On the Tuesday of our vacation, my in-laws sent us on a trip on the Carillon, a nice little touring boat, from Orwell to White Hall, down Lake Champlain. This was the view of our Lake House from the tour- we went right by it on our trip.
Rosie and Job in the front. We all have a shared history, Lisa and Job and Rosie and Josh and I, and it was good to get together, even with small arguments. For that matter, it wouldn't have been right if we didn't argue.
Rosie saluting- and dishonoring her country, according to Job.Then Job showed them how to do it right. We had a lot of time on the Carillon. The tour was about two and a half hours each way. Lucy and Bowden had an adventure with their cousins, so we just had the babies, content to be held and sleep. View from the boat.
And a view from the top of Skene Manor, where we had a pleasant tea-like luncheon.

My hub-sand and I liked each other especially much on our vacation. This was taken by Job.
Our fellow tourists.

And our captain! It was a really great tour. We saw a few bald eagles, a million and a half blue herons, and a few osprey. My in-laws are very generous people, and the trip was worth a day of vacation, hands down.

Monday, October 15th, we hung out at home, mostly. Christine and the girls came over for a nice visit, and Mom Tate took us out to eat at the Wheel Inn, for Mexican night.
My husband climbed to the roof and took some pictures, and had a much more interesting day than I did.
After dinner, Mom and I left for Albany to pick up Lisa and Rosie and Selah Paix. I like driving with my mother-in-law- I like having the chance to talk to her one on one. It is one of the things I miss about Vermont.

On Sunday, the fourteenth, we went to church in North Chittenden, and then left the chickens with the rest of the family- Josh and I drove up to St. Albans feeling like almost-newlyweds. One baby seems so easy after three!
It was fun to make the trip with a four month old baby boy- when we left St. Albans, we only had Bowden, and we have done most of the things we did on Sunday just the same, four years ago. We ate out at Mimmo's and got the calamari and tortellini alla panna.
Josh and Jack, ready to eat. Well, Josh is ready, at least.
They have improved the restaurant greatly, which is surprising, since pretty much everything else in the city was the same or just gone. Josh posing with the carved remains of a tree that still lived when the Tates resided in St. Albans.
Taylor Park from Main Street.
Josh loves St. Albans. We drove from there to Burlington and walked around on Church Street. We bought two choclate truffles from the Lake Champlain Chocolate Store and some very chocolatey cocoa. We visited Frog Hollow, our favorite art gallery, and Borders, our favorite franchise.
It was really nice, and we got back to the Lake House before the kids and Mom and Dad and Jobie.

Now, my husband, on his blog, posted one of these pictures as one having no story, but he was wrong. That's what he gets for stealing my pictures. This is actually a monumental event- the first time Josh ever gave Jack a bath. They both seem to be enjoying it. (I enjoyed it, took pictures and left.)
Jack loves his baths.
Jack loves his hands as well.
See? There's the story.

We flew out of Burbank, California at two on the afternoon of October 11th, which was nice- we spent the night at my mom's house and picked up sandwiches at the Kwik Market Deli.
My Uncle Tony drove us to the airport, and we spent the next 7 or 8 hours flying. The kids were really good, and all fell asleep the last hour or two. We landed a little late, and our family was the last to exit the plane- mostly because we couldn't figure out how to carry three sleeping children.
Once we got to the baggage claim in Albany, I hurried right to the rental car desk- it was a full half hour after they closed, and twenty minutes since we'd landed- and passed by a sailor talking to an airport police officer. When they asked for our credit card, I turned and realized that Josh was talking to Job!
We had thought that he was going to arrive on Saturday, and he thought that we were coming later, too, and he was waiting to get a rental car, if they had one left. It was perfect- we had rented a mini-van, and we all fit in on the drive to the Lake House.
I made Uncle Jobie pose straight away with his nephews and niece.
It was 1 in the morning, but the kids were rejuvinated by the fun of Uncle Job. He helped us pack up the car- pretty tight, even with a mini-van.
It was drizzly, which suit Josh perfectly. Job posed again for me before we left, and I popped in a DVD- it was the van of many wonders, and my kids were so enthralled that they were awake for the entire trip home! We all ended up staying awake until three or four with Mom and Dad, who woke up from short autumn's nap. It really wasn't the eleventh any more, but we were awake still, and we all woke the next morning at 7.

On Friday, October 12th, I was sick, and we took no pictures.

Staurday was a brisk and rainy day, and the chickens were happy to get outside. Josh took some pictures of them at the top of the stairs, showing off their sticks. Sticks are pretty impressive sometimes.
At least to two- and four-year-olds
Joel and Christine came over from Chittenden and brought all of the Tate cousins. They are all sittin on Rock Dundar on the shore.
From the left, Lucy Joy, Grace, Lucy Gates, Elisabeth, Obadiah, and Bowden.
The day was gray, but still, Josh had not had enough weather.

A panoramic shot with the Tate girlings and Jobie.

Obadiah loved the shore just as much as the other kids- he's standing on zebra mussel shells. They break with nice crunchy tinklings, and I think he enjoyed the sound and feel of them.
The girls collected mussel shells- they look more like abalone to me, but rounder- and then they all pretended to be seals.

Obadiah made a run for the water every chance he could.

Joel had him firmly by the "scruff of the neck," but I think Obie managed to wet his pants eventually.
Uncle Josh joined us.

I harassed him with pictures. I certainly could have edited the content here, but I will let you choose.

Too close.
Too strained.
Josh thought he looked weird, but it was okay of me.
Joel and Christine by the water.

Lucy giving a funny look.
She wanted to ride in the boat, and we all gave Josh a hard time for not having a life jacket for her.

We had a pleasant time with Joel and Christine, and settled down for the night in the living room with nice fire. The visit was full of slow and comfortable nights.

Jack-a-whack, 18 weeks old.