back from the beach

We are just back from a great week-long vacation on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The best part of the trip was watching two cousins meet for the first time. Our little guy and Alpine Baby got along just fine. The kisses (him) and face pats (her) were plentiful. I know he is missing his little cousin as much as I am missing her mom because he giggled and grabbed for the computer monitor any time Alpine Baby’s sweet little face made an appearance as we looked over the vacation photos this morning. Sigh… Good thing my BFF and her girls will be in town tomorrow to help fill the void.

from where i sit

Sometimes when our family goes on a road trip we take my husband’s pick-up truck in lieu of my four door hatchback.  The only time we really do this is when we need extra cargo space to lug a small fishing boat, for example.  The Cydermaker’s truck is a two-door/two-seater with a small area behind the front seats that has two smaller “seats” that pull down from the side of the vehicle.  Since there is no safe way to accommodate a car seat in the “jump seat” area, the little guy gets to sit up front with dad while I squeeze into the back area.

Most would think of this as a downgrade in seating arrangements for me, but the truth is that it makes for a much smoother ride.  Smoother in the sense that, while mom is certainly less comfortable than normal, the kiddo is waaaay happier because he has a front row view of all the action.  He oohs and ahhhs at the big trucks and is entertained the entire way.  I snapped these two shots while we were sitting in traffic on the way home from a weekend in Maine.  It won’t be long before we will probably have to trade the smaller pickup for a more family friendly one, so it was nice to get a few shots that will serve as a reminder of my time in the back seat.

P.S.  Family members:  My flickr account is updated, so if you’d like to see photos of the little guy in Maine and wherever else we visited in July, click in.  (I have to designate you as “family” or “friend” so that you can view all of the family photos.  Otherwise, only a few of the shots will show up. All of the crafty stuff is public.)

cabin camping

This weekend we went camping for the first time as a family of three. We slept in a cabin, not a tent, which was a very good thing because there was (surprise!) a good amount of snow at our destination. The adorable one-room cabin had a roomy front porch and was furnished with a wood-burning stove, beds, a table and chairs. We went hiking, goofed around at the camp site, and on Saturday afternoon, the little guy and I went for a road trip to Williamstown, MA while the Cydermaker went fishing on his own.

We were surrounded by the beauty of nature all weekend long, but the only half decent shots I managed to capture were a series of photos of the kiddo chomping on the dregs of a bag of Doritos. In my defense, it was the most entertaining part of the trip. Can you tell that he enjoyed himself?

Yeah. Pretty disgusting. But kind of funny too.

Oh. And if you were hoping to find something crafty today, join the toy makers on their journey to Australia and fashion yourself a paper kangaroo or a dizzy koala.  Gotta love free paper toys!

right foot red

We had a very nice family ski weekend in Stowe, Vermont with the Cydermaker’s parents and siblings. We hit the slopes Saturday and Sunday while the kiddo hung out with his grandparents. They had a great time—lots of toy shopping and breakfast-time cake eating. You know. The usual grandparent stuff. I didn’t get any photos on the slopes, but I did catch this Grandpa/Grandson moment on the porch.

One highlight of the trip for me was sitting around with Grammy and City Auntie learning about how this amazing dress was constructed. See that gorgeous gal in the photo below? That’s our very own Adventure Auntie and she and Grammy made that dress for her senior prom. I don’t have the time to delve into the actual story of the making of the gown, but I thought I’d share a picture because it just blows me away. I can’t imagine working with twister board material. (This scanned photo does not do the dress, nor its model, justice. And–yikes!– I don’t have time to edit the scary red-eye. Apologies, especially to Adventure Auntie.)

The weekend flew by and before we knew it we were heading back home. The little guy was screaming his version of “are we there yet?!!!” an hour into the four hour trip. That’s when we gave him the thing that we said we’d never give him again. Ahhhh. Much better.

And then we were finally almost home.

We are hosting a little St. Pat’s Day party for our family this weekend. I did a little crafting for that last night and will share the goods next week. Just something small (tiny, actually) and goofy for folks to take home with them.

I am thinking of doing a post on how to make those photo silhouettes I used on Grandpa’s Beer Bag. I’ve had three people ask. I am pretty sure there are other tutorials out there in crafty blogland for this sort of thing, but I could give you my slightly varied take on it. Is it worth putting it out there? Let me know what you think. Either post a comment or send me a quick note at acyder at gmail dot com.

Did I mention that I have a brand-new, beautiful niece? I’ve booked my first flight as an Auntie and will get to hold that sweet thing soon!