New Gloucester Fair

 This past month, the kids and I (and some friends) took a trip up to visit the New Gloucester Fair.  Despite being somewhat cold and windy, the kids didn't seem to mind, and we had a lot of fun!

Frugal family that we are (by necessity), I splurged and allowed each child to choose one ride (from the bouncy house, bungee jump, pony rides and lazer tag).  They very graciously each chose their favorite - and I was very proud of them for their positive attitudes and gratitude, despite knowing they longed to do more.  Sometimes as a parent, I long to be able to give my child everything they want, and this was no exception.  I saw their eyes light up at the myriad of options available, and the disappointment in their eyes when they realized they could only choose one was unmistakable.  But, though at times it's difficult and I would love to be in a better financial position, I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach them about self-restraint, sacrifice, gratitude, and that money/entertainment/things aren't everything.  And it was great to see how well they responded in this situation.

Wiggles chose the pony rides.  At first, she was thrilled.  Not one bit of fear - she was just enjoying the ride.  Until the pony in front of her stopped to do his business.  She watched with the most horrified look on her face, and said "Ugh! Mommy! That horse is going poop right in front of me!  Gross!!!!"  The horse finally completed his task and resumed walking - only to stop after another go around to do some more business.  This time Wiggles was even more disgusted.  "Now he's going potty!  On the GROUND!  Ewww!"  The look on her face - disgust and horror mixed with a bit of intrigue - was priceless! I wish I had captured it on camera!  But, despite the 'pit stops', she enjoyed the ride!

Each child got to select and decorate a pumpkin.  This was definitely a hit, and enjoyed by all 3 of them!  Lots of hair, stickers, feathers, paint and glue were employed, resulting in 3 of the world's most adorable pumpkin faces....and their 3 adorable creators! :)

Wiggles loves stickers!

It was so sunny that Grins couldn't look at the camera without squinting! :)

And Angel, the artist, went all-out, of course!

Angel and Grins both chose the Bungee Jump.  I thought one - or both- of them would chicken out....but they LOVED it!  

We all took a ride on the very tall Fire Truck!  We had to climb a ladder just to get on - it had quite the lift!  (The tires were taller than the children...)  I was terrified of the height (no railing or anything - it seemed so dangerous for young children!) so it wasn't the most comfortable ride I've ever taken, but the kids enjoyed it which made it all worth it!

The hula hoops and bean bag toss kept us busy for awhile!

Finally, for lunch, we decided to take our picnic down to the edge of a pond/stream. With the fall colors and the crystal clear water, it was a picture perfect sight!  I am truly loving New England in the Fall! 

We are (as the locals say) Maine-ahs!

One day, because he is such an amazing doctor, (or simply because he is fortunate enough to have awesome patients), a very kind fisherman-patient of the Mr. gave us 2 fresh caught Maine lobsters.  The Mr. brought them home and said, "Look! I brought home dinner!" to which I replied, "Great! As long as YOU cook them!"  (While I do love lobster meat, I have never been able to do the dirty deed of making something living into a meal....)  Fortunately, the Mr. obliged, and we enjoyed a delightful treat.

Grins' first day of Kindergarten!

I was very nervous about sending Grins to school this year!  Even though he meets the cutoff in the Maine school system by a few months, since he had just barely turned 5, I hesitated.  I seriously considered keeping him home another year.  But he wanted so badly to go, that I decided we would give it a try, and see how it went.  And he has LOVED it so far!

He was supposed to start school Thurs, 2 days after Angel started.  But Thurs morning, he was complaining of a stomach ache.  Assuming it was nerves, I recommended he just get ready for school, go as planned, and that, as school started, he would probably feel better.  The Mr. took the morning off, and Grins asked that the Mr. accompany him on his first bus ride to school (as he did with Angel last year).  So, we got him all ready and, aside from not touching his breakfast, he seemed to be doing OK, so we headed for the bus stop.  Three steps out the door, though, poor little Grins' tummy could be silent no longer, and he got sick all over the front lawn.  Poor little guy!  So, the Mr. took Angel to school, and Grins stayed home another day.  He felt perfectly fine after that, though, and started school the next day, without further incident:

Unlike Angel's first day of school, Grins' first day was beautifully sunny!

