I 'heart' Farmers Market

. . . but you already know that because I wrote about it a million times last summer. And, I write about it on Facebook! I'm sorry. I don't know what it is. It's so fun to see neighbors and friends that I need to see more. My kids were so patient as I visited, they just hunkered down in the shade with their treats. I hardly even bought anything today- I, um, don't really need any more CHARD right now, since I don't even know what to do with this.

And it's so early in the season, it's pretty much strawberries and chard/kale/? right now.

But the kids and I always share a lemonade or two.

And a macaroon or two (plus we get one for Daddy).

And I found a great old couple who were selling organic stuff for CHEAP. (Right behind the bbq guy, on the grass.) I got 4 big yellow onions and a bunch of rhubarb for $3!! (My FAVORITE cake recipe to follow . . . ) I think that helps my average of how much the lemonade and macaroons cost (too much, don't ask, but totally worth it). I'll definitely go back to their stand- they also had a ton of perenials. Also some tomato plants. Go see them, for sure. They were so sweet. (AND CHEAP.)

There Will be Postdating.

Wow, look who hasn't been blogging at all lately?

Well, it's not just me. None of you have been doing that great either now, have you?

For me it's been a bit of bloggers block, (hey, that's cute), a lot of busy, and a touch of wow-this-weather-is-FREAKINGAWESOME-so-let's-do-stuff-outside.

Last weekend was the first in, I don't know, a month? That all the Gibson 5 were HOME. All in the same state! At our house! Plus, my dad, "Papa Vroom Vroom" (Maddy named him that when she was learning to talk, and it stuck) got home after being gone for months, so we've been hanging with him too.

But, like I said, the weather has been unreal. Just so gorgeous and perfect and it's to the point we don't even remember what our winter coats look like. Unfortunately this is Oregon and before it's really summer, we'll have to dig all that crap out again!

But for now- here is how we've been spending a big chunk of our time:

If you think that kind of looks like he's jogging . . . you would be correct. Although, it's more of a limp/jog/skip. We're not sure why. Although he did actually get 'out' at the last game- not an easy feat in kindergarten t-ball, so we'll see how the 'running' goes tonight.

Sometimes he looks like this out there (SO CUTE, OH MY WORD)

And sometimes he looks like this! (Click pic to make it bigger- hey, I'm blogging. I never said I was editing!)

Meanwhile, the siblings are doing this. Blowing bubbles, running in the grass, and climbing trees. Can't beat it!

East Coast: Day 3

We had a full day on Friday. (You can also see pics here, here, and here.)
First, we picked up Joel from his work and headed north to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. After a few GPS dead ends, we found The Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves. We drove past the entrance, and as we were about to do a u-turn, there was a Mom and Baby Moose crossing the road RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. It was so cool and we sat for a while and watched them drink.


Then we headed to the hike. It was so interesting, thrilling, and scary all at the same time. The water was so high that many of the caves were closed. The railings were all sturdy and adequate, but we sure never let go of Carter's little hand. The sheer power of the water pouring through the gorge was overwhelming. So beautiful though.





Then we headed east towards Portland. We drove through downtown, but I don't have any pictures.
On the south end of Portland, we came across this old fort that had a small, rocky beach. We'd been in the car a long time and needed to stretch our legs, plus the evening light was amazing.








And finally, we found our Maine Lobster at The Lobster Shack, south of Portland just a bit in Two Lights.


It was such an amazing evening, and the restaurant was in an incredible location so I couldn't resist playing with my camera and shutter settings. After some that didn't turn out so great, I got a few I was happy with:

East Coast: Days 1 and 2

Wanted to share a few of my favorite pics from our recent trip. (There were 500+ to choose from!)

At PDX

The Friendly Toast- our favorite breakfast place! (Although, in truth, I just love the pic of my babies.)

Downtown Portsmouth. What a fun little town! That first day was seriously Oregon-like though. Overcast and cool.

At the Seacoast Science Center.

P.S.

Dear Nana,
We are much more excited to see you than Sammy the cat.
xoxoxo
Love, The Wilds

Sent from my iPhone

Room Service!

Celebrating our last night in vacation. (And also we were so
exhausted, we couldn't phathom any other options!)

At the Seashore

See The Bigs in the distance?

Tuesday- Enjoying the Atlantic

Last night was a rough, rough night. G has some awful cough which I am
sure is some variation of the swine flu I had last week, (kidding),
but it is waaaaay worse at night, and I couldn't get it to stop last
night. I brought THE cough meds (if you use the same ped we do, you
know what I mean), and it just wouldn't stop. We were up for hours,
and it was miserable, but I felt especially bad for Joel who couldn't
escape and had to be up and ready by 7. Finally I got G propped up and
a second dose of the miraculous cough syrup down him, and around 3 we
were all back to sleep. I barely heard Joel leave this morning and we
didn't leave the hotel until 11! G seemed fine this morning and has
only coughed when we are inside places. Maybe it's the AC that's
bothering him?

