I.cannot.wait.

Kyle's making wings.

Things My Daughter Says

 

After putting her cat nose and whiskers on with face paint.

Anna looks in the mirror:  Face sooo pretty. 

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Halloween was so much fun last night!  I wasn't sure how Anna would do, but she did great.  We walked around our little neighborhood and she went up to every house that was giving out candy.  She only took one candy from each bucket and even said thank you (most times).  She was so cute and so excited.  She spent the rest of the evening playing on the street with our neighbor, Connor.  She really likes Conner.  It's funny because our day care says she doesn't like playing with other kids and really hates it when they get in her space.  That is not the case when she plays with Connor.  She follows him around, does whatever he does, and laughs and laughs.  She doesn't even care when he gets in her space either.  Weird.

 

Two more states down!

I have been struggling to write a post about our trip to Maine and New Hampshire, but I am not sure why.  We had a great time!  Maybe it is because I am still sad to be back home, where the leaves are still green and traffic is a mess and all I hear are sirens instead of the sound of the ocean.  Even Old Town Alexandria's Halloween decorations are not nearly as cute as Ogunquit's.  Oh well, at least I have some pictures to remember the trip.

We flew into Manchester, New Hampshire on Friday.  It was a quick flight, minus the 60 minutes sitting on the runway.  We got our cheap rental car and we were off to Portsmouth, NH.  We were meeting our friends who were already there, enjoying the first of many, many beers.  


I really like traveling with Heidi and Evan.  One, they love Anna.  They even babysat one night so Kyle and I could go out to dinner.  Two, they have been to Maine many times, so they planned and navigated and organized our visit (with our input of course).  We basically had to just show up and enjoy the ride.  Three, they are super nice, funny, and easy going, which is why we are actually friends in the first place.  

After walking through Portsmouth, we headed north to Maine.  We stopped for groceries, just the essentials (milk, beer, pumpkin bagels, beer, apple cider, grapes, beer...) and made our way to the townhome we rented in Ogunquit.  The home worked out perfectly.  We were about 1/4 mile from the beach and about 1 mile to town.  Anna had her own bedroom and she loved the jacuzzi tub.  The house was not fancy, but it had everything we needed and was very comfortable. 

Ogunquit has to be one of the cutest towns ever.  Their downtown has restaurants and shops, there are 3 miles of beach and a beautiful walk along the coast, and the homes come in all shapes and sizes.  There is also a playhouse and a couple of museums but we didn't visit those.  I would definitely stay in this town again.  Everything we did was within an hours drive.

   

We woke up each morning and walked to the beach with Anna.  It was chilly but she didn't mind.  We watched the birds and the waves, picked up rocks, and played in the sand.  I could start everyday with a walk on the beach.  We usually visited the beach every afternoon too, to soak up as much fresh air as possible.

 

On Saturday we headed back to Portsmouth to visit their farmer's market and to walk around downtown a bit more.  Their farmer's market has beer!  On the way back to Maine we visited Stonewall Kitchen.  I love this store but it was very, very crowded.  We also stopped by Pie in the Sky Bakery for the best blueberry pie I have ever had.  It was a little expensive but totally worth it.  We then watched LSU beat Florida, and Heidi and I did some shopping that night. 

On Sunday we drove north to Freeport, Maine to shop at the 24-hour L.L. Bean.  Anna loved this store.  You could try out all of the chairs and tents, see stuffed moose, and run around the kids play area for hours.  After lunch, we stopped at Kennebunkport, Maine.  It was a cute town near the water that was fun to explore.  We then made our way back to Ogunquit and went for a long walk along the Marginal Way. 

 

Monday was Portland day.  Everyone (except Anna and I) was scheduled to tour Allagash Brewery that afternoon, so we went early to explore the city.  I was not super impressed with Portland but there were some cute shops and we had a great lunch at In'finiti Fermentation and Distillation.  Once the group was off to their tour, Anna and I headed to Portland Head Light.  It was beautiful.  This is what comes to mind when I think of Maine and Anna and I could have stayed there all day.  To end the day, Kyle and I went to dinner at Barnacle Billy's and Anna went with Heidi to "make cake" with sand at the beach.  I am not a fan of lobster, but I am a fan of rum punch and they had the best I've had in a long time. 

 

Tuesday was left for packing, cleaning, and heading home.  We left a bit early for the airport to visit one more lighthouse.  Nubble Light was just as cute and quintessential Maine as Portland Head Light.  I could have stayed there all day too, except it was cold and windy, and we had a plane to catch.

 

I loved New Hampshire and Maine.   I would love to go back.  I could go back just spend a whole day shopping at the antique shops and outlets we passed by.  

My neighbor and I were talking, her in-laws live in Maine, and she said it perfectly "It is just a better way of life up there."  I have to totally agree, except maybe not in winter.

More pictures here.

We kept busy this past weekend.  First up, Friday was spent getting my haircut and doing some shopping.  Boring.  Well, except I may have actually found a hairdresser that I want to go back to.  It only took 3.5 years.  I shouldn't jinx it just yet though.

 

Next up, Saturday morning was spend visiting Washington Monument State Park, out in Maryland, NOT DC.  The park was beautiful and it was attached to the Appalachian Trail, so we did a little hiking as well.  Anna can only handle about an hour in her backpack, and that is all about all we can handle too.  She is getting heavy.  Riley could have gone all day.  

We let Anna run around on the playground afterwards.  She was really good at climbing the stairs and going down the slide herself, up until some other kids joined us.  Then, there were tears because they were playing on Anna's slide.  We learned about taking turns, went down the slide a few times more, and hit the road.   

On Sunday we had our usual met-up with Erin and family for our run and breakfast, except, this time we managed to run 3.51 miles, which might be our longest yet.  We also managed to score the BIG table at Open City.  It was amazing and everything I thought it would be.  Sean said it best, "I think I should order more food because I have the table space."  After Anna took a marathon 3-hour nap, we headed to Del Ray to catch the Halloween Parade.  It was really cute and Anna loved waving hello to everyone.  

 

And now it is Monday, boo.

Things My Husband Says

Kyle:  I may have let out a little fart in front of Anna.  She said, "Daddy pooped!"
Me:  hahaha.  I am sure it wasn't little.

Things My Daughter Says

While sitting on the couch, not doing anything at all.

Me:  Ok Anna, let's go brush your teeth.
Anna:  One more time Mommy, one more time.
Me:  ?

She totally gets that by saying 'one more time...' she is delaying brushing her teeth.  The problem is that she does not get that she needs to actually be doing something in order for that to work. 

Apple Picking

We headed back to Winchester, Virginia for our third annual apple picking adventure.  We went a bit earlier this year, so it was super hot, but as usual, it was super fun.