CAMP ONEKA!

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I spent ten summers at this great camp for girls. (I started out as a camper and then worked there until the summer before Josh and I got married) We finally got the chance to take the kids back for family camp weekend. Actually, I'm sort of bummed that we didn't do this sooner. It was SO FUN. Nora and Wells got to try out lots of the activities that I did as a camper and it was great to see some of my old camp friends after ten years away. Since I left a few things have changed. They added rock climbing and mountain biking to the line-up, and sad but true, I discovered that I can no longer water-ski. Josh is convinced that it was just the boat driver, but I'm not so sure... other things, like the spirit of this amazing place, and how happy I was to be there, have not changed at all.

Old Sturbridge Village

On Friday I took the kids to Sturbridge to visit the historical village museum there. It was a LONG but very fun day. The kids told me that their favorite part was riding the "horse bus" (a horse drawn wagon) and getting ice cream. Great, I didn't need to drive an hour to buy ice cream! But maybe it was enjoying ice cream in such a neat, historical setting that they really liked. We tried our best to see everything but just couldn't. I think with small kids, it really does take more than one day. The place is HUGE and there is so much to learn and do. It was a beautiful day and I hope the two of them came away with a sense of what life was like for early Americans... or maybe they just had fun running around, trying everything they could get their hands on, and driving their mom crazy!

Feelings

The kids have been honing their acting skills:

PROUD

SAD

SILLY

HAPPY

VIOLENT

The Peabody Essex Museum

If you haven't visited this really cool museum yet-- you should! I had always heard of the Peabody Essex Museum, but it took free friday to actually get me there. What a great place! Not only that, but I feel like I have finally discovered Salem and I found it to be unbelievably charming. Who knew? We had a great morning exploring the museum with some friends and then enjoyed a picnic lunch in their sun-filled atrium. The museum had SOOO much that we didn't get to see, but with small children in tow, it was probably better that way. By the time we left, Wells was Done (with a capital 'D') He fell asleep in the stroller on the way back to our car. I think the little buzzers that tell you that you're getting too close to something valuable were glad to see us go.

A Visit from Aunt Grace and Uncle Archie!

We were lucky enough to have a visit from some of our Utah family last week- my sister, Grace and her husband, Archie. While they were here, we celebrated Wells birthday with some cake and ice cream at one of our new favorite spots. Unfortunately, all the other attempts that we made to do things outside got rained out, but we still had a good time. Nora and Wells sure love their Aunt Grace and Uncle Archie!