visits with Owen

A friend of mine from high school had a baby boy just a couple of weeks after I had Kyalo.  Thanks to Facebook (of course!) we got reconnected in the last few year, and have spent a lot of time swapping baby-raising stories, and have gotten together every now and then when I've been back in the area.

This summer we had two visits with Lise and Owen - one in June and then again in August right before heading back to NJ.  I always enjoy the time I spend with them, and it is fun to watch Kyalo and Owen navigate the world of 'friendship' (forced though it may be!).  In June we went to a music class with them, and then to the beach. It was a PERFECT summer day, so it was great to be outside and to let the boys play while we chatted up things like breastfeeding, potty training, and schooling options. Oh, the joys of motherhood!

These pictures are sweet. Owen, who was in familiar territory, marched off happily to the middle of the beach, while Kyalo stayed pretty close to me for a while.  But after 10-15 minutes he got up and walked over to Owen.  They were looking pretty intently at something for a while, then satisfied with that, sat back and relaxed.

 happy boys!

Since this visit in June, Kyalo has been praying for "Ohen" pretty regularly.  Sometimes, when I ask him where he wants to go/what he wants to do, he'll say something about going to see "Ohen." So, I'd say that these visits are paying off! Plus, it is nice for Kyalo to have a boy to play with for a change!!

For our visit in August, Lise and Owen made the trek from Salem to Essex.  I thought maybe they'd play in the pools on the deck, or we'd venture off to Appleton Farms or something.  Instead, we walked down to Cogswell's grant, and I'd say the boys were quite happy with that.

It took Owen no time at all to find the tractors.  He happily scampered off to them, and Kyalo quickly followed suit.

Now, brace yourself for some serious cuteness...

 Owen was very serious about driving that tractor

hay wagon

Then we took a little walk through the hay fields.

gorgeous day!

We got to the edge of the fields and the boys shared cheerios.

I was hoping we'd get to see the river, but it was high tide so we couldn't get to the rock that people stand on.  Here are some pictures from June...

I grew up in such a pretty place, no?

We had a great time together! I'm sure we'll try to get together again in December -- maybe there will be snow to frolic in then!?!

the farms

If I had to sum up our summer in one word it would be, 'farm.'  Kyalo and I spent a lot of time at a variety of farms in the area surrounding my parents' house.  The first, and most frequented farm was Cogswell's Grant an old salt-marsh hay farm (from 1728!) that is literally two doors down from my parents' house. Kyalo and I spent hours there wandering the grounds, watching them bring the hay in one day, and just enjoying being outside.  We'd walk there in the evenings to get out of the house and to let Kyalo run off some of his energy.

Naturally, I had to grab the camera for one of the trips there.  These pictures hardly do it justice, but at least you can get a sense of the land and beauty of it.

Another farm we went to a couple of times was Appleton Farms in nearby Ipswich.  This is the oldest continuing operating farm in the US.  Their CSA (which is relatively new, I think) has a five year waiting list!  They sell their own milk and butter and grass-fed beef.    The whole property is 1,000 acres, and filled with trails you can walk, run, bike, etc.  It is a beautiful piece of land.  I love just driving along the farm because it is so idyllic.  I was checking out things to do in the area and found that Appleton offers a little programs about cows for kids 2-5!  I couldn't resist.  I asked Brooke to come along again, and she did, bringing her two girls (almost 3 and 5).

   Emma was awake this time!  and she was excited about the cows.

Cami, on the other hand, would have rather been with big brother Brady

an old stagecoach needs an old looking filter to the picture, don't you think?

Emma and Brooke, watching the cows get milked

 baby cow - I was a little sad that they were in such tiny pens, but they get to roam free soon enough, this just keeps them safe while they're getting their legs under them

friends

We went to one other farm while in town, this one a bit further away - driving along the salt marsh, no less - and chock full of good eats.  Kyalo got to hang out with some goats, and a llama and some other things while my we loaded up our cart.  

