Mount Kearsarge and Hospital Days

We had a very busy day today!  We fit in two of our favorite summer staples on the same day and had a great time together as a family of FIVE!  This morning we hiked Mount Kearsarge.  It was freezing when we got to the parking lot - whipping wind and 60 degrees, but we threw our sweatshirts on and headed up the mountain.  It turned out to be a beautiful hike and the boys were so adorable on the way up - hiking the whole way on their own.  Unfortunately, Camden started to feel sick with a bad headache and a lowgrade fever on the way down and Micah was plain worn out so we ended up juggling them and helping them down the mountain through tears.  Luckily after a nap at home Camden said he was up for Hospital Days in New London.  We went on a few rides together, had some ice cream at Arctic Dreams and called it a day.  The kids are all sleeping soundly after a day full of excitement and adventure, and Scott and I are wiped out on the couch.  Hoping Camden feels better in the morning!

 Love these babies of mine!

 Big, strong almost-five-year-old!

 Camden is a really good climber.  So fun to see how far both boys have come since last summer!

 Love this...

 Brothers...

 A little chilly on top!

 Micah had had enough by this point...

 Cutie pie...

 I felt a little like super-mom here.  I actually hiked down much of the mountain like this! 

 There were tons of old-time cars lined up in the parking lot when we got down.  Too bad the boys were too over-tired to have any interest in them!

 The boys wanted to go on this little motorcycle ride first when we got to Hospital Day.  It was possibly one of the saddest moments in my life watching Micah fly around on this pretty-fast, choppy, loud ride.  It started with a lip quiver and by one or two times around had turned into a full cry.  My poor sweet boy. 

 The train was much more our speed...

 Sadie will enjoy this ride more next year!

 Camden and Daddy on the carousel! 

 Micah was too nervous to go.  Sweet boy...

A wonderful summer day.  But I'm really hoping they sleep well tonight!  We've had lots of adventures recently and we're all a little worn out!

Cousins on Kearsarge

We had such a great time hiking Kearsarge with Caren, Dave and Clara on their recent visit.  The cousins had a blast together and I was SHOCKED at how well both Camden and Micah did.  We hiked the Wilmot side for the first time (this is the longer trail up the mountain...in the past we've hiked the Warner side which is much shorter and more manageable with kids).  Camden walked the entire way and Micah insisted on walking too.  He started out in the Ergo and about 5 minutes into the hike he wanted to get out.  He did the rest of the mountain by himself and wouldn't even hold onto our hands on the steep parts!  It was a little nerve-wracking, but they did incredibly well! 

A Beautiful NH Day

Today was the perfect summer day.  It was sunny and in the mid-70's with a slight breeze.  Aghhh...it felt nice after the heat we've had to deal with this summer.  Although Camden had some weird, sudden sickness yesterday afternoon, he was feeling much better today and we decided to go on the adventure that we had been planning all week.  After an early morning nap, we drove around to the Warner-side of Kearsarge Mountain and hiked to the top.  The Wilmot side (the side of the mountain that we live on) is a much longer and more difficult hike than the Warner side, and we usually enjoy hiking this side, but being 32+ weeks pregnant and taking along an almost-two-year-old, we decided to drive around the mountain and take the easy way up.  Definitely glad we made that decision.  Camden wasn't completely himself this morning and wanted nothing to do with hiking, refused to let Scott carry him and screamed bloody murder if he wasn't in mommy's arms.  It was a sight to see.  Luckily we made it to the top, and he kind of snapped out of it and started to have some fun.  I carried him in the Ergo the whole way down the mountain and we figured between Camden and my pregnancy weight gain I was probably carrying around 60 more pounds than usual.  Let's just say I got my workout for the week!  After our hike we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Foothill's of Warner and got ice cream at a cute little spot down the road.  We were ALL wiped out by then, so we headed home for our afternoon naps.

Our very tired, very sad little boy...

My TWO babies!

After a nice long two hour nap for Camden he was feeling much better and we decided to join the rest of the Benson clan at the Wilmot bandstand for a free concert!  It was very entertaining to watch Clara and Camden entertain the crowd with their dance moves and we had a blast!  Gotta love small town life - and we even got free popcorn!  What could be better than that?!?!

 Scott bought this "special" treat for him and Camden to share - a cupcake in an ice cream cone (?!?!?)!  I was personally disgusted, but Scott insisted that this is a normal treat!  I'm not so sure!

Dave and Clara having some snacks...

Kyle and Roddy are staying with my parents for a week before relocating to California!  Kyle became close to my family when she was a student at Colby-Sawyer and I've had fun hanging out with them this week when Scott has been so busy coaching camp!

Another wonderful summer day.  I love this teaching gig!  June, July and August make all those stressful months during the school year very worth it!