All Settled

Wow.  A lot of effort and we are now able to relax.  Over the last two weeks we have been packing and meandering our way over to the new/old house.  This gradual moving technique truly paid off.  Most boxes were unpacked before big pieces arrived, which made the actual move day a lot less overwhelming.  Despite all the chaos involved with a move we have managed to play and enjoy summer.  A trip to my sisters house on the Cape was a much needed break the weekend before we switched houses.  She has the most stunning swimming pond at the end of her street!  Cullen had his first attempt at a swim, his first accent up stairs unassisted and his first playdate with another of his own kind!
Ethan has been able to continue weekly baseball lessons with his coach (Bowdoin College pitching coach).  He looks forward to that one hour every week!  The new yard has also been set up to resemble a baseball training facility...
Kids head off to "Gammy/Gampy" camp next week.  Not sure what I will do with myself...

This was across the street from Ethan's ball practice.

Figured I would take a walk while they played.

With coach.

Not exactly Carnegie Hall...

We tried to make her virtual awards night as special as possible.

Bike ride with my boy.

Ethan took this shot.

Fiona's night time doodle.

Theo, with attitude.

Still working from the box of sparklers I bought last year!

What?  Who are those young folks?
Yup.  That's our senior prom photo.

All cozy at aunties.

Look at this water!  Warm too!

Photo bombed by Uncle Jason.

Accidental photo bomb by Auntie.

This lovely storm just added a few minutes to our ride home.

Cullen all excited to get to the new house.

Hard to believe we were in this space for two years.

Ethan thinks he's going to take over my chore.

I've been wanting a clothes line FOREVER!

First cooked meal in new place!

This is along the front yard fence.

Getting there...

This is our new beach.

Great place for swimming or skipping rocks.

Best smell ever.

A whole wall of high bush blueberries in the back yard!

Pick.  Bake.  Eat.

Summer! Kinda.

Fiona and Ethan are so very close to being finished with their schooling for the year.  As soon as they complete their math books and science workbook it's OVER!  Portland public schools pulled the plug on the year last week.  They just kind of gave up. 
I was super excited to be able to return our library books yesterday!  I was so sick of seeing those same titles over the last three months!  If I had known in March that it was my last chance to select reading for an entire season, I would not have selected "Gravestones of Southern Maine"!
Kids are settled into their routines that will likely carry through the summer months.  Wake up around 10am, work on school or independent projects for a few hours, head outside for walk or play, eat, visit with Dad when he gets home, watch T.V..  I allow them to visit with friends outdoors.  They have had a few kickball games in the field and we did go on an evening picnic with friends...but not much socializing.
Our biggest outing was a trip to Gammy and Gampy's a week after Mother's Day.  The weather was amazing and we enjoyed mom and dad's yard and all the space it has to offer.  Cullen and Gary got along swimmingly!  Cullen ran around the yard at 65MPH and Gary hid in the shrubs and managed to jump out at him at just the right time!
Fiona has her virtual awards show this week.  Curious to see how that plays out...  In the meantime she has been steady with her chalk art and even received a commission for a birthday message to a girl in the building from her parents.
Scott and I managed to secure a home for July!  A fabulous farm house in Falmouth.  Still minutes from downtown Portland but with the ocean and wooded trails nearby.

We are just so grateful that the weather has warmed!

Scott's been a very amazing math teacher.

This is what I stumbled on while Ethan was supposed to be changing his sheets...

Then Cullen "helped".

A "normal" trip to Walmart.  Line's not too bad.  Just the length of the store.

Not the most rewarding sewing project I've ever completed.

There could be worse places to be...This was the view as I rode my bike next to Scott on his run.

No baseball season for Ethan doesn't mean no baseball practice...

LEGO challenge!

Who could build the strongest bridge across the sink?

Fiona's design won.

Oh, yeah!  Easter happened.  Kids found lots of candy and small change.

Social distancing...with friends.

All from scratch!  Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream frosting.

Found this outside Fiona's bedroom.  She stuck it there some time in the night.

The "new normal" litter.

Salon is open!!!

Theo still prefers my hair.

Here's a little taste of the new place.

Fiona and Ethan went INTO the Bread Factory to get cookies and bread!  Big day for us.

I baked this for the visit with my parents.

Meagan, Jason and Ellie were there too!

Barber is open!

Warm sunshine!

Frisbee and a picnic!

Scott and Scott at our 6 foot apart picnic spots.

And down went the sun as we ate.

Just a few of the latest...

This was her commission piece.  It is a Harry Potter symbol.