Update

So, most of this is probably not new info for a lot of you... but just by way of official documentation... we sold our house! It was on the market for about 3 months, which is a rather short time in Maine these days. We sold it for less than our asking price, but for the exact price that we originally said we would like to get out of it. The day we got the offer was the same day Lehman Brothers declared bankrupcy, I just thought that was ironic. We have been under contrat for a while, and are closing in a week (Nov. 21st). We have an apartment in Dover, New Hampshire that we will be in for a while because our new house won't be ready until the end of January.

The other major event in our life as of late, although it has been almost 6 week ago, was a pretty serious car accident. We were on our way home from Storyland on a Satursday evening when a deer ran out in the road right in front of our car. I actually never saw it because I was turned around to give Kaylee her sunglasses (eventhough it was dark...). We swerved back and forth several times before ending up upside down in a swampy ditch. It was very scarey, but we are so thankful to God that we walked away with only minor injuries.

Isaac still talks about the accident a lot. Overall, he thought it was sort of fun because he got to ride in an ambulance, but he has said things like, "I hope we never get in a car accident again." Me too.

my broken arm, a few days after the accident

This one is for mom

OK, so I have a whole list of reasons why I have not been updating my blog lately. Life was pretty crazy for a while between selling our house, and getting in a pretty serious car accident, and our computer dying... But things have been back to "normal" for a little while now, so no more excuses... pictures. Where to start? Well, per mom's request, I will start with Halloween.

I had intended the kids to dress up as "the big bad wolf" and "Little Red Riding Hood". However, due to unforseen complications, they ended up being bugs- Isaac a spider and Kaylee a ladybug.

note to self: next time do photos before trick or treating (Isaac wasn't really in the mood to cooperate with a picture)


On Halloween we attended the 3rd annual Halloween preparade party at a friend's house and then walked from her house to the parade downtown. The parade basically consists of all the kids in Brunswick and their parents walking a few blocks from the park to the rec center. So after we walked the parade, it was time to walk back to the car (parked at the house where the party was). All in all, a lot of walking. But then, we drove home and it was time for TRICK or TREATING! This was the first time the kids had gone and they were a tad bit excited... We went to the 15 or so houses in the neighborhood behind us (more walking) and the kids had a blast. At the first house Kaylee was willing to go to the door with me eventhough she did't know what was happening, but after she figured it out she went to most of the other doors by herself, well, with the group of kids, not by herself, but you get the point.

group photo

Isaac's friend Norah was also a spider


And of course, the traditional pumpkin carving to match the costume. Not bad considering I had a broken right arm and Matt had a broken left hand...

First Days

Isaac started preschool last week! He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00-11:30. I chose this preschool program for him because it almost entirely about play and getting along with other kids. They also have story time, and a craft every day, and show and tell once a week, but there is very little academic focus. I figure he will have plenty of that in the future, and from me at home right now, but preschool should just be an experience to be away from mommy for a few hours learning about playing with others, waiting your turn and sharing.

So far he is very happy. The only unhappy person is Kaylee (because she wants to stay and play too.)

Isaac on the steps with his backpack

Kaylee by his side with all her accesories...

The neighbor boy Jack started first grade this year so his mom made him a cake (with m&m's) for his first day of school. Isaac was over there playing and saw it and insisted he have the same cake on his first day.

I obliged him...

Can you guess what it says?

Just as a note: 3 year old lemon cake mix (purchaed at fFood Lion in VA) plus vanilla frosting plus dark chocolate m&m's is not a great combination. I didn't think it would be, but I wasn't too concerned because Isaac just REALLY wanted a first day of school cake, and he'll eat anything (and I bought the m&m's for me...) But I should have warned Matt before he ate a piece...

