Opens the Gift

Wow.  This kid likes opening up gifts far more than his siblings did at this age.  Look how serious he is:

Happy Birthday, to who???

The other day I heard Tate warbling at the top of his voice.  For no apparent reason, he was singing "happy birthday".  He was so adorable, and he even obliged me by singing once I turned on the camera!  Maybe the kid simply thought this would be a good way to get a slice of cake?

First Day of First Grade!

And yes, the summer came to an end (about a month ago, but who's counting?).  We started first grade this fall:

Notice Tate's new hair cut???

Growin' in the Garden

This year was good for tomatoes (picked about 1 pint/day at the peak), all herbs (which the kids refuse to eat, except for chives which they eat raw) and sunflowers.  Beautiful sunflowers:

Arlington's Great Meadows

This little gem is tucked into Lexington, and it packs a punch for those looking for a very (very!) easy hike with kids.  There are boardwalks, mushrooms, and flowers to smell.  And most of it is shaded!  Who could ask for anything else?

After watching the Smurfs movie, we picked this mushroom to see if there were any Smurfs inside.

Photo at the start

The meadow is behind us

Funny faces all around!

Adrift on the High Seas

As wonderful as the cruise was, I won't quickly forget the one day of rough seas.  I held my composure, but I definitely felt a little green around the gills.  The kids were perfectly content to spend the afternoon watching the Smurfs movie... while Mommy tried to ride out the rough seas.  To keep myself entertained and distracted, I took some photos:

And for those of you who think I'm exaggerating, my Fitbit logged 67 flights of stairs for the day.  I'm telling you that the ride was so rough that I don't think I walked more than 4 or 6 flights.  Yes.  That rough.

Norwegian Performer

Ashley was so excited to take part in the big performance at the end of the cruise.  Adam, less so.  He probably remembers the last time he got up on the cruise stage.  Ilya shot the video;  the boys and I went for ice cream.  All were happy.

Glass Bottom Boat Tour

Next excursion was a glass bottom boat tour.  We learned that Bermuda is too far north to have colorful coral, but they do have abundant coral.  It was hard to snap photos of the coral, but I did capture this wonderful moment when Ashley was dancing to the background music:

The kids sat patiently as the boat motored out to the viewing spot:

But then some of us got a little less patient:

Others tried to keep up their spirit even though we were caught in a downpour:

And by the end of the trip, at least one of us was ready to take a nap:

Going Out For Dinner

Ashley noticed that many fellow cruise passengers dressed up for dinner every night.  So she and Adam put on the finest clothes that MLM packed and smiled for the camera:

We tried to snap a photo with Tate too, but he made it very clear that it was time for dinner, not photos.  We'll get it next time!

Horseshoe Bay Beach

Not too long ago, we boarded the Norwegian Dawn and set off for Bermuda.  What a great trip!  For our first excursion, we went to Horseshoe Bay Beach.  Everyone had a blast!

This is as close as we got to a family photo.

And we captured some fun videos too:

And I'm wondering:  why doesn't Adam ever stand still and smile like that for a photo?  But as I was wondering about that, I turned around to find this precious moment:

Wild Hair Guy

While we were playing around in the basement, I noticed just how wild Tate's hair is:

Bike Pathing

Adam and Ashley love to go "bike pathing" (their verb, not mine).  Grammar aside, it's a wonderful way to get some exercise while Tate naps:

Whipple Hill

We've been on a hiking kick lately.  This time we hit the trails at Whipple Hill in Lexington.  What a beautiful find!  Ashley clambered up a big boulder:

And we took a great family photo:

LegoCity Choo Choo!

The A-team is teaming up to tackle a new goal:  building a Lego city.  They've noticed that many fancy train setups have cities around them.  So they've decided to build their new Lego sets as a backdrop for the train set.  Fantastic idea!

Flower Power

Now that Tate has discovered a new way to hold flowers, he's doubling his fun:

Sittin' Around

Sometimes you capture beautiful photos when you're just sittin' around:

Lego Mania

Give these two a Lego set and they're off and running:

Driveway Action

It's amazing to see how many determined people can fit in to a 2-seater:

Altitude Trampoline Park

What a great place for a kids' birthday party!  Everyone had fun... even the adults!

Adam and Ashley helped Tate have a great time:

Then Ashley and her friends kept Tate entertained:

Then we watched Adam heave himself into the germ, I mean, ball pit:

And a birthday party ain't a party until we all sing to the birthday kids:

Happy Happy Birthday

Alert readers will noticed that MLM missed A+A's bday by more than a few weeks this year.  You'll see from the next few blog posts that we had one very busy summer.

Family came from near and far to celebrate with us.  It was so much fun!

Tune in tomorrow for the fun videos!