Look who's walking at 7 months!

Just kidding, although in this picture he almost looks like he is! My little pumpkin did however reach a new milestone yesterday when he started saying dada or it was more like dadadadada.


While Gavin is growing by leaps and bounds, Marina has reverted and is seen here playing in Gavins walker/playseat.

Zoe's First Book Club Meeting is a Halloween Hit

Book Club this way!
My first book club meeting was a very fun experience! 4 of the members came(that includes me) the other 2 couldn't make it. The book that we are going to read is
Kitten in a Candy Corn by Ben M. Baglio. At the meeting we made up silly halloween names. Mine was Spookle Spookton. My friends names were Candycorn Blackcat,Livingstonnot Nottodienottolive,and Cursekennel Carvington. We had candy corn, ghost cookies and cheese and crackers. We drank hot apple cider, played halloween charades, and decorated halloween bookmarks! We also did a survey about what kind of books we like to read and other things like that. I gave out small goodie bags with small little things in them like pens, pencils, erasers, acorns, and candy. My friends and I all agree that it was a fun first meeting! I can't wait for the next one.


Eating area


Pumpin Patch (right) Eating area (left)

Perfect fall weekend

DJ took the day off on Friday and we had planned to go to the local fair but at the last minute decided we didn't feel like fighting through the crowds with the double stroller. We ended up having a very low key but fun afternoon/evening. It was perfect fall weather and we went to the playgroud for a bit. The first picture is of all the kids sitting in the baby swings. I think (and hope) that will be the last time they attempt that!



Saturday we went to Family day in my home town with some of my family ( Uncle Bob, Aunt Heather, Harrison, CJ, Aunt Kim and Uncle Willy) and met friends there (The Riveras). We had lots of fun and it was all free! They took pony rides played on the three inflatables and especially enjoyed the rat race obstacle course. They ate lots goodies throughout the afternoon.

Apple picking and pie cooking.

Violet made the first score of the game on Saturday. She is an enthusiastic player and is really having a great season this year. We are all going to go watch her next weekend.



It was a great weekend to be outside. Unfortunately we had a lot of things to do around the yard with the closing of the pool and putting away lots of summer toys etc... We went to Bishops's orchard to pick some apples. We ended up with 4 bags of apples! Mommy and the kids made three yummy apple pies. We cooked one and froze 2. We now have 2 blueberry pies we froze from the 10lbs of wild Maine blueberries we brought back from our trip to Maine. We added two peach pies from the August fresh peach season and now two more apple pies. We can't wait to share them during the holiday season to come!

Feeling a lot like fall

It is still summer but it is starting to feel like fall. The weather is perfect for playing at the playground. Violet got afternoon kindergarten and at first I was disappointed because my preferrence was mornings. So far though I am finding that it is working out well for us because now Marina has someone to play with in the mornings and mommy get a "little bit" of quiet time in the afternoon when Gavin and Marina are napping/resting.

Playdate with AJ

Millie and AJ came over for lunch and to play today. What happened to our little babies. This was the two of them just two short years ago!

Last Swims of the season

Gavin is finally big enough to fit in the pool float but unfortunatly our pool days are numbered. It has been holding around 80 degrees but with the forcast of colder nights coming up I don't expect that to last long. Gavin went for his 6 month appointment and is 26" and 16lbs even.

Latisha and Ed's Wedding

Annual Block Party

We had a great time at the block party this weekend. The weather could not have been better and it was fun to spend time with neighborhood friends!

Barbie Girl

Marina's favorite song by Aqua.

Another milestone

We started Gavin on solid foods for the first time this week. He was not overly impressed with the soupy mix of breastmilk and rice cereal. He does seem more interested in our food but he will have to master the baby food first.

Back to School

Violet is starting kindergarten and Zoe is heading to middle school on Thursday. I am going to miss the freedom we have to spend the day here and there but welcome getting back into a routine. I am looking forward to getting back to the gym more and putting more time into my online store, The Nautical Shop. When the baby came I cut way back on my marketing campaign but lately sales from organic web searches have picked up and it has inspired me to get back in the game with SEO (search engine optimization). I am planning to launch two new blogs one about nautical and beach wedding planning and one on New Enland sea life. I am also in a "spring/fall" cleaning mode and trying to organize my house and stuff. It is so liberating to get rid of things I no longer need. I am going room to room and grouping things in four catagories: throw away, e-bay, donate and save. My goal is to have myself and my home organized for the new year.

Weekend Fun

Weather was great this weekend for some end of the summer fun.

Jet Skiing on Lake Zoar


I went jet skiing with my best childhood friend Jody and her husband Tom. We spent the early afternoon jumping wakes, chatting, swimming and checking out the lakeside real estate. Tom teased us about old lady driving because we were often caught drifting and chatting. His mom showed up later in the afternoon for a ride and Tom decided to show us how to ride NO FEAR style. The three of us piled on the three seater and went off looking for some big wakes. All I can say is that it was a fun ride, at least while we were able to stay on the jet ski. Tom and his style of riding put all three of us in the water on two occasions. Luckily we didn't land on top of each other and the water was warm. Thanks for a fun filled day.

