Beginning of Summer Maine Trip 2024 – TruHaus Cabin

Day 1 – Arriving and Grilling

As soon as Gabby’s climbed off the bus from her last day of Kindergarten, we were heading North to disconnect and relax as a family! We stayed the ultra-long weekend at TruHaus. (Find it on AirBnB; omitting links here to avoid search engines from referencing our blog.)

The interior design and furnishing is lovely. Every square inch has a craftsman’s attention to detail. And it is set into the rugged, wooded hillside landscape. The property is a true reflection of those who created it!

Thank you so much to Jeff and Christa Trudeau, the owners/hosts of this beautiful, modern cabin tucked away above Crystal Lake!

The sound of the family entering was something like … “Wohhhh!”.

The kids instantly settled in and Gabby quickly drafted up some renditions of the “best house ever” and the landscape!

We quickly ran to the store for some food stock and, apparently, this happened while Dad was checking out … šŸ™„

Then, the weather arrived … SPOILER ALERT: It never left …

No problem! Dad isn’t afraid of grilling in the rain, and we can enjoy the spacious eat-in kitchen, rather than the deck.

Day 2 – Trail and Beach

The kids did a great job sharing a room and doing a ā€œsleepoverā€. They were even able to sleep in to a reasonable time. šŸ˜‚

This coffee was amazing.

Friday was the driest day in the forecast so we wanted to do as much outdoor activities as possible. We started with a nice walking trail in the Twin Bridges Preserve, along the Crooked River.

Then we headed down to the Crystal Lake beach. It’s very small, but has a calm and gentle gradient. The water was warm and clear so the kids loved it!

Once they were tired of the sand, they explored the water. Sam enjoyed it so much, it was tough to get him to come out… 🤣

Gabby worked up the courage to jump off the dock!

After several hours, we were able to lure them out with snacks.

There was a nice little family of ducklings waddling around all day too.

But the rain returned so we enjoyed a quiet evening in and had to microwave the smores …

Gabby was super excited to discover the Beetles vinyl.

Day 3 – Movie and Brewery

Saturday was another washout, so we made lemonade by planning for a family movie day, at the Magic Lantern theatre. The kids loved Inside Out 2!

We headed a bit further North to Norway Lake for supper at The Norway Brewing Company. The menu was simple and affordable. The kids loved their chicken tenders and hamburgers, and Daniela enjoyed the many veggie options. Tap list was a good selection too!

Day 4 – Goodbye Maine!

More rain, but was able to get a picture of an iconic Maine signpost.

Happy Father’s Day 2024

To celebrate Daddy’s Day, we started off with cinnamon buns for breakfast. Yum!

Next, presents!

On our way to the park for a scooter ride and some playground time.

Daddy always knows how to make us laugh šŸ˜‚

Dinner time and then dessert!

And yes, we did try to make our own Blizzards and…

…we succeeded! It was delicious!

Happy Father’s Day, Shaun! ā¤ļø

Last Day of Spring Soccer!

The final day of BYSA Spring session concluded.

So proud of Gabby for playing in her fourth session. (Mighty Mites and U6)

Congratulations to Sammy for completing his first session of Mighty Mites! He made so much progress and had a lot of fun!

Gabby’s Kindergarten Celebration!

All dressed up for her performance and picnic lunch!

Eagerly waiting for Gabby to walk on stage!

Here she comes!

They sang 4 songs and did such a great job! It was super cute too!

Time for lunch! Gabby also shared some of the projects she’s been working on throughout the school year. So proud of you Gabby!

The Butterfly Place – Westford, MA

Thanks so much to our friends, The Shufelts, for inviting us to join them on their visit to The Butterfly Place. It was very exciting!

Some of the butterflies started to get friendly …

Then some got really friendly!

And there was no better ending to the adventure than lunch + playground at Ronan McElligott Park.

Making Memories

12 years old and Mac still loves to play frisbee!

Sammy and Mommy mornings are the best 🄰

ā€œZep-balloon!ā€ (Sam’s version of Zeppelin)

šŸ˜‰

Soccer Saturday!!

Couldn’t kick the ball in the net until he waved to the Helicopter 🤣

Go number 4!!

Sliding into spring like..

First ride on his new scooter.