We were walking through a barn and heard a muffled clucking. We looked around closely and found Momma Hen in the stewpot with her chickie! There were a couple of eggs in there too. Maybe (we hope) they will hatch soon. 

Will and Eva especially loved watching the tinsmith work. We saw a potter, blacksmiths, farmers, and how the wool carding machines worked but I think the tinsmith was still the favorite. 

Will tried his hand at building one of those zig zag fences you sometimes see around farmland. 

Linekin Bay

If there is a wall, Eva wants to climb it. This is in front of the Linekin Bay Resort, a family camp in Maine, near Boothbay Harbor, where we just spent a fun-filled week. There are sailboats, kayaks, a pool, and lots of places to explore. Everyone eats in the Main Lodge so you get to know the other families there during your stay. The West lodge has books, movies, games, and a fireplace. It really was a lot of fun! 

Will had a great time in the pool. This one was salt water and Eva didn't like it but Will did. He made a friend, Robby, and they showed off their crazy jumps. Here is Will mid-cannonball. 

We took an afternoon and went to Freeport to L.L. Bean. Will and Eva wanted to read instead of shop. What a surprise. 

This picture is taken from the dock in front of the Main Lodge at Linekin Bay Resort. Isn't it beautiful?

Edie and Dave were in New Hampshire while we were in Maine. They drove up to see us on the 4th. It was so good to see them. I do believe this was the coldest 4th of July I've ever experienced. 

Will and Bill are returning from their kayak trip. Lyra and I did not attempt a boat of any size this time. 

Here is a landmark occasion, Lyra is sitting well enough to be in a restaurant high chair! And a shopping cart too! She was sitting well before but the improvement over the week we were gone was noticeable. So life is a little easier. This is good because it is going to get harder soon as she is really really trying to crawl. 

Bill took Will and Eva kayaking (individually) to Cabbage Iisland, a little island in Linekin Bay. There were osprey nesting there. Here is one standing guard while the other feeds the chicks back at the nest. 

Fun at the Witheys

We stopped by jeff and Mary's on the way up to Maine. It is always so much fun to see them and Will and Eva wished that could be the vacation. The kids are warming up Will's fishing pole. They didn't catch anything. (Whew!) 

Somehow, we end up at Jeff and Mary's every time we have a baby. Fortunately, that is not a requirement for visiting. I think we have pictures like this of all of the kids with Jeff.

Will caught a crawfish. It took several attempts before he got the guts to grab it. He brought it back to study and then released the poor terrified critter back into the wild. 

One of the things Will wanted to do on the New England trip was go to a "swimming hole." There's a creek near Jeff and Mary's. It was cold! 

Last year, Jeff and Mary took a decent family picture of us and it looks like they did it again! I like that we are standing in front of a family tree. 

Lyra's First Table Food

As you might be able to tell from the picture, Will and Eva are *even more excited* than Lyra to start her on solid food. We gave her some rice cereal and there were serious negotiations about who got to pick out the bib, feed the first bite etc. I had to show them how to do "the yum-yum train" and properly market white goop on a spoon.

Lyra actually likes the white goop. The butternut squash today was not so popular. Smart girlie....it really is better with a bit of butter, brown sugar and nutmeg. 

Eva's Gymnastics Party

Eva has never really had a birthday party with a bunch of friends; we've mostly done small celebrations with her. We were supposed to do a proper party last year but pregnancy-induced nausea and torpor killed my motivation to plan any sort of party. So, a year and two weeks late, Eva has a birthday party with her friends at the gym where she takes gymnastics! It was fun and I do believe a may be a convert to outsourced birthday party entertainment. 

Is it snack time or dress up? Seth and Harrison show that it is possible to be dashing with goatee and without. 

Those cupcakes are everywhere. I am glad we had extra because they were very good, if I do say so myself!