Lake George

Source: cheapvacation-ideas.com via Melissa on Pinterest

This summer has been pretty amazing, but it's going by too fast. Do you feel that way, too? Today I ordered backpacks and lunch boxes online. Saturday morning we embark on our last road trip of the season. We're headed to Lake George, and we've invited my parents to vacation with us for the first time. So excited.


I must say it was nearly impossible to secure an affordable, picturesque waterfront property anywhere in the Northeast for the exact days we wanted. Ideally we wanted three bedrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, a large porch overlooking water, pet-friendly {we had pre-booked Jazzy on the vet's farm, but we wanted the option to bring her}, a fire pit, a sandy beach within walking, a charming village within driving, access to canoes/kayaks/paddle boats. You know... the bare necessities. Ha.


Initially we focused our search on Maine and New Hampshire, but I was just recovering from recent trips to Cape May and Rochester {which I still need to post about}, so I suggested something a wee bit closer to home. We switched gears to Northern Vermont and Lake Champlain, and the Adirondack resort towns of Lake Placid, Saranac and Lake George. My Sweets and I have visited and loved all of these destinations before.


For two weeks we perused, called, texted, and emailed hundreds of listings on VRBO, VermontProperty.com, and Adirondack By Owner. A good number of homeowners showed availability when they were in fact booked :( A few husband-wife teams even double promised their cottages and had to look at exact email times to see who won {we lost a gem on Lake Champlain by 57 minutes!}. I suppose that's what I get for waiting until July 7th to plan a July 30th departure. These areas are hot spots, and I knew it. Now is a good time to high five my parents for being so flexible. They would go anywhere.


In the end we scored someone else's last-minute cancellation for a slightly reduced rate. It's a big, beautiful cedar cabin on a lake with private beach access, fishing, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and all the amenities that four adults and three littles could want in a week. The location is perfect... a totally doable drive from both of our houses and only 10 minutes to Lake George Village.


The boys will ride their Harleys all week. The girls will follow behind in our jam-packed SUVs. {I travel heavy with three babes, a car top carrier, a motorcycle trailer, and two kid bikes somehow rigged on.} The trip will be about relaxation and family time, Adirondack style. We will jump into lakes, row boats, catch a fish or two, roast s'mores out back, and play board games late at night.


I'm also hoping to squeeze in a wild night at this rodeo, a hike through these marble caves, a walk around this historic fort, a morning run through this museum {if the boys are out riding}, a round of pirate golf or go kart races {for Buby}, free concerts here, an after-dinner treat {p.s. my mom loves soft ice cream, and this place was voted BEST EVER three years in a row}, and maybe a one-hour cruise on the famous Mini-Ha-Ha. Oh, and fireworks on Thursday. Always fireworks. Too ambitious?


I will check in when I can. For now I pack. And play. And clean.

Socks

Bleu has had a really stellar couple of weeks! She's happy and more flexible and doing things that she would have never attempted a year ago, or even a month ago. The best photo I have to illustrate the point {for me} is this one.

9 Months

Happy 9 months, my little bear.

Winne the Pooh

Today was a first for us. My Sweets and I took all three children to the theater to see Winnie the Pooh on the big screen. If you didn't already know, we are fans. The stories are sprinkled throughout our home, and Pooh DVDs were the first anything we allowed Buby to watch. He's never outgrown his love for the Hundred Acre Wood. In fact, he insisted on wearing his stiflingly hot Tigger costume {as seen here and here} for the whole movie.


And would you believe that our daughter {who has no interest in cartoons or sitting still or whispering softly} and our baby boy {who is 9 months old and, well, 9 months old!} both sat quietly content through several previews plus 69 minutes of film? It was sweeeet.


Art tees from Atsuyo Et Akiko.

A Starry Night

Source: jordanferney.blogspot.com via Buby & Bleu on Pinterest

This week My Sweets talked me into a dark pool late at night to look up at the stars. Have you ever star gazed while floating on your back? I wholeheartedly recommend. It was like we could see the entire universe from our home in this small village outside the big city.


