A Lovely Thursday

We celebrated Thanksgiving in Camden again this year at the restaurant. We made sure to arrive early enough so that there was plenty of time before dinner for games (notice the chess game being played above), movies and walks. The kids really enjoyed the snacks and movies, especially the delicious nuts my Dad made (I think, or did Mom?), and the crab hush puppies Tara whipped up. I don't even like crab and these were delicious!

Here Hayley scopes out the main meal. Of course, this was before the centerpiece turkey was brought out.

I only took one group photo, and of course Shane wasn't smiling. (His excuse? 'I don't smile in pictures.' Oh, please!)

After our bellies were full it was dance party time. Nora and Kalen got right into it. No, Nora isn't wearing pants. No, she didn't arrive that way.

Finally it was time to calm down a little. We would, after all, be consuming massive amounts of sugar, chocolate, cream and delicious pie goodness shortly, so the kids needed a little rest. Overall it was a wonderful Thanksgiving and I wish I had taken more pictures of everyone who was there, but believe me, we were all well fed and had a great time visiting with each other, playing games, and even sending off a few sky lanterns! (Once again, something I should have taken pictures of.) Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome to the Christmas season!

A Few More Details

I thought you all might like to see a few actual pictures taken on Halloween. Nora dressed up as a sweet dragon, compliments of the awesome Aunt Ashleigh. She probably would have worn her costume much more often before Halloween, but we stowed it away so it was more special.

On the way home from a family Halloween party in the afternoon we drove up route one, and on the way through Freeport we noticed all the trick or treating happening along Main St., so we decided to stop and join in for a bit.

Once we got home we had a quick dinner, then headed out for more trick or treating in our neighborhood. We met up with our friends Noah and Lillian and had a great time checking out all the decorated houses. We finally made it home after a quick stop at Lilee's to show off her costume and visit Aunt Cindy and Aunt Debbie, who were eating there.

Nora wanted to help hand out candy, but unfortunately we only had three trick or treaters, hence the giant bowl of candy sitting on top of our refrigerator staring at me.

Tonight, after dinner we let Nora pick a treat out of her pumpkin for dessert. She chose the green lollipop over the glorious chocolate bars. Whose kid is this anyway?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Halloween!

A trip to the Fair

Well, it's only taken me a few weeks (oops!) to get this blog up, but the nagging has finally gotten to me, so here you go! We went to the Common Ground Fair a few weeks ago, as we always do, and had a great time. My main goal was to sample as much food as possible, and luckily I was successful. Here are Shane, Nora, Hayley and Evan enjoying some of the offerings.One of our favorite treats- potato chip fries. Yum!

The day gradually turned cooler as it wore on, and we enjoyed one of our favorite drinks- warm cider!

We also ran into some of our favorite people- Camella, Marcia and Anna! We watched a puppet show together and then visited a little.

Two more of our favorite people- Hayley and Evan posing for a sweet shot. We like them.

There are always plenty of animals to be seen, and lucky for me, Nanny loves to take the kids to see them; then I get the chance to visit the craft tents.

Kalen and Nora made their own fun in a dusty field. Nora gets ready wrestle-

But in the end it was Kalen who brought her down!

That was a good one!

Wylie referees the match.

Not to worry, the two were best friends again in the next moment.

Our day at the fair was wonderful, full of good food, good music, great crafts and fun people. And now, to finish up the post, a quick little video of our girl. Enjoy!

Beautiful Vermont

This is a long over due post, but here you go- pictures from our trip out to visit Meg, Chris and Gavin. It was a beautiful weekend and Rachael and Ben joined the fun. Chris found a recipe for bean hole beans, so our excitement for the weekend was waiting to see how they would come out.

A couple shots of the outdoor shower Chris built. When I retire, I'm packing up and moving into it. I want to live in it. So does Nora.

Here's Rachael, scoping out the garden as we figure out what to eat along with the fifty million pounds of beans Chris cooked.

Chris and Meg's house has come SUCH a long way! It is gorgeous now, but it didn't always look this good, especially when they first bought the mouse-infested camp with no electricity, septic system, heat, etc. Did it even have running water? I'm not sure. Probably not.

Brussel sprouts for dinner!

Chris digs up the beans.

Yup, there they are.

They actually ended up needing to be cooked a little more, so we threw them on the stove.

Rachael and I decided we needed something light for dessert, and decided to make this angel food cake we found in the cupboard. Rachael thought there was a little too much batter, but threw it in anyway. Yum! When Meg came home later that night and saw what we had done, she let us know that the cake mix was about three years expired. Oops.

Cutest boy in VT- the Gavster!

Contrary to appearances, we were only drinking tea and cider that night. We did play an awesome game of hearts, and then some cribbage before we all quit for the night. I have about five pictures in this series, and in every one Rachael looks, um, intoxicated.

Earlier in the night, before the crazy card games started, Nora and Gavin did a little bike riding. Safety first!

Sunday morning we went blueberry picking at a (kind of) nearby farm. Nora sang to Rachael on the way.

We picked two boxes this size (it was just over eleven pounds) and I think I paid $25. The deal of the year!

Notice the lack of a car seat cover hear? Nora is pretty much potty trained right now, but during this trip she had a little accident that required a cover being washed before we headed back to Maine.

And what VT post would be complete without a little mention of the animals? Here is Kadin, Rachael and Ben's new puppy. She had an awesome time trying to herd the sheep until one jumped the fence and the horse started getting antsy.

Jersey, the sweet little OCD rescue dog who Chris has become just slightly attached to.

And Kermit, Megan's favorite dog who likes to runaway, spread trash all over the house and howl like the hound dog he is.

Of course, there are many more animals, but I figured I had bored you enough. A final parting shot of our horse-loving girl (notice the shirt). I know she needs a haircut, but darn it, if we just wait a little longer she'll be able to tuck that hair behind her ears and won't be plagued with a lifetime of awful bangs and photos to match. Not that I would know anything about that.

Summer's End

Even though it's still officially Summer according to the calendar, we have already jumped into Fall here. The days are already feeling cooler and the nights are downright cold. (Although I know in a few months I'll be wishing they were this 'cold'!)
As usual, we have been busy, busy, busy. Occasionally Nora and I have an evening that isn't filled with the scrambling of dinner time, pick up, tantrums and bath, and on those nights we really seem to enjoy ourselves. (This evening, for example, was wonderful. I came home to a clean house thanks to my wonderful spouse, had dinner with my wonderful daughter, and managed to get a few things done thanks to my wonderful latte!)

Nora and I have been enjoying some of the local produce, and this corn was picked up at a farm stand on our way home from school. Nora had a great time husking the corn until I started taking pictures; then she wanted in on the action.

(Photos above courtesy of Nora.)

This past weekend we were able to spend some time together as a family thanks to Labor Day. We headed over to a good friend's apple orchard to do some picking.

'How do I look?'

One of the benefits of living in Maine: you get your own lumberjack.

Can someone please send an emergency hair stylist over to my house some evening and take care of the awfulness that's happening on my head? Thank you.Of course, the two of them had to have their picture taken. I love it.

After the orchard we headed down to Rockland to help celebrate Wylie's first birthday. Unfortunately, I was working and had to miss the birthday party on Saturday (though Nora made it) but we stopped by on his actual birthday, so we felt okay about it.

Oh my dear Lord, can he get any cuter?

While Wylie gets a snack, Nora and Tara share a laugh.

And finally, on the way home we spotted this gorgeous view. Shane convinced me to turn around and go back to get a few pictures. I'm glad. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!