a little boat ride

 

about 10 minutes into the ride something went very wrong…..can you tell what is missing from this picture?

  coop’s hat flew off into the water, he was devastated…no worries, we got it back…and he put it on, even soaking wet. what kind of mother takes pictures of their child during a time like this! check out Caroline holding onto her hat! this  picture still makes me giggle.

long beach……this beach is underwater at high tide….as the tide goes out it becomes a magical place….lots of new shells, minnows and hermit crabs to catch

cousin Kyle gave the kids rides on the jet ski

and Caroline boogy boarded down a little canal

Aunt Ginny’s garden is filled with beautiful flowers……blue hydrangea is my favorite…..you can find this flower in almost every garden on The Cape.

the end of another perfect day, the view from the deck is amazing.

our happy place

 

we packed up the mini van, the kiddos, and the dog

and headed to our favorite place on earth……

Aunt Ginny’s and Uncle Bucky’s house.

ya can’t be in a bad mood here….not allowed.

a smile just takes over your face.

after hugs and kisses and hellos

its time to grab a beer and head to the dock

cousins galore have grown up here

and instant bonds are made

  

let the exploring begin!

the catch of the day! cousin Adam shows us the traps.

 

we learn a lot on our visits

Caroline learns how to catch a hermit crab

Cooper learns how to walk on the wobbly dock

we learn about the tides and what bait to use

and how catching minnows takes lots of practice.

 

mini vacation

back from the beach

we spent 3 glorious days at Rob’s aunt and uncle’s house on Buzzard’s Bay.

my happy place

more pictures to download once i get all this laundry done.

hello Trolley

so, our little town has a trolley, a free trolley

and we see it everywhere and the kids have been screaming about wanting to ride the trolley!

enough already….so rob and i walked downtown with the kids to find the trolley…..almost an hour later, we gave up, no trolley to be found!

Day2 notice i brought the camera, snacks, giraffe, bunny, and water

we were prepared to wait this time.

waitingand waiting…..still smiling!

 

and waiting….took this picture for our mailman who is also our neighbor

finally!! now we can check this off the list of wild and crazy “things to do this summer” 

the kids did love it though, and they are still screaming “trolley” every time we see it…which is like 50 times a day…its taunting me. it knows i’m not a good waiter.

two for Tuesday

2 beers for the price of one?

nope….that was 10 years and 2 kids ago.

these days we get excited for two for Tuesday at the Carousel, 2 rides for the price of one, yipppeee!

 

especially after our plans to go the zoo were rained out….strike 1

Plan B was to go to the Children’s Museum…except that is closed on Tuesdays….strike 2.

we were getting a bit nervous with 4 kids in the car, after driving for almost an hour. i just wish i new how to use my new camera…..blurry. oh look…..blurry!

i have about 2 dozen of these blurry pictures.

no worries….. we survived another rainy day.

sunny summer days

i never get tired of this view

especially on a warm sunny day

when Rob gets out of work we pile on the boat and go across the lake

with a dinner picnic packed

to listen to the music

every Wednesday night in the summer the town sponsors a band to play at the park on the lake.the band last week played all Sinatra songs

I’m not sure if Coop is singing or just being weird….probably just weird.

pink lemonade ice cream

this is what is left of the last batch of pink lemonade ice cream

i thought rob was going to have a fit as the nephews devoured it last night

i was able to save him the last bit…he really doesn’t like to share the homemade stuff. we received this ice cream maker almost 9 years ago as a wedding gift

a KRUPS “La Glaciere”

vanilla, coffee, chocolate, lemon sorbet, strawberry

this year for Caroline’s birthday i wanted a pink ice cream, but something other than the usual strawberry…..it was a big hit….the almond flavor adds a bit of interest.

Pink Lemonade Ice Cream

1 1/2 cup of heavy cream

1  cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. almond extract

1 can of pink lemonade concentrate

pinch of salt

2 drops of red food coloring

combine all ingredients and chill for 20 minutes

process in ice cream maker

a win win

this summer we found a new favorite park

i pack a picnic

and we all wear our sneakers….even me.

this playground has a track.

and while the kids play

i walk and jog.

a win win

last week we stayed for over 2 hours!

i did 16 laps! the kids joined me for 2…it was cute.

after 12 laps i said, “mommy’s going to go around 1 more time.”

they said, “do 2!” so i kept going!

after 16 laps…i was exhausted! and they were actually all played out!

 

the lake

        just like his daddy….Coop loves being out on the water. Cooper’s first time tubing……..he had a blast!

and then caroline wanted to go by herself…..and fast.

and then cooper wanted to go by himself…..but i wasn’t ready for that.