Anyway, we ate breakfast at . . . Starbucks! Shocking, I know. We
tried their oatmeal bowls. The kids loved them with all those fun
toppings. We are VERY tired of eating out, and that's probably the
'healthiest' the kids have eaten! I use the term 'healthy' very
loosely.

Next we headed to the mall to change some sizes of clothes I got for
her bday. That girl is GROWING!

On the first day we got here, I let the kids stand in front of one of
those pamphlet stands of all the tourist things to do in the area. The
first thing G picked was a pamphlet for a docked submarine nearby that
was open for tours. I kept thinking we could tack it on to a day that
we didn't have a lot going on, like today. Great idea, but
unfortunately we'd waited too long and the sub us closed on Tuesdays
and Wednesdays!! Oh G was so disappointed! I felt awful, but I knew
the other thing he (and the other kids) really wanted to do was play
at the beach. Someone told me that York, Maine had nice beaches, so we
took the scenic route (slower, but prettier and no tolls!). While I'm
on the subject of getting places, I have to say that I have used my
GPS on my phone SO much on this trip. It has been a real life saver,
especially traveling without Joel!
So, we made it to York. The sun was out and the beach was perfect. It was sort of in a bay, but there were still small waves- couldn't have been better for the kids to play in. We stayed for hours. For a while Carter stayed next to me- in the warm, dry, sand, but eventually he got brave enough to play at the water's edge as well. Such a perfect afternoon. I got caught up on most of my blogs, and had fun taking pictures. (So far all these pics have been with my iphone- I didn't bring my computer so actual camera pictures will come later.) Just laying in the sun was so nice too. Finally, after giving my kids '10 more minutes' a dozen times, we left. I stripped them down, washed them off at the faucets, and drove them back to the hotel in their unders.

They were still so sandy though and once we returned to the hotel we went straight down to the pool. We swam for close to an hour, showered before and after, and I think by the time we got back to our room, at 7, we were all mostly sand free, finally! We were also completely exhausted by the sun, surf, and swimming so we ordered room service to celebrate our last night in New Hampshire. Joel didn't get home until 8:30 (UGH!), but we had fun eating on our beds, the kids worked on their journals, and I tried to get packed up.

Tomorrow will be a long day- we don't get on the plane until 5 (eastern time), and we land 8 (which will be 11 here!), so I am a little anxious. But they've done so well on this whole trip, I'm sure it will be fine. Maybe even fun. And we're all looking forward to seeing Sammy the cat and sleeping in our own beds again. Joel will follow on Friday, but he will pass Madeline and I in the air as we go to Idaho to watch my cousin, Berkley's dance recital. Never a dull moment!! I am definitely looking forward to next week when our normal lives resume!

Monday- Madeline's Birthday

Monday had to be super special since it was Sissy's 9th birthday. So,
our plan was to head to Boston to do the New England Aquarium.
Unfortunately, Joel had to work. I tried talking him into faking some
awful GI attack and calling in sick, but he wouldn't agree to it.
Which I guess speaks to why I'm a sahm (stay at home mom) and he gets
to go to New England for cool business trips, but whatever. (kidding!)
So after breakfast at Friendly Toast and hot cocoas at Starbucks (her
choice, really!), we headed the hour south to Boston. To be honest, I
wasn't entirely thrilled with the prospect of navigating the heart of
Boston without another adult, but I also didn't want to ride the
subway alone with the kids. It can be kind of seedy, and that didn't
sound fun. So, I studied the route before we left, had the kids help
me look for signs, and we made it with virtually no problems! Phew.
The aquarium was amazing- we all really enjoyed it. I think all of
our favoite was the 4 story tank in the middle- with a walk way that
wound around it. Inside were tons of different fish, of course, but
also some huge sharks, and a giant sea turtle.
We also went to an IMAX movie- Maddy chose 'Whales and
Dolphins' (again, in 3D!), and it while it was much more educational
than entertaining, The Bigs really enjoyed it. (Carter fell asleep!)

It was finally time to head back to Portsmouth to meet up with Joel
for M's bday dinner. It took forever to get back- thanks to Boston
traffic, but we finally did.

Dinner was at the Blue Mermaid again, Maddy's choice, of course, and
it was Joel's first time there. So yummy! M opened some presents and
was a happy girl. (pic from dessert at Blue Mermaid)

Sunday- Mother's Day

We got up and moving rather leisurely and I opened my cards and
present. Joel always finds cards that make me laugh or cry. (This one
made me cry.)

Then, naturally we went to Starbucks, and headed off to find
breakfast. We wanted to take Joel to The Friendly Toast restaurant,
but the wait was long and we weren't up for it! So? We went to
Dunkin' Donuts (they are EVERYWHERE around here) and then went to the
mall. I needed to pick up a few things for Sissy's birthday the
following day.

