...Happy Birthday to you and the rest of the Maine Memories...
...so we continued our Maine vacation with a celebration perfect for a 35 year old...and Kirk's been known to ask for a special cake once or twice...he likes ice cream cakes and he always has a theme...we've done boats, planes, Dolphins, Marley (more than once) but this year needed something new...so quite a while back he mentioned a 'lobster shaped ice cream cake'...should be simple, right?...I know better when it comes to shaped ice cream cakes...I've never been able to find a restaurant/bakery that is capable of anything but a round or a sheet cake in an ice cream cake...I've had a sweet friend of ours try and make him a chocolate ice cream tug boat...and while I thought the tugboat was beautiful...it was a heap of work...but Udder Heaven in Bar Harbor was up to the challenge...and I must say...the results were perfect...
...that tail is made of chocolate crunchies...
...and Daddy had more than a few helpers ready to eat up..but let me rewind a little bit...
...we decided to try out Stewman's on the waterfront for the big B-Day dinner...
...and any meal that you can meet on the way in is a memorable one...my usually cautious first born was eager to shake the lobster's hand...
...and any meal that comes looking like this...
...requires this...
...and once we tore through all the lobsters we could eat...it was time for the kiddos favorite part...PRESENTS...
...we decided to try out Stewman's on the waterfront for the big B-Day dinner...
...and any meal that you can meet on the way in is a memorable one...my usually cautious first born was eager to shake the lobster's hand...
...and any meal that comes looking like this...
...requires this...
...and once we tore through all the lobsters we could eat...it was time for the kiddos favorite part...PRESENTS...
...and the rest of the week involved so many snuggles, laughs, conversations about life with toddlers and lots of catching up with Gramma and Papa about the latest news events, activities for the day, or the next restaurant we should try...typically over a hot sip of coffee before the sleep was out of the babies eyes...or as we tried to keep our own eyes open late in the evening over a glass of wine...not a moment was wasted...
...and the weather was constantly changing but never slowing us down...we were packing and wearing coats one day...
...and peeling layers in the park the next...
...and one of our memories was Chase's first time behind the camera...completely solo...and he was very proud of his work and chose his subjects carefully...and he didn't do too bad...considering...
...no surprise that this guy got the last picture...
...there are so many things you can do while in Maine...even in seven days, we just scratched the surface...and one of the items we tried was the whale watching boat ride...and Chase was more than excited about a boat ride...and while we were nervous about Ava...she did fabulous...they are so at home on the water...
...and they kept warning everyone about seasickness...to the point that it was making us nauseous just to listen...but we later learned that was a smart move...
...while we all did great...let's just say that we renamed the boat the 'puke watch boat' for the rest of the week...
...but the views were spectacular...
...everyone got a new coat for the ride because it truly was 25 degrees cooler on the water...Papa's made him look like the Gordon fish man...can you spot him?!...
...and the marine biologist on board had lots to tell us about the whales...but it did get a little overwhelming at times...
...but my boy got his ride, on a boat with TWO radars, yes, this was part of the request...
...and then we were ready to say goodbye to that adventure...
...another Maine must do is watching the sunset from Cadillac Mountain...and I need to do little explaining with pictures like these...
...this picture of him jumping free reminds me of a particular conversation he had with Papa while in Maine...they were lounging one evening and talking about being superheros...it was Chase's idea...Papa, we should be superheros and we would have lots of special powers, like flying through the air...it would be so fun Papa...to which Papa replied, 'Sounds great Chase, what would we be called if we were these special superheros that could fly through the air?'...With arms raised in the air, he quickly responded, We would be called Chase and Papa, Papa...
...and I know that I am not doing it justice but it had everyone within earshot in hysterics...he makes us laugh with his creativity and matter of fact answers...lots of things taken literally at this age...
...and this one is challenging us with exerting her independence but she is so fun to be around and she makes me smile everytime she gives me the look and tells me, Hold you, Mommy...which means, pick me up please!...