Once I dipped my shoulders in, I could truly appreciate the cool and quiet air {save for the subtle static of a nearby baby monitor and a few unexpected bursts of laughter}. My Sweets and I whispered how lucky we are. Many moons together and we still make time to connect at the end of each day.


And then a creepy flying bug that I couldn't see bit my skin six times in a row. I jumped out and ran for cover faster than you can say...

Heat Wave

Three things have saved us during this extreme week of triple digit temps:


1. Central air. We finally had it installed in our 1867 home last August, and it has changed our lives. If there was no such thing as cabin fever {but believe-you-me, there is}, I'd be tempted to hibernate indoors every day until the sun goes down.


2. Remote start. We retrofitted my car with it a couple of winters ago, and it has changed our lives. My girl refuses to enter a warm vehicle, so I just remember to crank the air up whenever I park and hit the start button about 10 minutes before we are ready to leave the house again. Or store. Or anywhere.


3. After-dinner swims. I got over my initial fear of taking all three littles into the pool by myself, and it has changed our lives. They are total fish in water and have become incredible swimmers. Plus, hardcore paddling just before bedtime = best sleep E-V-E-R.

Left-Brain

Buby has clear left-brain tendencies. Critical thinking, numbers, reasoning, logic, language. I'm overgeneralizing the categories, of course, but it's all descriptive of our oldest. In his "free play" Buby naturally flows into constructing, problem solving, and tweaking --to his satisfaction--the intricate mechanical devices he painstakingly builds from scratch. He's an IDEA guy, and it's always fun to be in his presence. Hmm, reminds me so much of another fellow I know.


Part of the reason I'm blown away by Buby on a daily basis is that his core instincts and abilities are different from mine. I'm a classic right-brain. It impresses me that he can read a recipe or an instructional diagram and just make it happen.... dream up an outrageous scenario and brainstorm ways to make it a reality. The sky is no limit. Our five and a half year old has a beautiful mind, and I'm so curious how he will decide to use it.

Off the Beaten Path

We met our friends Ella and Christine at a nature museum yesterday morning, and the museum was unexpectedly closed so we ended up hiking. The little ones pretty much lead the way and amazed us with their agility and perseverance. This was no stroller trail. I wore Ollie Bear in my front carrier while the girlies trekked fearlessly over rocky ravines, fallen trunks and mossy downslopes. It was 1,000+ degrees outside, but we were lovingly shaded by Mother Nature. Good times.










For all their hard work we took the kiddos to a nearby cafe for lunch. Bleu had a big bowl of fresh fruit {blackberries, blueberries, pineapple, melon, etc.} and shared in my avocado, salsa, chips and cheese quesadillas. I ordered a blueberry-lemonade slush, served in a mason jar, that was so sweet it had to be cut with ice water.




Ella was so gracious to invite her little friends, Lambee {or Lamby?} and Good Girl.

Nature Camp

Our oldest is enjoying his first real taste of summer camp this week. I'm so excited for him! He wanted to go to this amazing Nature Camp in the mountains with his buddy John John last year, but the full-day program was for 5 yrs and up, and of course Buby was still 4. He is usually the youngest in his class with a mid-September birthday and always misses the age cut-off for summer events, little league, etc. {Truth be told, I don't think I was emotionally ready to send him in 2010.}


Springtime rolled around and he started asking again, so we agreed to meet his buddy at the Open House {which was a first-come-first-serve mad house} and snagged the very last two spots. Hurray for my friend Seda, who jumped in line while we were finishing tennis and insisted Buby's name be on the list. The theme is "Treasure Hunters." The camp is 30-40 minutes from home and runs M-F 8:45-2:45. John signed up for two weeks; we signed up for one {since we have another family vacation and art camp coming up!}.


