Staycation, All I Ever Wanted...

We have come to realize over the past few years that "vacation" takes on an entirely different meaning when you are a parent. Last I checked, this parenting gig doesn't come with any sort of paid time off, so the whole "vacation" thing is sort of obsolete. Don't get me wrong - family vacations are special in their own way - a time to bond with your kids, create memories, abandon schedules and routines for fun and magic. But they certainly aren't vacations (in the traditional sense) for moms and dads. Feeling like we were in need of a true vacation, Ben and I decided to take our second vacation of the summer right here in Scarborough. No packing, no planning, and best of all...childcare!

Staying close to home also allows us to do some day/overnight trips that have been on our "to-do" list for quite awhile. On Sunday, we drove over to Newbury, New Hampshire (Lake Sunapee region) to visit Ben's grandma Jane. She spends the summer in this idyllic setting, with panoramic views of the mountains and beautiful perennial gardens. Her cabin is a little gem in the wilderness, and we felt immediately at home with her unending hospitality. Jane is quite an amazing woman, and we very much enjoyed spending some quiet time with her, catching up on each other's lives, hearing stories from her past, and sharing memories of Grandpa Howie.

The weather wasn't perfect, but it was good enough for us to enjoy some spectacular views of the mountains and to get out and walk around Jane's lovely gardens. The sunshowers also provided us with an enormous rainbow scanning the entire sky. The Stockwells have a unique history with rainbows, so having one appear for us on this visit was extra special. We like to think it was Howie saying "hi". Here's Jane in front of the rainbow (it was difficult to capture on film, but appears faintly here):

Ethan was a little shy with Jane at first, but warmed up to her quickly. By the end of the evening, he was sitting on her lap, listening raptly to her songs and stories.

Thanks, Jane, for a great visit! Sorry it took us so long to get over there.

And now onto day one of our official staycation (boys in daycare today): Aquaboggin!