A Winter Week in Maine February 26, 2012

On Wed, February 15th me and Livs headed up to Maine to spend the week with Mema.  She had orthoscopic surgery on her knee and we were going to help her out a bit.  Thanks to my sister, who was able to go with her to the actual surgery, we scooted in a bit late on Wednesday, just in time for dinner.

 

Olivia loved her week in Maine, spending tons of time with Mema and also getting to see Auntie Jenna and Uncle Jon.  We got to do some fun things too like going to Auntie’s for dinner, taking some day trips to Damariscotta and a drive around Ocean Point, attending a wine tasting at the Southport General Store and getting some freshly caught shrimp (the true Maine way – in a hydraulic oil bucket with the heads intact) fresh off the boat on the last day of shrimping season.  Olivia got to play on the beach and I took daily walks, getting both me and my mom’s little dog, Rosie, out for some exercise.

 

I didn’t get a ton of pics as the pace for me that week was pretty much nonstop.  But the ones I did get reflect the great time we had there, enjoying beautiful sunsets, seascapes and all the little treasures Maine has to offer.

 

 

 

 

Hopefully Mema won’t kill me for posting this pic but it was just too funny.  All her little critters really enjoyed her slowed state and took advantage of the fact that she was sitting down most of the time!  They are quite a crew.

Fresh Shrimp!

Many pics of sunsets at Southport Beach.

Chilly Beachwalks.

A Sunday drive out to Ocean Point.

Some moments were better than others but even in the not so good moments, you just had to laugh sometimes!  2 1/2 years old and I’m still caught unprepared.  At least I’ve gotten better at improvising.  Sort of.

All in all a week well spent!  And no worries about Mema.  She’s on the mend and already jetting off to one place or another.  Can’t keep that woman down!

Happy Happy Love Day Part 2 February 24, 2012

After spending much of the day at Boston Children’s Museum we walked to our hotel taking in some of the cityscape along the way.

 

 

After enjoying a bit of Boston on foot, we arrived at our hotel and planned to spend a quiet evening together, swimming in the pool and ordering room service.  We had carefully picked our hotel for its location and kid friendly amenities and I’m happy to say that it was the best place I have ever stayed in Boston.  In fact I think it tops my hotel list of places I have stayed anywhere.  The Seaport Boston Hotel was located right on the water and had a great onsite cafe, restaurant and great pool and fitness center.  The staff were so welcoming and friendly.  When asked if they had any upgrades available the woman at the front desk happily informed us that they had one suite left and it could be ours.  Thank you, we’ll take it!  It was about 3:00 when we walked into our room, put our things down, took a minute to take in the beautiful view our room offered overlooking the water and to count our many blessings.

 

While Olivia napped (thank you Livs!) and Brian caught up on some work stuff, I grabbed some coffee and did some exploring.  I checked out the pool and fitness center and then took a short walk outside.  The Boston World Trade Center was located directly across the street from our hotel and housed many shops.  One was a florist and people poured from the front doors with bouquets in all colors, shapes and sizes.  Horses pulled white carriages down Seaport Blvd. in preparation for transporting star crossed lovers through the city.  It was a wonderfully festive atmosphere and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Well after dark we woke Olivia from her nap and Brian went in search of a bottle of wine to have with dinner (thank you 7 Eleven) while Olivia and I put our bathing suits on and then sat in the living room window watching the world go by.  Many more horses with carriages had appeared and Livs loved spotting them, watching them slowly make their way down the Blvd.

Then it was pool time!  Olivia really enjoyed her dip.  We were there for a solid hour and had to force her from the water when it was time to leave.  Brian and I also took turns enjoying the steam room they had on site.  The warmth felt so good.

After getting showered and changed it was room service for us!  Brian and I ordered pasta dishes and Olivia got a kids pizza.  We even ordered some dessert and everything was delicious.  We were stuffed!

We gave Olivia her Valentine’s Day gifts after dinner and Brian and I exchanged cards (this trip was our gift to each other).  It was a really fun way to end such a great day.

We all enjoyed a great night sleep.  The next morning Olivia and I headed down to the cafe to grab breakfast which we brought back to the room.  Afterwards it was one more dip in the pool and then back to the room for showers and packing up.

We checked out around noon, packed up the car and then headed down the street to have lunch at Legal Seafoods on the harbor.  Olivia was ecstatic when we encountered a hermit crab on the way!  This kid loves hermit crabs.

Where is the little guy?

There he is!

Down the street at Legal Seafoods we enjoyed a delicious lunch in a great spot overlooking the water.

On the walk back to our car it was just a few more pics and then we hit the road.  Thank you Boston for giving us the greatest, most memorable Valentine’s Day we’ve ever had!

