Hard to Say Goodbye

It's been a sad day at the Lentz house.  After a week of playtime, walks, stories, cuddles and adventures, my folks headed back to Arizona today. The kids have been moping, and we keep reminding them to be grateful for the special time they had with Grampa & Gramma.  We have much for which to be grateful, including the unexpected arrival of my Aunts Bonnie & Sandy, who were in the neighborhood and stopped by for a surprise visit.

We have loads of other memories of the past week, too. 

Mom gave us a lesson in the making of the perfect pie crust, a feat that I have yet to accomplish. 

My folks also babysat for us a few times.  We very much enjoyed our date night and times of rest - although we do wonder just who was watching whom?!?

The highlight for me was the trip Mom and I made to Acadia National Park.  We hiked a bit, heard the crashing roar of the surf at Thunder Hole, drove up Cadillac Mountain and took in all of the other beautiful sites of the park. 

We even enjoyed Jordan Pond House's famous popovers - YUM!

Yes, it was very hard to see them drive away this morning, but we are incredibly grateful for the wonderful week we had.

Ship Ahoy

Annabel and Thane are thrilled to report that we are owners of a new boat.  It's a small vessel, to be sure, but it floats and can get us around the local lakes in a jiffy.

We took our maiden voyage last weekend, and judging by the faces of all involved, the boat is a hit - wet spray and all!

Growing Pains

Our little man's life has proven quite eventful over the past week and a half.  It all started when he "FINALLY!" lost his first tooth.  Three more are loose, and he heads to bed with visions of fairy wings and cash every night.

Just days later, however, Thane found himself in a hospital room waiting to be wheeled into the OR where a surgical team waited to remove his tonsils and adenoids - and to put tubes in his ears.  Before:

And after:

It's been a long week of recovery with loads of soft, cold foods.  Thane's new breakfast of champions?  Chocolate pudding, of course.

The surgery was very necessary, and he is already feeling much, much better.  It's been a week now, and Thane feels that he's ready for the "big man" chores.

Mow away!

Fore!

I can't begin to tell you how much fun it was to have Johnny visit us a few weeks ago.  We always enjoy our time with Johnny, but this time was really special.  Heartfelt talks under the pleasant haze of pipe smoke, hikes on the rugged Maine coast, perfectly cooked seafood - and loads of good-natured jesting and laughter.  Johnny even managed to do something that many of us thought impossible - he took Jordan golfing!  Don't worry - we wouldn't have believed it either if we didn't have the pics to prove it.  Be afraid - be very afraid!

The kids were, as usual, absolutely besotted.  They just love their Uncle Johnny.

We're already looking forward to the next visit!

Boys Will Be Boys

As usual, the first signs of cool weather send the Lentz household into a frenzy.  There are gardens to harvest, fruit & veggies to store for the dark winter months and firewood to cut and stack.  Now that Thane is almost the, ahem, ripe old age of 6, he has decided that he needs to contribute his share.  Thus, he is now the proud owner of a small axe which he uses to split kindling.  He takes this job very seriously and observes Jordan's technique closely.

While still a novice, Thane's wood splitting ability has improved, and he follows the "dangerous tool" rules implicitly (upon threat of immediate removal of said sharp instrument).

This is all voluntary, mind you - there's no child labor laws being violated here.  His reward, at the end of the day, is to go goose hunting with Jordan and his buddies.

A job well done by all.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some goose chili to make.

First Day of School

Yikes!  School started yesterday.  Where, oh where, has the summer gone?  The weather here is still fairly warm, although the shorter nights and frosty mornings subtly portend the start of a new season.

Thane was (in his words) "just a little nervous" to be heading to Kindergarten.  He was all smiles when he got off the bus at the end of the day, and he seems happy with his classmates and teacher.  Lunch & recess were, of course, the highlights of the day.

Annabel, who was most enthusiastic about starting 2nd grade, missed out completely.  She fell ill and spent the day at work with me fighting a fever, although she assured me that the movies and pumpkin muffins helped considerably. 

There's no need to worry though.  Annabel is on the mend and merrily boarded her bus bright and early this morning.  All is well!