Maine

Oh, what a wonderful family vacation in Maine! We stayed with my old friend Molly and her lovely family in Portland. Jeremy loved having sympatico adults to talk with and Ethan loved Molly's little boy Declan and his toys. I loved having a week to just be with my family, have small adventures, and rest.

Other excitements:

• Beach. Ethan shuttled sea water to the moat he built with Jeremy many dozens of times.

• Tools. We visited one of my oldest friends, Jessica, and her hubby Christian. Jess does preservation carpentry and she showed us her home woodworking shop. Ethan loves tools and therefore LOVED Jessica's shop.

• Zoo. On our way out of town we visited a park that houses Maine wildlife that is unfit for the wild life (think albino porcupine and three-legged bobcat). We saw bear and deer and moose and a mountain lion.
  

• Quiet. Ethan napped. Jeremy napped. Mama napped. We read a little. We didn't go to school or work. The quiet of vacation restores us.
  

• Ferry Ride to Peak's Island. Ethan's first boat ride! On the island we rented bikes and explored the rocky beaches. Ethan was totally focused on climbing boulders, chucking rocks into the ocean, collecting snails, and pretending his little nook amongst the rocks was a car and then a rocket. We ate lunch by the shore and Ethan napped in the bike trailer while Jeremy and I biked back and forth by the water.
  

Refreshed and restored, we are back to the busy busy life a being a toddler, a med student, and a stay-at-home papa.

WinterSpring

Here are some belated videos from the long cold months of WinterSpring in NH.

1. Playing the harmonica with Uncle Paul.

Ethan was insane with joy for (my brother) Uncle Paul's entire three day visit. Joy was made manifest through wresting, punching, throwing trucks, screaming, hugging, dancing, jumping, and making a little music.

Sometimes I wish our friends and family could see the quiet, focused Ethan we see. Instead, whenever anyone he loves comes around, a rowdy, impulsive guy comes bounding out, too excited for his own good. I love both guys, of course, but get worn down by all the wildness.

In addition to fun, we also have some evidence here of Ethan's favorite outfit, Shark Shirt (worn backwards so the shark is visible) and Comfy Pants. He's now moved on to more summer fare, but boy, he loved this outfit this winter.



2. Shoes



3. Getting Ready



4. Snow



5. Cleats

Ethan is REALLY handy with tools. He would be satisfied if every day we let him take apart the chairs with his screwdriver. Here, we compromise with Papa's rugby cleats.



6. Fog Machine at the Montshire Museum. Note my brilliant explanation of how the fog machine works.



7. Fort



8. Easter

Gardening

Jeremy and Ethan have been working on a little flower-pot garden. Here, Ethan is extending his gardening skills to cultivate some rocks and dirt by our front steps.




And then, like every evening, Ethan had a little tantrum when the dinner bell rang.

This photo was followed by Ethan hitting the camera out of my hands.

Do not mock a two year old's suffering, or he shall smite you down.

Anniversary

June 4 was our 6th wedding anniversary. It happened to fall in the midst of Jeremy healing from getting kicked in the face at a Rugby match (looks like nothing's broken) and me studying for a big exam, but we made time for a little outing to the beach.

Note here Jeremy's fat lip and how I look exactly the same as I did twenty years ago.

Checking out a bug. Ethan is fascinated with creepy crawlers. We are trying to convince him not to squish every one he finds. I think he does it out of love/curiosity/excitement more than maliciousness or fear. Here, he was able to restrain himself. Perhaps because he got his fix slapping a million mosquitoes? Possible.

Here, Ethan is having a tantrum about not wanting his picture taken.

A few favorite books

Ethan LOVES reading books. Here are a few recent favorites:

• Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley
• Miss Bindergarten Goes to Kindergarten
• Llama Llama Red Pajama
• The Lonely Moose and Carrot Soup by John Segal
• The Wizard by Jack Prelewtsky (kind of weird but Ethan wants us to read it about twice a day)
• Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
• LMNOPeas (a alphabet book with silly peas in costume)
• Truck Duck
• The Paterson Puppies and the Rainy Day by Leslie Patricelli
• Any Richard Scary book (Postman Pig is currently in the book bin)
• The Hairy Maclary books (a collection of books about a Kiwi doggie introduced to us by our friends Kate and Benji!)

I am so excited for the day when Ethan can read the words himself. What a treat to be able to teach him how to do one of the most pleasurable things on earth - read a good book.