Mother's Beach--Kennebunk, ME

A playground that overlooks the ocean...lucky kids indeed.

This beach was excellent for Finn as there were tons of tidal pools and he didn't even need to venture in to the waves in order to get wet and have fun.  We didn't need any beach toys as we had a full playground and plenty of snails and crabs to terrorize in the tidal pools.

I'm loving what the sunshine is doing in this picture.

Sometimes you take tons of pictures and they're all perfectly fine, but then there is that one that outshines them all.

Rollercoaster, My Baby, His Baby

Jon and I decided to take Finn to Maine for two days this month to just have a family vacation as the three of us.  We had a really nice time, even though it wasn't a very long trip.  We were actually able to find a beach that we loved and would like to go back to in future summers, but more on that later.  This post is about the rides we stumbled upon while walking around York.  We went into York Wild Animal Kingdom, which, despite the hype and their fairly nice website, is a p.o.s. in a major way.  The rides are more rickety than a county fair, and trust me, I've been to plenty of those and I know what I'm talking about.  Alas, this was Finnegan's first ride on a carousel and he had a blast.  He rode it four times and begged for more.  We finally called a break for lunch and while Jon ran out to the car to get the lunch we brought, Finnegan and I waited beside this...

I had to make the first image of the roller coaster so large and in charge to show just how shady it really was.  What kind of a bug/animal is it supposed to be anyway?  Who knows, but Finn was in love.  He begged and begged.  To his credit, he did not throw a fit, though I personally believe if we were back up there today or really anytime in the past week when he has been showing us that he knows all the intricate levels of throwing  a fit, that he would have had a rather spectacular one.   We finally acquiesced and my emotions were a roller coaster of their own as I put my baby alongside his baby (duck has become his baby and will answer by no other name henceforth) inside this mini coaster. 

Yes, he is only twenty-two months old and yes, we were rather terrified of this thing that jumped and bumped around and around.  However, my child was in love.  He rode it three times until we finally said it was time to leave.  Each time, he seemed to be braver and braver.  He didn't even look over his shoulder at us as he waited for the ride to start.  He just held onto Baby and the side bar and had a blast.

First stop, the roller coaster by himself, next step going to college out of state.  Oh, college out of state...I've got to stop myself now or I'll  never be able to fall asleep.

Say Cheese

"Finnegan, can you say 'cheese'?"

F: "Eese!"  Me: "Okay, how about 1, 2, 3, smile?"

 

 

The Choo Choo

Finnegan is currently all about the "Choo Choo."  Well, to be honest, he's all about anything that moves.  It is normal to hear him on the monitor as he wakes up from a nap saying, "Mama?  Dada?  Car! Car! Car! Car!"  He now asks to go on the Choo Choo which means the train at the nearby park.  Luckily, the park is only five minutes away and we have a season pass.  However, the train is not free and is not so thrilling for adult passengers.  Still, you're only a little guy once and so we take many a trip aboard the Choo Choo.

"Whoa!"

Today Finnegan also decided that this duck, formerly called Mr. Quackers, is now his baby.  It only goes by Baby now and must be brought to all events, dressed, and fed.  Finnegan spent a large portion of the early afternoon helping his baby down the slide at our home, and then running to help him off at the bottom.

The Choo Choo.  This is the same train my Nanny Judson would take us on when we were kids.

The curls. Oh, the curls!

The outfit Finnegan selected for a muggy August day.  Who says moccasins aren't in?

Finnegan and his baby.

Daddy knows the combination to get the good grins.

Three buddies and a water table

Finn and his buddies, Nathan and Steven, fully enjoyed his water table on a hot July day.  We have so enjoyed playing with Nathan and Steven all year and are super bummed that they are headed to school next year so that their mama can get back to teaching.  We will miss our stay-at-home pals.

Oatmeal Raisinette Cookies

Yum!

The Zoo

Last summer Finn went to the zoo and was fairly unimpressed.  

This summer, he wanted to feed the animals; all of the animals.

 

Even the overzealous ones...