Thursday, 19 July 2012

Vacation Part 2

Well at this aforementioned birthday party , there was a super game of hot potato, with some good old fashioned, home grown  musical talent. 


                                                  My brother T.J. playing his heart out for the kiddos
                                                     My sister Julie was also puffing away on a recorder to help the little ones in their game. Needless to say it was an unforgettable performance .
                                      Eva awaiting her turn to open a layer of the gift being passed around.
                                                      Everyone hovering to see if this was indeed the last layer.
                                                   Jenny reading the cousins a story.
                                                 Eva reading a big book.Enjoying her vacation thoroughly .
                                                  Happy cousins Elle and Leila awaiting their buggy ride.
                                                       Still patiently waiting.
                                                         Finally all set to begin!!
                                                During our super relaxing, amazingly fun ,vacation, we played games,caught up on years worth of news,
                                                  watched the little ones in the pool,
                                                 watched the little ones watching the big ones in the pool!!
                                                          My niece Penelope was so adorable patting this huge horse. She was completely smitten by this huge gentle giant.


                                                              My Great Uncle Alvin arrived for one of our meals with a huge treat..sugar on snow...in July! He had kept some snow frozen , and brought it up just for us. it was so yummy!
                                                           They kept eating and eating
                                                   first, seconds, thirds and fourths even.
                                                      Then Uncle Alvin decided to serenade us while we were getting our family picture taken. We tried singing along with him, but with 60+ voices, we kind of overpowered his little keyboard. He kept playing never-the-less.
                                                 When we were done, Elle decided to sidle up to his side and "help" him play.
                                                      We had such a wonderful time with everyone. It flew by so quickly, and before we knew it, we were headed home again. We made a stop in Freeport Maine to shop..and it just happened to be on LL Bean's  100th birthday. What a crazy busy hot place to be !! we looked around for a while, and then had to have an ice cream break!! Grampie and Eva eating theirs and cooling off.
                                                Elin and I had chocolate..
    After a great successful stop at Mardens, we arrived home happy, tired, and all set to GET PACKING!!!!

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

Vacation!!! Part 1

In the midst of buying a new house and packing up our old one. In the middle of leaving one ministry  and the beginning of a new one, we had vacation!! What I started to dread and saw as a big stresser, turned out to be a huge blessing in the end. This vacation had been planned for the better part of a year, way before our plans for our future were known, but the fact that it landed right in the middle of everything made me gulp when  I realized what our July was starting to shape up like . Nevertheless just getting away from everything,the craziness of home insurance shopping, house inspections and mortgage wrangling s, was such a breath of fresh air for us all.  
Our vacation destination was Claremont New Hampshire, my Mom's home town. Her family was having a reunion and most of my aunts, uncles and cousins were going to be there for a few days of camping together.We travelled with my parents and my sister Jenny's girl Cassie  for the 12 hour trip. We made several fun stops though so it took us longer than that!

                                         Here we are enjoying lunch in Maine.
                                                      Elin watching Phronsie clean up our lunch droppings!!
                                         No trip with my dad would  be complete  without a visit to Cabellas . So here we were.The girls loved all the stuffed animal displays peppered throughout the store.
                                              Elin trying to squeeze her way through the fence to pat the deer.
                                                     
                                                                 More animal friends.
                                                         When we finally arrived at our destination, the farm my mom grew up on. We got to set up our tents in the back field and start the fun!  My Uncle Pete and his family brought their horses to the camp site , and Emily had instantly found her favourite spot to be!!
                                              Emily and Henry the horse
                                             My Uncle John had a sand box made for all the little ones , and did they ever have fun!!
                                                       Hours and ..
                                                  Hours and..
                                                     Hours of it!!
                                          Emily getting her ride on Henry

                                                 Elle's turn
                                                     My cousin Jenny was the patient horse lady and led many hours of horse rides.
                                                        My niece Cassidy with one of the many puppies that joined our camping trip.
                                          Phronsie keeping my sister Julie and niece Phoebe company.
                                                        Ryan getting some horse loving in!!

                                                     Eva's turn


                                          For my Aunt Beth's birthday, Elle proudly picked her a bouquet of flowers and brought them to her, hiding them behind her back .

                                                        Elin had a great vacation hanging out poolside at Grammie and Grampie Cameron's camp site. My mom had brought the pool for the babies in our family to play in.
                                              She was rarely brave enough to sit in it , but her tiny foot and always her hands were dabbling in it all the time!!
                                                         Phronsie enjoyed a deluxe sized water dish for the weekend!!
                                          Uncle Pete giving rides on his huge, gentle horse.
                                         The girls were all in horse heaven.
                                             Elin snuggling with Grampie
                                        The best place to be was at Grampie and Grammie's camp site for many different reasons. There was the kiddy pool, the cool tot sized chairs, lots of snuggles to be had, but most of all...FOOD!! Snacks of all shapes and sizes, and Grammie's kitchen was never closed. So most of the time, if Grammie and Grampie were around, there was at least one or two little ones lounging around munching and snuggling!
                                                      More poolside fun.
                                Lots of first and second cousins enjoying a birthday celebration together...playing hot potato.