...Not only did we get to celebrate Daddy's Birthday in Maine...but we were there for the Fourth of July too...and the Northeast has a different feel on the Fourth...one that I remember from my youth...it is hard to describe but you can feel the minute you step foot into Bar Harbor...
...the town holds a blueberry pancake breakfast and a parade down Main Street which was three houses down from ours...so the commute sure was simple...
...and bounce houses and afternoon swims in the wading pool are just what the little ones had in mind for a perfect day....
...and as you can imagine...there was a good long nap this day...which left us plenty of time to strategize about how to get the perfect spot for the fireworks...
...I think we found it...
...Daddy's helpers were in full effect for hamburger flipping...
....he is so patient with them and all of their requests...and they both have ideas and requests at this stage...
...and then it was time for the show...
...thankfully everyone loved it...Chase is really settling into liking fireworks although he still has a lot of concerns about fire in general...and where the fireworks are going to land...and Ava is fine with most things as long as she was sitting happily in the lap of family...
...with the heat wave settling into Maine...we checked out the sandy beach...which was nice and warm...until you hit the water...55 degrees, even when the outside temp was over 90...
...and we took the opportunity to head out to a Lobster Pound a few miles out of town that had a great outside area for those not interested in cracking lobster claws...
...the Lobster Pound's are like fast food, fresh lobster...which is pretty ideal, so we ordered it up!...we lived on a lot of lobster and corn on the cob for the week...which was one of the biggest parts of Mommy and Daddy's anticipation for the trip...it is the way to eat...
...and fortunately with a place with great food, it has great places to get some fresh air and excercise too...like Jordan Pond...much more than a pond...a spot with unbelievable views and hiking trails in Acadia National Park...
...and the kids loved the hiking...which surprised us all...
...then again, with places to explore that looked like this...I'm not sure why we were concerned about them hiking...
...blowing bubbles on the lawn at Jordan Pond...a place I vividly remember sitting as a young child...
...resting in the shade with Papa was a welcome reprieve from the hiking...
...all of the memories I had as a child were brought back throughout the week...and from the conversations since the trip...we have three new fans of summertime in Maine in this house...but we added lots of new memories too...and I will cherish them all...
...this visit to Maine allowed Mommy and Daddy to do lots of exploring in the middle of the day while the kiddos were napping...sometimes Gramma would join and sometimes we went solo but for six days we had a daily schedule that involved running around childless on vacation...so we shopped, ate and had a few drinks with this view...
...we chatted with locals about things to do, places to eat, and even went to some of the local establishments...and really got the lay of the land...because we vowed we will be back...and we spent the afternoons discussing all the family we want to bring with us to share it too...
...and the babies would wake from nap and we would be one big happy family again...and usually we set out on the town from some play time and dinner...and it was so relaxing with the ratio of adults to kiddos at 4:2 and the daily schedules revolving more around when we were sleepy instead of strict bedtimes and wake times...and Gramma and Papa's room at the end of the hall so Chase could go snuggle and chat with Gramma and Papa in the mornings...it was perfect...
...and it reminds me of my own childhood summer memories and how being with family and waking up somewhere else with your family in the same house is what summer vacation is all about...it's how true memories are made and it is what we work so hard during the year to experience...because those first conversations in the morning or the last hugs while in PJ's are what you remember...what makes you smile to think about long after they are gone...
...but in order to make vacation special...it has to have a beginning and an end...and this one ended with a flight from Maine in a tiny plane that had Chase very excited...
...and we fortunately met a lot of helpers along the way on our travel day starting with a flight attendant on this flight that loved Chase and Ava and had them full with juice boxes and pretzels the entire 52 minute flight...
...so as we look back and reflect on the week we all anticipated for so very long...we will remember all of the wonderful stories, meals, laughs and discussions...and long for the next time we can do it all over again...
...Thank You Gramma and Papa for sharing your very favorite place with all of us...We love you so very much...
That trip just looks amazing!!!! Love all the great pics! XXOO
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