It was good to be home.

Gull

The college I went to has a sweet little pond in the middle of some woods that is open(ish) to the public for swimming.  Since my mom worked at Gordon I grew up going there, and I definitely wanted to take Kyalo there again (we went last summer, too).

I like that it is pretty secluded, there's no tide or surf to worry about, and that it is in a beautiful, serene setting.  We went the first day on vacation - before going to California even.  Dexter had high hopes of some serious relaxation time, and packed a lounge chair and a stack of magazines from my parents house.

He forgot we were going with a two year old.

 playing with the seaweed

riding home in style

I tried to stay with Kyalo for most of the time there so Dexter could get some relaxing done, but I'm not sure too much actually happened.  It was a good try, though!

After Dexter came back to NJ for that clinical rotation, I met up with some friends there again. 

ready for sun and sand!

To actually get to the pond requires a bit of a walk (quarter mile?) through the woods, which, when you're traveling with a two-year-old by yourself is kind of a pain.  But I loaded him and our supplies into the wagon, and off we went!

He lasted about 2 minutes in the wagon, then he wanted to help pull it. . .

 the road begins

which lasted another two minutes, because he then wanted to carry his sand toys (in a handy backpack) and walk. . .

which actually lasted the rest of the way there, more or less.  It just required a lot of stopping to look at the lilly pads in the mini ponds along the way, picking up rocks, sticks, etc.  Oh, and digging in the dirt that the college uses for construction...

I think he might have been happy to just stay there all day!  Seriously, it was a bit of a battle to drag him away.  

But I think he was glad I did.  We were the first to arrive, so set up our stuff.  He got right to digging in the sand and having a grand old time.  I love that he just sat at the water's edge for such a long time, and I could sit and chat with the other moms once they showed up.

 This is Emma, Brooke's youngest daughter.  She slept through most of the the time at the beach.

 kids

digging

So a couple of days at the pond with great friends were perfect ways to spend some summer days.  It was easier than going to an over-crowded beach.  Much more my style.

Here are a couple of other random vacation shots.

 It isn't the greatest picture of Kyalo, but I like the light in the photo

Grandma bought him some new sunglasses.  He's still working on getting them on properly.

I miss summer already!  But I'm getting excited for what the future holds.

summer days

We have had a wonderful summer. I'm sorry to see it go.  We're back in NJ now, and reality is slowly settling back in (Dexter has a mock of a mock exam this morning, in preparation for his boards. . . which means we're getting closer to the end!) and getting into the swing of things.  But before I jump fully into things here, I need to recap (reminisce?) the summer adventures.

We were in Massachusetts for almost the entire month of August, and we had perfect summer days every day. No rain, no scorching heat, no humidity which meant we spent tons of time outside.  My parents live in the perfect place for enjoying summer days.

There was...

...exploring the frog pond in my parents' yard. This was great when Dexter was around and I could stand back and take pictures, and not so great when Dexter was gone for a 2-week clinical rotation and I was in charge of helping find the frogs.  I fear lots of slimy things will be in my future.

... 'baseball' at the town fields.  I tried to get Kyalo to run the bases with me, which I thought was going well, til I turned around and saw him running towards the little playground.  He likes to throw every. thing. he. owns, so I'm predicting a professional career for him someday.

... swimming/playing on the deck.  This deck is so great because it gave Kyalo space to roam, and I could be inside watching from the kitchen window.  He spent HOURS out there, jumping in those pools, running around on the deck, throwing balls around, and just generally enjoying himself.  One of the first days my mom and I sat out there for so long chatting while he entertained himself, I got sunburned.  A perfect summer's day!

... reading with Grandpa.  This is especially sweet because Kyalo doesn't often sit through an entire book for my parents, but on this trip he started staying focused (and still!) long enough to get through some books.

The days were long and unencumbered and fairly simple, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  We did a few little day trips here and there, but pretty much stayed close to home.  I miss it already!