 

 

Happy Happy Love Day February 24, 2012

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There are only 3 words that could sum up the Valentine’s Day we had this year.  Absolutely stupendously fantastic.  First and foremost we were all together to celebrate the day.  No one was jetting off on a plane somewhere or on a job site far away.  With that alone we were off to a great start!  Since Livs and I were headed to Maine the following day I had the amazingly awesomely incredible idea (insert cyber back patting via blog here) to have an overnight in Boston to celebrate not only Valentine’s …

Whoops! Had some technical difficulties with a learning experienced attached to the pics in the first attempt at this entry. Hope these come through!

Happy Happy Love Day February 24, 2012

There are only 3 words that could sum up the Valentine’s Day we had this year.  Absolutely stupendously fantastic.  First and foremost we were all together to celebrate the day.  No one was jetting off on a plane somewhere or on a job site far away.  With that alone we were off to a great start!  Since Livs and I were headed to Maine the following day I had the amazingly awesomely incredible idea (insert cyber back patting via blog here) to have an overnight in Boston to celebrate not only Valentine’s Day but being together as a family.  Brian thought it was as great of an idea as I did so we planned it out and had such a great time.  Did I mention it was a good time?  Can you tell how much we enjoyed it?

First on our itinerary was the Boston Children’s Museum.  BCM is hailed as one of the best children’s museums in the country and it’s very clear why.  The opportunities for little tykes (and bigger tykes like adults) to explore here are endless and the facility is clean, modern and beautiful.  I remember coming here as a kid and was so excited to bring Olivia.  As an extra added bonus we got in for free with a reciprocal membership I have at a local children’s museum in Hartford.  Score!  There were so many pics taken on our little adventure that I’m going to have to break it up into a few posts.  So, just Children’s Museum pics in this one!

Giant bubble hoop.  She wasn’t too sure about it.

The tool room was a huge hit.  Even after we left, Olivia called every nut and bold she saw “tools”.

Shaq’s Shoes!  They were enormous.

It came as no surprise but the water room was a huge hit!

This was a fun room!  Everything inside was centered around using your own strength to make power or move objects.  More than one kid in our group enjoyed it!

Woodstock February 24, 2012

A few weekends ago we went to visit my dad in Woodstock, NY.  This is the town where I grew up and I’ve had a great time rediscovering it recently on my short trips back.  As a kid,  it was the only place I had ever really known so my appreciation for it was pretty much nonexistent.  But as I’ve grown into an adult who has seen a few places, I’ve come to appreciate the funky and beautiful little town that it is.  It has so much character, so much heart and soul.  Not to mention its location, surrounded by the Overlook Mountains.  Opportunities to commune with nature are endless here.  One of the reasons it’s attracted so many hippies!  But seriously, I think it’s one of the most beautiful regions in our Country.

Sorry to disappoint with no shots of Olivia.  Just a few nostalgic pics I snapped off with my camera on a walk one day.  The first is of the little chapel where my parents got married many moons ago.  It’s right smack dab next to the Buddhist monastery up by Overlook Mountain, although that didn’t exist when they got married there.  I like to think of it as a place where I too got my beginnings (the church, not the monastery).  The second set of pics are of the Byrdcliffe Theatre.  Byrdcliffe is a summer musicians colony where artists such as Bob Dylan have frequented.  People still flock there in the summer and it has a handful of year round residents living in anything from the classic summer cottage to more extravagant (but still very natural) contemporary homes.

Whether you love it as much as I do or whether it gives you a headache and makes you groan, I always think it’s good to return to your roots every now and then.  It’s food for the soul and has a way of helping to put life in perspective.

Winter Portraits February 24, 2012

It hasn’t been much of a winter here so on days when the snow does fall, which are so few and far between, I grab my camera and capture any shots that I can of Olivia in the snow.  This day, a few weeks back, was one such day.  Just a few head shots of my girl in her absolute favorite winter hat (2 seasons running now!).

 

Spreading the Love February 19, 2012

Last Sunday we decided to see Great Gran and bring her out for a Valentine’s Day celebration.  Olivia had been asking to see her for about a week so I knew this would bring so much joy to both of them!  Olivia made her a card and, on the way, we stopped at the grocery store and purchased a huge “I LOVE YOU!” balloon and love bug plant.  Once we got to Great Gran’s apartment we enjoyed a little visit while she opened her card and enjoyed her gifts.  Then it was off to Olive Garden, our favorite lunch spot together, for a wonderful lunch!  I love watching how much Olivia enjoys and loves her great grandmother and the fun they have when they’re together.  Happy Valentine’s Day Great Gran – we love you!

