Searching for Gems!

What else do you in NH on a dreary, rainy, chilly spring Sunday? Grab your pick axe and head to the mountains for a little mining. This week Charlotte told us how she wanted to become a gemologist (since they study diamonds and rubys). So dad decided to take the girls on a little family trip to Ruggles Mine in Grafton NH. What else is in Grafton NH? Nothing.

Luckily we were also able to have Charlotte bring along her friend Amelia (who is also very fond of gems). We piled in the van and headed into what seemed like the middle of now where, up a long mountain road to Ruggles Mine which is at the top. We really weren't prepared. Most people bring buckets, flashlights, their own tools to break up the rocks. Instead we used one of moms purses to fill up and dad rented a hammer.

Not really knowing what to look for, we ended up with 10 pounds of rocks. Not sure what kind, but some look pretty cool. My guess is the crazy color rocks were Uranium (yes they used the mine to mine for uranium). You can see it in the picture below really well.

Ruggles Mine, we will be back. Next time with headlamps and a field guide. Hopefully we can score some semiprecious stones!

One of the caves in the mine.

Maeve with Amelia

Dad with the little dwarfs!


Charlotte and Amelia on a hunt for diamonds!


One of the caves!

Another cave

Amelia trying to bust open a rock with the hammer.

Happy Birthday Maeve!

Today Maeve turns 3. Hard to imagine it's been 3 years since she came into our lives. Full head of hair, determined, strong willed Maeve. So much has changed over the last 3 years and so much has remained the same. Her use of language growth amazing. Her attitude and determination unwaivering and the same as always. Our Maevy Gravy has grown into a little girl who makes us laugh daily and at the same time makes us shocked at how tough a little kid can be. We love the dynamic she adds to our family and are thankful for every day, every second we have had with her.

Its been a long few days for Maeve up to her birthday. On Wednesday the 27th, we checked into Childrens Hospital Boston to get her tonsils and adnoids out. Hoping this would help with her snoring, sleeping, and eating. A tough surgery and an even tougher recovery. Mix that with a kid with more determination then I have ever seen and the mix becomes crazy. When the PA came into look into her through, a firm no from Maeve set the stage. 10 minutes later 4 nurses took everything they had to hold down this 2 year old to get her to open her mouth. That is the level of strength she has. Getting her to eat her pain medication and antibiotics has been a challenge to say the least. Begging and pleading didnt work. Bribery didn't work. Trickery of hiding it in icecream, gatorade, smoothies didnt work. Finally we had to use scare tacticts. Not what we wanted to do but it worked. She is smart and tough, but such a loving and caring kid. Always playing with her babies. Always excited to give hugs and cuddles. Which makes her Maeve and we are thankful for that.

So with a few hours left before your birthday Maeve, we want to tell you how much we love you. How much we appreciate your attitude and personality. If we were ever going to get in a gang fight, we would want you on our side. If we were ever going to box Mike Tyson, we would want you in our corner. If we ever had to care for 50 babies at a time, you would be hired in a second. We cant wait to see where your determination brings you and dont worry, we promise to get out of your way!

New Years 2011 in Vermont

Maeve Snoring

Christmas 2010 at home in NH

Chestmut Performance, and Cookie making at home

Making Gingerbread cookies at home


Charlotte our Little Angel


Walking in to the chapel






Maeve having breakfast with Santa that morning, She was not a fan of sitting on his lap.

