It's NH Time, Part 4

Yesterday, Monday, Koen, Tavin and I headed to the sailboat on Lake Winnepesaukee.  The boys had been talking about this for months leading up to the much anticipated trip to Gramma and Grampa's.  Koen got to go on the boat last year, but this year was Tavin's first sail ride.  He was great!  So brave, never faltered and happily responded to Grampa's instructions with "Aye, Aye, Captain!"  Here are my little sailors ready to board the ship.  I love the expressions.  Koen looks completely confident and Tavin looks like he's taking cues from big bro and is thinking, "yeah, sure, I think this is going to be fine."

It was a blustery day and so we didn't get any pictures while actually sailing as I kept Tav close by my side so he would feel safe and Dad had his hands wrapped in the sheets and a leg over the tiller.  Here's just one shot as we motored away from the mooring into the wind to put the sails up.

Like I said, the boys did great.  Koen showed real progress versus last year in that he listened to instructions (I think heeling over so much this year helped put him in his place, he just kept saying, "I'm bracing myself!").  Tavin was so brave and never cried even though the wind made it an exciting ride with flapping sails, clanging lines and occasionally heeling over from time to time.  Thankfully, Grampa is a master sailor and kept things very under control and not too severe.  Had it been just he and I out there we would have had quite a wild ride, but for the sake of the boys we stayed close to shore and circled around the bay several times for a good experience.  On our way back to the mooring we spotted a local paddleboat with Wolfeboro in the backdrop.  Ah, New England...

The boys were super excited to move on from sailing to swimming.  It was a brisk day though with the temp of the air probably around 65 at that point (I think the water was about 75).  We swam anyways though.  Again, I was so impressed that they didn't balk at swimming around in the dark, deep waters as these city boys are most familiar with bright blue pools.

The boys also enjoyed exploring the sailboat after we had moored.  Tavin at first was tentative about going down below, but once he saw Grampa and Koen playing down there he found his courage.  

Koen was dying to go up to the bow and last year we were wary as he was a terrible listener on the boat, but this year I felt like he was being more cautious with finding things to hold on to and knowing his limits, so I encouraged him to walk on up on his own.  We met up there for some photos of course.  

At first Tavin said he didn't want to join us, so he and Grampa stayed down below.  Then all of a sudden look who popped up the hatch!

Of course Koen then wanted to do the same thing.  

Tavin found his courage (this kid really amazes me with his brave little heart!) and did join us on the bow for a few minutes for a picture.  As you can tell, they get squinty eyes from me.

It was a fantastic visit to the boat.  I first went on this same boat with my grandfather, it's pretty special to have my kids have their first sailing experiences on the same vessel with their grandfather.  Thanks for taking us up, Daddy.  All three of us enjoyed it so much!  

Perhaps you are wondering about Doug and Penn and Gramma?  Well, Doug took a study day and went in to Concord all day to get work done.  Gramma stayed at home with Penn.  They had a blast.  Penn is finally warming up to someone other than Doug or myself.  He even gave mom snuggles!  Here's the picture I received from mom after the sail so I would know he was doing just fine.  He looks pretty happy to me!

After such a big adventure yesterday we opted to stay closer to home today (Tuesday) and make sure the boys got full, much-needed naps/rest-times.  Well, we must have known we were in for a cranky day!  Koen especially is just so jazzed up here because he's interested in so many things, it's almost like constant overstimulation.  He was super energetic, but overly emotional this morning and he must have cried 3 times before 10am.  Super fun.  Tav was more moderate thankfully, but still was overly whiney vs. his usual happy-go-lucky self.  Doug braved the shaky emotional status to get the boys out of the house during Penn's morning nap and they went to Carter Hill Farm.  Tav was pretty excited about the big tractor...

Doug really enjoyed the crow's nest they had for mountain viewing.  They caught a peek at Mt. Washington and had arrows and labels for several other mountains from the viewpoint.  Tavin's favorite mountain was Mt. Sandwich Doug said (that's my little ham!).

This farm offered more than seasonal produce and great views, but also had a playground and toys to share.  The boys loved it!

From the farm you could connect onto a hiking/biking trail through the woods.  The boys did bring their bikes, but after spending so much time enjoying the farm they chose to just walk/hike part of the trail.  Looks like a lot of fun.  And what a gorgeous day yet again!

Good job, babe, taking the whiney big boys out for the AM.  It afforded me some time to get some stuff done and snuggle with Penn too. =)  Thankfully the boys did all have good afternoon rests and were a little more even keel in the evening.  It was a special night as we had lobster for dinner!  Koen was so excited because he got his own lobster this year.  He didn't tear it apart by himself (Doug was his helper), but he did eat a good deal of it.  Mom and I, the real meticulous lobster lovers were proud to see him enjoy it.  Tavin, on the other hand, couldn't stand the smell and ended up eating a picnic on the front porch to get away from the overwhelming scent.  Maybe he'll try some next year.