Fryeburg Fair 2017

We had so much fun at the fair this year!  The kids are finally old enough to sit for more than 2 minutes somewhere, we only kind of need a stroller and we can mostly trust that no one will run off (they may wander off, but that's a different issue;)).  Gabe thought he at least had a few days off during the week, but as it turned out he was only able to be at the fair with us on Sunday.  We were all pretty bummed about that.  The kids and I had so many days at the fair that we really got to take our time and see everything we wanted to see.  We watched a few magic shows, numerous tractor pulls, rode on some rides and even got to play a few games.  The baby goats were particularly frisky this year and tried to eat all of our clothing.  Thanks to being able to stay in Uncle Jon's camper again this year, we got some resting, school and non-fair food meals in too!  

This year was the anniversary of Woodsmen's day so they had a special paratrooper performance.  The kids were blown away by this and Audrey no longer wants to be a mom doctor, but instead a paratrooper.  I have no doubt that she would be successful at this if she really puts her mind to it;)  The second highlight of the fair this year was the pig scramble.  Noah and James were both eligible for the pig scramble and both put their names in.  Noah's name was chosen and James' was not.  Noah caught "Big Bill" and James got to pick out "Sheera" from the same farmer after the scramble was over.  So, I guess we are doing pigs again this year... I hope loading them into the trailer goes more smoothly this year... they are awfully cute...

Farmington Fair and Honey Harvesting

We hit the Farmington Fair midweek again and took advantage of having the place to ourselves while everyone else was in school.  The kids always love the big machinery and all of the animals.  We didn't come home with anymore hens or ducks, but it was close;)

This weekend we harvested the honey!  We had some great helpers and extracted over 5 gallons of honey.  This year went much more smoothly than last year, but we still have quite a bit of room for improvement;)

Closing Out Summer... For Real This Time

It has been so nice this fall that it is hard to believe that summer is over!  We expanded part of our driveway this summer and the kids are enjoying playing some basketball.  I can't believe that it is mid September and we are still swimming in the pool, but here we are.  I use the term "we" here to mean the kids, it is too cold for Gabe or I;)  We are still having lunch picnics outside and the new hens have discovered table scraps and the kids obviously have still not learned to not leave the table if they are still eating... the chickens are very opportunistic;)  Who needs a dog?  James is still very much friends with Kitty and she often appears in our bed for extra snuggles.

Androscoggin River Walk- 2017

The Western Maine Play Museum had an "experience" auction last spring and one of the items we got was a guided river walk along the Androscoggin River.  This was fantastic!  First of all, I had no idea that this wonderful trails system was even there, so close to us.  That alone made it worth it, but we had an excellent guide who is a retired school teacher, was wonderful with the kids and very knowledgeable about the area and nature around.  To top it all off it was a beautiful evening!  We will definitely be coming back here often to explore other sections of the trail and maybe even snowshoe in the winter.  

First Day of School 2017!

We have certainly been slower about starting school this year than usual.  It is partially because I didn't get myself together enough to start and partially because it has just been so nice outside!  We have finally started this week though.  Noah is going into the 5th grade and still wants to attend the Naval Academy to be a fighter pilot (I am not sure this one is going to fade).  James is going into the 3rd grade and still wants to be an inventor, though he has apparently dropped the part where he wants to be 1/2 a lobsterman.  Ben is going into Kindergarten/1st grade (we will sort that out another year;)) and wants to be a policeman when he grows up.  Audrey is in Pre-K this year and attends the public school 2 days a week.  She wants to be a mom doctor, as she puts it which just means she wants to be a mom and a doctor.  We are excited for another school year and can't wait to see what's in store!

Benjamin Turns 6!

This big guy has finally turned 6! He has the biggest heart of anyone I know.  He can certainly be impulsive and a bit rough, but beneath all that he is kind and sweet.  He is always the first one dressed and ready for the day and is always the first one in the car, sometimes to a fault when he has to wait so long for his siblings to get themselves ready.  I rarely have to ask him twice to do something.  He is an expert at unloading the dishwasher and is always willing to help. He loves spending time in his room playing with his cars and legos.  Stuffio is his current favorite bear he received from the ambulance drivers.  He spent forever picking his cake out at the store because he insisted on nothing with chocolate (which seemed weird to me), so here is what he got;)  As is evident from the pictures, Ben has started wearing this "sweatband" (he will correct you that it is not a headband) we aren't completely sure where it came from, but we suspect it was at least partially from the Goonies movie, though he denies this.  Who knows how long it will last, but for now he is only taking it off during swimming or bathing... he even wore it at church this week when we were the greeters;)  We had an awesome day celebrating this guy and can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

Ben's 6th Birthday Party!

Ben is turning 6 soon, so we had his birthday party over Labor Day weekend. He chose a knight birthday party and really ran with it. I was excited because I was able to convince him to have the torch light cupcakes in ice cream cones instead of a formal cake I had to decorate.  He was excited for this huge dinosaur piñata we turned into a fire breathing dragon they got to slay.  We had a terribly failed attempt at jousting with helium balloons and hopefully no animals died at the accidental release of one... Ben had an excellent day and is loving looking at pictures and asking people if they had a fun time at his knight birthday party;)

The bottom pictures here are of James' ill advised attempt to get that helium balloon down from the ceiling in our front room... I was super thankful that I walked in when I did...