Giving Thanks

This past week or so has been a one of firsts for us. Some of these took way too long to accomplish, while others had to wait until the appropriate day on the calendar.

Right before Thanksgiving I was able to take a trip with the kids to see my grandmother in Keene, NH. Between my back issues earlier in the year and the move (and all that went with it) this was the first we were able to get out there. More importantly though, this is the first time my grandmother was able to meet her newest great-grandchild: Wesley.

Not surprisingly, Wes was all smiles the whole time.

 I really wanted this shot to come out. Wes had the best time showing off his ability to walk for his great-grandmother.

My parents were there too so they kids also got some more Grandma and Grandpa time which is always a good thing.

 

 We had the portrait lens on so it was difficult to get everyone in the frame for a good picture.

We (the kids especially) had a great time in Keene. Hopefully now that we're closer we'll be able to get out there more often.

And then came Thanksgiving. This was our first major holiday in the new house and the first time we'd made Thanksgiving dinner for a large number of guests (okay, so we had a lot of help this time too and only really made a few dishes - everyone else made the rest).

 Molly wasn't too sure about the turkey at first.

Wes, on the other hand was ready to eat.

...and what would a holiday be without a sink backing up (and backing up so much that a plumber was needed eventually). Thankfully (sorry) the previous owners put a sink in the mudroom which is right off the kitchen, thus preventing a complete disaster.

Not surprisingly, this was the best picture we could get of the whole group. Molly was up to her usual tricks of making interesting faces for nice, group photos.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we finally had Wes's 1st birthday party. Pushing the party back a week or two allowed more family to be there.

Yup, he's 1.

 At first Wes wasn't too sure of the cake and all of the people standing around starring at him.

He got the hang of it eventually.

This was Molly's 2nd 1st birthday party (as in, the second one she has been to, including her own). She did a much better job with the whole eating-cake-while-keeping-clean thing than she did for hers.

 After cake we decided it would be good to try and have a nice, orderly time of opening presents. Right. You can see the hoard of cousins that have descended on Wesley and his toys. Note to self: sugar + little kids does not = calm behavior.

Wesley got some great gifts, including some cool hats. Now it he would only let us put them on his head...

I would like to say the water mark on half of Wes's shirt is from a cup of water slipping. But that's not true. He drools like a madman. Hopefully he's just teething and isn't actually a madman.

Year One

One year ago we welcomed this little bugger into the world. It has been quite a year with many life changing events, most of which were for the better (we could have done without the severely herniated disc in my back).

At 8pm sharp on his due date Wesley showed up... and promptly stuck his tongue out at us (a sign of things to come?). Okay, so this picture was actually a day or two later, but still, he's pretty cute.

There really is nothing like a sleeping baby.

On the whole Molly has been a great big sister, but as the look on her face shows in this picture, sometimes she's not quite sure what to do with Wes (or "Wes-ha Ma-thue" as she sometimes calls him).

One of the better major life events has been the move to Maine. Here is Wes enjoying the fresh air and open space. While he's crawling in this picture, he has been walking/running since about 10 months. For some perspective, Molly didn't start to walk until her first birthday.

 What would a move to Maine be without blueberry pancakes?

 Sometimes having a big sister has its downsides. Thankfully he's too young to know/care.

One of the interesting things for me has been to see the difference in the two kids. Molly has always been a face maker while, so far at least, Wes pretty much oscillates between extremely happy (always a good thing) and extremely upset (usually because he wants food and he wants it NOW!). Thankfully he is usually in the happy, go-along-get along mood.

One of the many great things about having two kids is that they automatically have a playmate. Since the move especially Wesley has been very interested in what Molly is doing and wanting to take part. Molly, in turn, has been thrilled to have Wes there (most of the time).

What this picture doesn't show is that they are both watching Baby Signing Time. This DVD series teaches kids basic sign language, a huge help to both us and Wes. He has a lot of signs down pat and can tell us if he's hungry (which he usually is), thirsty, sleepy, etc.

Here Molly and Wes are in their "rocket ship" ready to blast off. Molly was adamant that the ship could not go anywhere until Wesley was inside as well. She could care less if the two of us were with her as long as Wesley is there.

 Our iPhones have been a huge attraction for both kids.  Thankfully so has playing outside.

Did I mention we moved to Maine? Because it's already snowsuit time for the little one.

Settling In

It's been a few months now since we made the big move and we're starting to settle in a bit. Overall the move has been fantastic. The house is right, the location is right, the weather is right, etc. The one fly in the ointment has been the job situation. We keep plugging away; hopefully that will work itself out soon enough.

Below are a few pictures in no particular order of what we've been up to recently.

 We went up to Bangor to celebrate a family wedding. As you can see both kids are fully mobile now so it keeps us on our toes. The wedding was great and the massive storm held off just long enough to get the last guests under the tent before the sky opened up.  Good timing.

 We have made a few trips to the Children's Museum in Portland. The place is great. One of the exhibits they have is a fire truck, complete with firefighter gear for the kids.

Our basement is basically one giant kids room. Wesley is getting to an age where he can actually interact with Molly and play with her (or in this case color with her). We've spend many a day down there just letting the kids enjoy themselves.

 We've also started back up with the Baby Signing Times for Wesley. He's picked up signing quite easily and can say "water", "more", food", and "dog". Molly has also gotten back into the signing and has been watching Signing Times. They both keep us on our toes.

There have been multiple walks in the woods on the different trails nearby. Here is Wes at the Maine Audubon Society's headquarters.

 It's also apple picking time.  About a month ago we went to a local orchard to pick apples.  Molly was a huge "help" and picked a fair number of the apples herself.

 Wes also got to pick a few.

 One of the best things about the move is the ability to have the kids outside during the day. We don't have to worry about air quality alerts here and it's not un-God-ly hot and humid. Molly especially has been taking advantage of this by dancing, dancing, dancing.

Harry has also been enjoying the fresh air. We finally have room for him to run around. Even though he just celebrated his 9th birthday, he still loves to run and play.

One drawback for Harry has been the lack of hundreds of other dogs around for him to smell, etc. on walks. On the plus side there's a whole new world of "nature" smells for him. Like the ocean cove just down the street from us (shown here at low-tide).

What would a move to Maine be without a few trips to L.L.Bean?

 We've also had a fair number of visitors. Grandpa Pete is reading Molly a book about steam engines after having just gone on the narrow gauge train in Portland.

Molly has also taken to reading by herself. She has good taste in books so far (Calvin & Hobbes and a book saying how yucky Mommy's coffee is, among others).

All in all, while it has been a hectic, trying, and somewhat scary process at times, the decision was the right one.