Giving Thanks

Today was Thanksgiving, and we went out to Nana's for a big dinner.  The girls slept on the way over, which meant they were full of energy when we got there.

Nana cooked all day, and the food was delicious!  We had turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, butternut squash, cranberries, pumpkin pie, and apple pie.  Yum!  Uncle David came up from New Hampshire for the 4 day weekend. Grandma and Grandpa L. enjoyed the wonderful meal also.After dinner Uncle Seth, Aunt Sara, and their kids came over for dessert.  The kids wore themselves out running laps around the house, and wrestling in the living room.Everyone got a little silly, and had a great time.Some of the things we are thankful for this year are our wonderful children, our friends and families, and our safe move to Maine.We feel so lucky to be surrounded by such love, and we wish the same to all of our blog readers!

Hockey Game

Brenda plays in a local hockey league, and usually the games are at night, after the kids go to bed. This weekend her game was in the morning, so the kids got to come and watch. The rink is less than 10 minutes from our house.
The girls had a fun time even though the rink is very cold. They bundled up in their "puffs" (winter jackets) and cheered for mom. They also really liked the zamboni (who doesn't?).

Just this year girls' hockey became a varsity sport at the high school level in Maine (it has been a club-level sport for awhile). Brenda plans to get the girls on skates soon!

Trip to Bangor

Today was a very rainy day, so Brenda and Grandma and Grandpa L. took the kids up to Bangor to the Children's Museum there.  The first thing inside the door is a train table, and the girls were really drawn to it.  They would have been happy just playing trains, but since we had paid admission we went ahead and checked out the rest of the museum too.

They had a beaver lodge replica, and Emily liked crawling around inside it.Kate didn't want to go in the lodge, but she thought the beaver outside was pretty neat. Future Oregon Staters?They had a water exhibit where the kids could float boats down a river, make dams with tiles, and use a water wheel.  Our kids, of course, mostly just wanted to splash.There was an area dedicated to Maine writers.  In the Charlotte's Web exhibit, Emily got a kick out of feeding Wilbur. She didn't quite get the carrot in the right place, but it was close! Future farmers?The biggest hit was the gravity display. The girls loved rolling tennis balls down these wooden tracks.  Future scientists?Or downhill skiers?They even had a room that was set up to look like "Goodnight Moon".  The girls really liked that, since they have heard that book many times.To finish up, the girls played with a bunch of magnetic letters.  They are definitely future readers!

We all agreed that this children's museum is a lot better than the one in Augusta, but it is a lot farther drive too.  It was a fun thing to do on a rainy day!

CM vs WW: Part I

This is Brenda writing again. Prior to Maine, I lived most of my life in the Pacific Northwest. Since we moved here, it has been fun to notice the interesting contrasts between Western Washington (WW) and Central Maine (CM). Here are a few of the things I've noticed so far:

Climate: This one is obvious. CM has four seasons, WW has two ("gray" and summer). In WW, people usually wear the same basic wardrobe year round, layering when it gets a little bit colder. They have a raincoat made of high-tech fabric and lots of fleece garments. In CM, people actually have "winter clothes" and "summer clothes", which get brought out/put away as the seasons change. This is needed in CM because of the 45 degree change in average temperature from summer to winter!

Ethnic Makeup: The largest ethnic minority in WW is Asian-American, followed closely by African-American. In CM, it's Franco-American. Really.

Trucks: In WW, especially in Seattle, people tend to drive midsize cars with limited cargo room. If they need to haul something they might borrow a truck from a friend. In CM, the number one passenger car is the Ford F-150. People here drive trucks. The parking lots at work, grocery stores, etc. are filled with trucks. From my observation, the reason is because people here tend to own more land, to have gardens, and to have wood stoves. This means they have to haul things, including cut brush, garden supplies, and firewood. Hence, the trucks.

Spectator Sports: In WW, college football is a big deal. Saturdays are big football-watching days, with most sports fans at least following the Pac-10. In CM, nobody cares about college football. The day that my beloved Oregon State beat USC, I came to work ready to brag, or at least talk about it. Nobody knew or cared. "Aren't they somewhere out west?" was the response. In CM, the number one team is the Red Sox, followed by the Red Sox. When it's not baseball season, everyone follows the Patriots.

Finally, here's a fun one to end on:

Here's a common road warning sign in Central Maine...

...and here's one in Western Washington.
There are a lot more fun contrasts out there....stay tuned for Part II!

What the kids like

The kids like eating their morning vitamin - it's a gummy dinosaur!

They like watching "Arthur" on YouTube.

They like discovering new things....like the cat door!
They like wearing funny things on their heads....
But most of all, they like spending time with family.

Haircut and Sebastian

Today was a busy day.  First we all went to the doctor and got flu shots.  The girls were very good, only a few tears.  Then we went out to Palermo and Emily got a haircut--shoulder-length!  We were amazed that she looks so different with shorter hair.  She was a little apprehensive, so she got to sit in mama's lap for the haircut.

Nana and cousin Sebastian came too, and he got his hair cut also.Afterwards we went back home and the girls played with Sebastian for a while.  They played hockey in the garage, and then Emily showed him her legos while Kate took a nap.

Nana watched all the kids for a while so Chris and Brenda could work on their home projects (more on that in a later blog!).