Halloween

When you are a family with toddlers, holidays don't always go as planned.  Tonight we went trick or treating, but only to a few houses because it was a little overwhelming for the girls.  They did have fun picking out their costumes (home depot workers, which won out over ballerinas in a close contest).

We trick or treated at Melinda's, Millie's, Nana's, and Grandma & Grandpa L.'s house, and that was all the girls could handle.  A late night, combined with scary decorations and lots of sugar meant an early end to the festivities.  We think it will be more fun next year, when they are a little bit older!Melinda's dog Grizzly really enjoyed our visit (see his snout in the bottom of the photo).

Tiny dancers

The girls really enjoy getting dressed up in the blue dance outfits that Nana brought over. These are outfits that cousins Alana and Lili used to wear for dance recitals. Sometimes the kids want to wear the entire outfit....
...and sometimes just the bow is enough.

Winter coats

Brrrrrr!  It's getting colder and colder.  Brenda is bracing for her first ever New England winter, and Chris has been reminiscing about big blizzards of the past.  Meanwhile, the girls got to try on their new winter coats!

Lili's Birthday Party

On Sunday we went to cousin Lili's birthday party in Augusta. She turned 9 this year!

The girls really enjoy spending time with their cousins. The party was a lot of fun.


Lili's birthday cake was chocolate with peanut butter frosting. Yum!


Emily was feeling a little bit under the weather, but we still managed to have a great time. Happy birthday Lili!

Toddler Energy

If the kinetic energy of toddlers all over the world could be harnessed efficiently, our energy problems would be over.

The difficulty, of course, is getting them to all go the same direction at the same time...and allowing time for naps and cookies.

A night at the opera

Tonight we did something really special:  Emily and Kate's cousin Alana was performing in a dance recital at the Waterville Opera House, and we all went to watch her.  The girls got to stay out way past their bedtime, and see their first evening live performance.  They loved it!

Alana performed a jazz number (she's the one in red below).  She is very talented!The girls decided that they want to be dancers someday too.  

Nana says no jumping

This is what the kids do when Brenda takes care of them!

A Librarian Retires

Who is that young man?  That's my father, Gary, during his early years at the State Library.

My Dad retires the end of October after 39 years with the Library, most of those as the State Librarian.  When he started there, he was the youngest State Librarian, now he's the oldest and longest serving.  Love the jacket!

Here's Gary with his granddaughter, Lili.

And with his youngest granddaughter, Kate.

We're all very proud of my father for his long service to the State and dedication to the Library.  He really loved his job. Happy Retirement, Dad!  Enjoy!

Chris

Bronco

Some of our blog readers have been wondering if the Bronco made the journey out to Maine. The answer is yes! The Bronco was shipped out in May and we drove it around this summer, even off road a little bit.
We considered putting a plow on it to plow our driveway this winter, but decided to hold off on the plow idea this year. Right now the Bronco is being stored at Grandma and Grandpa L.'s house for the winter, so that we have more room in our garage.
Brenda hopes that the Bronco will last long enough to be Emily and Kate's first car. It will be 47 years old when Emily turns 16!

Uncle Bob

We got a special treat yesterday when Uncle Bob came to town for a brief visit. He helped Grandpa L. drive the U-haul truck out to Maine, then he and Brenda helped unload it at Grandma and Grandpa's rental house.
Uncle Bob was only here for a quick visit, but he came over to Chris and Brenda's house for dinner. He read books with the girls, and Kate enjoyed showing him the dollhouse. We wish Uncle Bob and Aunt Tawnya would move to Maine too!

Farm Fun!

On Sunday we took a family trip to an organic farm in Turner. Grandma L. came along too. There was a lot to see, including a corn maze.

The bounce house was (of course) the biggest hit. Emily always loves to bounce, and Kate is starting to enjoy it now too. The girls got to feed the calves some grain. They ate right out of their hands!
Playing in the corn box with the other kids was fun too. Note how everyone was bundled up--it was sunny, but the temperature has definitely turned chilly. Our girls were wearing their long underwear under their clothes.
There was a hay bale maze for the little kids.
Kate, of course, wanted to drive all the tractors. We finished off the visit with a picnic lunch in the apple orchard, and a wagon ride. It was a beautiful view--those are the western Maine mountains in the background. What a nice day!

Kidtoberfest and L.L. Bean

On Saturday we did two fun things:  The first one was "Kidtoberfest" at the local Boys and Girls Club.  Unfortunately we forgot the camera, but the girls had a great time playing in the toddler gym area, eating free pizza(!), and getting their faces painted like kitties.  After all the fun, they fell asleep in the car on the way home, so at least we got a photo showing their kitty faces.

