An Epic Birthday

Thane will be turning nine in a couple of weeks, and in lieu of a party he requested a day of fun with his buddy Liam.  The boys planned the day, and we had a great time.  Our first stop was the Hudson Museum at the University of Maine, which has a great collection of items from indigenous people groups from Maine and around the world.  The boys especially liked the mask collection, which included this gem that the boys nicknamed "Man with a Headache":

After we had lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  Thane even overcame his shyness long enough to sit on the birthday saddle while the whole restaurant gave him a rousing birthday "YYEEEEHHAAWW!"

Then we were off to a nearby adventure park, where the boys fought epic battles, jumped off buildings in a single bound and made narrow escapes on their trusty steers:

In the words of Liam, it was "EPIC!"

No birthday would be complete without dessert, so we stopped at Sweet Frog for some yummy froyo.  Happiest of birthdays to you, our little man.  We love the person that you are becoming.

History Lesson

Our local Christian school just re-opened, and we were very happy to enroll Annabel and Thane.  The classes are small, but the kids have made good friends and they receive lots of personalized teaching.  Another perk is the flexibility of the schedule and curriculum.  For example on Friday both Annabel and Thane's classes visited the Burnham Tavern.

This establishment was where some local rebels hatched a plan to steal a British Navy Ship.  The ensuing skirmish has become known as the first official naval battle of the Revolutionary War.

Both the kids and adults enjoyed learning a little more about history first hand.

A Whale of a Time

We just had the BEST day.  First we got to face time with Jon, who is on active duty in Iraq.  It sure was great to see that mug and see for ourselves that he is in one piece.

Then we picked up Jayce, one of the kids' favorite babysitters, and headed up to Lubec to go on a whale watch tour.  First, however, we stopped to pay our respects to friend and neighbor whose name was also Jon.  This Jon sadly perished a few summers ago in a mishap on his lobster boat.  There is a memorial to fallen fishermen in Lubec, and Jon's name was recently added.

Then we boarded the "Tarquin," and headed out to open water.  We crossed under the Lubec bridge, and skirted the Campobello Island coastline.  Suddenly, someone spied the telltale spray from a whale's blowhole, and the race was on.

We watched two hump back whales rise to the surface off and on for about an hour.  Sometimes near and sometimes far, but all of the sightings were spectacular.  Then we got to see each whales' tale as they dove into deep water to feed.  

Once they dove, we thought that the pair would be under water for awhile.  We reluctantly sat down to enjoy the ride home, when one of the whales breached nearby.  It was spectacular!

The two breached a few more times, and then began to roll and wave with their fins.

The kids were thrilled!

On the way home, we cruised by West Quoddy Lighthouse, one of our favorite spots up here.

Definitely a whale of a time.

It's A New Day

Today was the first day of school.  Annabel is in 5th, and Thane is in 3rd.  They are attending the newly opened Machias Valley Christian School, and we couldn't be happier.  They had a great day - and we are looking to a great year!

Super Summer

Where, oh where, has the summer gone?  It's been so humid here in Maine that we haven't spent much time outside, and now it feels like Jordan and I didn't get to enjoy much summer at all.  The kids, on the other hand, have had a marvelous time.  After their foray into the mountains, they thoroughly enjoyed two weeks with my folks and Kim's family in AZ.  Playing superheros and other fun games with their cousins was an especially fun treat.

 

My parents flew them back to Maine last week, and they've had one week to hang out with their Maine friends before school starts.  They even got to spend one day at the beach, getting covered in mud.

 

For Annabel and Thane, it was a sandy end to a super summer.