trip to maine :)

 thanks to zane's incredibly generous co-worker, we were able to take a mini-vacation up to maine for 5 days and stay just about beach-front. one of the assistant's in his class has a house in saco, one house back from the beach. we drove up, enjoyed the beach, ice cream, mini-golfing, eating seafood and sugary cereals, and relaxing with just about zero distractions. the girls did amazing with sleeping and playing and being flexible. it was the perfect little getaway!

 first afternoon on the beach at low tide. 

 

like father, like daughter :)

 

 

 after seeing a disappointing "earth to echo" the previous week, we found and watched "E.T". the girls loved it!

 my little bear. can't believe how much she's grown up recently.

 bathing beauty. 

 20 week belly and probably the last view of my feet for a while. 

 the girls made a (very "spirited") friend while we were there, named olivia. she made herself right at home.

goofs ;)

mini-golf! the girls were pros by the 18th hole.

fun in the sand.

this trip took me back to summers as a kid going to the cape or scituate. it was amazing to be able to hear the waves at night when i woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. mornings with salt air are just better, no matter what time you wake up. finding shells and seaglass (and a sand dollar!) is better when you get to share it with your little ones. all in all, great trip.

SUMMER!!!!

so it is officially summer. we are ALL out of school (FINALLY!)

we started movie nights on sunday nights here. the first week it was mostly neighbors that showed up, and all girls (kids). they had a blast playing outside and half watching frozen on the laptop on the deck. this week we had a bunch of other people show up, and a lot more boys. it was equally as fun, and this time we got a projector that works. it's a fun way to wind down the weekend and give a little bit of routine to our weeks that otherwise tend to blend into each other during the summer.

it's been hot and humid here this week. the girls started their 2 week long swim lessons yesterday at the res and we're going non-stop it seems. yesterday, after an early ob appointment that we all went to so the girls could hear the baby's heartbeat (in the 160's this time) we were at the res from 10-2, and the girls were pretty much in the water the entire time. we came home, crashed in the living room-me to almost nap, zane to read and the girls to play on the computers. it was the perfect summer afternoon laziness that we were all craving.

today, i had my 18 week ultrasound. it was a bit anti-climatic. zane wasn't able to make it, as he got a last minute call from my principal to interview with the special education director in my district. the girls were all excited to see cupcake (i guess this is the "official" nickname) and get pictures, but once we got there and there wasn't a whole lot that they could understand on the screen, they got restless. cupcake was stubborn (ie asleep) the entire ultrasound, despite the technician manhandling my belly to get him/her to move. it's head was buried deep into my pelvis and the tech couldn't really get any facial measurements, so we get to go back in a couple weeks for another. at least zane will be able to come :) got to see the heart, the legs and arms, hands and feet, and the tail end of a big yawn. most of the measurements she was taking averaged in the 19+ week range, but she didn't say anything about it. actually, she didn't say much of anything. it was a bit of a let down, but maybe we'll get a more peppy tech next time :)

she was able to get this picture of the profile (head to the right, looking up, with it's nose touching the side of my belly)

we're still working our way through the original star trek series, and it's so nice to be able to relax on the couch with no other obligations like lesson plans! we are fully embracing this period of down time. we have some fun summer plans coming up and before we know it it's going to be september and the return to school.