(A little too sunny for great picture taking!)

Angel was happy to walk him in (I love seeing my kids holding hands - is there anything better?  I hope they continue this tradition for a long, long time!)

I hesitated to leave, but he sat right down at his table, took out his play-doh, and started to play, as if he'd been doing this for years.  Then he looked up, realized I was still there, and said, "Bye, Mommy.  You can leave now!"


 Of course, after we dropped the kids off, Wiggles wanted to have her own photo shoot:

And she insisted on carrying Grins' backpack

Wiggles was so funny!   When we first dropped both kids off at school and started back home, she gasped and said, "Mommy! We forgot (Angel) and (Grins)!  We need to go back and get them, hurry!"  I laughed, and told her that, now that they were in school, it would just be Mommy and Wiggles together during the day, and that we would have some special time alone together.  She kept asking, "Just me and Mommy?"  and I worried that she would miss them terribly.  I asked, "What would you like to do, with just you and Mommy?" So, during our walk home, she planned out our entire day.  "First, we're going to play blocks.  Then, we're going to play the elephant game.  Then, we're going to play the Old McDonald game (Uno-Moo).  Then, we'll play blocks again."  It was adorable to see how excited she was about finally being in charge of things, for a change!

Angel's First Day of School

How has my little Angel grown into a first grader already?!  Time seems to speed more quickly with each passing day!

Angel was SO excited to start school this year!  She enjoyed getting her hair cut, shopping for some new school clothes, and was so excited to meet her teacher and new friends!

First day of school:

 (For some reason, she wanted me to take a 'back' shot....)

It was a rainy morning - so everyone was crammed inside.  But Angel paused for a quick photo shoot!

In front of her classroom:

Sitting at her desk:

And, after we dropped her off, I looked to see how she was adjusting....and she didn't even look back!

Finding her way through the crowd, after school:

When I asked how her first day of school went, she said "Great!  I made 5 new friends! And my teacher is really nice!  It's going to be a great year!"

Back to school Haircuts!

Just before school started, I decided some haircuts were in order!  Believe it or not, at nearly 3 years old, this was Wiggles' FIRST haircut ever! (I just can't chop those curls off!)  So, of course, I had to take pictures!  It's all I can do to keep Grin sitting (relatively) still during the quick haircut, so I didn't get a picture of him...but here are the girls.

Angel wanted a bob and she loved the outcome so much, she kept running into the bathroom and looking in the mirror, every few minutes, throughout the rest of the day:

Wiggles:

BEFORE 

AFTER (I didn't take much off - just evened it out!)

Halloween 2011

I have NO idea how Grins first heard/learned about "Darth Vader" (the obsession began just before his 5th birthday - before he had started school!), since we've never seen/read/watched/discussed anything Star Wars related.  But somehow, he did, and it was not a passing fancy!  Grins wanted a "Darth Vader" birthday party, then Star Wars legos....and when neither of those requests were met, he insisted on being Darth Vader for Halloween this year.  So, I finally gave in and we checked out a "Star Wars ABCs" board book from the library.  (Really?!  Who in their right mind thinks Star Wars is appropriate for any child who reads board books?  But I figured that it would be the most benign of all Star Wars books, so I allowed it....)

Before I knew it, the children had decided on a Star Wars theme for Halloween this year.  One friend offered to loan us their Darth Vader costume, another chimed in with Yoda, and it just seemed too easy to refuse.  I even managed to transform an old sheet and a $2 clearance belt into a Princess Leia costume.  The Mr. decided to join in the fun as Han Solo ("because Harrison Ford is way better looking than whomever played Luke....").  Since I was too busy studying for my national recertification exam on and before Halloween, I sat out this year. :(  And, since I'm the family photographer, we didn't get many good shots....but here are a few! :)

Trick or Treat!