Time for a Laugh

Little Chef

Chef Ben likes to help chop vegetables at the counter...



But he prefers "cooking" underneath the dining room table. Ingredients: egg poacher, salad server, clementines, hole puncher, and cat.

Maine's Fire-breathing Terror

We had a very fun Halloween, and were so worn out that it has taken me a while to post costume photos. We had an especially nice party on the night before Halloween, with plenty of adorable kids (and several adults) in costume, and entirely too many desserts. Ben and I dressed as the dragon and St. George--a fun way to remember All Saints Day as well as Halloween! Chris dressed as "disgruntled philosophy professor." Boo. Instead of making myself a sword and shield, I used a book of dragon lullabies to subdue the wee terrifying dragon.

Elbow!

Ben can count from 1 to 10, and he knows his shapes, colors, and body parts. We own a few simple books that he has memorized and can read out loud (including the appropriate mood, volume, and expressions for each page), but don't be surprised if he clams up when he's around a big group of people. He's still an introvert!

October Fare

Here are a few photos from this week.

Admiring a pumpkin with Daddy:


Entranced by the deliciousness of PB&J (with homemade blueberry jam!):


Taking a walk in the woods with Mama (the best part of which was throwing acorns into the river):

Apple Season

Earlier this month, we met two families at Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner, Maine. It was a perfect Saturday, and as soon as we arrived, Ben went out and smelled the pumpkins (I don't know why he loves to do this, but he does) while Chris purchased some warm pumpkin doughnuts from the farm store (a little bit crunchy and not too sweet--YUM).


After that, we explored the family fun area, which included a mini disc golf course, moon bounces (a tad unsettling for young Ben), friendly livestock, a hay maze and mountain, real and toy tractors, a corn maze, and the absolute highlight, the corn bin. We all jumped right in. Aside from being a tad dusty, Chris and I considered the benefits of having a bed at home filled with dry corn kernels.



After a picnic lunch, we drove to the apple orchard on top of the mountain. The view was breath-taking--you could just barely see Mt. Washington. It'll be even better with fall colors. Ben enjoyed a ride with his buddy George in one of the wagons while we picked Fujis, MacIntoshes, and Macouns. We hitched a ride on a tractor trailer to pick what was left of the sweet, juicy grapes (best I've tasted since living in California), and then headed home.

I highly recommend Ricker Hill to everyone, whether you have kids or just want a whole bunch of fresh, crunchy apples! It's only an hour's drive from Portland. I thought my 20 pounds of apples would last quite a while, but after an enormous apple crisp and a big batch of apple butter, plus a bit of snacking, they disappeared!

Gardens are more fun when I don't have to weed them.

A couple of weeks ago, when Ya Ya and Paw Paw came to visit, we visited the botanical gardens in BoothBay Harbor. It is supposed to be one of the best on the Eastern Seaboard, and I can see why. It was a hot day, so Ben wore his swim trunks and splashed in the fountains.


The children's garden was by far the highlight. It featured fanciful little cottages, treehouses, and characters; a vegetable garden, a chocolate garden, and a rainbow garden; and a maze, a reading room, and a bear cave. Only a fraction of the fun is pictured here. I highly recommend it for little ones as well as adults.