Enrollment at private day camps in this area is super competitive. Space is limited, and the teacher/camper ratios are typically really great. We are halfway through our week, and so far Buby gives the whole adventure a big thumbs up! He's eating wine berries and talking conservation and wildlife rescue. He's already plotting next summer with his new girl-friends Alexa, Jordan and McCray.


Each morning I try to have the three kiddos ready and in the car by 8 a.m. I send Buby off with a backpack, a healthy lunch, a snack, a refillable water bottle, sunscreen, an old-school camo fishing hat from Tom's childhood closet, and this organic bite blocker sprayed on his sneaks and clothing.


Bleu and I have met friends for coffee/breakfast/hikes before heading home. Every afternoon we retrieve Buby from the porch of the building shown above; he's smiling, exhausted and covered in dirt from all his digging. {I love to see my clean boy dirty!} I inspect for ticks, distribute waters and light snacks, and we head home to our pool.

Oh Wells

Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you.

Popsicles with Grandma

Good times with Grandma DJ this week. Plenty of book reading and pool partying. PLUS, a play date with Grace on Thursday. PLUS, the playground with Ella, Ava and Aja on Friday before our breakfast-for-lunch at the diner. PLUS, a bbq and pool party with John John on Saturday. PLUS, a sleep over with Sid, Lily and Mason tonight. The last several weeks have been nonstop summer fun for the three and five year olds in our house.

i heart

Her spirit. Her whimsical hair. Her espresso bean eyes. Her rosy lips. Her black lashes. The freckles on her nose. The gap between her front teeth. Her deep, mischievous giggle.

Free Play on Friday

A little bit of chill time is necessary after a busy morning out. P.S. I love that all three of my babes sport their daddy's signature chin indentation. Oliver's is most pronounced.

Monkey Bars

He made it from one end of the monkey bars to the other without touching his feet to the ground or asking for help. It was a big deal for Buby, many years in the making. I'm happy I was there to see it... to hastily capture it with the Canon flung over my stroller bar.


Our first born is strong. You know it. And athletic. And competitive. And full of exuberance. In our family of five he's definitely the one who lives to rise and shine and DO every single day. He's also our over thinker. Monkey bars, zip lines, fireman's poles and other potentially awesome playground structures draw him in but give him pause.


Buby has a genuine fear of heights and of getting hurt. He always has. We encourage him to dare himself... stretch boundaries... explore the unknown whenever possible, but truth be told, this aspect of his nature has had some glorious side effects {for me} over the past five years. I had the "easy" toddler at the park. He stayed close, listened well and made thoughtful decisions. Rarely did he attempt any feat that he deemed unmasterable.


Anyway, short-story-long is that Buby is maturing this summer in a way even I didn't expect. He's going for it more. He's quietly conquering and celebrating. So proud.

i heart

Five-year-old cousins who totally get how awesome it is to run in circles and hide behind trees and round up sticks.

Jenga

If our playroom was about to implode and I could only save one board game or puzzle-y thing, I'd grab Jenga. It's a family favorite. Sometimes we play it as intended and by the rules, but more often we invent our own fun.

Fave Shot This Week

My brother-in-law Mike and niece Sidney on the farm.

His + Hers

We are officially an equal opportunity toenail-painting household.

Ahoy, Matey

Pirates in the house.

U-Pick, I-Pick

Homegrown anything makes me smile.

Mother-Daughter

Last night I brought my MacBook to bed and quickly scrolled through the thousands of images I've flagged in i-photo over the last couple of months in search of more Cape May to share. {Ahh, there must be a better way to organize my fave shots...}


When I passed by these mother-daughter self portraits from a while back, My Sweets started to chuckle next to me. He said, "I like those. They are funny. You should post 'em." I responded, "Uh, NO. I rarely use pictures of me, especially unflattering ones." He said, "Maybe so, but someday your daughter might want and like to have them."


And I suddenly felt guilty for never including any pictures of me in our family scrapbook. So here you go.... Bleu of the future. Our funny faces, circa 2011.