Acadia in October

Last week Scott had a week-long break from work, so we had planned a family getaway to Acadia National Park in Maine. The government shut down a week before our trip, but we still went – and we were glad we did.

The visitor’s centers were closed, the parking lots barricaded, and the restrooms shuttered, but there was nothing stopping us from hiking onto a trailhead from the side of the road or from our cabin.

We stayed in a little cabin in Seal Harbor, close to the ocean and the Jordan Pond House but more importantly close to a playground. Bruce and Phoebe loved having a playground just outside our front door and loved watching the neighborhood's wild turkeys wander by in the mornings.

We revisited Grindstone Neck, a quiet rocky area on the shore that has some of the best tidal pools around. The kids collected what seemed like hundreds of snails and shells, threw rocks into the ocean, and climbed around the boulders.

Most days, Scott and I would take turns going running first thing in the morning. The trails were plentiful, the views spectacular, and the weather nearly perfect. Throughout the week I ran Mt. Day, Mt. Gorham, Mt. Penobscot, and lots of carriage trails. I rarely saw people and more often saw wildlife like a woodpecker and a porcupine. The foliage was also at its peak.

After our morning runs, Scott and Bruce usually headed out on a challenging hike while I took Oliver and Phoebe on a more leisurely hike. Scott and Bruce hiked one of the park’s most popular trails, Mt. Dorr to Mt. Cadillac, and saw only a handful of people. They also hiked the Beehive and Mt. Champlain; both were steep trails with lots of iron ladders to cling to.

Sometimes we hiked together, but we wised up after our hike on Mt. Cardigan and kept our family hikes short. One successful hike was to Hunter’s Beach Cove, home to a zillion colorful rocks and a little river. We hiked together for a few minutes, then Scott and Oliver and Phoebe stayed at the cove while Bruce and I hiked a cliff trail. Phoebe picked up sticks and leaves, chucked handfuls of pebbles into the river, and eventually (despite Scott’s admonition) got into the river herself.

We celebrated Phoebe’s fourth birthday at the cabin. I brought the ingredients to bake the cake of her choice – ginger chocolate cake with chocolate chips on top – and we baked it together that morning while Scott went running. She got to eat Lucky Charms for breakfast and then open her presents: a firetruck Lego set and a firefighter jacket and hat. She got to choose one thing she really wanted to do for her birthday: swimming.

The ocean is a bit cold, so we headed to the YMCA in Bar Harbor for family swim time. When we got there, we realized that Phoebe had two left shoes on. She said one of her shoes was still wet from jumping into the river, so that’s why she put on different shoes.

One day we took a boat to some of the smaller islands around the harbor. The boat delivered mail and acted as a ferry for construction workers and tourists and residents alike. We hiked through a really lush green bog on Great Cranberry Island. We spotted an osprey nest. We got hot cocoa at the only store on the island.

By Thursday, the park was officially opened again, so we headed for the few touristy spots that we like. First stop: Thunderhole.

Bruce and Phoebe could watch this spectacle for hours: waves crashing into the rocks and making a big thundering sound. Oliver got very excited when we were by the ocean; he seems to like the sound of the waves too.

Our second stop was Sandy Beach, but I didn’t get any pictures there. Scott and Bruce hiked the Beehive and took the camera to get some amazing pictures there, while I (unsuccessfully) tried to keep Phoebe from getting into the ocean. I didn’t bring our swimsuits since it was in the low 60s (and much colder in the water!), but that didn’t keep Phoebe from throwing herself into the waves and splashing around. Looking back, I should have known that was going to happen.

All in all, we had an amazing week and are counting on going back soon.

Post-wedding fun in Ohio

 After the wedding, we got to relax a little. We visited Uncle Dan's house to collect eggs from the chicken coop...

 ...and feed the chickens and rooster...

 ...and go for a sleigh ride in what little snow there was on the ground.

 Under the snow was just as much mud, so Scott helped push the sleigh through the muck.

 We also got to see Uncle Dan make some maple syrup. We brought a little jar home with us, and we're saving it for a special occasion with some overnight waffles. Yum!

 The kids got lots of playtime at Grandma and Grandpa's house. That would be Bruce amid a Nerf gun war. He loved playing with Legos in the basement and having lots of cousins around. Phoebe latched on to Grandpa and followed him wherever he went.

 Bruce scored this awesome "ninja hat" that Grandma gave to him. He was so happy about this that he wore it to school when we returned to Boston, despite it being 45 degrees out.

We met up with my pregnancy twin, Suzanna, for dinner. She and I ran on the BYU track and cross country teams together way back when, and after college she moved near my parents to go to medical school. She is pregnant with her first child, a boy, due the exact same day - July 16. I'm so so so happy for her; she is going to be an awesome mom.

