A-Katie-a

We had a great time in Acadia National Park. Peter and I went there 7 years ago and decided that we could use some outdoor time in cooler weather. Katie loved taking walks, but she particularly loved the beach. Here are some pictures of this part of Acadia called Sandy Beach. It was overcast when we were there, but Katie would have gone wading in the water, had we let her.

Mount Desert Island

Don't you just love lighthouses?

This is Bass Harbor Lighthouse. Katie thought it was neat that it was used until Mommy and Daddy were born (1974). It's on the "quiet side" of Mt. Desert Island.

We also went to Seawall and Echo Lake. Peter and Katie went swimming in the lake.

Peter and Katie at Seawall

Maine

Our first stop in Maine was Bar Harbor so we could go to Acadia National Park. It was a long drive from Teaneck and kudos to Peter for doing the entire thing. If you look closely, you might see that Katie's shirt has a map of Maine. She insisted on wearing it, which was cute. And we could point out where we were on the map.

This picture was at our lunch stop at Bob's Clam Hut - a favorite place of ours that is in Kittery, Maine, right over the New Hampshire border. She had the "fish fingers" which was actually delicious pieces of fried haddock and not finger shaped in the slightest. But I don't really care what she calls fish, as long as she eats it!

Dinner with Aunt Lesley

We went to dinner with Aunt Rachel, Aunt Lesley and Dima & Dipa after we arrived. Loved this picture!

Underwater Adventures

Katie did a week on "Underwater Adventure" camp at Peter's alma mater before we left for vacation. She loved learning about ocean creatures. She learned a lot and it was wonderful prep for Maine. We loved the amazing art projects she did. Here's our favorite - the pasta shell crabs.

Katie and Sister

Katie and Sister Puppy got to go first class to NJ. Peter and I had a lot of frequent flyer miles, since we hadn't bought a ticket with miles since 2004. The only way to get there on a Saturday was to fly first class, but luckily, American now lets you split the ticket so we could take coach home. Katie got quite a kick out of first class. The flight attendant called us by first name and said, "Kate, what would you like to drink?" and she got to drink water from a wine glass. Katie loved having food too. American stopped serving food so long ago, she doesn't remember a time when she was actually served a meal on the plane.

Our last trip to NJ, Katie wanted to bring 6 puppies, the 6 favorites and I got her to bring only 3. Even 3 puppies leaving the house is too many. I was really impressed when she packed her stuff and brought only Sister and Minnie. Although Minnie has a penchant for getting lost, she was fine this trip.

The Circus!

We went to the circus on Sunday! We went with our friends who have 2 girls and it was fun. It was different than I remember the Ringling Brothers circus from when I was little. Katie loved the clowns and the bubbles. We're not sure why bubbles stick out in her mind, but they did. Peter loved the 7 motorcycles in a round wire cage.

Quiet Time

Sometimes we have quiet time at home. Last week I told Katie that she doesn't have to sleep, just play quietly in her room. She took that quite literally last week. She played a game of Trouble with Sister, Mommy Puppy, and Clifford. I asked her who won and she said, "We stopped playing before someone won." And they moved on to Hi Ho Cherry Oh - at which Mommy Puppy won.

Katie's a fun kid. She really is. She has some new expressions that I don't think I've blogged about. When she doesn't like what Peter or I have to say, she says "Mommy, I have to tell you something!" i.e. listen to me.

Katie, Katie and Lexie

Katie had her identical twin friends over for a playdate. Katie adores them. They had a busy afternoon of coloring, dress up, dancing, and making paper dolls. The funniest part was at one point, Katie S. put Katie B. in her place as only a peer can. She said, "Katie, you can't just keep talking louder to get your way." The girls were so cute together and I hope they still have playdates during the school year.

Swim lessons

With Camp Simchah over, we did another week of playdates and swim lessons. Katie is a little fish now and swims very well in deep water. She just has to be encouraged to actually use her arms for swimming and not just do the doggy paddle. Private swim lessons for Katie work a zillion times better than Emler.

Aunt Susan visits

Papa's sister came to visit. She's a bit camera shy and when I was all set to catch her with Katie, Katie wouldn't cooperate. Aunt Susan is a loyal Urban Meadow reader and here's the best I have. Katie spent the Saturday with Nana & Papa and swimming in their pool. We then had them over for dinner. Peter is the grill master and the gazpacho maker. His gazpacho (which, technically, I made first years ago) is really good. I love summer vegetables on the grill.

Camp friends

Katie made one new friend at camp this summer. Jacob was in her group and is good friends with Julia and Katie & Lexie. It seems as if 4-year-olds vet each other too. Katie's friends with Jacob because he's friends with those 3. Katie went to Jacob's house last week and had such a great time that when I came to pick her up, Jacob came home with me to continue the playdate (I love having the extra carseat installed to fascilitate this). I think they played together for almost 5 hours!