Oregon Vacation1

California Vacation 2

California Vacation1

Summer School Graduation/ Pickles and Doughnuts

The end of summer school for Alden was celebrated with water mellon at the childcare and then we went to the new Gardiner doughnut shop Frosties. 

Also, the fall harvest is underway and I have been pickling summer squash! It is a bread and butter pickle style brine and both the taste and texture are terrific. I also pickled cucumbers the flavor was good but the texture was too soft.   

Kay Visit and Beach Visit

Aunt Kay and Cousin Sarah came to visit and we went for a trip to the beach.

Elliott and Alden loved the sand and water and sand/water muck that pools when the tide goes out. It was a little windy (as typical for Maine beaches) so I lent Alden my shirt.

After the beach we went back to the house for a delicious meal. 

Chores and Wheeles

I had the boys today and got to do shopping and yardwork. Good teambuilding!

Passover

So this post is being put up a little late.... so passover is more of a memory now. We had a great time and it was nice to connect with the family (and be hosted by Kay)... It was particularly nice to have Alden play music with uncle Aaron

Toad and Turtle Collection

Passover time and we are building family memories around catching frogs and turtles in the pond. 

I cam a bit late to this party. By the time I arrived both Alden and Levin were hip-deep on the mucky water trying to capture critters. Ben and Aaron were a big help.

Several frogs were captured as well as a baby turtle. Many other frogs and turtles escaped the clutches of the collectors.

It was at least a two hours before we had to leave, despite the protests of the boys.

Bee Spring Cleaning

Today was the first day nice enough to clean the bee hives. In general it is a good idea to wait till mid April (in Maine) to do spring maintenance.

This involves opening up the hives and seeing if the bees are still alive. If they are alive then I look through the frames and see if their are any babies, how much food is left, and if there is and mold or other distress. It is also a a time to scrape all the dead bees out from the bottom, and to rearrange the order of the boxes (put the top on the bottom and bottom on the top).

It looks like 4 out of  5 hives survived the winter, which I am very pleased with. Winter seemed pretty tough this year and I was worried less were going to make it.

Uncle Ben Visit

Uncle Ben came to visit and show off his muscles. Alden and Elliott were up to the challenge and showed their muscled right back at him.

Ben and Alex are on their way to Maryland by driving south and visiting friends along the way. we will be meeting them in Maryland in about a week for Passover.

Scott came to visit as well and prompted a trip to the coast.

Pa Jo and Geoffrey Visit

We had a nice family get-together with Joseph and Geoffrey visiting this week.

The weather was poor for part of the visit, but we had a day or two of really nice weather, so nice that the bees came out for a fly-about.

Alden Concert

Alden had is first violin concert this week! We brought Elliott too since he seems to really like music.

Most of the event was us waiting for Alden to perform... like two hours waiting. They start with the more seasoned musicians and work their way down to the little ones.

Alden was very good in rehearsal at home, but did not seem to grasp the finer points of public performance when all was said and done.

Elliott was stroller-ed most of the time and seemed to enjoy the music.

Bees Overwintering

It was warm yesterday so we checked out the bees. It is tough in weather like this because the bees often freeze when they leave the hive to 'cleanse'. It is too early to tell how the hives overwintered, but I think at least two made it. It was a tough winter so I am a little worried.

Music From the Kids

Alden and his violin are making progerss. 

Elliott is also interested in making music, not quite as focused however. 

Snow

We went sledding today. I had to dig out a pit to contain Elliott while Alden and I went down the sled run. Alden called it the waiting room. The weather has actually been too cold to go sledding so it is nice to have it be above freezing for the past few days.  

Elliott is Now a Toddler

Baby Elliott graduated today and is now officially toddler Elliott!

Elliott has actually been toddling for quite awhile, however at daycare he was still in the baby room... doing baby stuff. Last week an opening in the toddler room was made and we prepared for the transition.

This is Elliott on the last day in the baby room, eating breakfast with his friends. The table has holes in it where the babies sit.

Here is Elliott walking around the backyard yesterday. Unlike when Alden was this age, Elliott does not like having his hand held when walking and he HATES being picked up and carried when there is an option to walk by himself.