We went to Long Island to visit one of my very favorite people and her two boys. For someone I met on the internet, she sure doesn’t seem like a crazy person. Unless you mean crazy-awesome. Her whole family is crazy-awesome, in fact, including an awesome boyfriend who read approximately one zillion bedtime stories to the kids.

We went to celebrate JD turning four with a super hero birthday party Kim threw together entirely on her own while also working full time. I mean, my parties ARE my full time job when I’m planning, and they still don’t go as smoothly as her’s. She’s basically Superwoman (which made the theme even more appropriate).

Party Photos:

Then on Sunday we had a super leisurely day that involved Evan taking a nap in the stroller (!!!!!!) and me buying $17 worth of pickles. And also strawberries. And also a giant bread ring stuffed with pepperoni. And that was just the farmer’s market in the morning.

I’ve gone to visit Kim on Long Island a few times now, and every time I drove through the North Fork from the ferry I thought “Man, this place is GORGEOUS. One day I’m going to come back and just drive around.” Since Kim and the boys had plans in the afternoon the kids and I left around 2, which gave us plenty of time for just driving around. Thanks to some directions from Kim’s mom and some really good luck (plus ignoring my GPS’s insistence I stay on the main road) we found plenty to occupy ourselves. A farm stand with fresh snap peas, blueberries AND a playground is basically their idea of heaven.

Twins! Even when they’re eating.

Apologies for all the blueberry pictures, they were so gorgeous.

And then we caught a 6 pm ferry home. It was a super fantastic weekend. I love summer.

Another summer week, another seven days I can hardly believe were only seven days.

Sunday:

Yeah, basically this, for the whole weekend.

They ate all the peas & berries before we even got back in the car.

Oh no! Stormy seas! The boat is rocking! (It was not stormy.)

Monday:

Friendship IS magic!

Dr. Evan to x-ray, STAT!

It’s adorable, but they still stole my umbrella.

Tuesday:

Burning off some energy. SO MUCH ENERGY.

Every morning Caroline wakes up and cries until she can say hello to her kitty.

Reading selections

Wednesday:

She’s skeptical about putting a bird on it.

High fives, Blue Iguana!

Pineapple cream cheese cupcake = heaven

Thursday:

Dancing at the Plymouth 4th of July Parade

Cousins in the ocean

Chug chug chug chug

Friday:

Explaining why we should go home and watch some shows (he was very convincing)

Town fireworks

He liked them for the first 2 minutes…and then fell asleep.

Saturday:

Monkey see, monkey do

NO WE DO NOT DRINK OUT OF THE FOUNTAIN.

Performing a tail-ectory on Ariel

It is still hot hot hot in New England, so our choices are 1) sit really, really still in the house with all the fans blowing on us or 2) go find a body of water. There are lots of those around, but since Evan and I both got sunburns on the 4th we’ve been hiding inside mostly. They start the preschool summer program this week (I…think? I need to call…) so we’ll eventually have to go back to the real world, but for now I am enjoying doing nothing. Mostly nothing. I don’t think potty training counts as REALLY doing nothing.

Vacation, then more vacation. My life is really not hard right now.

Sunday:

Someone fits right in on Kiawah Island

MORE HATS. ALWAYS.

Hello, someone please come look at my castle!

Monday:

A brewery, you say? Can I have some beer? I’m totally 21.

Chocolate cake + carrots = balanced meal.

I was the wheelbarrow. I lost, big time.

Tuesday:

*Sob* Goodbye, beach house!

SO HAPPY to meet our friend Sophia.

Obviously they’re getting married some day.

Wednesday:

This is the only time all week we got Caroline into a boat.

Me? I like the boats.

Weirdos.

Thursday:

Operation Wear Out The Children Phase 2: Playground

Success! (Well, sort of. Caroline is force feeding him milk.)

Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’

Friday:

Sort of totally in love with these steps

Checking out the grapes

Never ending balls of energy

Saturday:

I have swum back and forth to that platform with a toddler on my back a thousand times…and I’m not even sick of it yet.

Princess Sadface demands more fruit.

Opie? Is that you?

We have a liiiiitle bit more vacation followed by the horrible drive back to Connecticut, so if you hate me and my vacation photos don’t worry, I’m almost done. Then it’s back to real life for…well, forever. Basically. Or at least until next year’s summer vacation. Although I can’t say I’ll be sorry to be home in front of my own TV where I can lie on the couch eating an entire pint of ice cream while my children scream at each other without bothering any other people.

These are all from Saturday on Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Crab boil. We went through two loaves of bread just dipping it in the broth.

The next three I took with the 200mm lens that lives at the beach house. It weighed a TON but holy gorgeous shots, Batman.

Pim’s cups, courtesy of our English bartender

As I type thing, I am drinking a boozy milk shake that contains a ground up chocolate chip cookie and coconut fudge ice cream. Just to give you some context on how TOTALLY worth it the 16 hour drive to South Carolina is.

Sunday:

The rarest animal in the aquarium: my husband

Cupcake face

I took this picture with a telephone.

She’s a cat burglar making her getaway.

Monday:

PEEK A BOO

Extremely loud trip to BJ’s

Happy Birthday Mr. Sendak. We’ll keep the wild rumpus going for you.

Tuesday:

Hanging up his coat for his last day of school

She really, really loves lemonade

Taking the animals to the vet

Wednesday:

Stuck in traffic and we haven’t even left Connecticut. Evan’s face explains it all.

Too cool for Delaware

Old timey fun with Mormor

Friday:

Spoiled, spoiled children

Spoiled, spoiled me

Never leaving.

Saturday:

Pre-pool relaxation

A very Low Country lunch

Who needs forks when you can pick up your cake like a sandwich?

I can’t even believe we have MORE DAYS of vacation before we leave…and when we do we have MORE FUN STUFF to do before we go back to Connecticut. My children are going to sleep for a week when we get home. It will be glorious.