Summer

It was fun visiting family and Yellowstone, but it is very nice to be back enjoying our summer inMaine. We have somewhat limited time to hike and swim before Baby Girl comes, so we have been trying to get it all in, with varying success. I'm at the point where I often don't sleep for half the night, which means my energy has flagged significantly during the day, but we've managed to get out and about a little bit.

We returned just a day before the 4th of July, so we were busy all that week with Alexa, Sean, and Eden who had come to visit for a couple days. Eden stayed on for about a week and a half before she returned to Dover to get ready for EFY in Albany. While she was here, we hit up Asticou Garden (the picture for which, for some reason, isn't coming up, so just imagine Eden walking Elvis through a beautiful garden), Wild Gardens of Acadia, part of the Jesup path, and Lakewood. 

Eden, proud of the accomplishment of going under the (warm) pond water,  particularly before Madie, who had been egging her the entire time.

After Eden was gone, we were busy with friends--we caught up with Jen and her girls for a walk along the Ocean Path,

Petya waits in the shade for a bus back to town.

we met with Trish and her kids at Lakewood for an afternoon swim on a hot day,

Abby and Brinly were giving the little kids pushes through the air. Finn loved it, and talked about it  for days afterward. "Abby let me climb on her knees and then she'd throw me into the water. It was so fun. I kept going under the water. It was so fun."

and we joined Aunt Rinda and my cousins in Belfast for a Sunday lunch and strawberry shortcake.

Finn, Lottie, Petya, Thomas, and Pip playing in the sprinkler.

Enjoying some shortcake on the deck.

Madie has been participating in Summer Festival of the Arts this summer. It's a three-week long day camp, and we miss having her with us on our hikes, but she has loved it. Their last day is tomorrow and they will showcase all their work. 

Showing off some experimental pipe-cleaner puppets she made in a puppet class--this showcase will have an original puppet show written and directed by the kids with puppets of their own making. 

The second week of SFOA was Spirit Week, during which they had a "Character Day." Madie has wanted to dress as Hermione every time this comes up at school, but we haven't had the appropriate clothes for it. Of course, it doesn't help that Madie tells me about these things the night before. This outfit we were able to pull together with a borrowed button down, a sweater, and a black t-shirt pinned into a skirt. She was very happy to play Hermione all day.

We've also spent time skipping rocks and playing in the Green, and have enjoyed a couple of special programs at the Jesup Library, including a Mad Scientist and painting our own worlds.

Petya ran laps around the Green.

Creating her own world.