Garden Update

Last year I struck out on everything I planted (except the Irises from Minnie). This year I am doing better.

On May 10th, I planted Shasta Daisy, Nasturtium, Blazing Star, Canterberry Bells, and a wildflower mix. Going into July the wildflower mix has been a big success. The Blazing Star and Nasturtium are growing but have not bloomed yet. The Shasta Daisy and Canterberry Bells have been no shows.

Ellie has been helping me with the watering (also, she has shown interest in her tee ball set, we were worked on her swing this weekend!)  

D and E showing off a recently completed craft project (campfire with roasting mars mellows).  Courtesy of KiwiCrate and Julia. 

Emily could be crawling any day now.................stay tuned. 

Castine, Maine

This past weekend we drove up to the little town of Castine, Maine. One of Darcy's co-workers owns a house there that he rents out during the summer months. Lucky for us, he let us stay for free. To add to the excitement, we were joined by some friends who have a two year old named George.

It was a great three-day weekend except Ellie was sick the entire time with a high fever. Literally an hour up the road and Ellie started to complain she wasn't feeling well. Needless to say, it was not a very relaxing vacation.

Despite that, we found Castine to be a very picturesque and quaint New England coastal town with a lot of history.



The Lodging: An 1800's farm house over looking a golf course.

The Crew: A 5 month old a, 2 year old, and a 3.5 year old. And a Porcupine that climbed a tree in the front yard.

View of Penobscot Bay:

Castine History - Occupied continuously since the 1600s with the French, English, Dutch, and Colonial Americans all vying for it at one point or another. As a result, Castine was the home to many different forts, although only 1 kinda/sorta still exists.

In 1779 the Brits built Fort George. It played a crucial role in the Penobscot expedition, the largest naval expedition of the Revolutionary war and the worst defeat in American Naval History (until Pearl Harbor). It didn't end well for the Americans. Paul Revere was in charge of the artillery during the expedition and was nearly court marshalled for disobedience and cowardice.  

In the 1850's Castine supposedly had the 2nd highest per capita wealth of any city in the US, but times were not always good!!

Today it is a very sleepy little town, with the tagline "under the Elms by the sea".

Despite being sick, I think Ellie still had a good time. 

Emily Turns 5 Months + Flag Day + Fathers Day

Busy weekend for us. Emily turned 5 months on Friday the 13th, Saturday Dedham had their annual Flag Day Parade, and Sunday was Fathers Day.

Here is the recap.


5 Months: Emily at 5 months, is doing great and can now sit-up by herself and manipulate and hold her toys (usually to chew on). She also loves to watch what her sister is doing. We think she will be crawling in no time.

Flag Day: Dedham is known throughout the area for their annual Flag Day Parade. In the past, it has taken place during the work week so we have not been able to attend. However, this year it was on a Saturday and the Blume's (Avery's parents ) had us and some other friends over  - they live right off the parade route. People by the 1000's come and line the streets of Dedham. Expected attendance was ~20,000 or so along the 2-3 mile route with ~ 20 different local marching bands, according to the local papers.

Fathers day: Sunday we had a nice, low key day here, with a trip to the park where Ellie and I practiced running the bases.

The whole day I kept telling the girls that all I really wanted was a picture of all three of us. The whole day Ellie kept saying, sure thing Dad but maybe later. Well, by the end of the day Ellie was in a complete meltdown - this was the best we could get. Emmy cooperated though!

Blue Hills Hike

This weekend we enjoyed the fantastic weather by hiking to the top of Great Blue Hill (635 ft), just a stones throw from our house. Two fun facts: 1) it is the highest point within 10 miles of the Atlantic, south of Central Maine ; 2) it is home to the oldest continuous weather recording station in the US. 

If it looks familiar, that is because we have had other blog posts from Blue Hills. 

Ellie did a great job hiking all the way up and most of the way down. She loved pretending to be a "mountain climber". Emmy was tucked into the baby carrier most of the hike. 

At the top of the hill there is an old tower/fort thing you can climb up. Ellie likes to pretend that princesses live there. I like it for the view of Boston and the Bay. 

After a few snacks we made our way down. I knew that the last 15 minutes would be rough when Ellie said "if you see tears coming out of my eyes you know I am ready for a nap". Two minutes later I was carrying her down the rest of the way. 

Here are some pics of Emily today. Really getting good at sitting.