 

Sled Christening January 23, 2012

Earlier this week we finally got some snow, enough to take Olivia’s sled for its first run!  As I had mentioned in an earlier post, Brian made Olivia a sled for Christmas, a labor of love that had taken him over a year to complete (mostly due to his schedule, not that it actually took THAT long).  But, despite the fact that it was a beautiful (and very heavy) piece of art we hadn’t had the opportunity to answer one critical question about it – did it work?  So, the snow fell and off we went to McLean Game Refuge to test out Olivia’s ride.

We hiked a ways back into the woods on the big open trail.  It was so beautiful and peaceful with the quiet snow and trees all around us.  The sled glided beautifully and effortlessly along the snow covered trail.  Score!  I think Olivia almost fell asleep a couple of times.  I couldn’t blame her.

We headed for Spring Pond and after walking for about 20 min or so we came across one of our favorite spots down by a stream.  To get down to the stream you have to walk down a pretty good little hill – as good a time as any to check out this sled’s downhill skills.  It was a success and a hit with Olivia who kept telling us…”push me then go away”.  Her version of – push me down the hill.

Mason enjoyed being a spectator.

On the way back Livs decided to walk awhile and loved clopping along in the snow.  She kept trying to find “the deep part”.

At one point she decided she was going to pull the sled herself.  She did a pretty good job for such a little person!

Tired and hungry we pulled her the rest of the way to the car.  We had such a fun outing and now it was time for lunch!

Goodbye Tina, Hello Livs! January 20, 2012

We finally bit the bullet and decided to bid farewell to the rockin’ mullet Livs had been sporting for much of her toddler life.  Yes, we brought her to have her first haircut!  I had visions of never ever cutting her hair, letting her develop that Rapunzel type look but, as many of you know, there is usually a sharp contrast between what we envision and what our reality is.  For me, my reality was a small child with an outrageous mullet and hair that required the skills of a cage fighter to tame in the mornings.

 

We brought her to a kid friendly salon.  They had movies to watch while they got their hair cut and even got a prize when they were finished.  And, to top it all off?  The woman who was cutting Olivia’s hair was named Dora!  Yes, Olivia is an extreme Dora the Explorer fanatic.

 

 

 

She did a great job keeping her head still and looking down for Dora.

She had a choice of hair clips or ribbons to put in her hair and she chose a little butterfly clip.

The finished product!  Trying to feel what’s up there.

Getting her prize from the prize machine.  She did great and we thought her hair looked so cute.  Her mullet now rests in a tiny ziploc bag bronzed for posterity.  RIP little Tina.

Skis Please! January 12, 2012

Brian and I are some of the luckiest people in the world in that we have a great local ski area about 20 min down the road from us.  Score!  We love our little mountain with its great community vibe and can’t wait till Olivia can take lessons here.  It will be the perfect spot!  For Christmas I bought us a couple of midweek season passes so that we can make skiing a weekly thing.  We’ve really been enjoying them and decided it was time to get Olivia out on a pair of boards.

For her first time out we rented some ski’s and boots for the day since we had no idea whether she would like it or not.  I held my breath as they fitted her boots (the most uncomfortable part) and deeply exhaled when she happily stomped around in them and headed over to get her skis!  She was even more thrilled when the ski’s they gave her matched the color of her boots.

We enjoyed a great day out on the slopes together and Olivia really seemed to love it.  Riding the chair lift was her favorite part although it was a bit harrowing for me because she was so small I really had to hold on to her to keep her on the seat.  But, as soon as we lifted off she looked at me and said “Mama, we’re flyyyyyiiiingggg!”  She liked the trip down too and I’m pretty sure she thought it was more of a ride than anything.  We worked some more on flat ground shuffling and getting her feet in snowplow position – 2 things she really got the hang of by the end of the day!  And, to top it off it was January 10th, the day she turned 2 1/2.  What a great way to celebrate!

Heading toward the lift for her first run.

And, we’re off!

A beautiful sight – skis x3!

After being out for 2 hours we went into the lodge to get some lunch and I thought for sure she would be tired.  But, she requested that we all go out again to ski and was happy to snap back into her bindings and go for another couple of runs.  She was even more into it when the 4 and 5 year old class started.  She wanted to get right in there with all the kids!  I can’t wait till she’s 4 so she can start lessons.  I think it will be a favorite thing for her for sure.  Until then she’ll be happy to accompany me and B to the slopes and get some slope time in with Mom and Dad.  She made us two very proud and happy parents!

Heading to the bunny slope with Dad.

A video I shot of one of her trips down with Brian.  She kept wanting to “go fast”.

Apres ski.  She only started crying when we took her boots off and told her we were done for the day!

Love this kid!