While Daddy is Away the Girls Play

While Mike is away this week Tatum and I have been very lucky to have the company of mom for 10 days. Saturday brought us an overcast day but it was about 50 degrees which in Maine means time to get out! We ventured down to Portland to walk around downtown and then we drove over to the Portland Head Light. In all the time that my mom has visited Maine we have never done any of the above. We enjoyed our day and also made some time to stop and play at the park at Fort Williams State Park.

Tatum watching the big kids swing

Swinging with Grandma

Walking to the beach

Overcast but scenic (an island and lighthouse in the distance)

A quick update on Tatum...

It is hard to believe that Tatum is now 17 months old...time sure does fly! Along with getting older there are some new skills/behaviors that are becoming more evident/regular and they are not always the most wonderful. Here is a brief taste of life with Tatum:

1. At 17 months she decided to...JUMP OUT OF HER CRIB! Mind you, this first occurred at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday morning while Mike was gone and I was alone in the house. Imagine how you would feel if you heard the pitter patter of feet and then "Hi!" without expecting it. There is not much more that I can say about this other than that I am sleep deprived now b/c I cannot rest knowing that it can happen at any moment. Hello crib tent!

2. Walking is her favorite thing to do now, regardless of rain, snow, sleet or ice! "Wa, wa, wa" is about the only thing we here when we are remotely close to any door or if we are in the car.

3. Last but not least...we have entered the stage of the lovely fit throwing in public (and at home too)...if she does not get her way the kicking and screaming starts along with hurling herself at the ground. It is so lovely to be in public with a screaming child who is flailing her arms and kicking her shoes off when she cannot do what she wants...which usually includes "wa, wa, wa."

Aside from the above Tatum is a wonderful little girl who has quite the personality and she can make anyone laugh with her funny antics.

Maine Maple Sunday

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Maine Maple Sunday 2008...time seems to be flying by us! Fast forward to 2009 and once again, we 3 Smiley's ventured out on the 4th Sunday of March to join the masses at the annual opening of the sugar houses around Maine. Additionally, we dragged Mike, Dana, and Caroline along too; after all, they heard us raving about warm maple syrup poured over ice cream for the past year. This year we drove about an hour west to Poland, Maine where we visited Harvest Hill Farms. Fortunately but unfortunately, the day started out chilly but sunny however as we arrived at the farm the temperature began to drop and by the time we left, the snow was falling at a quick pace. While at the farm we had a chance to stop by and visit/pet the horses and then we ventured down to the sugar house for a lunch of pancakes, bacon, AND maple syrup (of course!). After the pancakes Mike and Mike treated themselves to ice cream topped with maple syrup. With the temperature at about 35 degrees, us girls passed on the ice cream. We would have loved to spend a longer day on the farm but with the cold temps and the snow it was just not going to happen. We sure will miss this day next year!

Eating Pancakes under the tent (wind was gusting!)

Swapping girls

On the hayride back to our car...we did not feel like trudging through mud in the snow

We Picked a Winner!

Not every new thing that kids do is cute. Take for instance...Tatum learning to pick her nose! This is one of her top #3 new activities and will likely stay high on the list for a little while because of the cold, dry Maine winter air. We will definitely be showing this to all of her friends and boyfriends when she is a teenager.