Week Four!

We spent the beginning of our last week on vacation at my sister Cindy's house in Massachusetts. The boys loved all the special attention they received. They especially liked hanging out with their cousin's Matt and Sarah. Thanks guys for teaching the boys how to play Sorry. It's now one of their favorite board games. After fun outings to the pool, park, restaurant, and being spoiled by Aunt Cindy, we continued heading North.

We visited my brother and sister in-law in MA. My sister in-law, Sue, took us all on a road trip to Hampton Beach in New Hampshire. The kids had so much fun boogie boarding, digging for crabs and playing in the sand. We all enjoyed the homemade ice cream we stopped for on the way home! The next day we went to the park, Friendly's for lunch and for a couple rounds of candlestick bowling.

Onward to Maine, where we stayed in Apt. #2 in Grandma Frost's building. The boys love swimming in the heated, indoor pool and eating all the fun treats she has. We took a trip to an animal farm on the hottest day of the summer in Maine. We still got to spy on a Moose. For dinner we hopped on ferry ride over to Peak's Island, off th coast of Portland, for dinner over-looking the bay.

Ed flew in on Saturday, our last day of vacation. We headed to the beach to soak in the sea air and play in the sand one last time. That night we saw a minor league baseball game with the Portland Sea Dogs, who have our favorite mascot, Slugger. What a memorable, busy, fun month we've had. We LOVE to visit with all our family and friends each summer!

Week Three...

Ed returned to Texas and the daily grind. The boys and I continued on our East coast tour. First stop, my sister Colleen's house in Connecticut. We visited with her family - Uncle T.D. and cousins Alyson, Caitlin and Maura & all their boyfriends. My sister Carol along with her husband Jim and 2 of their 4 kids, Meaghan & Courtney were there as well.

There was a pool party/cook-out with even more of my family - my sister Cindy and 2 of her 3 kids, Matt and Sarah. We celebrated all the July Birthdays, which of course meant presents and cake for Zach. Thanks all for his new Nintendo game cartridges. There was plenty of swimming in the pool, playing games, too many great meals, and lots of fun with our family. Thank you Colleen and T.D. for such a great visit. You treat us too well, we're tempted to move right in...

At the end of the week I was able to hook up with the Toth gang for a day outing. We took a ferry ride around the Thimble Islands off the Sound. The kids loved the boat ride and the park they played at afterwards. Next stop the Jersey shore. We headed down for a couple nights. Our first stop was visiting my childhood, life-long friend Michele and her family. I finally met her beautiful little boy, James. The kids and I spent the afternoon at the beach. Then, back to Michele's for a really memorable night of catching up with some high school friends. Thanks Michele and John for hosting such a fun party.

The next day we headed to the beach with my high school friend, college roommate, and life-long buddy, Jeanette and her family. We stayed at the beach from 2:30 to 7:30. My kids were beat. A day of sun, salt air, and swimming really takes it out of you. I just love those days... Thanks Jeanette and Rick for the beach outing and the cozy beds to spend the night in.

Three down, one to go...

Week Two

We met up with our good friends from Virginia, Anna and Rob Toth and their kids Daniel, Andy, and Abby for the 2nd Annual Abbott/Toth Family summer vacation in Maine. We rented a great house surrounded on 3 sides with water on Sebago Lake. There was an association beach with a large floating deck for the kids to swim to. We had our own little sandy beach, which attracted many ducks for us to feed. The house was even big enough for us to have guests. Our first night Aunt Annie and Uncle Luke visited. They were on a mission to eat as many lobsters as possible during their stay in Maine. So, we had to suffer through another lobster and clam feed.

We rented a pontoon boat(aka party barge)for three days during that week. We had lots of fun boating, swimming and tubing in Sebago. On Wednesday, Grandma and Grandpa Abbott, Woods, Sue, Brittany and Mathew joined us for a day on the boat and to celebrate Zach's 7th Birthday.

As always, it was great to see the Toth family and catch up on all the events of the past year. I'm so glad we can get the kids together to make these forever summer memories. You know if we were still in VA, we'd be knocking on your door most Saturday nights... We miss you Toths! And, are looking forward to another fun filled summer with you next year!

Our East Coast Adventure - Week One

We left on our annual East coast excursion on June 30th. Landing at La Guardia, we found out our connecting flight to Boston had been cancelled. This was Friday and the next flight we could get on was on Sunday...mmmm. Plan B! Pay for an exorbitantly high costing rental car and drive to Boston ourselves. Once on the road, I could feel the East coast vibe immediately. In Texas folks drive BIG trucks and SUVs (myself included). It's a big state and people prefer big cars. Back east the roads are full of small, old sedans, VW's and Subaru's zipping about the road. The other immediate change is the music played on the radio. I can never get enough Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Beach Boys. The night just kept getting better as we headed into a 24 hour diner for dinner. I LOVE diners. Their coffee, booths with plastic covered seats, and especially, ordering breakfast at any time of the day. Of course, I had eggs and bacon!

