Portsmouth, NH

We loved our rooms at the

Fairfield Inn Portsmouth Seacoast.

Cute and comfy!

And what's a getaway without a little "night swimming"?

Hard to believe this girl

(making that face while "jumping in" with Auntie)

went on every. single. attraction. at Water Country

the very next day!

And hard to believe that these girls...

didn't.

(Maybe next year for Geronimo ladies?)

Just teasin' ya! You know I'm GLAD you didn't.

Fun in the sun- a B&W

PhotoHunt: Hanging

photo by Gianna

(Almost) On the Road Again

Today's to-do list:

Do laundry.

Do dishes.

Consume all perishables.

(Ice cream is a perishable, right?!?)

Pack these...

and Daddy's bag.

Bribe the girls to go to bed early.

Set alarm.

Dream about our next weekend getaway-

the one that starts tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Mackenna!

Our littlest turns 4 today! Four!!

She helped me make a breakfast treat...

And it just kept getting sweeter...

kind of like life with Mackenna.

Happy Birthday Mack-a-doo!

We love you!

Garden shop sale = perfect practice opportunity!

Constructive criticism welcome- in fact, WANTED!!

What can I do different? Better?

I had the camera on VIVID as a color option,

part of the time,

which I think blurred some of the details...

What do you think?

Where have all the princesses gone?

I'm pretty sure my daughter is going to be the only six year old girl at her school with a shark backpack and killer whale keychain. Probably the only one who googles images of "dead sharks on shore" too.

Ice cream cone cupcakes- yum.

cupcakes:

( Hershey's cocoa- a necessary ingredient, always.)



in ice cream cones:

yum.

Thanks Brielle!

Good ol' fashioned summer fun

A little over four weeks in and we've put a few dents in the master list of ideas for summer fun. I had each girl write a list of their top ten must dos of the list- as a handy go to guide. This actually turned into an activity in and of itself- with the girls and their cousins reading and rereading the list outloud and debating the merits of each activity as a top ten choice. Even the littles got in on the planning- drawing their "top" lists. An item can be crossed off the master list once one or more people in our family has done it (parents included). So far, we've crossed off...

• Join the summer reading program at your library
• Make lemonade from lemons
• Go get an ice cream
• Learn something new together (we've have been cooking a lot! Can anyone say homemade rice pudding?! Super easy and YUM!)
• Paint on a driveway with water
• and chalk paint
• Catch (and release) butterflies
• Swing on swings
• Eat peaches
• Put the baby pool at the bottom of the slide
• Watch a fireworks display
• Swim!
• Sleep late (we- and by we I mean Mackenna, therefore ALL of us- have actually been sleeping 2 hours past the usual 5am-ish wake up time! Yeah!!)
• Teach your child how to make something of Grandma's
• Drink an iced coffee
• Choose a new book at a local bookstore (We've bought at least twenty.)
• Tint some shaving cream, spread it in a baking pan and play (NOTE: We used food coloring and it stains skin temporarily.)
• Play tourist in your hometown
• Let your kids record their own summertime fun (They have all put their cameras to good use!)
• Keep a summer journal
• Swim!
• Eat strawberries dipped in sugar (we used homemade whipped cream- another YUM!)
• Bask in the sun -using the proper SPF (I am currently waiting for the results of a biopsy- I can't stress the use of sunblock ENOUGH!!)
• Build sandcastles (and mudpies, soups, etc.)
• Dance in the rain
• Maintain a blog
• Actively do nothing
• Have a tea party
• Play with empty boxes
• Write a letter, create custom stamps and mail

We've also attended birthday parties, had and have been to sleepovers, taken walks, hit the malls, gone go-carting, given and received numerous manicures and pedicures, created cool summer 'dos, played MANHUNT, taken naps, gone to the movies, eaten out, drawn with sidewalk chalk, done numerous art projects, jumped on trampolines, read books for fun and worked on summer reading projects for school.

On the calendar:

• Visits to a water park, museum, aquarium, and the ocean (not on the same day, of course)
• Run a race
• Co-host a birthday cookout
• Buy and decorate some "skippy" sneakers with Sharpies (a must do on Gianna's list)

Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg

(What?! Your kids don't bring kitchen utensils to the lake?!??)

"Good times, good times..."

Dear John,

Thankful for the past year...

Celebrating today...

Looking forward to another year...

as your loving wife.

forever yours,

Gina

girl talk

Lost Shark !

This is a copy of one of many actual flyers posted around my house. We often have flyers generated and posted because clean up tends to be half-hearted sometimes and things go missing. Call 1-800- yes- I'm serious if you see this shark- Please hurry, we'd like it home by it's birthday (apparently July 17th). Thanks!

Happy 4th of July

swings and slides

Sometimes,

I overuse color accent and it gets distracting...

Oh yeah, this week it's ON...

A peek into the master bedroom~


Our comfy King size pillow top bed-

Our AC and fan-

(John can't sleep with out a chilly room and white noise)

"My" bureau top-

(his HDTV, my books, mags, hat, and heart shaped collection*)

*




Our closet door-

"His" bureau top-

Love, Shaye and Mackenna

~ In custom tutus from Love, September ~

Goofing around

Brielle, my niece Cayla, and Gianna

~ Brielle's summer 'do courtesy of Cayla ~