Friday Night Fun

It has been a tough week for blogging...a lot going on (preschool, potty training), but not a lot of photos! Tonight Mom was having blog withdrawal, so she took a lot of photos of the kids just doing the stuff we do every night.

There was train playing....

....beanbag playtime........and lots of dancing.....Flapjack (the stuffed kitty) danced with Kate, and really caught some air!Emily and Moose got their groove on too.

Teeth were brushed....

...jams were donned........and (finally) the girls were in bed.  Good night!

Preschool is Challenging

Many of our friends and family have been wondering how Emily's preschool experience has been going. The answer is: It has been a challenge, but she is doing pretty well. She has made it through the first three days with a few tears and a few potty accidents, but the teachers tell us that she has lots of smiles and has made some friends too!

Prior to Monday, Emily had spent almost all her time with her stay-at-home Mama, so going to preschool and interacting with other kids and adults has been a very big transition for her. Not only that, but since the school doesn't allow diapers, she has had no other option but the potty during school, which is kind of stressful.

Sometimes, after she gets home from school, she works out the stress by acting crazy, dancing and jumping into her beanbag chair.Other times she just wants to curl up with Mama and rest. It's been a pretty stressful week for our family, but a big step forward too. We're proud of our little preschooler!

Brenda's Birthday Dinner

Tomorrow is Brenda's birthday (she'll be 29 again! ha ha, not really). Chris surprised her with a birthday cake when she got back from ice skating.

Nana helped organize the surprise, and she cut the cake and passed it out.Grandma and Grandpa L. were there too!After cake, Grandma & Grandpa took us out for dinner at the Mexican restaurant in Waterville. The kids love this place because of the baskets of warm tortilla chips. Yum!After dinner, Emily and Kate both got a little crazy, dancing with sombreros on.

Climbing Mount Battie

Today was cold but clear and sunny, so we dropped the kids off at Nana's, picked up Uncle David (Chris's older brother) and took a hike up Mount Battie. 

The hike was steep and rocky, and there were patches of snow.There was a frozen stream along most of the trail....in the photo below, Chris is demonstrating what could happen if one of us slipped!The views along the way were beautiful. Mount Battie overlooks the town of Camden, which is right on the Maine coast.Even though it was only 1/2 mile, it took a long time to reach the summit!There is a lookout tower at the top. It is a memorial to Camden veterans of World War I.

We went up to the top to check it out, and the view was great.It was fun spending time with David before he has to drive back to New Hampshire.What a nice way to spend a crisp winter day!

Playing with Eli

Today we planned to meet up with Emily's friend Eli at the "Bounce Zone" in Waterville, but they were closed because of a furnace problem. So we ended up meeting Eli at the Inside-Out Playground instead.

Eli brought his two moms to the playdate, Victoria and Carla.The girls showed Eli all the fun things at the playground. It seems like every time they come here, they can do a little bit more than the last time.

The moms got in some good chatting time while the kids played, which was nice.Eli and Emily teamed up on the big slide......and Emily tried out the bouncy horse for the first time.Even Kate got into the sliding action. Maybe she'll get over her fear of sledding soon!After the playground, we went over to Railroad Square for some pizza.Eli and Emily thought it might be fun to climb up the outside of the brick oven!As they were leaving, Eli gave Emily a game called "Cariboo" for a birthday gift. Thank you Eli!When we got home, Emily insisted on playing Cariboo over and over. It was lots of fun!

Happy New Year!

We had really hoped to go smelting last night, but the tides on the Kennebec didn't work out, so we went out visiting friends instead while Grandma & Grandpa L. watched the kids. The good thing about this change of plans was that we didn't have hangovers this morning! We spent the first day of the new year doing things around the house:

First we marked everybody's height on the new wall chart.

The girls love the idea that they are going to be as tall as their moms someday.Emily and Kate painted another "masterpiece" in the basement.Then we stretched.........and stretched.We played trains.Emily took lots of photos with her new camera.And Mama officially started training for this year's Trek Across Maine.2008 had a lot of new things for our family: A new job, new house, new cars, and (most of all) a new state! We are very happy to finally be settling in to our new life. Happy New Year!

Emily Photos

Here are some photos that Emily took with her new camera during her party. First, a self-portrait:

Here's Grandpa N. enjoying the party:Cousin Alana with her new hairstyle:and cousin Lili waiting for cake:

Emily loves her new camera!