Happy Holidays!! November - December 2014

Well I guess I've gotten on Santa's naughty list for not updating the blog lately. We've had a lot going on and I never made time to update this with the new pictures, so there's a lot to throw up in one big bunch now. The entire Holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas I guess, and for a New Years resolution I'll try and keep it updated more frequently. In short we all had a great few weeks. Thanksgiving went off in spite of the storm and power outages, we went to the Cape for a few days of R&R, the big family Christmas party went well and the big day and all that comes with that was awesome. The girls were very excited and into their presents this year, but rather than write a book about everything I'll let the pictures tell their thousand words and then try and keep up with things more often from here on out. It was great to see almost everyone on both sides of the family over the last few weeks. Hope your Christmas was as good as our and you all have a happy and healthy 2015!!

If you want to see the pictures I've whittled them down to a couple hundred or so. You can get them all by clicking right here...

Busy Month!

 

Well it's been a long time since I posted anything. For a while there was nothing to post and then the month finished with a flurry of stuff. Everyone was busy and healthy for a while with ballet, gymnastics, school, storytimes and more. Ashley has come down with a little cold but nothing other than that to report on. We went up to the White Mountains for a few days, visiting Santa's Village for their Halloween Spooktacular and then spending a few more days at Loon Mountain where we used the pools and hot tubs, went on some hikes and relaxed for a few days. Thursday was Trick-Or-Treat in Exeter so we took Elsa, Ariel and Olaf out for the night in out neighborhood and then across town to go with Cameron and Brandon for a while. The Friday afternoon we went away to Bar Harbor for the weekend for our 8th anniversary. The kids stayed with Grammy and Grumpet while Danny and Cara joined us and in spite of the weather we had a great weekend. Great food, drinks, company and driving home in a blizzard made for a fun and memorable weekend for sure! A busy but fun 8 days and lots of pictures to go along with it all. If you're interested in seeing them you can get the complete set by clicking right here. Next up are the Holidays which should be busy so stay tuned for updates and thanks for checking in with us.

Goodbye Summer. Hello Fall!

Well, fall is officially here! it arrived with some record high temps so we took advantage of it and headed for one last night of camping. There was no moon the night we spent in the Camden Hills and with the warm temps and earlier sunset we were able to hang out and look for shooting stars and constellations with the girls for a while. The next day we went for a small hike and looked for sea glass before finally heading home and packing up the camping gear for good until next summer. The girls have all been busy lately too. Ashley is walking, dancing and talking up a storm. Emily has started gymnastics and storytime and Brooke is busy with school and just signed up for ballet again. We also got a great day of weather for a big family group birthday party a couple weekends ago and while there I took some senior pictures for Jens cousin Brianna. My first time doing that so I tried not to screw it up and hopefully she liked them. We also went to the York Center for Wildlife's open house to see all the rescued/rehabbed animals they have there and learn about the place before going for a short hike up Mt. Agamenticus on a beautiful late summer day. I've been hiking even more than usual myself lately too. The trips with the family and a September 11th memorial hike for Flags On The 48 where hikers fly the flag from the summits of all 48 4000 footers in NH for a couple hours to remember the lives lost in the attacks. Thursday I helped one of the guys from that hike finish his NH48 on a 20 mile hike to the most remote and spectacular peaks in the White Mountains. The easiest way to get them is to drop a car off at one end of the hike, drive to the other end of the hike, and traverse the mountains back to the car and then go get the other one which is where I came in. It makes for a long but spectacular trip and since it's been a few years since my last hike out there I was happy to help out and go along.

So that's what we've been up to. Our 8th wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple days, more birthday parties, apple and pumpkin picking and all that other fall stuff too so check back soon for more. I've broken this stuff down into multiple albums so you can see whatever you'd like to or skip whatever you don't. Here they are if you're interested and check back soon.

York Center For Wildlife and mt. Agamenticus

Camden Hills Camping Trip

Flags On The 48 Hike

 Zealand - Bonds Traverse

Mount Washington - 6,288

Sunday on a picture perfect September day Jen, Danny, Cara and I along with Koda the wonder beagle set out to climb to the top of the northeast. We took the Tuckerman Ravine trail up and then descended on the Lions head trail, passing a waterfall, alpine lakes, ravines and treeline along the way. Mt. Washington is the most prominent peak east of the Mississippi and tallest in the northeast at 6,288 feet. It's also home to the worlds worst weather and we got a little taste of that, as while we were on top the temp was only 42 degrees and clouds socked in the summit with 35-45 mph winds dropping the wind chills below freezing. Of course as soon as we hiked down a few hundred feet the clouds cleared, temps rose and the winds died, but it was interesting to get a small taste of the extreme weather this mountain is known for. The hike other than the summit was perfect. Cool but not cold, sunny, scenic and challenging. Everyone had a fun day and Jen brought her total up to 8 of the 48 4000 footers in NH also and Danny got up to 3. Cara had already hiked them all but these trails were new to her so there was something for everyone. For more pictures of the day (a lot more) you can click right here.