Then we ate at Chipolte's which is a favorite at home. I think it's
ridiculously silly to go on vacation and eat at a chain, but with kids
sometimes easy is such a relief.

After lunch we decided that Joel would take the kids to a movie
(Monsters vs Aliens- in 3d!) and I would take my book and the suitcase
FULL of dirty laundry to the nearby laundry mat. I know that doesn't
sound like a fun thing to do on Mother's day, but I love my alone
time, so it was all good.
The kids loved the movie, and I got all our clothes clean, and was
also very thankful that I don't have to do laundry mats very often.
We went back to the hotel for a nap and then enjoyed dinner at the
local Brewery. It was truly such a nice day and we all enjoyed each
other.

Sent from my iPhone

Go Red Socks!

Happy Birthday, Madeline Jane!

I can't believe that our baby girl is 9 years old. It's unreal that 9 years have passed since she entered our lives. That 9 years have passed since we began the journey of being parents.

It's unreal that we are half done having her at home with us, half done raising her.

I love being Madeline's mom. There is so much to love. She's sweet, so empathetic, and thoughtful. Also, she's hilarious- sarcastic and spunky. She's a pleaser- she likes to make people happy which I recognize as being simultaneous an awesome trait and a scary one.

Maddy is such an incredible big sister. I remember being so worried about her before G was born- would she be okay? Would being a sister be too hard for her? Instead, being a sister has seemed to make Maddy whole- she loves her brothers like they are an extention of herself. She usually prefers being with them to being alone. There are times though, when she shuts herself in her room and plays with her dolls for hours. I love what a vivid imagination she has.

Oh Madeline, I love you so. I love the smart, beautiful, sweet, and funny girl you are. I can't stand how fast you are growing up, but I am so excited to see what the future holds for you. I know there are so many wonderful things in store, and I am honored to be a part of that. I am so blessed to be your mama.

New England Aquarium on Sissy's Birthday

Happy Mother's Day

Notice my jewelry? My sweet girl noticed me drooling over it
indowntown Portsmouth the other day, told her daddy about it, reminded
her daddy about it, and then hauled her daddy and brothers down to
purchase it- all without me knowing! I am truly a blessed Mama to
have these people in my life. I'm also a blessed daughter, neice,
granddaughter, and friend to have so many other great moms in my life!

Saturday- Our day in Boston!

We decided to spend yesterday in Boston. For numerous reasons we
didn't get down there as early as we'd planned, nor were we as
organized as we usually are for such outings. This led to much
indecision and frustration. Finally we sat down in Boston's Public
Garden, ate hotdogs, and regrouped. We decided to ditch the idea of
the liberty trail and instead do the Duck Tours. This turned out to
be a great choice for us and the kids, and definitely turned the day
into a good one.

Duck boat!

G got to drive for a bit!

Make way for Ducklings!

Friday- Mountains, Moose, and Lobster

We were lucky to pick up Joel from work at 11 today. I guess all
those 12 hour days paid off! Once we stole him away, we headed north
to the White Mountains of New Hampshire- our destination being the
Lost River Caves and Gorge. It took about 2 hours to get up there,
but was absolutely worth it. On the way, we saw a sign that said,
"Break for Moose! It could save your life!". We laughed a little and
talked about how unlikely it would be that we'd even see a moose, much
less have to break for one! Soon after, we accidentally drove past
our destination. We drove a hundred feet further, to turn around, and
guess what crossed the road RIGHT in front of us?!?! A mama moose and
a baby! The baby wasn't tiny, but definitely wasn't full grown. We
parked and watched them drink from the stream for a while. Amazing.

Then we went to the gorge. 1000 stairs, 700 vertical feet.
Overwhelimg water and we never let go of Carter's little hands. Most
of the caves had river running through them as well, and several were
closed bcs the water was so high. It was an amazing experience, but I
was glad when it was over so I could relax that my baby wouldn't
somehow bust through the sturdy railing.
After our hike we decided to drive 100 miles to Portland, Maine, and
find ourselves a lobster dinner. It took longer than expected to get
there, thanks to what was described to us as the 'most scenic route in
the country'. Our apologies to New Englanders, but it really wasn't.
But then again, being from the PacNW, we are probably scenic snobs.
We finally made it to Portland- what a gorgeous town. We drove around
and then stopped and explored the beach and fort for a bit, but I
can't remember the name. By then it was around 7 and we were hungry!
We'd read about a place called The Lobster Shack. It's in South
Portland and right on the surf. So amazing. Unfortunately Carter had a
mishap getting out of the car and ended up with a very fat lip and
lots and lots of tears. Not fun.
The restaurant was casual and fun and perfect with kids. It was
incredible atmosphere with the waves breaking and the moon rising. It
felt like we were on the edge of the world. Unfortunately we were all
a little shaken from Carter's accident. Joel loved his lobster though!
After 300 miles for the day we finally got back to our hotel and
crashed around 10:30.

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Lost River Gorge

Our hike!