Saturday night we took a late night trip down to L.L. Bean (or "Bean's", as the Mainers say it).  The girls got to stay up past their bedtime for the big shopping trip.  They were really impressed by the giant boot at the main entrance.They also got to ride tricycles in the bike store.
And we even got to see fish swimming in the hunting and fishing store.  Bean's in Freeport is open 24 hours a day, all year round.  Fun!

Potty Training

Emily has started potty training!  Nana started working with Emily when we were away on our trip, and now we are continuing it, in hopes that she will be trained in time to start preschool this January.  So far, it is going okay.  I had to sneak this picture because she likes to have some privacy when she is on the potty (don't we all?).

The girls have two pottys, one upstairs and one downstairs.  They both have charts with sticker stars for successful efforts.  Kate insists on doing whatever Emily is doing, so she is training too, but with fewer results.  This photo shows their charts, which are next to the downstairs potty.Their favorite part, besides the stars, is flushing.  Fun!

Forts and Tutus

Last night after dinner we built a fort in the playroom. It was the girls' first fort, so they were a little confused. Kate thought the purpose of the fort was to keep tearing the roof off, and Emily thought the purpose of the fort was to keep Kate out. The real purpose of the fort, of course, was to wear the kids out before bedtime.
Emily wanted to sleep in the fort. Maybe someday...Then, surprisingly, it was time for tutus.

Maryann and Kathryn

More visitors!  Chris's friends Maryann and Kathryn stopped in to see us on their way from Portsmouth to Deer Isle for vacation.  They own a bookstore in Long Island, New York.  They stayed overnight and enjoyed a nice pasta dinner and homemade peach pie with us.  The girls had a good time showing them the cows, and reading the fun books that they brought.

Boots and Trucks

Today Chris took the kids to L.L. Bean in Freeport to get them some winter clothes. Before bedtime, Kate tried on Emily's new boots over her jams. Kate loves shoes of all kinds.
Meanwhile, Emily put her trucks and road signs to bed. If you look close in the photo below, you can see all of the trucks and all of the signs piled up together. According to Emily, this is how they sleep at night.

Future Lutes?

Last night Emily and Kate had fun trying on their new PLU gear, courtesy of Uncle Bob and Aunt Tawnya.
It was really hard to get two squirmy toddlers to stand in one spot long enough for a photo!

Home Again

The whole time Chris and Brenda were gone on their big trip, Nana watched the girls.  Uncle David also came up from New Hampshire on the weekend to help Nana out.

Nana took the girls pumpkin picking, and they all went to Addison's first birthday party.  They also got to see LeeAnn and Melinda's new baby donkeys!  The girls are lucky to have such fun babysitters...and Chris and Brenda are lucky to have Nana and Uncle David.When we got back from the trip we all went to Nana's for Grandpa N.'s birthday party....he's 39 again!  That's cousin Lili in the middle.Uncle Seth and Aunt Sara were there too, and cousins Alana and Sebastian.After birthday cake, we went down to the lake and pulled the dock out for the winter.

Northwest Trip - Part 1

This weekend Chris, Brenda, and Grandma & Grandpa L. took a whirlwind three-day trip to the Northwest. The main purpose of the trip was to attend the induction of Brenda into the PLU Athletic Hall of Fame. Besides Brenda's parents, her brother Bob and sister-in-law Tawnya also came to the event.
The picture of Brenda that PLU chose for her plaque was circa 1990--gotta love that mullet!Besides family, some of Brenda's friends and former coworkers were also able to attend, despite the fact that it was a workday. It was so great to see everyone!Brenda had to give a speech. She was really happy when it was over.Brenda loved seeing her old teammates from college. In the picture below are Kate, Colleen, Linda, Brenda & Chris, Cheryl, and Stacy. Brenda especially enjoyed seeing her college coach, Colleen. What a trip down memory lane!After the ceremony, it was time to head to Seattle for some sushi--something we don't get to do much in Maine. Chris had been looking forward to this for a long time.We had dinner with our old friends Tobias and Anmari. Tobias's parents were visiting from Germany, and trying sushi for the first time. Sehr gut!Chris loves sushi, especially when they carve the food into the shape of birds. Fun!After sushi we went to a pub to have a few rounds with more old friends. In the picture below are Beth, Leslie, Brenda, Jenny, Mrs Jenny, and Patti. We had a really great time and probably stayed out a little bit too late.We don't travel much, so it was really special to spend time with old friends.