St. Andrews New Brunswick

This past weekend the kids finally took their first "international" trip.  Gabe had a conference in St. Andrews, New Brunswick so we tagged along... it was barely over the border from Calais;)  But, it was an hour ahead in time which threw everyone for a loop.  We are glad that we went and hotel/conference center was beautiful.  However, Audrey had an ear infection and wasn't super cooperative for any of the trip, especially the part where we all slept in the one hotel room... I am hoping that this was just a fluke or we may not be sleeping away from our house for the next 6 months;)

We did get to experience a cute coastal town and all it had to offer.  The aquarium was a big hit with everyone except Ben, so as a result there are only these 2 pictures... The one of Audrey with the skate is one of my favorites. She thought it was smiling and talking to her.  While Gabe was at the conference the kids and I got to explore the block house and learned quite a bit about the Canadian/US opposing involvement in the War of 1812... it is fascinating and the kids are still talking about it.  We also stumbled upon a lighthouse downtown and a nice walk through the woods to a fairly secluded tract of land along the ocean.  James found some rocks that fit together into what looks like a star destroyer (from Star Wars). He carried them all home and they are now hot glued together in our living room.

Amongst the chaos of travel, Noah lost his first molar at the playground!  He had been telling me for about 48 hours that it was loose, but I thought he was just jumping on James' loose tooth bandwagon and presumed that we had months before it was loose enough to fall out... it didn't even bleed and the other tooth was already through... I aspire to better parenting for the next one;)  

Paint Day!

I think that this post explains itself pretty well.  It was a really warm "fall" day, we didn't really want to be inside doing school ALL day, we had some extra paint and an old sheet.  Oh, and most importantly, Gabe was at work so as not to witness the mess we were making :)

Farmington Fair 2015

Homeschool field trip #2 allowed us to enjoy the fair without the crowds in the middle of the day on a weekday:)  The kids spent most of their time in the poultry barn wishing for more chickens.  Gabe and I did feel a little guilty about not preserving Grandpa Joe's life long enough to bring him to the fair since he was a pretty handsome guy.  We also got to have an extensive tour of the ambulance and the kids all had an impressive amount of questions for the paramedics. We ate our fill of fair food and enjoyed another gorgeous fall day.  

Poor Grandpa Joe & Trey's Birthday

Over the past few weeks Grandpa Joe has been growing more and more into an excellent rooster.  As a result, he has been increasingly aggressive towards us.... Audrey can't go outside with out being chased.  Even the big kids can't run around the yard without Grandpa Joe coming after them, to which they run inside in tears.  He won't really let us get near the hens.  So, about a week ago we started talking to the kids about getting rid of Grandpa Joe.  They were mostly against it, so we agreed to wait until he had wronged each of them enough that they wouldn't be opposed to life without him.  Friday night Ben was sitting in the grass and Grandpa Joe came up to him and pecked his face... I am still not sure how his eye was missed... Saturday morning we discussed with the kids that we were going to get rid of Grandpa Joe and they were all in agreement... all except James who was very sad that Grandpa Joe wouldn't get to have a first birthday.  The agreement we settled on was that we would have a birthday party for Grandpa Joe that day and then we could kill him that night... so, that is what we did.  As it turns out, everyone, including the hens seemed relieved that he was gone. The chickens come around more often now that he isn't around.  We are sad that he is not part of our brood anymore, but also happy to be enjoying the hens again:)

Sunday we traveled to Brewer for Trey's 5th birthday party.  The kids had a ball taking part in the gymnastics activities offered!  Trey came up with a cake request that was a bit more challenging this year, but luckily the picture on the invitation saved the day:)  Happy Birthday Trey!!

Bug Mania 2015

Our first field trip of the year was to the Maine State Museum in Augusta for their "Bug Mania" day.  Free admission to the museum and lots of local bug experts set up with cool exhibits and ready to share what they know.  Convincing Noah to hold the tarantula and James the hissing cockroach was the coolest part of the day. Ben was with us, but refused to be in any pictures;) The kids loved being able to search for bugs outside and the large gears and machines inside the museum.

Ben's Big Hero 6 Birthday Party!

Ben got to celebrate his 4th birthday on Saturday with a Big Hero 6 party.  He loved playing games and eating lots of junk food with good friends and family. The weather was just gorgeous... still swimming and wearing shorts in the middle of September:) Thank you to all who were able to come and celebrate with us!