Vacation in CT - part 2

On Wednesday, we spent the day at Quassy Amusement Park.  It's a local amusement park but tons of fun for the kids and it has a lot of "rides" that are perfect for little ones.  The kids rode lots of things as a threesome but the girls got a chance to ride the boat together while Will and Daddy rode the rollercoaster.

This place had everything:  planes, boats, space vehicles, trucks, helicopters, rollercoasters (super small, medium and large), train rides, games, a water park, you name it.

The kids loved the "Giant Slide" and Daddy tried to make it happen with Stella but he chickened out.  Mimi was happy to oblige.  Everyone must have done this three or four times...

After another hard day of having fun, Will got his wish of playing in the dirt at Pop and Mimi's house.  The weather held out another day so he got to play Thursday too, and we have never ever seen him so dirty.

Vacation in CT - part 1

We just spent a wonderful week at Pop and Mimi's house in Connecticut.  We joked that the kids did more every day than they would do in a week at our place as we continue to unpack, arrange rooms, etc.  It was great to see them so, so happy.

On Tuesday, we traveled to Rocky Neck State Park and enjoyed an awesome day at the beach.  The weather was perfect for Maggie and Stella's first trip to a beach.  They were wary of the water at first, but Mimi and Daddy got them into the water eventually.  Will was too busy playing in the sand and surf and watching the very nearby Acela train to bother getting too far into the water.

Daddy snared a jellyfish out of the water with a bucket after it stung him and some nearby kids.  Will thought it was pretty neat to bury him in the sand far from the water.  All three kids yelling at the seagulls during lunch was a highlight too.  All the fun in the sun left the kids good and tired (Maggie was asleep in 7 minutes, Stella in 8, and Will in 13)!

Life on Melbourne

After months of cleaning, selling, buying, renting and packing, we finally moved into our new home on Saturday.  We're only two miles from our previous home, but closer in to downtown Silver Spring and with MUCH more room to grow.  Our closing went great, the movers started on time and finished early without damaging anything, and we moved on the only non-rain day in the last two weeks.  On Sunday, we tidied up the old property and handed it over to the new owner, and we said goodbye to the neighbors.  Will helped Patrick do the final to-do's on the old property and they made a point of thanking each room of the house for the good memories and the safety and comfort they provided.  On Monday, we moved out of our storage unit and we began the long process of unpacking.  Whew!

The kids had never seen the inside of the house until after closing but their reactions were priceless.  Will ran laps through the ground floor and all the kids did happy dances in their new rooms.

On Thursday, we surprised Stella and Maggie with new tricycles and Will with his first bike.  Will was a quick study and within 30 minutes he was starting and stopping all on his own - he even biked most of the way home from the park!

Independence Day was gorgeous here, and hot.  We grilled out, enjoyed a cold drink, and still found time for a nice family photo or two.  Here's to the first of a lifetime of new memories here on East Melbourne Avenue.