Trip to Baltimore... Aquarium

We recently took a trip to visit Jacqueline in Maryland.  As it turns out, it is only a 7.5 hour drive from here and Noah tolerated it like a champ!  We spent one day at the aquarium in Baltimore... though it would seem that a fall Friday wouldn't be busy, we didn't consider school groups... that's right... lots of kids with minimal adult supervision:)  I didn't get many good pics b/c there were so many people that Noah wouldn't let me more than an arms length away.  Although he really enjoyed seeing all the sea life, his favorite part was at the end when we were in this open room without many others around (middle pic) he just started running around like a madman:)

Bel Air Playgrounds

We all had lots of fun on our trip to MD.  We got to spend some wonderful time with Jacqueline and her family, and Noah got to tour some more playgrounds.

Playground Fun

Noah loves to play at the playground.  Luckily there are many different playgrounds close by, so it is a great time killer no matter where we are:)  We went to this playground after seeing Boston Lot and before supper.  The first two pictures show how much Noah enjoys swinging... the second actually looks like he is swinging in the big swing alone.  The last picture is typical of him going a few steps and then peeking through the slats to see me.

Boston Lot "Hike"- #2

Grammie Civiello came to visit recently and we took her to Boston Lot for a short walk on a beautiful fall afternoon. I tried hard to get a "serious/calm" picture of Noah, but instead, this is what I got:) He now refuses to sit for pictures, as soon as he sees me point the camera in his direction he comes running at me...

French's Ledges- II

Noah and I have been doing lots of hiking in the past week or so b/c the colors here have been beautiful! We convinced Gabe to take a break from studying to do this hike.... admittedly my back was really starting to get sore from carrying Noah in the pack:) This is the same hike we took for Mother's Day. We absolutely LOVE being here in the fall b/c there are so many short hikes with beautiful views in a very close proximity to where we live.

Noah, the Ball, and his OCD

This video just makes us laugh.  He is a funny guy who loves to laugh and his laugh is contagious.  You may also notice Noah's other OCD qualities if you look closely... when the bag is knocked over he has to pick it up, and he doesn't enjoy the ball again until after he is standing on the same exact spot... the apple doesn't fall far from the tree... we know:)

Boston Lot "Hike"

On a Sunday afternoon we all needed to get out in the fresh air, but it was a bit late in the day so we took Noah to the Boston Lot trail, which is essentially a closed road, maybe a half mile straight up (a bit hill really)... easy enough that we just push the stroller up, but the view from the top is this beautiful reservoir. Noah was only partially compliant with the picture taking... he thought it more fun to run at me every time I aimed the camera at him.

Fryeburg Fair 2008... minus Papa:(

We were all excited to have Noah around this year partially to take our mind off the fact that we were there without Grammie and Papa, but also b/c we could once again experience Old McDonald's Barn.  For those of you who don't know it is a little area of the fair that only children 8 years and under are allowed, where goats, sheep and other animals just mull around and beg you for food.  We all quickly realized that 1- it was way more fun when you were the same size as the animals and 2- Hillary was horribly allergic and had to watch from the outside the second time around.  We did have a blast though watching Noah (eventually, as per his style) have a ball with these animals... farmer maybe?

We initiated Noah to the fair well I think.  We made sure to hit the highlights with him... Thanks for being so patient Pelkeys!!  The top picture is him enjoying the rice pudding from Loretta's Kitchen (he actually ate all of Holly's while she was talking and enjoyed every bite:)).  The next picture is of him watching the Hurdy Gurdy Man's cart, enjoying the music and animals.  The last picture is a classic that we all have of him after milking the cow... you were a good sport Hill!

For those of you a bit concerned that Noah is not growing up an official "Mainer" I would like to reassure you with the above 3 and 1 below pictures. Yes, this is a skiddah... Yes, this was Noah's favorite part of the fair... Yes, he is in his pajamas... we deemed it more important to see it up close and get to touch it than to try and get him to fall asleep in the stroller:) The other reason is that he got so excited when he saw this, even in the dark, we had no choice, but to take him out of his stroller. And finally... Yes, we did go back the next morning to take more pictures... be expecting Christmas cards from both the Pelkey's and the Civiello's of the family posing on the skidda... don't worry Elizabeth we can photo shop you in:)

This last picture is of Noah in good spirits eating breakfast out of the back of our car... after two nights sleeping in the tent and no nap the day prior... he was such a trooper.  We did miss having the warm camper to go to, to at least pee and wash our faces/brush our teeth, but we survived showering with the cows and peeing in the woods:)  Overall we did have a wonderful trip, but we did miss those who couldn't be there!

New Helmet, Coat, & Fire Truck

Noah has recently taken to wearing his helmet around the house.  He is quite cute in it, but I do have to chase him around b/c he tends to take it off and pull out all of the padding from the inside.  This fire truck I found at a yard sale for $3 and it has been worth every penny!  He loves to get inside and pretend his driving or hide and try to "scare" me.  Lastly, this is his raincoat that I finally broke down and bought him... he was great at modeling it for us:)

Fall Picking- Day 2

The farm also has U-pick blueberries (still!), pumpkins, flowers, apples, and a corn maze... the back drop of the farm made you feel like fall was really here, and made you excited about it:) Noah loved the apple picking!  As you can see so did the rest of the family.

More Raspberries

We went back for more berry picking the next day and I got some great shots of Noah & raspberries, and Gabe & Noah picking berries.

Raspberry Picking

This past weekend both sets of Noah's grandparents came to visit.  On Saturday Nana, Noah, & I  went to pick raspberries at a nearby farm.  It was a beautiful fall day... Noah must have eaten a pint of berries himself.  The picking was sparse, and the only time I could get any into my bucket was when Noah was picking the berries himself.  It is amazing that he only picks the ripe ones... they went directly from the bush to his mouth... very cute.  Towards the end he some how figured out that there was a hole in the middle for his finger which, thankfully, slowed down his eating:)

Sport Coat & Boots

Noah hasn't lost his fascination with the blue rubber boots... In an attempt to organize I was going through Noah's clothes to see what still fit... as you can see the sport coat still fits and he loves to wear it... later on his winter hat was added to the outfit, but I missed getting that picture...