besides, who could turn down a ride in a Lowes racecar?

Taste of the Sea

Last week, amid unpacking boxes, we managed to slip in some beach time...right before a storm rolled in....

Seacoast Science Center

Running out of rainy day activities, we made our way to the coast today. As much as Jude would have preferred the beach, the Seacoast Science Center was a good alternative.

He loved the petting pool. He couldn't get enough of the starfish.

Liv and Andrea came to the center today too... always great to have friends around!
Believe it or not... he was very gentle.
Jude had a hard time saying good-bye to the rowboat. A few older boys came in and took over...I guess it's kind of like a lesson on pirates. Aye' Matey!

Checkin' himself out on Andrea's camera....

Rainy Days

Jude has so much fun puddle-jumpin'. It's hard to refuse the cry to go outside...especially when it's rained almost every day so far in the month of June. His latest puddle-jumpin' action is to sit right down and start a'splashin'. It's as if we were playing in the puddles at the beach...but who can blame him?





We've been taking full advantage of our membership to the Children's Museum. Jude wakes up in the morning saying, "Museum?". While I was at my dentist appointment, Joel got a chance to take Jude to the museum. They discovered the kitchen...and Jude had no interest in going upstairs to play with the trains. I guess he's found a new love for cooking. Watch out Ruth and Angel....you may have some competition.