Stop #2... Camden

We drove through Kennebunk on our way to Camden and passed by the "Wedding Cake" house. Would have loved to stop in for a tour!

We stopped for lunch in Freeport which is the headquarters for L.L. Bean. Of course we had to get a picture in front of the big boot and we had our first family photo session in a photo booth!

Enjoying the rocking chairs on the huge front porch of our B & B in Camden.

Our overnight stop in Camden provided us with some of the hottest temperatures Maine had to offer...102 degrees! We found this waterfall which provided a little cool breeze :)

Quick family shot with the Camden harbor

Walking along the boardwalk in Camden

Sunset in Camden

The Whitehall Inn...it was built in 1901 and has been location for filming of some older movies- Peyton Place and Stephen King's "Thinner". The owners were really sweet and the breakfast was delicious!!

Views of the Camden harbor from a mountain top in Camden State Park

She looks so tiny!!

One last picture in Camden...hoping for cooler temps in Bar Harbor!!

1st stop...Kennebunkport, ME

The Colony Hotel was our home for the first three nights of our trip. The main structure of the hotel was built in 1914...it definitely gave you that "way back" feeling-in a great way. Maryn loved it because it was dog friendly so dogs were everywhere!

Maryn and Jeremy braving the water on our first night there. The water temp was only around 60 degrees!!

Down the road from the hotel is Walker's Point which is the summer home of former President George H.W. Bush. Rumor has it that if the flag is flying they are there...it's hard to see, but the flag was out :)

Jeremy and Maryn walking along a rock structure that separated the ocean from the Kennebunk River.

One of the first lighthouses we spotted!

Basking in the sunset...one of my favorite pictures taken!!

Cold water didn't seem to bother Maryn! Actually on this day it was about 96 degrees so the water felt pretty refreshing :)

Playing in the sand on Goose Rocks Beach

Sharing some ice cream on our last night in Kennebunkport

One last picture before we headed north! The gentleman that we asked to take this picture was trying really hard to get a sailboat in the background...oh well :)

M A I N E...vacationland

Our destination for summer vacation! You may ask, "why Maine?" and our response would be, "why not?" After a hot summer here in Indy we thought it would be a great place to cool off and to see a state we had never visited before. Well, Maine did not disappoint...for the most part! For 9 days we traveled the coast from south to north and back down again. While the temperatures were no where near cool (mid-high 90's most of the week), we did see some beautiful cities and were able to create some great family memories. I decided that there was no way I would be able to get it all in one post so I have split up my posts based our our stops along the way. Hope you enjoy...you should definitely plan a trip to visit :)

State Fair...times two!

This past week we made two trips to the State Fair...one with my family and one with our bible study. During our first trip we hit pretty much all of the animal barns and of course ate just a little bit. Maryn loved seeing the animals, especially the cows. It was a fun day! Our second trip was a little trickier traveling with a large group, but we loved having Jeremy with us. We managed to eat just a little bit more and enjoy time hanging out with friends from group. I think we have all consumed enough corn dogs, lemon shake-ups, corn on the cob, milkshakes, grilled cheese and elephant ears to last us till next year!

A trip to the fair wouldn't be complete without a grilled cheese from the Dairy Bar...yummy!

up on Grandpa's shoulders to see the pig race

walking with Uncle Brad through the cow barn...so cute!

lovin' the cows!!

she was so excited to be able to go in and pet the calves :)

feeding the goats with Daddy

grilled cheese #2....yum, yum!!

Maryn and her friend Soren from bible study...

they share the same birthday!!

Maryn's conversation with the piglet..."Hi pig! I Maryn. What your name?"

Last stop...the Midway! No rides for us, but Maryn loved watching some of the girls from group ride the ferris wheel.

Lakin' with the BU crew :)

The last weekend of July our friends the Burnett's invited us down to their family lake house for the weekend. It was a great time, yet maybe just a little chaotic at moments...I guess seven kids 4 years old and under will create some chaos!!

the kiddos :)

gotta have a group photo...especially one with no tears :)

Maryn's first time to roast her own marshmallows!

one bite of smores was all she needed...good thing I had the camera!

4 of the kids on the torpedo and their lucky parents :)

Awaiting #2...

As many of you know, we are in the process of adopting our second child. We started the paperwork back at the first of the year and had everything completed in late March. Since then we have been in the waiting process of being matched with birthmother. Everyone always asks, "Is it so much easier the second time around?" and we always chuckle to ourselves. In many ways it is easier, we know the process and we have quite a fabulous distraction with Maryn, but at the same time it is still challenging. One of the biggest challenges is that we have no control over the situation...all we can do is wait and pray. If one thing has become clear to me over our adoption journeys, it's that God's plan always trumps my own. As the verse in Proverbs 16:9 says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Jeremy and I have really tried to not get caught up in the timeline of when things will happen, but have instead prayed for God's perfect timing. Who knows at this very moment God could be forming a child that will become a part of our family!

As we continue through this journey, we would love for you to be in prayer with us. Prayer for patience, understanding, compassion, and for God's plan to be fulfilled. I have included a link that takes you to our "Dear Birthmother" letter on our attorney's website. If you should hear of a situation in which this letter could be forwarded please feel free to do so or to contact us.

http://www.indianaadoption.com/CM/Families/jeremy-rochelle-maryn.pdf

Thank you for loving and supporting us !

enjoying summer!

out for a bike ride around the block

we took Mimi to the Children's Museum to see the Barbie exhibit. My mom kept all of her Barbies and I played with them growing up and still have them in boxes in our basement for Maryn to play with.

our garden!

It looks a little bigger now that everything is growing

Maryn's 1st trip to the dentist!! She did awesome :)

so the other night we attempted what's called a "twist out" on Maryn's hair. She sat for an hour watching Curious George while I separated strands of hair and twisted it. It turned out pretty cute and our big reward was ice cream cones!

we made a stop at Butler's campus to see the bulldog and to play in the fountains...cheap entertainment!!

for Father's Day I got Jeremy tickets to see Jack Johnson. The concert was this past Friday and it was a great show!

this butterfly was clinging to one of our screens and I just had to take a picture. I think it's the biggest butterfly I have ever seen up close!