Skiing again at the Loaf!

                            Back to skiing at Sugarloaf and don't we just love the wintery scenes!

After a late night getting to bed Friday night up at the mountain, the kids were pretty happy to be up there and Tucky was ready to ski.  We found our camp super cold when we first drove up Friday night and after a good effort of trying to fix it while the sleeping kids and I waited in the warm car, we decided to crash at Mimi and Poppi's condo instead.  We were very lucky things didn't freeze and crack because it has been getting cold for sure.

Jay had initially planned on getting in a day of Ski Patrol but decided to go back to camp and see what he could do to fix the furnace.  We hung out at the condo playing and Tuck made this huge layout of train track all over the living room.  I think he really liked the fact that the couches are not there yet so he had the new carpets to himself.   Brooklyn was loving the long coffee table so she could stand by herself and my back enjoyed the break as well!

Once Jay realized that he couldn't fix the furnace because he didn't have the parts, he came back and hung out as well.  Mimi and Poppi came up to finish rearranging furniture for a bit and I took the opportunity to take Tucky out for a couple runs with Brooklie napped. 

Sporting his new season pass and all, I carried him over to the Birches and jumped on the chairlift.  He's so much bigger this year and easier to hold on to riding the lift!  We took about 5 runs and he picked it right back up.  His legs are strong and he knew where he wanted to go...straight down.

We also got to ski Sunday morning as well.   Jay skied with Tucky for several hours while I bundled Brooklyn into the backpack and we walked all over.  Jay had the little tip connector and harness on him, trying to teach him to go slow and maybe turn.  No such luck, little man says he wants to go "down!"

one tired little ski bum!

The most ridiculous house in Livermore Falls - but don't we love to drive by!!

They did get to hang with Amos the Moose and Blueberry the Bear!  Tucky followed Amos to the lift and his only comment to Jay after Amos jumped on the chairlift in front of them was, "Daddy, the moose no put bar down because he caught antlers."  Observant little fella!

After a quick lunch we headed home to get ready for the last few days of work before vacation.  The kids slept for some of the ride but luckily were awake to see our favorite holiday house in Livermore Falls!  Whatever the holiday, this place is decked out in every imaginable blow up decoration.  In fact there was a Santa and snowman that were taller than the house itself.  We counted over 30 for this year's Christmas!

Meeting Santa Claus and great trains!

 On Friday, I decided to take the kids to the Maine Mall to check out the train exhibit and maybe meet Santa for the first time.  Wow, was Tuck excited!  We ended up meeting Meacy and Spencer, Jill and her boys as well as Mimi.


There was quite an impressive model train set up with several different tracks and many trains going.  We stayed there to watch the trains go round and round for quite awhile before moving over to the carousel. 

Apparently there is a carousel in the mall that you can ride.  We got a few tickets and hopped on.  Spencer jumped right on a horse but Tucky had no interest, so he, Brooklyn and I rode in this carriage type thing.  For some reason he is not a big fan of the horses and Brooklyn just wanted to walk...so my lap wasn't cutting it for her either.

So we moved back to the trains and I got the kids in line with Mimi so that we could meet Santa.  Luckily there was a short line so it really didn't take too long.  Tuck was excited because he could get close to the trains as he waited.

Finally it was our turn and while they warmed up the cameras, we got a chance to talk with Santa.  Tuck told him that Poppy has trains too... wholly trains.  Brooklyn played shy but Santa got her to smile a few times, pretending to poke her.  Unfortunately the minute I set her down with him and Tuck, she was not having it.  I did get a few cute pictures and it's just so fitting, him smiling and her crying. 

We took a few pictures, watched the trains a little more and then drove to Aunt Meacy's house.  We had lunch there and had the kids nap as well.  At one point Meacy and I looked at each other and just sat there because all 3 were asleep, Evelyn was at school and we could just sit. 

Hanging at the house with the little ones, decorating!