The day before we left, we had an Easter egg hunt. The kids got lots of chocolate and goodies (that's a chocolate bunny in Phoebe's hand), which they consumed on the roadtrip home.

Bruce the Wolf, Phoebe the Ninja, Emily the Boat, and Scott the Doc

 Last week we attended Bruce's Cub Scout troop's Blue and Gold Banquet. He completed all of his "Wolf" requirements and got some bling for his shirt; I'm still trying to figure out what all this scouting stuff means besides more sewing for me. One of Bruce's requirements was to learn how to cook a meal; he chose macaroni and cheese, of course. He can now turn on the stove independently (which scares me), and has made his classic dish twice without help.

 Besides providing grub at the banquet, the scouts had fun activities for kids. The theme was "knights of the round table" and there was an obstacle course complete with stick-horse-riding, cardboard-wall-climbing, catapult-slinging (pictured above), and cave-crawling. Phoebe jumped right in with the boys and had a blast.

 Phoebe blended in with the boys again when she was invited to a friend's birthday party. It seems she was born among a wave of boys, and almost all her friends are boys. This was a "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle"-themed party. Phoebe hadn't heard of them, but wondered why these ninjas looked different than the ones Bruce plays with. Still, she enjoyed pounding the bad-guy-ninja balloons, chucking ninja stars into a bucket, and swiping candy from a ninja pinata.

 She was also excited about eating frosting that made her tongue pink. She may have eaten a little cake too, but mostly frosting.

And because seeing photos of me on the blog happens as often as a bigfoot sighting, here I am at 22 weeks. Just last week I felt like I doubled in size and had a few really sluggish days when I was really glad for a nap. Overall though, I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm still running 4ish miles a day and have been going at a respectable pace for the past few months, but I feel my pace will slow very soon. I've felt the baby kicking around for a few weeks, but just this week the kicks have been big enough that Bruce and Phoebe can feel them too. They like to put their hands on my belly and wait for a "high-five," as Phoebe calls them. Phoebe makes up elaborate stories about tickling the baby, making him laugh, giving him high-fives, and so forth. Sometimes she says she hears him laughing. She is so excited for Knox, as she calls him. Everyone has a different name for him; Bruce likes Edmund and Scott is on a Greek-mythology-kick with names like Apollo and Perseus (still!). I like Elliot right now, but I change my mind about every other day.

Scott is pulling really random shifts in the ER lately. He often works overnight, which means he sleeps in during the mornings and I have to try to keep kids quiet (impossible) or get out of the house. Afternoons are nice though because Scott can spend time with the kids or work on projects around the house. He put together a whole wall of wardrobe-type closets in our room last week so we now have more storage space. Next up is painting the living room and Bruce's bedroom. Anyway, Scott enjoys the fast pace, immediate reward, and quick thinking that the ER requires. Most nights it sounds like he spends 60% of his time sewing up lacerations on drunk college kids, 30% of the time diagnosing stupid stuff people shouldn't show up at the ER for ("Yes, those bumps are completely normal, sir" and "Vomiting? Nausea? When was your last period? You're pregnant"), and 10% of the time finding and treating a real problem. He has made a few rare diagnoses that he was proud of, dusted off his Russian language skills for a few patients, and perfected his sewing skills.

Perhaps he can sew all the badges and beads and whatnot onto Bruce's shirt; it won't flinch and curse as much as a drunk college kid.

We Wish You For a Merry Christmas

 That is how Phoebe sings the song anyway: "We wish you for a Merry Christmas..." On Christmas Eve, we went to a brunch with friends. Our kids performed the Nativity; Phoebe was an angel (really) and Bruce was a wide man (of course).

 Once again, you wonder why our Christmas card hasn't reached your mailbox. I'm thinking a New Year's or Valentine's Day card for this year, perhaps something worthy of Awkward Family Photos.

 After our brunch, we went to see the Nutcracker. Phoebe has been very interested in all things ballet/pink/beautiful, and a friend of ours was dancing in it. I was worried she would get bored (it's nearly three hours long), but she sat on my lap and kept a whispering commentary about the mice and the nutcracker and the naughty boys who try to steal the nutcracker. She also moved her arms and tried to dance from my lap. She was into it until the final 20 minutes, when exhaustion finally took over and she fell asleep. Surprisingly, Bruce was interested too; he kept pointing out music that he had heard in music class or on a toy or a ringtone. I thought we had taken a picture before the Nutcracker, but it must have been a mental one; above is my closest shot, Phoebe is eating a cupcake at an eatery by the theater.

