Windsor Fair

I love fairs. If you have read my blog for the past couple of years you know this already. I guess you can see that my life is composed of the same things over and over again. Sure each year is a little different, but for the most part there isn't much change in activities.

Fair season is not any different. Every year I try to get myself and the boys to as many fairs as we can afford to attend. Unfortunately for us, Tyler does not enjoy fairs as much as we do, so I am dragging him to Fryeburg. Which means, of course, that at Windsor fair I would have to go it alone... or would I?

As it turns out, there were plenty of goats there that would have gladly joined us for our adventure, but instead I haggled some company out of Tami and Ethan Chick.

Andrew loves tractors. It is ironic that Tyler sold his tractor shortly after Drew was born. But Andrew rests well knowing that someday soon daddy will replace the old machine with something bigger and better. I guess he is looking at this lapse as time to freshen up on his tractor driving skills.

Ethan and Eli dragged me onto the ferris wheel. They loved the view of the fair from high up, and although I was nervous at first that I would have a "I am scared of heights" attack; I admit I enjoyed the view too.

Now all that is left is to drag my fair-loving husband to the largest fair in Maine!

Lobster Racing

I just read in World magazine that the price of Lobster is ridiculously low right now. I can testify to that as in the past 9 years of marriage my husband has bought me lobster twice. Last year for my birthday and this summer because it is cheap. This time was fun because the boys joined us for this uncommon occurrence and were able to try their first bites of the crustacean. Actually, I think the real appeal to eating Lobster for dinner is that for once mom allows you to play with your food.

We started out our dinner with Lobster Races. The lobsters weren't very interested in humoring us and in the end Alfred won because he was the only one actually moving (even though he was going backward). George (that's "Gay-Org"), was disqualified because Elijah picked him up and landed him in front of the others. After the unsuccessful race we tried to see if they would move faster in the water. So the boys placed them in the pool, but they must not have liked that because they didn't move any faster.

All in all, it was a fun evening of playing with Lobsters and devouring a lot of butter!

Angel Falls

With cooler temperatures approaching us quickly we decided that instead of complaining about a short Summer we would enjoy the perfect hiking temperatures to do, well, some hiking. What better place to go hiking with a bunch of kids and a dog than to one of Maine's beautiful waterfalls. Angel falls is one of the best places to visit if you are looking for a short relatively easy hike and a wonderful view. Elijah and Josiah did a great job on this hike, they ran ahead of us on the easy part and maneuvered the difficult river crossings and rocks rather easily. Elijah even fetched my sandals for me once when they fell into the quickly moving river.

Tyler and I have been to these falls a few times, but this was our first time with the boys. When we started our journey people kept acting surprised that we would take such small children on this hike, and even that I would carry Caleb in a backpack. Apparently, they thought that the hike was rigorous and difficult. I must say I was a little worried and kept thinking "Is this hike harder than I remember it being? It always struck me as a great family hiking place". Thankfully, my doubts did not surface enough to make me not want to hike to the falls. In fact, I carried Caleb all the way up and back and didn't feel as though I had worked my body too hard. At least I didn't notice anything until the next day, but really, it was not a hard hike.

We did meet a family with some older children there whom were very nice. They were from the area and have been bringing their three children ever since they were babies. It is nice to know that we are not the only crazy parents that take our young tykes out into the wild dangerous places in Maine.

Andrew was slower than Eli, Si, and Tyler so on the way back down he hung with Caleb and I. He did a great job; I only had to carry him a couple of times and he kept us in great spirits by singing us some wonderful songs. He is our little music man.

Angel falls is beautiful with the changing leaf colors, and since Fall is just beginning you still have plenty of time to visit. So stop reading this blog and go get out in the great Maine wilderness. But oh, don't forget to bring someone to share it with you.

Playground Playtime

I have decided that we are not locked into our schedule in the summer. When the rain is here for what seems like forever, and you have no place to go; evenings kind of drag. But the positive note to this is when the sun shines through, you have no qualms of dropping everything and loading everyone up for an hour at the playground or beach before evening bedtime.

Andrew loves the park. He is finally comfortable going down the slide by himself. It is climbing up to the top that is a bit difficult for him, the playground was not built for short two-year-olds.

Needless to say we are all thankful that Summer finally arrived here in Maine. We received a full 3 weeks of Summer type weather. Now we are falling quickly into Autumn.