Labor Day Weekend 2014

First school starts and now Labor Day Weekend has come and gone. Looks like summer is unofficially over now, even though we're in a little heat wave here lately. Thursday to escape that heat I took Em and Ashley on a trip out to Peaks Island in Casco Bay to give Jen a day to herself with Brooke in School for a full day finally. We caught the morning ferry over and wandered around the island, having a picnic at picnic point, beach combing and hiking a few of the trails on the island. We finished it off with an ice cream while we waited for the ferry to come back for us.

Then Saturday afternoon we had to be in Portsmouth for Danny's birthday dinner so Jen decided we should hike somewhere nearby. I picked Wagon Hill, which is one of the best preserved coastal farms in New England. It sits on the shores of Little Bay and the Oyster River with large open fields and a few miles of trails that are mostly flat enough that even Ashley could walk them. It's capped off with a sandy little beach at the picnic area on the bay and was a nice way to pass a few hours before heading to town for dinner.

Finally on Sunday we headed up to Vermont for a visit, where we got to go to the fair for free thanks to Katie's fudge bartering. We saw the animal exhibits, ate some fudge and the kids got to ride ponies both real and fake on the merry go round and the real mini horse rides, again paid for in fudge. The next day we went for a hike in Stowe up Stowe Pinnacle, a fairly short but steep hike up to the 2600+ foot rocky summit with amazing views of the valley. It was about the same length and steepness of Mt. Major, and if you're ever in the area looking for a scenic 3 hour hike this is a great one and all the kids did great going up. Only Emily who was tired and hungry but refused to eat complained at all and we capped it off with a picnic lunch on top in the 80 degree sunshine. After that we stopped at Cold Hollow for some cider slush and donuts before hitting the road home.There was no traffic at all and we never even had to hit the breaks for an easy cruise home to end the weekend. Busy but lots of fun. There's a lot of pictures from all that too so you can click here to look at them. That's all for now but check back next week. We have some stuff scheduled and should have more to share if you're interested soon.

So long summer.... :-(

Well the 9 weeks of summer with no school have come and gone. Yesterday Brooke hopped on the bus and started 1st grade. Wow how time flies! We tried to make the most of summer and do all we could with the kids and finished it up with a bang, but it always seems there's things we didn't get to. Just have to save them for next year I guess. We did finally make it to Storyland this week after a couple rain outs and finished it off with one more camping trip at White Lake with Stanley, Maria, Brianna and Sophia. Always a favorite spot of ours and not too far away, so even though it was only for a night it was lots of fun. Swimming, kayaking, sand castles, campfires and more. The week before that Jen and I went to the Zac Brown concert with Danny and Cara while the girls had a sleepover at Grammy and Grumpets. That was our last two weeks of summer, but add it to the cancer walk, Ashley's birthday and baptism, a week in Acadia with beaches, hikes, camping and a boat ride, concerts, orange leaf and fireworks at the beach, a week at Lake Winnipesaukee, Clark's trading post and plenty of trips to the pool, beaches, picnics and a few hikes and it was a full, fun summer. I don't like that the kids are back in school a week before Labor Day, but that's the way it is these days so it's back to the real world. Fall is always great for apples, pumpkins, hiking and more, but days are shorter and cooler so it limits things a bit and isn't quite the same. This weekend it's off to Vermont for a visit for Labor Day and then that's a wrap on the summer season of 2014! For now to see the latest batch of pictures from the last couple weeks you can click right here.

Summer Vacation at Winnipesaukee 2014

Well we're fresh back from the last big week of summer vacation for 2014 and it was a great one. Lots of fun and sun and everything else that comes with a week at the lake with family and friends. Swimming, sunning, hiking, shuffleboard, fishing, over-eating, a concert, boat ride, kayaks, campfires, smores, golfing and more! The cousins all got along great and had a ton of fun together. Ours didn't want to leave and Brooke wishes we could live at the lake. Maybe someday if we're lucky I told her, but for now we had to return to Exeter after all that. Thanks again to everyone for everything last week!! To finish off the week, yesterday we took the girls up to Clark's Trading Post and worked in the circus show, bear show, water boat ride, face painting and two train rides among other things. Quite a busy week for us and the girls and I'm certain everyone will sleep well for a while after the fun filled week. There's a lot of pictures to see if you're interested and you can get to them by clicking here. Now it's back to the real world, but next weekend Jen and I are going to the Zac Brown concert and then if the weather is nice have another surprise planned for the girls Sunday. The following weekend we're camping at White Lake and then summer is over and Brooke will start 1st grade. Sad how time flies, but we're doing everything we can to make the most of it and what little is left of summer. Yes there's plenty more to do after summer is over but the days get shorter, the air gets cooler, life gets busier and it's just not quite the same, so for now hope you enjoy the pics and get out and enjoy the rest of summer!