Sea Glass

For the last three summers, we have collected sea glass during our morning excursions at the beach.  We made some great finds this year, although based on what we heard about the quantity and quality of glass found during by our friends June, we were a bit disappointed.  The girls love looking for the glass and we keep it in a huge vase at home.

Three years of sea glass.

Family Visits

One of the great things about our annual summer vacation is that we have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with our family.  During our week in Rye, we Auntie Kathy and Uncle Peter, Grammy and Grandpa, Aunt Denise, and Grammy and Grampy all visited us at the beach; we also had dinner in Portsmouth with Miss Alison and Mr. Seth.  It was a great week for visiting!

Elizabeth, Auntie Kathy and Emily 

Grandpa, Emily and Grammy 

Aunt Denise and Elizabeth 

Emily and Aunt Denise 

Grammy and Emily 

Grampy

Ethan and Owen

By far the girls best day at the beach was the day that Ethan, Owen and Janet visited (sorry family).  From the moment the boys arrived, the girls were in their glory and the four of them never stopped once.  They played together at the beach house, on the way to and from the beach, in the sand and in the water.  I love that no matter how long it's been since they've seen each other, these four pick up right where they left off.  I hope that their friendship is always like this.  As for me, it was an easy day on the beach, watching the kids and catching up with Janet.

Lollipop time!!

Elizabeth and Ethan are both missing one of their top, front teeth. 

Owen is so adorable! 

Ethan is an awesome boogie boarder! 

Ethan and Elizabeth playing the waves. 

 Boogie boarding!

Playing together. 

I love this picture!

Reunion

One of the great things about vacationing in New Hampshire is that we get to see so many family and friends.  For the last three summers, we have met up with the Doyle family on our first full day of vacation.  This year, John and Marisol again hosted dinner at their house and we were joined by the Lianos and Palmer families.  As the Palmers live in Illinois, it's been more than seven years since we've seen them; and two years since we've seen Scott, Jacqueline and Jack.  It was so great to watch our seven kids (+ one on the way) play together like old friends and John, Scott, Brennan, Lee and I had a great time catching up.  Thank you so much to John and Marisol for opening their home to us.  We had a wonderful time!

Me, Brennan, John and Scott - MHS '93

All of us -  7 kids + 1 on the way.

Just the kiddos. 

Jack 

Marisol and a cool bubble game. 

Showing the kids how to use the giant bubble makers.

Elizabeth and Michael wore super hero capes almost the entire time we were there! 

Brown's

The day my parents visit, we always make our annual trip to Brown's and this year was no exception.  There aren't a lot of parents of children six and under that can say that their children put away lobsters and steamers like there's no tomorrow - but ours certainly do!  When they awoke on Monday morning, the first thing that Emily said was how excited she was for dinner that night - and it was 6:15 am!!  Brown's did not disappoint - it was, as usual, outstanding!

Let's get going on these steamers! 

First steamer of the year! 

Down the hatch! 

mmmmmm

Elizabeth worked through her steamers quickly. 

On to the lobster! 

Sucking the meat and juice out of the legs - as my dad taught me to find every piece of meat a lobster has to offer, so I am teaching them. 

Isles of Shoals

From the time that I was a little girl, I have always wanted to visit the Isles of Shoals, which is a group of small islands about six miles off of the coast of New Hampshire.  On a hazy day, one would not even suspect that the islands existed; on a clear day, one can clearly see the buildings on several islands, as well as the lighthouse.  This summer, we took a cruise out to the Isles of Shoals, which was amazing.  Although we stayed on the boat the entire time (next year, we are going to figure out how to spend some time on the islands themselves), the cruise was narrated and the history and stories were spectacular.  We all enjoyed the trip.

Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse. 

Whaleback lighthouse.  One of the more amazing stories from the cruise was the details of how a wave crashed over the top of this lighthouse during the Perfect Storm. 

Enjoying the boat ride. 

Off the shore of Smuttynose Island. 

One of my favorite shots from the entire week.  Two old summer homes on Smuttynose Island. 

Believe it or not, Captain John Smith of Pocahontas fame, discovered and named the Isles of Shoals in 1614.  The monument in the distance is dedicated to him.

White Island lighthouse.  Yet another Perfect Storm wave crashed over this lighthouse.  Crazy.

Let's Boogie!

Aunt Denise gave the girls boogie boards for Easter, knowing that we would be spending a week at the beach over the summer.  Elizabeth, who used Ethan's boogie board a couple of times last summer, loved riding the waves all week.  She really is a dare devil and especially when Ethan visited, we had to keep a sharp eye on her because the two of them kept going out further and further on their boards. 

Auntie Kathy showed her how to time her ride with the waves. 

Getting a push off from Lee. 

She really had a good time when Lee joined her! 

Emily was not quite ready to put her board to use, but did figure out how to ride the waves in her own way....