We made it to Maine on Saturday right on schedule. We headed to Ed's Uncle Walter and Aunt Carol's cabin on Red Hill in Rumford. We had a great meal and in true Abbott style a delicious dessert. Huge servings of fresh picked Maine strawberries, over homemade biscuits and whip cream....mmmm good. The next day was the annual 4th of July picnic. This year we were at the Champ family farm. This picnic has been going on for over 50 years. It's an amazing event that brings together so many generations of family and friends. The dinner bell rang at noon and the eating just doesn't stop. There are annual favorites - Gaye's scalloped potatoes, John's turkey, Sue & Woods' stuffed shells. Then, there is dessert. A dozen or so types of homemade ice cream and a buffet table full of baked goods. After a short respite on the lawn the croquet tournament begins. There is some deep rooted competition here, maybe a little creative playing, and a champion by the end of the flights! The kids all have a terrific time exploring in the old barn, running in the fields, and filling up on ice cream.

We followed all this eating with...you guessed it, more eating! Thank you Woods and Sue for having us up to camp. We spent a few days with Ed's brother's family enjoying their relaxing, peaceful, and fun filled Maine camp. The kids had so much fun being with their cousins, Brittany and Mathew, Aunt Annie and Uncle Luke. Our days were full of boating, tubing, swimming, fishing, sunning and eating!

After a 4th of July cook-out at camp, we all headed to Portland to see the fireworks. Grandma Frost had scored tickets for us all to be aboard the fire boat out in Portland harbor to watch the show. I don't have any pictures of this outing, because I didn't get to go. Andrew was NOT going for a boat ride that night! He and I headed to a local pizza spot for dinner. We watched the boats in the harbor. We watched the clouds roll in. Then, the rain start. We ran to our car and watched the fireworks from a hill top warm and dry in the car;) We drove down to the dock to pick up our crew, who were wet through and through, but still smiling:) Definitely, a night to remember.

We spent the next few days with Grandma Frost (Ed's mom), Annie and Luke in Portland. We headed to the beach, ate more lobster, saw Ratatouille, took a train ride, shopped at L.L. Beans, swam in the pool, ate Mexican food, ate ice cream, and I even took in a Pilates mat class (by now you see how much I needed it;). Week one ended with a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Abbott's new house in Falmouth. They took the boys down to the docks for a little crabbing.

Schools Out!

After a relaxing, rejuvenating vacation in Destin and New Orleans, we came home to the beginning of summer activities. The boys participated in a week-long Sky Hawks sports camp at the Y with some of their buddies. They got to dribble, kick and shoot for 3 hours a day. The next week we headed to the Fort Worth Science Museum for a MOMS Club field trip. We had a great time with our friends the Brock, Cann, and Jurney families. The boys loved the Star Wars exhibit, the Dino dig, and the really cool optical illusion exhibit. We took in the snake exhibit at the Heard Wildlife Museum in McKinney. Fortunately, we were there on the right day at the right time for the weekly feeding of the snakes. Those poor little mice didn't stand a chance. The boys seemed a bit squeamish too. I guess they do have a sensitive side;) We had fun swimming at Lifetime and our neighborhood pool. And, the kids cashed in at our yard sale by selling lemonade. All I can say is...Summer FUN has just begun!

N'awlins

Here I go again, backtracking with this blog. I just don't want anyone to miss any of the fun times we've had this summer;) Back in June on the way home from Destin, Florida, we spent a couple nights in New Orleans. We stayed at the Embassy Suites just a couple blocks away from the convention center and river walk. Our hotel was only a block away from Emeril's Restaurant. Of course Ed has eaten there before on business trips, but this mama doesn't get out much. So, we got the kids and headed over. Emeril's is clearly not a kid friendly restaurant. There is no kids menu only $30 to $40 entrees. Definitely no crayons and coloring books. We got dirty looks as soon as we stepped in the door. The front of house staff suggested we try a local bar/restaurant up the block called Lucy's, which is owned by a former California surfer dude. Surfer memorabilia was everywhere. I was so glad that I had dressed the boys in their matching surfer shirts that evening. They were quite a hit at the bar! After a cold beer, a Juicy Lucy burger, and coloring for the kids, we were safely back at the hotel in enough time to take advantage of the complimentary happy hour and a quick swim in the pool!

The next day Ed headed off to meet clients and the boys and I went to the New Orleans Children's Museum just a block away from the hotel. The boys had a terrific time. We stayed for 3 1/2 hours. At $7 a person it seemed like a bargain. The museum was full of cool science stuff, an art room, and a section on Mr. Rogers. The boys liked everything. But, their favorite things to do whenever we go to a children's museum is play at the restaurant and grocery store. This outing was no different.

We met up with Ed for an afternoon at the Aquarium. Some highlights included an IMAX movie about sea life, petting a baby sand shark, and touching a baby sting ray. Then, we headed to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Restaurant in the French Quarter for dinner followed by biegnets at Cafe du Monde for dessert. We were stuffed and tired and ready for bed!