IAN IS THREE!

Hello All,

Well, another year has passed in Ian's short life. We decided, last minute, to fill our backyard with friends and family to celebrate our boy's third birthday. It was a spectacular day. The food was great, the laughter rich and the kids all got wet and dirty and full. It was perfect. I didn't know what to expect as this was the first time having a lot of people over. I had forgotten how fun it is to have a house full of people. The men broke out the guitars and banjos and mandolins and had themselves a blast. The kids were so well-behaved and everyone got along. Ian and I were able to catch TWO parades in the morning before our traditional shopping trip for his birthday present. The Boothbay parade is a very solemn affair that never lets me get away with dry eyes. In the middle of Taps, Ian let everyone know that this parade was for his birthday.. Lots of laughter, even from some of the Marines. Shhhh. I won't tell. The second parade was in Damariscotta and it was complete with marching bands and fire engines which made Ian very happy. I'm glad we happened upon that one. All in all, Perfect Day! I hope everyone is getting some sunshine as it feels soooooo good.

Big Love,

Sarah

GROWING UP A STORM

corn

cukes

basil

Hello All,
Sorry for not updating recently. We have been very busy at home lately. A week or so ago, we decided to start a garden. I miss having frsh basil and tomatoes and hate relying on the supermarket for them. So, Ian and I went and got some seeds and started them indoors. We are growing cucumbers, tomatoes, corn, basil and chives. We also had one of the best canteloupes the other day and will put the seeds directly in the ground. It's very exciting to watch these things grow. This week, we'll start digging where we will plant them. I'll try and keep you all updated on what actually comes up. The season is so close, I can taste it. Ian has been growing up so fast and I'm having a hard time keeping up. He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge that my tiny little brain cannot keep up with. By the end of the day, I'm dumb as a rock. The nice thing is that he tends to remember the answers that I give him and he's, for the most part, not asking the same things over and over. Now, we just have to make sure that the answers are correct. He has been reading books to me at night, which takes a little longer, but is incredibly rewarding for both of us. We borrowed a book from a friend the other day and he read almost the whole thing by himself. Crazy!!! MIT, here we come!!! Any way, got to run as I've got a short period of time to get a lot of stuff done.

Big Love,

Sarah

WELCOME SPRING!

Hello All!
Spring is here! The trees are starting to bud and my hyacinths are coming up and lending their color to the still drab yard. The air smells good and sun is warm on my face. Aaaahhhhh.
What a week... I am now officially in my forties as my 41st birthday came and went. We went out to the Hamptons for a few days to get our tent equipment back so as we can begin the Tiny Little Tent Company up here in Maine. On our way, we stopped off in Marion, MA to say good bye to our sailboat. I'll be sad to see her go, though we still haven't received a check, so, maybe goodbye was premature. We stayed a little longer than we should have and raced for the ferry. Strangely enough, we ended up making the earlier one and got to Hampton Bays early afternoon. Ian is now at the stage where he is asking, " Are we there yet?" Cute the first few minutes. We were in the truck for 8 hours. Mom, I apologize if I ever asked that question more than once. Andrew and I were beside ourselves. At one point, jumping out of a moving truck seemed like a good idea. We don't know if we'll be taking any long trips for awhile. Finally, we got to Gene and Danielle's for dinner and drinks. Oh the drinks... Gene made an insanely delicious meal and our good friend Brent was there to share in the craziness. Their son Parker is just about the cutest thing. Big giant eyes with the lashes to go with it. A constant smile. He is awesome. Let's say the end of the evening ended with rousing game of scrabble and a quick motorcycle ride. Don't ask... The next day, we made our way east to Urban and Maria's new house. Great house, great block, great company. It's always nice to see them. Natalie is getting so big and Katie is an absolute doll. Chris and Melissa were there. It was nice to see them. The new house is super comfortable and Ian especially enjoyed the play room. After we settled in, sort of, we headed for the beach. Now, the reason we went on these days was that our dear friend, Sean passed away 2 years ago. Every year, his friends and family make their way to the beach that he loved and celebrate his life. Sean was the kind of person who made everyone around him feel good and important. It was so nice to catch up with people I haven't seen in almost 3 years. Kids were playing on the beach and, aside from a few solemn moments, there was much laughter. It was the way he would want it. I saved this part for last because after writing about Sean, everything else seems so trivial and it brings tears to my eyes thinking of him. Then, I think of a particular New Years and laughter overtakes me... Thanks for the memories, Sean.
Big Love,
Sarah

NOT RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER

Hello All!
One of the great features of this renovation is having the washer and dryer upstairs. It is so convenient. They are off the floor so no more bending down, etc... Here's the kicker. A dryer weighs considerably less than a washer. Andrew was able to get the dryer up by himself. The washer was another story. There was just no safe way for the 2 of us to do it together. After lots of pushing and some help from some very sturdy boards, it's up. Pictures of what the final product looks like will be in the next blog. I've got laundry to do...
Big Love,
Sarah

MANY APOLOGIES

Hello All,
Many apologies to those of you who actually follow this blog. So many friends are doing blogs and I find myself cursing them when they are not updated. Pot, meet kettle.... I am doing my best with this. The truth is, I'm having a very hard time staying upbeat these days. It's that time of year when everything is that ugly grayish-brown. There's still a wicked chill in the air and the snow that is left has been pushed into these hideously dirty piles on the side of the road. We had a bout with illness that seemed to go on forever. It was really only a week, but, when your kid is never really sick and then gets his first ear infection, it feels like it will never end. It hurt me to see him in so much pain. We had many sleepless nights. On that, we are all back to normal, now... Spring is on it's way and I am looking forward to getting out and being in the fresh air with out having to grab a coat. Many of you have asked for pictures of the renovation that has been going on at our house. Andrew has been working hard rewiring the place as it was a fire hazard the way it was. I just don't think you want to see pictures of new light switches. Here are few of what the house looks like in this state of demo/reno.

Not too exciting, huh?

Big Love,

Sarah