 |
| Besties |
We're back in blog land! And though you wouldn't know it here in sunny Cape Cod, it is a special (Canadian) Thanksgiving Monday. Special enough that I figured I'd tackle the seemingly impossible task of summing up the last few months of our lives. What could have possibly been keeping me from posting for so long? Well, a few things have been keeping us busy - for instance, finishing/defending a PhD thesis (that was Clark, of course, but the slack from all that was picked up by me), and moving to Cape Cod. Juniper turned three, Linden started walking... trust me when I say that it seems as though a whole lifetime has happened over the brief lapse of time since my last post.
I also thought about writing about the trials and tribulations that accompanied all these crazy events, but decided I would never post if I went into any sort of detail. So instead, a load of pictures, with promise of some video to come.
Back in Halifax....
 |
| Screen door reflections |
Naming Ceremony
We managed to pull together a naming ceremony before we left for all the new babies (Aven, Ewan and Linden), as well as for Isabella, who was sick when we had a naming ceremony a couple of years ago for the older kids. It was wonderful! We even had a bunch of people (besides the families, of course) who were able to attend: my mom, our friend Matt (who had bicycled from Fredericton!), Theresa and Scott, and Jeremy's parents.
Here is Linden's special naming ceremony onesie. My attempt at a Linden tree, of course.
 |
| Juniper playing Bella's accordion. She LOVED it. |
At the farm
We were fortunate to spend a bunch of time at the Richards' farm this summer. In fact, Juniper had her first no-parents experience there while Clark was at Shad Valley, and I was in Fredericton with Linden. Theresa took her down to the farm, and Juniper spent time on her own with her aunt and her grandparents for a few days. Apparently, she didn't miss me at all. We also went down before we took off for the states. Result: loads of great farm shots.
 |
| On a boating adventure (on the Saint John river) |
 |
| Reading with grandma |
 |
| Working the bubble machine with uncle Bradford |
 |
| Who needs clothes at the beach? |
 |
| With grandpa in the field |
 |
| One of Juniper's favourite aspects of the farm: independence. On her way back from a solo trip to the sand pile. |
 |
| Climbing the ladder in the hay barn |
 |
| Linden must do EVERYTHING his older sister does. |
 |
| Linden helps load the hay into the loft |
 |
| Riding the tractor with grandpa. Is there anything more exciting? |
 |
| Apparently, hay makes for an irresistibly large number of photo ops. |
 |
| Mr. Mod, posing by a ladder |
 |
| Juniper in her birthday dress. I made it from an old dress of mine (in fact, the first big gift Clark ever got me, circa 1998). |
 |
| Riding a trike in a muscle-shirt onesie. How much cooler do you get? |
Fredericton
As you might imagine, we spent a whole lot of time in Fredericton this summer, as well. I took refuge there with the kids while Clark was sucked into Shad-land, and then again when we were waiting for Clark and his dad to finish up packing all of our stuff in Halifax. The extended visits meant that we got to see loads of wonderful people!
We spent a lot of sunny days playing in my parent's backyard:
 |
| Playing in the hanging house I made for them (inspiration from here) |
 |
| Juniper helps Bob and Sawyer rebuild the front garden |
Linden discovers some sweet, sweet dirt (in three parts):
We somehow managed to be there for a whirlwind weekend that Andrea and Dinesh made it home:
 |
| Hanging with their soon-to-be-uncle |
 |
| Andrea lets Linden get into something messy |
 |
| Especially fun times at Cathy's pool (another favourite daily activity for Juniper) |
We had play dates with lots of wonderful people:
 |
| Juniper clearly adores her cool older cousin, Ali. |
 |
| George takes Juniper and Zack for a canoe ride at Yoho lake |
 |
| On a playdate with Christie and Bea, and Erin and Zack (Juniper was at the farm at this point) |
Juniper's 3rd birthday party!
 |
| Juniper, with her traditional "3" cake |
 |
| The party-goers (Noni, Simon, Ali and Linden, Juniper, and River) |
 |
| Liz, Juniper and River |
In Cape Cod!
 |
| A beach within walking/biking distance from our house |
 |
| Our new-to-us double chariot. It is amazing! |
 |
| At a lighthouse we went to on a biking adventure |
At the beautiful Spohr Gardens (just down the street from us!)
 |
| Juniper and a big anchor |
 |
| Linden and a Millstone |
 |
| Playing in the dirt, of course |
Our day trip to Boston:
 |
| Checking out a crazy eel at the Boston Aquarium |
Eating at Wagamama's at the Quincy Market:
Hanging at home:
 |
| Linden, hanging out in our new toy shelves (one of our many, many Ikea purchase) |
 |
| Stories on the couch |
Judith and Simon visit for Thanksgiving weekend!
 |
| Picnic in the village of Woods Hole |
Saying goodbye:
Jane and Michael come for Thanksgiving lunch on Sunday:
 |
| Bearing Harvard T-Shirts for the kids! |
And there you have it! A little photo journey from the past little while. We had a bit of a rough start here, mostly because this house was not ready for anyone to move into it when we first landed (let alone two ridiculously exhausted people with two very young children). But after a whole lot of work, cleaning, and more money than we had ever hoped to spend, this place is starting to really feel like home. And Cape Cod truly is beautiful. I'm also beginning to tap into all the great programs for kids that are available, and the places to go that are fun day adventure. I think this is going to be a pretty fun adventure! Videos to come!
