Summer Fun

We’ve been enjoying summer as much as possible. Here are a few highlights from the past few weeks:

--Trip to Davis Farmland with Jane and her son Finn. The boys had a blast playing with the baby goats that were running around, and also feeding the piglets, llamas, cow, sheep, etc. Ethan had his first experience up on a pony, with a huge smile the whole ride. The splash park was an incredible relief on this 90+ degree day. In the end the boys played in a pretend stream, Ethan painted his face random colors (artistic license), and they both had bubblegum ice cream on the trip home.
--Canoeing with Lisa, Mike, and Roberto. We put in at Lisa’s sister’s house in Salem. Ethan spent the entire trip repeatedly asking if we could go to the playground instead. (When he does this I say “yes Donkey” referring to Shrek 2 in which Donkey keeps peskering Shrek and Fiona with “are we there yet? Are we there yet?”) After we landed the hermit crabs diverted his attention for a while.
--Picnic with other families with kids from Kazakhstan (see photo). It was great seeing how well all the kids are doing! People were impressed with how fast Ethan had learned English.
--Playing at Walden Pond with Rich and Jennifer’s twins, and Roberto. Ethan seems to bond especially well with kids he can chase or be chased by. Lisa found a dead fish which Ethan wanted to touch.
--Crane beach with little Molly and Beth. The water was so low that there were huge tidal pools warm enough to swim in. Ethan and I splashed the water as high as we could as we ran through them. Molly and Ethan found a big hole in the sand and buried themselves and various objects in it. Adults had fried calamari and kids had fried chicken for dinner. Ethan got a ring and a necklace for 25 cents each from a toy dispenser at the restaurant.
--Trip to Canobie Lake Park with Tom. Ethan’s first time up in a Ferris Wheel. He also loved the bumper cars, and the pretend planes that went around in a circle which he could lift up or down.