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Maine, 2015

Will's sister bought an old house in Maine last summer that was sold with all of its furnishings; this suitcase full of baby clothes, beautifully preserved, was up in the attic and looked as though it hadn't been opened in 60 years.

Squirrel Island Etc.

Maine, 2015

We took a boat ride to Squirrel Island yesterday and had a great time (until Ozzy cut his lip; an injury which seemed to be cured by ice cream.) Oscar in particular seems so thrilled to have so many new things to explore while Axel is loving trailing around after his older cousins (the next batch early arrive next week.)

High Seas

Monhegan Island, 2015

Camera fiascos, ferry rides, ambitious hikes, a few scrapes and bruises and two sandy wet toddlers and we are back from our little trip to Monhegan.

The island is as gorgeous as ever, with some staggering scenery and tiny cottages with rocky gardens and meandering paths with wonderful hiking. And it always feels like a special happening simply to get there, even though it's just an hour's ferry ride from the mainland.

We had moments of great fun punctuated by a fair bit of whining and crying (I think they've just been in so many new places lately, they are a little out of sorts every time we make a shift, Axel especially.) Still, it's always fun to make little side trips, like our overnight on Chebeague Island last year, part of the summer tradition.

For now I am just glad to shake the brine out of our bags and sleep soundly without getting wildly kicked all night by an over-excited-nearly-three-year-old.

Birthdaversary

Maine, 2011

It's Will's 35th birthday today (ancient!) and our fourth wedding anniversary.

Tomorrow we are off to celebrate with the boys in tow for an overnight on Monhegan Island, a little trip we also took just after our wedding. It's been a busy few years around these parts...

Oscar: Sixteen Months Old

Oscar, 2015

And one more picture of Oscar (plus a peek back at Axel at the same age.)

Ahoy

Maine, 2015

We have made our great escape from the city and so far it's been lovely. Every time I arrive after a spell away I am sort of stunned by how beautiful it is, seven hours in the car aside.

Oscar turned sixteen months old on Thursday and is such a little imp...I think today he truly believed he was in charge of the boat. After one wobbly day Axel is in heaven too and very very chatty.

Away We Go

Vienna, 2015

Today we are packing up the car and heading north to Maine for much of the summer. I am looking forward to seeing Oscar get to know the great outdoors, as last summer he was so little he didn't grasp much of it. Axel's getting excited too and has been jabbering away about boats and lobsters, even if I'm not sure how much he truly remembers...

So why am I posting a pic of "American Ginger Ale"? Well I will have to skip the dark and stormies this summer...I am happy to share the news that I am about four months pregnant with baby number three, a boy, due in December.

We are thrilled even as we know we are in for a wild ride over the next few years, with three under four. Is that a thing? Every time Will shares the news that we are going from a family of four to a family of five people talk to him about "zone defense" and neither he nor I have anything but the vaguest idea of what that means.

We are used to plenty of chaos at this point but I am trying to appreciate the relative peace we will have this summer with "just" two under three.

I don't expect to be doing weekly updates this go round but aside from a verrrrry tiring first trimester I am feeling okay and pretty positive about all of the adventures to come.

The one funny thing about having your third is that people are pretty slim on the sympathy and tend to even forget about it completely...it's like "Oh?Again?!" I'm okay with that, I get it, but it does make it feel quite different from the first time.