Time to "Baby Proof"...

Well if anyone was wondering, we officially have a baby that likes to get into everything! If only there was a manual on how to raise a baby who does not like cords, buttons, plugs and gadgets galore.

While I unpacked the groceries, Tatum emptied our drawers!

Road Trip to Newport, RI

This weekend we drove 200 miles south to Newport, Rhode Island so that Lindsey could attend a friend's bachelorette party. This was also Lindsey's first night away from Tatum ever. I am not sure who was more upset, Lindsey or Tatum. Initially the night started out well as Tatum and I relaxed in our hotel room and had dinner together. However, as bed time (7:00 p.m.) rolled around, Tatum seemed to sense that Lindsey was not coming back and that her normal routine was not going to happen. Needless to say, Tatum and I spent a lot of "quality time" together Saturday night. There is a picture of this below.

Sunday morning, mother and daughter were reunited. After a quick breakfast we explored the famous mansions of Newport along the southern tip of the island. These mansions were magnificent and we wish that we had more time to spend time exploring.

Exploring the Pemaquid Peninsula

This weekend we decided to explore one of the many peninsulas of mid-coast Maine. We drove north on Route 1 through the towns of Wiscasset and Damariscotta and then headed south to the end of the Pemaquid Peninsula. Our first stop was the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, which was built in 1824. This is the lighthouse on the Maine state quarter. Next to the lighthouse, they have a museum which was full of interesting relics related to the sea-going lifestyle of Maine's past and present. One of the displays was a taxidermist preserved 25 pound lobster caught in the 1950's! This lobster was estimated to be nearly 90 nears old. In addition to the lighthouse at Pemaquid, it is a great spot to watch the waves and play on the rocks.

Our next stop was Fort William Henry and Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site. This settlement was built in the early 1600's and they had a graveyard that dated back to 1695. Fort William Henry was built in 1698 to defend this area against the pirates and the French. The view from the top was amazing and Tatum seemed to enjoy it as well. However, she was most interested in showing everyone her new milestone of standing. While it certainly is an exciting milestone, it is also a nerve-racking as they are many associated falls.

Last, but not least was our stop on the way home to take a picture of an interesting store sign we saw on our drive down to the lighthouse-Happy Endings! After taking a picture of the sign, we also made our friend Tim a reservation for his September visit.

Daytrip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire

On Saturday, we decided to take a short daytrip south to Portsmouth, NH. This is a small harbor town that is the 3rd oldest city in the United States. For a town of only 26,000 there is a lot to see and do! We walked around the town and shopped at the various boutiques. In addition to this, we visited two breweries. Our first stop was the Portsmouth Brewery. They have a sister company called Smuttynose that is popular in Maine. Our second stop on the brewery tour was the significantly larger Red Hook brewery. Unfortunately, we missed our chance for a tour of the facilities, but we were able to bring a growler home. All of the shopping and eating took its toll on Tatum and she found a way to sleep semi-comfortably in her Sherpani backpack!

4th of July with Slugger the Sea Dog!

Overall, our 4th of July was pretty laid back this year. We had a cookout with some neighbors in the early afternoon and drove down to Portland for a baseball game afterwards. This was Tatum's first baseball game and she seemed to enjoy it. Portland is home to the Boston Red Sox's Double A farm team. Minor league baseball is a lot more laid back than its major league counterpart (and cheaper!). The Sea Dogs beat the Reading Phillies 2-1!

Someone's got the Giggles!

In order to keep Tatum on schedule after our day trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire we decided to feed her some oatmeal on the drive home. Tatum decided she had enough and began to spit the rest of her food at us. In addition to this, she has decided that our attempts at discipline using the word "no" is funny.

Tatum Reading

Tatum's new favorite activity is destroying anything and everything in site. Not much else needs to be said.

Summer Vacation 2008

This year for our summer vacation we went to Nags Head in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was the first time there for us and all of our family members. The vacation started out with Lindsey and I finally meeting our 7-week-old nephew, Roman. In addition to this, on the first night our friends Natalie and Stephen Pearson drove up from their home for a visit. The following afternoon, the remainder of family arrived after a long drive from St. Louis. While most of vacation was spent relaxing on the beach, we did do two separate day trips as well. We drove down to Cape Hatteras in order to see the Cape Hatteras Light House. This is the tallest brick light house in the world at over 200 feet tall! We decided to climb the steps to the top in order to see the view and it was well worth the effort. After this we stopped by a secluded beach on the drive home. Our second day trip was to Ocracoke island where we had to take a 40 minute ferry ride from Hatteras Village. This island is considered to have some of the finest beaches in the country. Unfortunately for us, our beach visit that day was cut short by windy weather and strong currents. The beach was closed to swimming 20 minutes after our arrival and both babies were covered in blowing sand. During vacation we also celebrated 2 birthdays as Lindsey's brother, Greg turned 22 and my sister, Megan, turned 21. It was early nights for the two of us as Tatum wakes up early regardless of what our plans were the night before.