After the Nutcracker, we headed to our second party of the day: more friends and more Nativity. This time, Phoebe played Mary and Bruce was a shepherd (that would be him in the upper left corner doing a ninja pose). Phoebe was quite serious for most of the play until the shepherds came along. "That's enough," she said after a bit too much praise from Bruce and company.

 Christmas Day turned out better than expected. One of Scott's coworkers switched shifts at the last minute; Scott will have to work New Year's Day, but got out of an evening Christmas Eve shift. I think we got the better end of that deal. Scott got to sleep at night in his own bed (yea!) and we didn't start present-opening until 7 a.m. I baked blueberry muffins, we ate, then the kids got down to business. Bruce opened a Lego set, took it to his room, and disappeared for an hour. Phoebe opened her dollhouse and played with it for an hour before moving on to the next present.

 We were all very spoiled this year. Scott got me some dishes, I got him an awesome flannel shirt that he has worn night and day ever since (atop scrubs, no less), Bruce got lots of Legos, and Phoebe got all kinds of doll-related stuff.

 We have been dog-sitting Gatsby for the past week. Most of the time, he is like a cat: hangs around the house, sleeps, eats, doesn't do tricks. The kids are good with him and he is very patient with them. He has some food issues; if he was a person, I'd diagnose him with disordered eating and send him to rehab. He always tries to eat whatever is lying on the sidewalk when we walk him. A few days ago I wrestled a stale piece of naan from his mouth. Yesterday he got a bite-sized piece of poo from another dog. Today he chomped something sizable so fast that I didn't see what it was. Tonight he threw up chunks, then started to lick them up and eat them. It was so gross that I couldn't intervene; Scott emerged and cleaned up the mess. He told me that's what he does at the hospital all the time and that I just need to re-access my thinking about what's gross. I have reaccessed and have decided that dogs are gross. I am no longer indecisive about wanting a dog: I definitely do not want a dog.

Scott has been working the night shifts all week (except Christmas Eve by some miracle), so when he comes home in the morning he is ready to sleep for a few hours. If you've been to our condo, you know the walls are thin and the kids are loud, so we can't be in the house when he's trying to sleep. We have been spending the mornings out and about, passing time in spaces like McDonald's and friend's houses. Tonight is his last night shift, and then he resumes normal sleep patterns again. Hallelujah!

Acadia: day 4

Tuesday was our big day in the park. The weather had been perfect thus far, but today it rained on and off. It was not about to spoil our fun though. We drove to Sand Beach, which was much too cold to swim in (the warmest it gets in the summer is 55 degrees - no thanks!). We hiked along it to Great Head, which had an initial steep climb and then a gentler trail.

 Phoebe and Bruce are pretty good climbers. Bruce is quick, and Phoebe likes to take her time.

 These are the faces they make when I ask them to smile now.

 We made it to the top, then Scott and Bruce headed down the shore and hiked to Thunder Hole.

 Phoebe and I hiked back to the car and met them there.

Thunder Hole is best appreciated with a movie rather than a still picture. It's a little pocket in the rock that traps air and makes a loud thunder-like noise when the waves come in. Bruce watched it for almost a half-hour, announcing when a big wave was coming.

 We made sandwiches for lunch before heading to our next destination. Our poor car was/is not only filthy from all the sand/dirt/rocks/soot, but now has one working lock. The driver's side door ate Scott's key: it got stuck in the lock and wouldn't come out. We spent an hour on Tuesday picnicking by a car dealership while they attempted to get the key out. They couldn't do it, so they sawed off the key for us and took out the whole lock cylinder. We spent the rest of the trip using my key, opening the passenger door, and climbing through the car unlocking the rest of the doors. Awesome.

 After our hike, we drove to Otter Point. Phoebe fell asleep in the car again, so the boys hiked to the Otter Cliffs while Phoebe and I hung out on the shore.

 When she falls asleep, nothing wakes her for at least an hour. She was completely limp until we pulled up to the Jordan Pond House.

We hiked a little on the carriage trails there, but the kids were pretty tired. We headed to the Jordan Pond House restaurant for a snack, which is famous for its popovers and outdoor dining. I tried a popover while Scott and the kids ordered desserts. We agreed that the hot chocolate should be more famous than the popovers; even on a warm day, it was so good.

 We headed down the lawn...

 ...to Jordan Pond. We hopped around on the rocks and found a few fish.

We ended our day at the Bass Harbor Head Light and with a stop at the Ship Harbor trail.

The trail led to some really colorful tidal pools. Phoebe made a friend on the trail, another three-year-old girl from Massachusetts, and they hiked with each other for more than a half-mile. They called each other "my best friend," and "my hiking partner."