Showing posts with label Bradley Lake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bradley Lake. Show all posts

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Sisters and Brothers

We had such a great time last week when Brian and Sarah visited on Thursday and then Caren, Dave and Clara arrived for Thursday night - Sunday!  We had so much fun swimming in all the beautiful lakes around us, eating good food, and just being together as a family.


On Thursday we brought Brian and Sarah to Elbow Pond...one of my favorite places on earth.  The boys LOVE their Uncle Brian and Aunt Sarah and we feel so blessed to live just a couple of hours away and to be able to see them as often as we do! 
 Happy boy with his Daddy...
 Micah swimming with Aunt Sarah...
 When did he become such a big boy??
This is the same little boy who is terrified to participate in the swim lesson we signed him up for.  Apparently, he has no fear when he's jumping to his Daddy! 
Sisters.
Ice cream at the new/only ice cream place in town.  We now have a pizza shop and an ice cream store...we're turning into a metropolis! 
 That evening we headed down to my parents to say hi to them and to Caren and Dave who had just arrived and then Brian and Sarah headed back to Maine.  Here's Camden showing off his two-wheeler skills to his aunts and uncles.
 My Mom and Dad bought a balance bike as a (really) early birthday present for Micah!  He's pretty cute on it!
 Clara was happy to see her cousins!
 After we said goodbye to Brian and Sarah the rest of the group headed up the street past our house to Bradley for an evening swim.  We are so spoiled. 
 On Friday we went up to Elkins for a swim with the kids.  We brought my Dad and wheeled him out on the grass so he could watch his grandchildren play.  It was so great to have him there with all of us!
Daddy and his girls...
Camden and Clara were in their own little world all weekend.  They had a game going where they were looking on maps to find a secret key and running all over the place giggling and whispering to each other.  I don't think they had a moment of frustration with each other (which is a first)!  So cute! (thanks for the pic, Mom!)
 Caren took some pretty cute pictures using Instagram on her fancy iPhone.  I'm jealous of her awesome technology, but some of her pictures are too cute not to share!
Micah waiting for a little snack of blueberries after riding his bike!
  My cousin, Carmen, who just gave birth to that little baby in her belly (!!) used to babysit Clara so they have a special bond!  It was so great that she was able to stop by while we were all together.  And now Camden and Micah have a new little "cousin" as Connor is now a big brother to Lucey!  :)  Congratulations, Carmen and Jeremy!!!
 My Mom with her grandsons at Elbow...
 Caren, my Mom and I enjoyed a girls' night out and had a delicious dinner at PC's together (our favorite restaurant of all time).  We were laughing SOOO hard I was crying.  :)
 And then they were gone.  :(  The Swanson clan headed back to Durham, NC, but they'll be back for a week in August!  Can't wait!  We'll see Brian and Sarah later this week when we (or at least Scott) heads up to Portland to help them move into their beautiful new home they just bought!  So exciting!  I'm pretty lucky to have such a wonderful family!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

35 Years and the First Swim of Summer

Yesterday my parents celebrated 35 years of marriage!  Wow!  I am so lucky to have parents that are committed to one another, love one another, honor one another, encourage one another and cherish one another even after 35 years!  It's pretty amazing.  I can't even express how incredible it was to grow up in a house where I didn't have to worry if my parents were going to get divorced.  Sure, they disagreed on things and had moments of anger and frustration, as any couple does, but I knew that they were in it for the long haul and that nothing was going to change that for them.  Not having the weight of that fear hovering over me allowed me to enjoy my childhood and provided me an incredible example for my marriage today.  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for loving each other so well.  I love you both!

Here is what I shared on Facebook yesterday.  I think it's pretty great!
"Happy 35th Anniversary to my Mom and Dad! I love you both so much. Thank you for showing me every day what a healthy, loving, committed marriage looks like. "In sickness and in health" has taken on a whole new meaning to you and it is inspiring to see your love for one another continue to grow through this difficult time. I love you both more than you know. ♥  
* The lower right photo is of my Mom putting my Dad's wedding ring back on upon his return home after 8 weeks of hospitalization/rehab. Still so in love. *

 My parents were pretty darn cute expressing their love for one another as well.
Here's what my Dad posted on Facebook: 
"Today - Celebrating 35 years of marriage to the most wonderful woman in the world. Through all the twists and turns, through the surprises and disappointments she has been a rock, a support, a joy. Thank you Cindy for sharing this amazing journey with me. Only God knows what the future has in store. I love you more than ever!!!"

And this was my Mom's status: 
"Celebrating 35 years of marriage today to my best friend - a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather! I had no doubts at age 20 that this was the right decision and every year proves it more true! I admire and love you more each day, Benny!!"
 
 Only God knows what the future holds, but what a blessing to have loved so well and shared so much together in this life.  I love you both so much.

On another note, our little family of four hopped up the road about a mile to this beautiful lake yesterday to enjoy a late afternoon dip:
 I certainly wasn't planning on actually going in...I thought it was going to be freezing and we would just let the kids play, but it turned out to be beautiful!  The water was refreshing, clear and not a bit too cold.  We had a blast and continue to be so thankful for this gorgeous place where we get to raise our family.
 This is our town's drinking water!  Hi little fishies!
Let summer begin!!!

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