 Our little 11 month old girl is growing up!  She's a bit tough to handle right now because she's so frustrated by not being able to walk, although she's definitely trying.  Brooklyn's holding on to our hands and wanting to walk everywhere.  She'll ride Tucky's old firetruck for hours, moving herself around.  Unfortunately she just needs to figure it out because my back is killing me and she is fiesty when she wants to move and can't.  Although I think the Christmas tree decorations will last longer this way....haha

 Yesterday when Jay walked through the door after work, Tuck ran to open the door for him and said, "Daddy, Tucky just loves you so much!"  You should have seen the smile on Jay's face!


While we were decorating the tree and have trouble with lights that were half working, I asked Tucky what he was going to ask Santa for this year.  He looked at me and said, "new lights for my tree, Mommy!"  How funny is that!  Luckily Daddy got them all working again so maybe that will change but he's a thoughtful little man for sure!

 We have a new development on the potty training front...it's been going well but we definitely have our days where Tuck forgets that he's supposed to stop playing and go to the potty.  One day he'll do so well with maybe one little accident and then the next will be a very wet day.  I don't quite get it but he's just not always paying attention...I know he's only two! 

 So we're going to try something new, no more pebbles, just pee dances and poop dances after he goes.  I also am making him go get his own clothes if he wants to change, otherwise he'll have a cold bum.  So far so good, today he was almost completely dry and we danced a lot!  I've also been setting the timer on the stove and when it beeps, he has to go in!  He did well with that, going in by himself, although he had way too much fun with the soap dispenser and bubbles....win some/lose some.

We had a great weekend, tree decorating and just hanging out together!  Tuck helped put his wooden trains around the tree and loves decorations!  The lights are so pretty and he wanted to help during every step!  The holiday's are going to be so much fun with the kids, can't wait!

Brooklyn is so into big people foods!  She's pretty much almost done with baby food and you can see in the picture, just how much she was into spaghetti yesterday!

A slight resemblance...

             Tuckerman - 2 1/2                                                                    Tuck's Mommy - around 3 I think

    

Model Trains at the Maine State Museum

 
Janet emailed me the other day about a two day model train exhibit at the Maine State Museum.  It was open today from 9am-4pm and was free to the public.  I called up Aunt Meacy and she brought Spencer along with us to check it out today.



After a late night playing soccer, I was grateful that the kids let me sleep in until 7:45am!!! Yes, that's right, 7:45!  I wanted to leave home around 9ish so that Brooklyn could nap on the drive north.  What I didn't take into account was the fact that Tuck would have to pull over two times on the drive to pee.  I'm psyched that he told me he had to pee, but one time Brooklie had just finally closed her eyes... oh well, you win some, you lose some.

 The train exhibit was right inside the door and contained a good variety of trains of different scales.  The boys went nuts instantly and got as close to the tables as they could.  They loved the Polar Express and Christmas trains, but I think the big hit was the "Maine" train.  Apparently this railroad group has different companies put out a different boxcar and it was really neat.  There was an Oakhurst boxcar,  B+M and a flatbed car with a lobster boat.  Tucky loved the boat!

 The guys running the exhibits were great
and loved watching the kids get excited.  At one

point, a photographer from the Kennebec Journal
newspaper came in to take pictures and asked if he
could shot the boys since they were so excited and obviously having a blast!  We'll check out the paper tomorrow.

Poppi would have love the train show but we took some video so T ucky can share it.

After a good chunk of time watching trains we somehow managed to peel the boys away.  Brooklyn was done by this point and ready for lunch.  I think Tuck would have just skipped all meals so he could stay....Spencer too.  We ended up heading over to Pizza Hut for lunch before the kids crashed in the car on the way home.  I ended up driving about 60mph on the highway and taking the long route home so they could get in good naps! 
Fun show and we learned about a lot more train exhibits coming up too!

Thanksgiving with the Roy's!