Today we celebrated Charlotte turning 5 years old (on Tuesday) at the American Girl Doll Store in Natick with her friends. On a normal day the store would surely be chaos. Add to that chaos a little "3 weeks till Christmas" shopping choas and together it equals Dad overload. Dolls everywhere, outfits everywhere, kids everywhere, mom with giant shopping bags, on two floors and my brain melted down. The good news is despite my anxiety overwhelmed too many people in one store with no direction issue, Charlotte had a ball. Turning 5 is a big deal, and its even a bigger deal to spend the day with your girlfriends doing what girls do best, shopping and playing dolls. Charlotte got a new doll, Maeve got a new doll, and dad got to witness the inner workings of what actually happens in an American Girl Doll store. (oh and what really happens is they make a FORTUNE)

To say Charlotte had fun would be an understatement, and her little sister didnt feel like a little sister but one of the girls all day. Maeve picked her doll with relative ease (Livvy, although we think she was influenced by someone to call her Elizabeth, which she cant say well so it was shortened to Lizzy, which she happens to say with a slight lisp as Livvy). LIvvy was born. Pretty simple.

Charlotte on the other hand picked a doll at first, from the make your own doll section (which is not really make your own, but more like pick a different doll that has almost everything you want it to have). After picking the doll, she found another one, and then on her way back upstairs to tell us she found another doll, found yet another she liked. In the end all three dolls were lined up like a police line up and Charlotte had to pick the one she wanted. In the end it was the first doll she picked. Always works that way. Go with your gut kid and you wont go wrong.

We all sat, had lunch, and the girls even got to eat with their dolls. Dad, not being one to be left out, was able to borrow a "guy doll" from the store to eat with. Everyone had their dolls, everyone had fun, even carrying three giant shopping bags, bumping into people, trying to keep an eye on your kids, wondering just how much mom was really spending, type of fun.

More videos!

Charlotte and Maeve were in a fashion show at Nordstrom. Charlotte decked out in a blue mini Boden dress. Maeve in mini Juicy Couture outfit. They LOVED getting the model treatment including full makeup at the store.

These girls love to dance

backstory. We were in Sears for mom to return some stuff. In the men's section there are these televisions hanging from the ceiling. Music videos playing. My kids think it is their own personal dance party so they started dancing and didnt stop!

End of Summer Camping and Apples

Summer has come to an end. Yes, many vacations, many many hot days, sunny weather, and very little rain has been replaced with cool nights, and crisp warm days. We decided to take advantage of a long Labor Day weekend with a little camping trip to West Ossipee NH. Mom was not excited about two nights away in a tent, not for any other reason than she knows Charlotte and Maeve would not sleep well. She was right.

Despite the lack of sleep the girls had a blast playing with the other kids (Pam, Kurt & Sammy/ Paul Jena & Marin & Declan/ Jess Scott & Ava & Harrison).




Highlights of the trip, the heated swimming pool that was enjoyed by the kids, the 35 seat movie theatre with a showing of G-Force, and of course just the fun of sitting by a campfire on a chilly night. Oh an the visit from alien spacecraft at the campsite.


Lowlights of the camping trip, mom catching a molten marshmallow on her chest and the two leaches that dad found on his feet from the river. All in all a successful trip.

(watch out charlotte with that hot marshmallow on the end of the stick)


(mom takes a hot marshmallow in the chest)


(careful, there could be leaches in that water)




Since we only camped Friday to Sunday we had all day Monday to enjoy. With clear blue skies and weather in the low 70's it only made sense to enjoy the day apple picking.

Maeve, Maeve, Maeve

Miss Maeve is just a piece of work. She is potty trained...well, for the most part. She speaks in full sentences....lots and lots of full sentences. She sings her alphabet, and counts past 10. She knows all the words to the Vacation Bible School music and has her very own favorite songs. Her favorites include, Step By Step, Our God and This Little Light of Mine.

She can be a bit shy when talking to people she knows as well as strangers. She does not like men (which is a great thing;)) She gets very embarrassed if we catch her singing or dancing to music. Gosh, this kid loves music.

She has a temper....a quick and aggressive temper. She is rough with her older sister. Almost daily she will cause a fight...it isn't pretty. She HATES time-out...I mean HATES it.

She loves us all very much. Is always so excited to see us and always wants to know where her big sister is. She wants to go to school like her big sister, farm camp like her big sister, chew gum like her big sister and on and on.

She gives the best hugs, is super funny, and beautiful beyond words.