Week Five: New Hampshire and Maine

Back in the company of Mimi and Boppy, we went to a campground in New Hamsphire (or was it Massachusetts or Maine…??? - they all run together there)!  Mila entertained some teenagers for about 15-20 minutes by throwing a sinker toy into the pool and having them retrieve it for her.  It was so cute!  I love watching my kids interact with other kids that are far from their age - there is something so sweet and loving about seeing older kids play with my little ones.  Or seeing Aveah being tender to an infant.  

Mila is into showing off her belly - to anyone!  Here she's showing a stranger in a coffee shop!

Avi taking our picture! Newburryport, Massachusetts. 

Avi asked, "Are you guys in love?"  "Yes!"

Visiting a submarine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Boy am I glad that I don't have to live on one of those!

What a man!  Babywearing through submarine doors which are NOT easy to climb through.

Captain Mila!

Michael and Avi in the mess hall.

A good little lobster shack with an amazing view!

A typical morning in Mimi and Boppy's motorhome.  Everyone having breakfast.  Mila had to eat on the tile floor because she is still too messy!  But Mimi got her a cute little stool to use as a table or chair.

This is how our kids rolled if we took a drive longer than 45 minutes we would put on a movie and give them snacks.  This kept Avi totally entertained and Mila happy for about 1.5 to 2.5 hours.  We tried to keep our daily drives less than 3 hours to keep the kiddos happy.  

Stopping for the day at the cutest little town: Camden, Maine!  We parked here and were within walking distance of: the docks and gorgeous tall ships, a wonderful library, a cute park, and downtown.  

Mila naps and one of us stays near the motorhome while the other goes exploring with Aveah.  Today, I sat on the steps overlooking the water, read, drank tea and enjoyed some quiet time while Michal and Aveah explored the river below!

Then I took the girls and we went exploring while Michael had some alone time.

The water is still warm!

Melting down Mila close to bed time.  Beautiful full moon in the background!

See Avi dancing on the grass!

snuggle time!

Mila all snuggly with her blanket and "paci."

Avi wanted to a photo shoot... 

and so did Mila, but once we got outside, Mila had a melt down (but only for a minute - she's such a sweet girl, getting over tantrums really quickly usually!)

All better!

She could jump off this rock for days!

This amazing monument was just a 3 minute drive up the hill from our campground.  It was a memorial to all World War Two lost lives.

The view of the town and harbor from the monument.

About 19 weeks pregnant and I can feel her kick now.  And even though she's physically closer to me than we ever will be (she's literally one with me), I still put my hand on the outside of my belly, just so I can also feel her with my hands, touch her a little more, and imagine what it will be like to hold her!  She's been such a sweet little baby and a blessing so far!  

Michael checking out my "fat" belly!

O'lakai/flipflop family!

This may be the only picture of the 6 of us we got on the whole trip!

My daddy and me!

That cute library I was talking about earlier.  I think in cold snowy places like this they need to have spacious gorgeous libraries!

How and where Mila napped and slept!  She would just climb right into her tent all on her own.  What a sweetie!

Waiting for Mila to wake up so we can drive to our campground!

A beautiful bridge in Souther Maine.

Roberta pinning a lobster bib on Michael!  Roberta lives in the tiny township of Franklin, Maine.

Our lobster dinner consisted of lobster.  That's all.  And white wine.  And banana cream pie for dessert.  Maren had 3 lobsters!

The aftermath.

Walking down Roberta's huge lawn to the bay.

Roberta's house.

Mila sharing a flower with Mama.

This is how I feel right now!

A gorgeous little picnic spot. But it wasn't too relaxing having a  2-year-old next to this rushing river in Ellsworth, Maine!

Avi in Roberta's spa while Mila napped.

Roberta's sweet sweet pug, Katie.

Where we recycled our Lobster shells - back to the sea!

We all loved the spa!

Avi loved spending hours out on this spa with Roberta's other sweet dog, Oscar.

Avi in her "Icelandic" sweater in Maine.  Schoodic Point.  

playing stick swords

It is so fun to love on Mila!  

East Coast 2014: Week 4, Boston

We were lucky enough to get a room at the Cambridge Cohousing! The outside was cute and the location was great: right on a bike/walking path that led between a nature preserve and football field on the 5 minute walk to the subway!

So nice having a kids room with a couch for the tired parents!

Using the cart to unpack our car into our room.

Taking the lift to the second floor with all our stuff! See Mila?

Reading in our room after the kids fell asleep.

The quaint dinning room.

Our first day. Cambridge. Harvard Square. "Look ma, I got into Harvard!"

Avi at Harvard. 

Mila not wanting a picture at Harvard!

Me & baby three!

The freshman dining hall! Gorgeous building! I tried to sneak in to see the inside but I couldn't. 

Play things for the kids!

See us girls?  Harvard classrooms.

Boston Ultrasound! $350 told us that she has four limbs, a healthy heart and is a girl!

The first picture of our 3 girls!

It was soooo hot that day we just went home and crashed til about 4:30 then we went swimming at the free local pool - just a 7 minute walk from the Cohousing! We had to all get out early though because the sound of thunder made them close it for an hour. See Michael and Mila?

Riding the escalator is a thrill in itself! Michael took the girls up and down and up and down while we waited for our train.

Mila thinks she's so big!

Avi has me look out the window! (It's always black because we are in a tunnel! But that doesn't stop her from getting all excited when she gets a "window seat"!)

Letting Avi swing when the train is empty. 

One of the oldest cemeteries in Boston. Something like 10,000 people are buried here including Paul Revere. The tombs were swept and reused when enough time passed, so the markers (when you can read them) are likely not accurate.

Avi finally got her face painted!  A unicorn!

The family who drinks coffee together stats together! Molly Leach recommended this cute place, The Thinking Cup. 

Hurricane Arthur won't keep us in. In fact, we much prefer this weather over the hot hot humid weather a few days before. 

Raining hard! This is where the Boston Tea Party happened.

At the coolest children's museum! But our girls can find fun anywhere - even the lockers in the lobby!

Ladybug Mila!

Even the bathrooms are cool in the children's museum! There's a kids size toilet and parent toilet. The wall art was from the iconic book "Everyone Poops"!

having lunch at the oldest pub in America!

Paul Revere's house

A sunny day after the hurricane passed! I loved this old old steet!

The church that showed "two lanterns if by sea" the fateful beginning of the Revolutionary War. At this church you bought a cubby, decorated it, and sat there during service.

Playing with Mila while we wait for our food at the oldest tavern in the United States, Bell in Hand.

Maren took the girls to the science museum while Michael had a few hours "off. Thanks to Carol, our coho host, we got in free!

Mila, barely 2, stood for 10-15 minutes and to watch this hands-off presentation/expirement using vacuum pressure! It cracked me up - her attentiveness, while all the other kids were 5-7 years old.

Just a pretty view from our patio dinner table that night.

We got lucky - this restuarant Molly recommended had a super fun street performer that kept the kids attention. We got to eat slower than normal!