I'm faced with a rather daunting number of photos from our vacation this year, so I decided to break up the memories by child...
... I'll start with my eldest...see that lone figure up on the jetty? That's Lili, and it's kind of the enduring image I have of her from this trip. My mom made this astute observation partway through the trip: "Lili is desperate for a little independence. And you need to give it to her." To which my immediate, knee-jerk response was "WHAT? No I don't! I need to keep her safe in arms-reach beside me always for the rest of her life." But, as my mom is a very wise woman, and as the fictional character I relate the most to is Marlin from "Finding Nemo," I took a deep breath and handed her the keys to my parents mailbox two houses down.
But seriously, Scituate is the perfect place to assert a little independence as a child; the beach offers a feeling of freedom you just can't get anywhere else in the world, and my parents' safe, idyllic little neighborhood makes you feel as though you've stepped back in time. Watching kids Lili and Audrey's ages biking to their morning lessons with their life preservers and tennis rackets slung over the handlebars drives home how lucky we are to live there for a few weeks out of the year.
So yes, my beautiful Lili is growing up right in front of our eyes.
It was so nice to have this time with her before school takes her back.
With Kateri being old enough for longer stints at the beach, the two older girls spent hours and hours in the water.
Mostly boogie boarding...
On the morning of her birthday (her NINTH birthday...how did this happen?!?!) Luke and I took her to breakfast down at the harbor, just the three of us, which was a treat.
Her birthday gift from my parents was a week of sailing lessons. It was quite the adventure (for me as much as for her) and culminated with her taking Audrey and Nanny for an evening sail around the harbor to show off her new skills.
After reading a couple of biographies of Abigail Adams, she asked to go the John Adams National Park for her birthday. I think Nanny and I enjoyed it just as much as she did, if not more. The roses Abigail brought home from England are still in the garden at Peacefield.
We had some great cousin time with the Dallas Birds, and Lili is just as much a baby-stealer as ever... sweet little Evie was especially tempting.
But seriously, Scituate is the perfect place to assert a little independence as a child; the beach offers a feeling of freedom you just can't get anywhere else in the world, and my parents' safe, idyllic little neighborhood makes you feel as though you've stepped back in time. Watching kids Lili and Audrey's ages biking to their morning lessons with their life preservers and tennis rackets slung over the handlebars drives home how lucky we are to live there for a few weeks out of the year.
So yes, my beautiful Lili is growing up right in front of our eyes.
It was so nice to have this time with her before school takes her back.
With Kateri being old enough for longer stints at the beach, the two older girls spent hours and hours in the water.
Mostly boogie boarding...
On the morning of her birthday (her NINTH birthday...how did this happen?!?!) Luke and I took her to breakfast down at the harbor, just the three of us, which was a treat.
Her birthday gift from my parents was a week of sailing lessons. It was quite the adventure (for me as much as for her) and culminated with her taking Audrey and Nanny for an evening sail around the harbor to show off her new skills.
After reading a couple of biographies of Abigail Adams, she asked to go the John Adams National Park for her birthday. I think Nanny and I enjoyed it just as much as she did, if not more. The roses Abigail brought home from England are still in the garden at Peacefield.
We had some great cousin time with the Dallas Birds, and Lili is just as much a baby-stealer as ever... sweet little Evie was especially tempting.
Thankfully, she is not too grown up to ride the carousel in Hull. The day that she opts out of that particular tradition will truly be a dark one.
1 comment:
O my! The pic of Lili standing up with her profile against the water is stunning! She is the spitting image of you! SO graceful and dare I say it, grown up looking! Why can't they stay little forever???
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