Photo shoot ala Roxy cat.
Lion decked out also at photo shoot, in Steven's glasses.
Close up: Lydia, lion and fudgicle smears.
We all had the time of our lives. Never has our family had such an amazing vacation. Lydia like her mum and dad totally adores Corinne and Eric. And they were as usual the bestest hosts.
I felt like P-Diddy most days because we hung out on the most amazing beach in Truro rarely coming into contact with anyone else. It was like our own private beach, hanging with our entourage.
The water was crisp but totally swimable. Lydia, the fearless of course ran full force into the water upon every arrival.
The happy family didn't get too sunburned fortunately.
Lydia totally loves Eric. What's not to love, outside of Corinne he's the funniest person she knows.
Lobsters and oysters for dinner, doesn't get much better.
And for probably the most astonishing event of the trip: for the first time in our seventeen years of friendship I was chauffeured by my learner's permitted friend. I'm so proud. I'm thinking a ladies road trip is in our future.
Well... maybe not as prized as seeing his first born sporting a matching uniform. I think I know for sure what Steven might have looked like as a child now.
We had a great day at Jamaica State Park with Jim, Mary, Dominic and the boys. As you can see the shirt has yet to come off.
I suspect we'll be seeing a lot of this jersey. 
Overall, it was a great experience for me. I feel really lucky that I got to spend all that time with my grandmother. This whole process enabled me to not only get close to my grandmother again, but it also helped me to understand the struggles and benefits of living in a multi-generational situation. The travelling was the worst part, but it had it's positives too. While VT had 6 feet of snow RI was pretty much snow free. We got to spend our weekends in the mountains and our weekdays near the ocean. Not bad.
A really hard thing about this was that we made so many friends in RI. And having to say goodbye. Having moved (sprinted really) away from RI at 18, I never dreamed of spending so much time back there or meeting so many great people. This is Lydia's class singing at the end of the year family night/ graduation. So cute.
This is the gang that basically adopted Lydia from the first moment they met. Lydia fell right into place and the threesome became a foursome.
For all the stress, anxiety and mishaps, we all survived. I have gotten the opportunity to give back on some level to the person who meant so much to me as a child. I also have come to terms with the RI in me, ( anyone from RI who actually has escaped will understand this). We've made a lot of new friends and we are ready for our next big adventure. SUMMER!
You pretty much see everyone you know. And you feel for a little while at least that you are amongst people who get you. It's really nice to be someplace where it's normal on some level for people to do yoga alone on the street and your child's male pre-school teacher to wear a feather boa and a dress to work.
So once a year our town parades some cows through town and half the town is in the parade while the other half cheers them on. The kids love it because they throw out a lot of candy.
The parents love it because it's one more day to do something free that the whole family can look forward to.
Even the monsters in this parade are offering friendly messages.
Yesterday, I got up at 7:30 in the morning, (how dare I sleep "in" to 7:30 I know). And my little cherub of a child had scalped all of her dolls and a third of her hair was also cut off.
This has been an issue for a while. The girl loves a make-over. Usually I just deal and cut bangs or use a lot of clips and barrettes to make it look normal. This time I was obviously a little grouchy and well totally exasperated. So I just handed her the scissors and said "Cut as much off as you want now. Get it over with and I'll make an appointment at the salon for whatever is left." (Bad Mommy moment)
My child has short hair. A cut which is very sweet and cute and totally hers. It's something I never imagined for her and yet she is so beautiful.
Lesson learned: She is becoming her own person. It's not about hair and it's not about control. It's about a five year old wanting to cut her hair. Yes I wanted to cry as I watched those golden locks fall to the floor but it helped me to realize that of course she will always be an extension of me. But she isn't a reflection of me. And that's a good thing to start to realize, because it's hard enough to be yourself, it's damn near impossible to try be what your mom wants you to be.
Now if only I can remember this moment for the future when she decides to join the Young Republicans.