Pilot Pen Tournament

While mommy was having a day off, daddy and all the kids went to the Pilot pen tournament. DJ had been given some great seats right near the court and decided that it would be fun to bring the kids. I cautioned him against this due to his inexperience handling the bunch of them out by himself. He did not heed my warning and ventured out anyway. He put Gavin in the front carrier and from what I gather had the two older girls help with Marina. I got little details here and there about the outing but mostly heard about the food and the free stuff they got. DJ also said that they were not able to sit in their seats too long and that he moved back away from the courts because Marina would not stop talking. I guess I am just thankful that they are all back safely and accounted for.

Church Picnic at the Owenego

Sunday our church had a picnic at the Owenego club. It was BBQ style complete with a make your own sundae station. Yum! Luckily it didn't rain but it was still hot and humid and there was hardly any breeze coming off the water. The tide was coming in but still fairly low so Zoe and Violet could touch all the way out to the float. Marina spent her time wading and looking for shells and special rocks in the sand that she could throw! Zoe went off with a friend to play tennis while Violet and Marina played in the clifford bounce house. My camera battery was dead so I didn't get to take pictures today.

New York for the Day

On Saturday, I went to New York for my birthday with my friend Maya,her mom,and my mom. I woke up early and we picked up Maya and her mom and drove to the train station. Then we spent about 2 hours on the train. When we arrived at New York, we walked to American Girl and I bought some stuff and so did Maya. When we got outside we decided to get something to eat and go to the huge Toys R Us. So when we got near Toys R Us we saw a T.G.I. Friday. We went to eat there. The food was yummy. We ate at the 4th floor. Then, we went to Toys R Us. They had a huge Candyland and I bought 4 candys. Then, we walked and saw the Empire State Building. It was HUGE. After that, we walked back to the train station and boarded our train to go home. It was an awesome birthday celebration!

Girls night at the beach

Girls night out is always fun but the beach nights are my favorite! We went to get pedicures and then we headed down to Jacob's beach to sink our newly painted toes in the sand. Gracie brought leftovers from the party, a bucket of some sweet frozen drink and we grabbed a bottle of wine. We got there a little before sunset and didn't leave until close to midnight. Things were really quiet with the exception of a few teens passing through and a skunk that walked the beach several times. I tried to get his picture but I kept my distance and the flash was not powerful enough to catch him. I hope the weather holds up so we can do one more beach night this year before it gets too cold.

Lazy days of summer

August is the perfect month to spend time by the water with family, friends and neighbors. It does not matter whether it is the pool, sea or a lake. It is all GOOD!
I will continue to add to this post through the rest of the month. I hope the weather holds up and we can have a lot more fun in the sun!

We went to visit friends that were vacationing at Camp Harkness. We brought bikes for our two older girls and Zoe and Hua Wen biked all over the campground while Violet learned how to ride her bike without the training wheels. She surprised us all by getting the hang of it so fast. She needs a little more practice before she can ride on the roads with cars but it won't be long. We had a picnic at the beach and then went for a swim. The weather was perfect, the sky was clear and the wind was strong so the waves where high. We then took the kite out and were able to get it up without any effort. It was a long day and the kids were exhausted on the ride home but we all had a great time and hope visit again next year.

Fred's 40th Birthday Luau. Grace-Ann threw her husband a birthday party Jimmy Buffet style. As soon as we got there the girls found the cheese doodles and within minutes Marina was covered in orange cheese.











The weather was perfect for a splash in the pool. I think Zoe would have liked to spend the whole time in the pool!





















Brittany helped to take care of the kids. Marina sure kept her busy. Thanks Brittany!
















Fireworks and smokebombs... oh my! I didn't get the excitement over those stinky smoke bombs but Fred and the kids enjoyed them. I think maybe they helped to keep the mosquitos away though!




Violet had a fall while trying to skateboard. Ouch!



























Zoe went to work with Daddy and the rest of us headed up to Litchfield county for a day at Bantom Lake with Lori and Sydney. Zoe would have loved the waterslide but she will have to wait till next time! Dave joined us at dinner and then we headed back to the coast. We look forward to Lori's visit at the end of the month.







The kids were not very hungry at dinner because the snacked ALL day long!











A day at Hammonasset with the "Beach Girls" Denine didn't have her kids this day because she left them in Maine with their Grandparents and Lisa didn't make it because she was still vacationing in Maine. (poor excuse!) I am really looking forward to our beach girls night out!









Marina and Zoe trying to stay cool.















Zoe, Violet, Kyle and Justin smashing beach shells with rocks.

Gracie holding Gavin. Thanks for all the help girls!

Mermaid Zoe





Gavin chillin' with Daddy














Night swims are the best! The pool was up to almost 9o degrees. A little too warm for the hot days but perfect for a night dip.