Travelingjenny

Navigating the hilly terrain of motherhood

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  • The Common Ground Fair

    Gracewpinwheel

    Tesssmoothieface

    Today we finally made it to the Common Ground Country Fair (sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association), an event we have wanted to experience ever since we moved to Maine. It took us nearly two hours to get there, but it was certainly worth the trip (and the fall colors are amazing right now!). We were having fun before we ever made it to the fairgrounds – antique tractors pull wagons to transport fairgoers from the parking lot. Once inside the fair, we watched a sheepdog demonstration; enjoyed fresh organic smoothies (and smoothie mustaches) while watching a ‘garden parade’ of children wearing vegetable costumes; checked out the chickens, rabbits, goats, alpacas, and other various critters; reenergized with some more healthy, locally-grown food; and perused the Maine-made crafts. Especially fun was the children’s area, where Gracie was able to help paint a mural; run and jump into a haystack; decorate her own pinwheel; sample fresh apple cider and applesauce; plant an appleseed to take home; and weigh and measure her own apple (it weighed the same as 20 fava beans). Pretty cool! The only downside was that we didn’t get to see and do everything we wanted to – but there’s always next year! This will definitely be an annual family outing – it celebrates good Maine living, and it tires out the little ones!

    Haystackjumping

    Tesswchickens2

    Tessasleepincar

  • Ouch!

    Graciecloseup

    Being a mom can be tough. I have to make my children do some really terrible things, like get dressed, eat breakfast, and put away their toys. Here are some things that have been said to me in the past two days, as I inflicted such torture upon Grace:

    "Mommy, I don’t love you any more!"

    "Daddy is gooder than you."

    "I don’t want you to live with us."

    "Daddy, I want Mommy to live in jail."

    But then there was also:

    "Mommy, I love you more than anyone in any state. I love you all the way to New Jersey and back."

    Phew! I guess I won’t have to go live somewhere else after all. I mean, she loves me all the way to New Jersey, for goodness sakes. But jail was starting to sound pretty good – I would have lots of time for reading there, and I probably wouldn’t even have to brush anyone else’s teeth…

    Gracehidingeyes

  • Best buddies

    Graceandelyse

    Gracie has a best friend. Her name is Elyse, and they have been best buddies for about a year now. They met at preschool and, so we’ve heard, did everything together at school. At the beginning of the school year, Elyse’s mom called me and suggested that we get the girls together to play outside of school, since Elyse talked about Gracie all the time. The girls have played together at least once a week since then (and Elyse’s mom and I have become friends, too – an added bonus!). Those two girls share a special bond that melts my heart whenever I see them together. They help each other, they share well, they give each other hugs, and they laugh together. Gracie is learning what it means to have a friend, and to be friend. Recently, when Elyse was sick, Gracie painted her a picture and we delivered it to her house, along with a plate of brownies. Elyse’s family took us in when we had a lengthy power outage (and they cooked for us – yum!). Gracie always wants to know when we’ll be seeing Elyse again (I better have something on the calendar!) and when they’re apart, she often wonders what Elyse is up to. Gracie has already informed me that when she grows up, she wants to be whatever Elyse is. It broke my heart to change preschools, which means the girls don’t see each other as often, but we still get together at least once a week. I know they have a bond that will last a long time – just look at those smiles!

    Gracewelyseslide2

    Gracetessandelyse

  • Fall begins

    Pumpkinhead

    Fall has officially begun, at least for our family. This is marked each year by our first visit to the local apple orchard. This will now be a weekly ritual for us until all of the apples have been picked off the trees. The weather yesterday was glorious – perfect, in fact. As a result, the orchard was packed and we opted to not pick our own apples this week. We did, however, indulge in some freshly-made donuts and cider (there really is nothing better!) and bought a half peck of ‘honey crisp’ apples. Tess also took her first bites out of a whole apple, which she proudly carried around and shared with her big sister. Before heading home, we all went on a horse-drawn carriage ride. This was another first for Tess, who loved to watch the horses, and periodically exclaimed, "neigh!". Yesterday also happened to be our second anniversary of moving into our house, so it was very fitting that we were out enjoying Maine at its finest. Combined with late afternoon visits to Gritty’s (brewpub) and Toots (ice cream), it really was the perfect fall day.

    Tessstandingbypumpkins

  • An “uh-oh!” morning

    Tesswcrayons

    So far, Tess has been exactly what I would have wished for in a second child: always happy, easygoing, adaptable, a good eater, and most importantly, a good sleeper. She is also very good at entertaining herself. On the mornings that her sister is at school, I bring out all of the toys that Grace has trouble sharing, and Tess is content to revel in the peace and quiet, and the fact that no one is ripping toys out of her little hands. This morning, however, she let me know that I seem to have been lulled into complacency by her self-entertainment. I was emptying the dishwasher and she was sitting at the art table, happily working on her first masterpiece. The next thing I knew, I heard a far away "uh-oh!". Tess was standing in the middle of the living room, surveying the pile of crayons she had dumped onto the rug. (Note to self: close doors to living room when not playing in living room.) A few minutes later, I was putting away Tess’s laundry when I heard her little voice exclaim "uh-oh!" yet again. This time she was standing in front of the toilet, tossing in pieces of toilet paper. (Note to self: ALWAYS close toilet lid when toilet is not in use – who knows what could be tossed in there next.) I love these harmless toddler antics, but even more, I love watching Tess’s little personality emerge. (Note to self: keep a closer eye on sweet little baby, she may be more like big sister than we think!)

