I worried about the cost of our two-week visit to Maine this year, but even with credit card debt looming over me (JK I hardly think about it and just make the monthly payments without looking at the stupid interest accruing because YOLO!), I'm so glad we went! Almost every single day since, Linc will wistfully say, "Mama, I want to go to Maine! I wish we could go to Maine again." And I've spent a lot of time conditioning the kids, telling them that taking trips to see family and to have adventures is way better than getting presents at Christmas... I'm trying to teach them that trips ARE presents. I'm brainwashing them to be excited about the possibility of going somewhere for Christmas (not this year, though) instead of getting lame toys they will eventually outgrow/break/get bored of. And since they both have summer birthdays, I'm hopeful that will translate to taking trips in the summer instead of having big parties.
For this trip, we took a red-eye into Boston and the kids did pretty well. Linc slept most of the flight, but Aspen stayed awake and only slept the last hour or so. I was awake nearly the whole. freakin. time. It was too hard to get comfy and I expected to be miserable so it wasn't a surprise. Once we got to Maine and made it through the day, Linc fell asleep eating a tortilla chip at the kitchen table and it was the cutest, most hilarious thing I've ever seen. He was literally chewing the chip, and taking more bites, even after his head started bobbing and he was asleep.
But just look at these pics! Kev, the kids, and I spent a few days at my parents' house before Jeshua, Sophia and their families arrived for the Lake House. And yes, it must be capitalized because the Lake House was perfection. Worth the sleep-deprivation, and the cost.
It's an Airbnb located in western Maine, nearly in New Hampshire. It's just a couple of hours from my parents' and it was a slice of heaven.
We spent Monday-Friday here, and the kids LOVED the freezing cold lake. They caught tadpoles and they used the body boards and boats and spent every minute they could out there.
I loved doing yoga on the dock over the water, and watching everyone do their thing while I had a few minutes to myself. It was heaven. It was quiet and just the right temperature and it had all the amenities would could possibly need for all 15 of us. My brother and his wife were so angelic and let Aspen bunk with them and their three kids... I can't thank them enough for letting her have that time with them! The rest of the trip she had to share a bed with Linc and she was so disappointed. Ha! It's okay, Aspen, I remember having to share beds with my siblings and I eventually forgave them for having scratchy toe nails.
I want to make this trip a tradition, even if it's like, every five years or so. The Lake House was extremely reasonably priced and my parents spoiled us by covering the cost of the rental this visit.
And, honestly, the cost for the trip is worth it when I get to look through the photos and talk to the kids about their time spent with cousins/aunts/uncles.
It's not often we can all get together in beautiful weather and spend lazy, quality time together. It's worth every single penny, and all the lost sleep.
Our Penny-girl got to have
another birthday celebration on her actual birth date, and this freakin cake was so good, and worth the tummy ache, and the drive into the Maine wilderness to find the bakery.
Everybody better save up so we can do this again in 2022!
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