18 Months

Look who is 18 months!   Weighing in at 21 lbs and 13 oz. and 31.75 inches tall, he's turning out to be the real little peanut of the family (5-10th %ile for weight and ~50th %ile for height).  He's walking, climbing, and has a great affinity for balls-- any type, he's not discerning.  He's talking more and more everyday, but a bit overshadowed by the verbal turtle of a sister he lives with.

Mr. H, Dr. Paul, and our medical assistant Cal

He's showing more and more personality everyday-- screeching, belly laughing, and just being silly whenever possible.  He and Cally are getting along really well (note the picture above when he walked over to give his crying sister a hug.  Cal brings him a stuffed animal anytime that he falls down or is upset, but she's been know to order him here and there (he's getting training for being a good boyfriend later in life).

But really, he's just an easy going, snuggle bug who seems to go with the flow of this chaotic life.  I am having so much fun with this little dude this summer and feel so lucky to have him in our lives!

Hiking down from Maple Ridge........ poor neck support on that pack!

Bates Burning Man

This year, we were lucky enough to host the 5th annual gathering of John's Bates Buddies and their families.  On Friday afternoon, the festivities commenced.  We had 19 guests for the weekend arriving from California, Colorado, New York, New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut and other parts of Vermont.  Folks set up their tents in our side yard, kids and parents reconnected, and food was a constant throughout the weekend.  

While the primary focus of the weekend is friendship and merriment, a tradition was begun two years ago at Nicholas and Ruth's Farm in Maine where work projects were integrated into the mix.  On Saturday morning, after a relaxing breakfast, the tools started coming out, John began putting these willing bodies to work, picking away at our long list of projects. 

As I stained siding, some of the folks moved a pile of brick and wood, other folks began siding our back porch and still others began work on our front porch. 

All the while, the kids were having a ball -- ranging in age from 18 months to 17 years old, the 8 kids got along like they were regular playmates.  Thanks to some creative parents, a slip and slide was made, bubbles were blown, and some naps were even taken.  Most importantly, everyone was fed and hydrated on what turned out to be a VERY hot and humid day.

 

We broke for a trip to Browns River where everyone cooled down and capped the work part of the day off with a Cajun feast and one of John's infamous bonfires.  We had gobs of corn from fellow Bates Buddy, Rachel Nevitt, and her family-- as well as greens and tomatoes and various other veggies. 

Yes, the old butternut tree was on fire, AGAIN!  It certainly wasn't the kind of fire where you have kids roasting marshmallows, but it got rid of a huge pile of wood and was a lovely backdrop for great conversation and merriment.

On Sunday, the guys went back to work and the gals and kids set out working on their own project......... A very special project.

These amazing people spent hours leaving a mark of their love by making these natural sculptures for our garden and yard.
 

While the guys continued to work on the house, the ladies and kids set off to Rachel Nevitt's farm in Hinesburg.  We got to meet her Angora Rabbits, brand new baby piglets, and tour their unusual house (built into two silos)

 

Upon our return, the guys were still working to finish the siding on the back porch and front porch.

 

I am so grateful for all that this amazing group of people did for us this weekend.  We absolutely love our house and look at the exterior of it with such pride.  I will remember each and every one of the people that swung a hammer or fed the workers so that this work could be completed. Most importantly, my kids were exposed to a whole lot of love and fun this weekend. 

  

When the last of our guests headed out on Monday late morning, I had a huge pit in my stomach.   I spent the last few weeks anticipating this weekend-- baking, cleaning, food shopping and wondering how everything would actually come together.  I should have known that with a community of people that come to this event, I had nothing to worry about.  I feel so lucky to have married into this fantastic group of friends.

My hope is that Cally and Hazen will also have strong friendships like the ones John and I both have from our days in college.  Our summer has been so full of love and support from people that we met when we were mere teenagers.  They have been there through thick and thin.  We feel so blessed.

Maine

Ahhh Maine!  John lights up when he talks about Maine, meets someone from Maine, or drives across the border of this state.  So, we couldn't make it through a summer without our annual visit.  Since we were already on the coast, we decided to continue our vacation from Cape Cod and head north, thus extending our trip by another week.  

Our first stop was Alex and M.J. Johnston's place in Cape Elizabeth.  M.J. and Alex are almost through the child rearing years-- Zoe is a high school graduate and Isabel will be a Junior in high school.  Even though they haven't had to deal with little ones for a while, they always embrace our children like they are the most amazing little kids they've ever been with.  They embrace our children and make us feel like we are truly on vacation every time we visit. 

We arrived in time to have a lovely dinner on the beach at Kettle Cove. 

We spent the following morning at Scarborough beach (Cal was pretty fired up to get to ride in Alex's convertible).  The kids got to jump around in waves and play on a beautiful beach.

For the afternoon, we braved the wind and took out the Tweed for a sail.  The kids were troopers, but we knew we needed to head in when we were too preoccupied with keeping the kids from falling in the water and the boat from healing to much to relax and have a cocktail.

We capped off our visit with an absolutely perfect adult dinner out in South Portland (thanks to Zoe babysitting).  We love our annual visit to Portland.  Alex and MJ seem to truly love our kids and make us feel so good about the parenting that we are doing.

Next stop was Acadia National Park to meet up with Ryan, Bryan, Isaac, and Oliver Aubin.  Our kids are almost exactly the same age it was such a treat to spend three days together.  We camped right near each other and the kids were constantly bopping between campsites.  Isaac inspired Cal to really "get" the whole Strider bike thing, hike on her own to the top of a few different "mountains" and eat a lot of marshmellows.  And the two younger boys just kept us on our toes!  We did a lot in those three days:

cocktail hour at Seawall

Eagle Lake

Feeling the fish

Carriage Road Buddies

beach boy at Echo Lake

Beach Babe at Echo Lake

Climbers

Hiking Bubble Rock

Trying to push Bubble Rock off the cliff

Strider Riders

Hiking up to Beech Cliffs

Top of Beech Cliffs

Hiking to Beech Cliffs

Isaac is one of Cally's "oldest" friends.  They camped together in North Carolina and we try to see them when our busy lives allow for it throughout the year.  The hugs that they give each other and the conversations they have together could melt your heart.  Seeing that friendship blossom between Hazen and Oliver is wonderful to see, as well.  Plus, their parents are some of the easiest going, fun folks to travel with.  I think this might become a tradition!

Wrapping up the tour du coast, I was given the unique opportunity to spend three days with some of my favorite ladies in the world.  These fine women spent four years with me at Middlebury and since most of us turned 40 this year, we decided to get together as a birthday present to ourselves.  After much deliberation, we decided to descend on our friend Marett's boyfriend's family home in Lincolnville, ME.  This meant people arriving from California, New York, Virginia, Idaho, Boston, and Vermont.  For me, this would be the first time I left my family for more than 24 hours.  As hard as it was to break up the "team" after such a great tour in Maine and Cape Cod, I was thrilled to spend three full days with these inspiring ladies.

Amongst us there is an artist, an actress, three teachers, an activist, a surgeon, a pilates instructor, and a world travel executive.  For three days, we ate amazing food, laughed almost constantly, hugged, laughed more, and rekindled friendships that were brought to life more than twenty years ago.  I felt like no time had elapsed and loved both walking back in time, but moving forward with these lovely ladies.

I'm honored to call these fine people some of my oldest friends.  They reminded me that there is a lot more to me than being a mom or a teacher.  My stomach hurts from laughing so hard and cheeks ache from smiling so much.