    Tessthrowintoilet

  • Rub-a-dub-dub

    Sistersintub

    Two sisters in a tub. How cute is that?!

    Sistersintub2

  • New Words

    Beautifultess2

    This morning, as I lifted Tess out of her highchair, she pointed at the window and said, "bird!" I turned around, and sure enough – there were two goldfinches at the feeder! I think she’s been purposefully saving up her new words in order to spring them on me when I least suspect it, just so she can enjoy my reaction (which, by the way, consists of lots of praise and kisses, and a happy dance). She also says "thank you" – unprompted and at the appropriate times. This is especially fun for Gracie, who has started voluntarily sharing things with Tess (when the mood strikes her), just so she can hear that sweet baby voice. Another favorite word is "Maggie" (sounds more like "Mammy"), which she says quite often as she is fascinated with the dog. My personal favorite is "uh-oh," which can mean a variety of things. It is usually uttered while looking directly at me – right before she tosses an unwanted morsel of lovingly prepared food onto the floor. "Uh-oh" is also used to notify me of something that is not quite right – such as the mac & cheese that was stuck in "Mammy’s" fur today (another unwanted morsel sent flying). There is one word in her vocabulary that is not met with a happy dance, however, and that is "no." This evening when Tess started to climb the stairs to the loft, her daddy told her no. Tess looked him in the eye and said "no" right back to him as she marched away. Boy, are we going to be in trouble.

  • Using a spoon

    Tesseatingwspoon

    Sweet baby Tess seems to be changing right before my eyes. This morning I was putting yogurt on a little spoon, then handing her the spoon so she could feed herself. I’ve been doing this for a while now, ever since she showed an interest in her sister’s utensils. This morning, however, she started pointing at the bowl of yogurt, saying,"mo!". So I gave her the spoon AND the bowl, and she proceeded to finish off her entire breakfast, all by her little self. Adorable, and amazing, considering that I didn’t even let Grace get her hands on a spoon until she was 18-months old. (‘Too messy!’ I thought – my goodness, how I have relaxed since then!) And Tess was quite pleased with herself, or else she could sense how proud I was – the look on her face was priceless. Or maybe she was trying to tell me how ridiculous I looked while I jumped up and down and squealed "good girl!".

  • A rainy afternoon

    Funwithslinkies

    Maybe it was the 30 degree drop in temperature from Saturday to Sunday, or maybe it was the onslaught of rain, or the fact that I walked on wet leaves this morning, but I have definitely started feeling like fall is here. I like fall, but a new reality set in this afternoon – when it’s cold and rainy, we can’t spend the afternoon outside. That’s a big problem when you have two active children who are used to running down the driveway and spending hours playing on the slide. So, this afternoon, I nearly lost my mind. Here is a rundown of the afternoon’s events:

    Good things:

    Lying in bed with Gracie just after her nap, singing songs and telling stories (moments like this are rare with her – she is seldom still for long enough).

    Reading to Tess while she sat in my lap, and got up again, then sat down again, etc.

    Watching Gracie do some painting, and helping her figure out how to get the cat’s smile just right.

    Watching Tess try to give Mrs. Potato Head a tongue, and then chasing her around the house with the tongue in her hand (it’s all fun and games until someone pokes an eye out!).

    Watching both girls play together with their respective Slinkies, and helping Tess get unstuck after becoming wedged between the chair and the wall (sad, but cute!).

    Seeing the excitement on both girls’ faces when Daddy came home – Tess even clapped her hands – and feeling my own sense of relief that reinforcements had finally arrived!

    Gracie teaching Tess how to chair dance (actually, highchair dance) and shake her head to the music during dinner.

    Not-so-good things:

    Realizing that the library is not open on Mondays.

    Realizing that Toots (ice cream) is not open on Mondays.

    Telling Gracie for the 47th time not to jump off the furniture.

    Telling Tess for the 47th time not to climb up the stairs.

    Telling Gracie for the 47th time to use her "quiet voice."

    Telling Tess for the 47th time not to throw food onto the floor.

    Telling them both to stop chair dancing and shaking their heads to the music during dinner.

    ——–

    Hmmm… I guess this afternoon wasn’t that bad after all. They’re a lot of trouble, but they sure are cute!

  • Small town fun

    Paradegracefrombehind

    This morning, all four of us marched in a parade, in honor of "North Yarmouth Fun Day" (organized by our next-door neighbor). Adam carried Tess in the backpack. Gracie rode her tricycle, decorated with balloons and her trusty copilot, Curly. Directly in front of us was a man with a rubber chicken on his head, pulling a wagon with a baby in a chick costume, sitting on a pile of hay. In front of them was an old fire truck, and in front of the truck was a group of teenagers walking with sheep. Yes, SHEEP. I love living in the country (as long as I’m not wearing my best shoes)! Directly behind us was the North Yarmouth Community Band. The band started playing even before the parade started, and Gracie asked, "Mommy, when is that loud noise going to stop?" The music went on for .7 miles, and so did we. Gracie’s little legs pedaled and pedaled, and whenever we passed a group of people on the sidelines, she waved and rang the bell on her trike. Her enthusiasm was adorable – and she was quite thrilled to be riding her bike down the middle of the road. Our group, the Cumberland/North Yarmouth Family Network, won an award, and each child received a medal for participating in the parade. Afterwards, Gracie proudly told people: "I winned the parade." Yes you did, honey.

    Tesswatchingparade