Thanksgiving 2010

After a whirlwind trip to St. Louis weekend, we were quite excited with a short two day work week!!!  The kids survived and handled the transitions well but we were all happy to sleep in Wednesday morning!  Brooklyn actually let me sleep in until about 7:30am!  We didn't stick around too long, just enough time to pack, have lunch and take naps in the car.  Well, Brooklyn took a nap, I think Tuck was very excited for the Thanksgiving festivities over the next couple days.

We stopped in Oakland to play and visit for a couple hours before meeting up with Daddy and the Fieldroy gang.  We met them, plus Mike and Kim over at the Asian Cafe for dinner.  We don't get out much and since we had a gift certificate that we'd been wanting to use, it was the perfect chance to get out.  Luckily, the kids did really well, especially Brooklyn going beyond her bedtime!  Eventually we made our way to EE and Papi's house where the kids promptly crashed!

 Everyone was excited to wake up Thanksgiving morning and already be at EE's house.  Aunt Meacy and Uncle Dave made a big breakfast and the kids were off playing in no time.  We made pinecone turkey's, built forts upstairs in Papi's study and played lots of trains/trucks!  Brooklyn took part and also got lots of snuggle time with her big cousin, Evelyn!  The boys both brought trucks to play with and also found all of EE trains.  I bet Tuck can tell where each one is located in her house, the colors, etc.

 Uncle Andy, Aunt Kristen, Aunt Terry and Uncle Don joined us all late morning.  Before long we were sitting down fr a great Thanksgiving feast.  The kids tried a little bit of everything, especially Brooklyn who ate for a good hour straight.  There was a lot of great food but again Papi's sweet potato casserole was a hit!

 After our Thanksgiving dinner, we hung out, took some pictures and just relaxed.  Tuck was so tired that he slept through desserts and then some.  Of course this meant that he'd be up all night but he does nap well when he needs it.  Brooklyn, on the other hand, was loving her cousins and Uncle Andy/Aunt Kristen time!  Shortly after Tucky woke up, we decided to head outside and go for a walk.  It was super cold out and very refreshing after being inside all day.  Tucky had his bike and took turns riding it with Evelyn and Spencer.  It felt really nice to be outside and the kids were having fun and Brooklyn got to watch the whole thing from the stroller.  She even laughed out loud a few times.

 We had leftovers for dinner and then put the kids to bed.  I finally sat down and flipped through the Black Friday flyers, planning out my attack.   Meacy decided to get up at 3:30am with me and meet Mimi and Poppy before heading to Augusta.  We decided to hit Target and then Walmart if we needed to on the way home.  After a short night of sleeping, we did get up early and hit the traffic outside Target but it was worth it.  I was able to find just about everything I had planned on, and then some of course, getting some great deals.  We even found a few more items at Walmart and despite the large crowds, it was fun.  For some reason I'm not a big shopper but I do enjoy the once a year early morning Black Friday chaos!

Back at EE's, we hung out with Andy and Kristen through lunch until they left and we needed to get in some naps.  Jay took the kids over to Mimi and Poppy's and I hit Marden's.  Again I found some great deals and decided that I was done Xmas shopping...it is so much fun shopping for kids though!

 We spent the night at Mimi and Poppy's house, hanging with the Busque's for a bit and then going to bed super early.  Jay, Brooklyn and I drove back to Windham on Saturday morning but Tuck stayed behind to have a special sleepover, his first alone, with Mimi and Poppy!  Auntie Amy stayed and played with him for most of the day and then he helped Mimi shovel, clean and cook until Poppy got home from hunting!  Apparently they had a great night, TUcky was very well behaved and they brought him back this afternoon.  We missed our little man a lot!  We did, however, get a lot of work done at home, but it was much too quiet without him!  I think he was happy to be home as well after a bunch of days visiting relatives!  We feel very lucky that both of our kiddos travel so well and are very easy going!