Saturday, May 28, 2011

Days 7-9 (AKA Beaches, trains and firetrucks)

The morning after the big party was chilly and drizzly, but we HAD to take a quick trip over the the beach before going over to Nana's to hang out for the day! We had brunch at The Goldenrod (where I waitressed in my salad days) and got a big box of salt water taffy to bring home to Daddy, then went to visit Uncle Bob and Aunt Cheryl at their store, then despite the chill, headed down to Short Sands:









We then headed over to South Berwick for more fun hanging around with aunts, uncles and cousins! (It is distinctly strange to be at the grownup table when hanging out at my Nana's house! Even stranger since it is now Uncle Jim & Aunt Joanne's house, not Nana's!)


Little Guy got to try on cousin Jeff's fire vest, and was excited to learn that we would be touring the fire station in a couple of days.


After a nice day with the family, we decided that Big Guy (and maybe Mom, too!) needed a brief break from 24/7 time with the little kids, so they stayed with Nana and Gamma in South Berwick, and Big Guy and I headed back to the hotel for one more night, enjoying some wicked good fried clams!

The next day we moved over to South Berwick for good, because the little kids were wildly excited by the possibility of staying in my aunt and uncles's RV! So we spent some more time with family, and drove through the rain to Mike's Clam Hut in Wells for a yummy dinner:




The next morning we went to visit a friend of Nana's who has spent over 20 years creating an amazing display in his basement:





And then we were off to the beach (can you tell we are a bit excited?)





Making a mad dash for the waves:

This was a close as I was prepared to get to the frigid water of the north Atlantic, but my children had other ideas!

The weather was strangely variable... one minute huge fogbanks would roll across the beach:

And the next minute the sun would be shining! We were actually fooled by this weather, leading to a MOMFAIL moment: I forgot sunscreen, and we have suffered for it every since. (Bad Mom)






I think the kids enjoyed feeding the lunch leftovers to the gulls more than they enjoyed eating their own lunches:



Little Guy dug a hole:


Little Guy stuck his head in the hole. (Don't ask me, I have no idea.)

When the sun got warm, the Kansans got brave, venturing further into the waves:


A particularly large wave led to a moment of common sense, with Miss G running madly away from the freezing ocean:

"Wimps."


The Sand Monster wants to know, "Are you talkin' to me?!"







(I figured that I had to prove that I was on the trip, too!;))

Tidal pools are even more fun because it is slightly warmer than in the waves!

After a wonderful (though crispy) time at the beach, we ran over to Eliot to meet up with my cousin AnnMarie, her husband Jeff and their three kids (with whom my kiddoes had much fun throughout the trip!) Jeff gave us the grand tour of the Eliot Volunteer Fire Department:













And that's about the size of it! Days 10-12 can be summed up very simply: Drivingdrivingdrivingdrivingdriving.


We had a lovely adventure together, but we are SO happy to be home with Daddy again!


1 comment:

Sarah Blue said...

You are the best Mom ever! This is a great adventure that you planned. You children are having such amazing experiences! I am amazed by you!