Tuesday, August 27, 2013

August 2013

Before heading back to Utah our last stop in New England was Boston. Rachel learned a little about the American Revolution and Paul Revere in first grade so we wanted her to see Paul Revere's home and the Old North Church.

Our first night in Boston we stopped at the Fire Museum on our way down to Faneuil Hall to eat dinner. The kids had fun trying on the fireman gear and were thrilled to take home their own red plastic fireman hats.




The next day we walked through the Boston Common and stopped at the playground before taking the Freedom Trail over to the North End. Boston is a beautiful city now that the Big Dig is finally behind them. Its amazing to see all the green grass and open space that was once the Central Artery going through the city! The increase in tourism is a testament to the new beauty of Boston.





Benjamin Franklin - born in Boston!
Paul Revere with the Old North Church behind him.

Rachel had her first piano recital in August. She played about half a dozen pieces and did a wonderful job. She is getting to be quite a pianist!



The first day of school! Summer sure flew by...


Friday, August 2, 2013

Spider Lake 2013

This crazy bunch made the trek from Boston to Maine in a mammoth SUV with three rows of seating and even two video screens for the DVD player! The overnight in Augusta helped a lot and made the drive more enjoyable. Spider Lake is a beautiful spot, well worth the effort to get here. The first night we celebrated John's birthday with some yummy cake. The kids had the job of covering the cake with M&M's - a job they were more than willing to help with :)




Enjoying the water - so refreshing! Carson showed Shivani how he loves to throw rocks in the water, the bigger the splash the better!



Rainy day activities - building things with Grampy, making 'pets' out of beads, playing cards.




Afternoon relax time.

Enjoying the grandparents.




Campfire time! Rachel had to pick her favorite activity of the summer for her second grade 'get to know me' worksheet. She picked roasting marshmallows.



Carson made a feeding spot for the dogs.



We spent more time in the kayak this year once we discovered that an adult and a child could fit in it together. Grampy took us for some rides in the motorboat to see the bald eagle on the island across the lake.





Andrews family canoe ride.

Rachel and Shivani enjoyed some fishing right off the dock. When Shivani's rod was baited and first put into the water her comment was, "I caught a worm!". Rachel caught several small chubs right off the dock, much to her delight.



 Cousins playing together.