Isaac also started (well, not really, since he went this summer as well) swimming lessons last week. It is a continuous program, 30 mintute sessions (you can chose 1 or 2 a week- we do 1). While it doesn't seem like an overly effective way to teach swimming, Isaac loves going (now- not at first) and I can already see skills that he has learned. So hopefully we'll be able to keep it up.
He's the one on the right waiting his turn to jump in the pool

Overheard

Isaac was making friends with a little boy yesterday while I was shopping. Here was his conversation:

Isaac: Hi, do you want to play with me?
Boy: Sure
Isaac: Well, don't you want to know my name first?
Boy: OK
Isaac: Isaac, and do you want to know my sister's name?
Boy: OK
Isaac: Kaylee, and do you want to know my mommy's name?
Boy: OK
Isaac: Mommy, and do you want to know my daddy's name?
Boy: OK
Isaac: Daddy. Now we can play
Boy: OK
Isaac: Wait, do you want to know my dog's name
Boy: OK
Isaac: Dutchie
Boy's Mother: Come on Eric, time to go...
Isaac: Bye

It made me laugh...

3 minutes ago

Isaac: "I need a potty wrap"

It took me a few minutes... the cardboard tube in the center of a roll of toliet paper. (He is going to look around the house for treasure)

Just some cute pictures

I think Kaylee is baptizing her baby...

Isaac is "reading" a story he has memorized to Kaylee

Matt claims this looks exactly like one of my baby pictures... he may be right


Random, but I thought I would share...

Four questions you may not know the answer to...

Question: What is behind the door?

Answer: You probably guessed that one... they were pretending it was an oven (too much Hansel and Gretel I think)

Question: What are Isaac and Kaylee cooking in their pots?

Answer: Lobsters that they just caught (see pic below...)

Question: Why is Isaac standing in the bathroom sink?

Answer: Because he peed on his foot and then decided to wash it off


Question: What should I do with all the cucumbers I am growing in my garden?

Answer: Seriously, I like cucumbers and all, but I have like 4 in the fridge right now...

History of Hydrangeas

I LOVE hydrangeas. I love them even more now that the two that I have are actually alive and well.

Here is a short history.

Summer of 2005: We had NO landscaping when we bought this house.

Summer of 2006: I bought a hydrangea for the front yard. It promptly died. I had to look at it out of my kitchen window for the rest of the summer. It was quite a dissapointment.

Summer of 2007: My hydrangea bloomed! I actually enjoyed looking out my window again. I was so pleased that I bought another one (with larger blossoms) for a corner in the backyard. I planted it, and it too promptly died.

Summer of 2008. Both of my hydrngeas are alive and well and we are selling the house (landscaping included...) But at least my plants are providing me with enough blossoms to decorate with for the next couple of months.

every kid's bathroom needs some fresh flowers

kitchen table

Isaac's Bike

This was Isaac's first bike (the picture was taken in June of 2006). My children have been fighting over this bike all summer, and although Isaac just recently learned how to pedal it (simmply because he WOULD NOT let Matt or I teach him) I thought it was time for him to pass this bike onto his sister move on to something bigger.

So, off to buy a new bike (Kaylee really wanted one too, but thankfully we were able to leave the store with just one) With his history of learning to do, well pretty much anything that requires listening to his mother, I was curious to see how he would handle the new bike. It took about 15 minutes for him to get the hang of it. Thank goodness! And Kaylee is very happy when I tell her that the little bike is all hers. She sits on it and says, my bike, my bike...

Isaac told me "I am going to get up early every morning and ride my bike" (Hasn't happened yet, but it's a nice thought)

Isaac on his bike

Isaac off his bike

When I saw this picture, the first thing I thought was not, oh, my poor baby fell off his bike, but wow, our grass actually looks really green!

Have you heard about the new pirate movie?

It's rated "ARRRRR"

(that is the only joke I know...learned it from Matt)

When the DeWittes came to town

What a great week, a house full of people, ( ten of us, and one large dog) and much fun was had by all!

Check out some of the pictures here!

Yarmouth Clam Festival

This marks our third year of attending the Yarmouth Clam Festival (check out the archives for old pictures) so I guess it is kind of a tradition. We did not make it to the parade on Friday night because of rain, but we did go on Saturday afternoon to ride the rides. It was just the way a fair should be: hot, expensive, with greasy food, and questionable people operating the same old rides I remember when I was little. But it was a lot of fun for the kidos. The next day Isaac kept asking if we could go back...

The Things You've Been Missing

Since I have been MIA from my blogging this is the sort of exciting daily stuff you have been missing out on:

Yesterday:

Isaac did a rhyming puzzle at the library and for the rest of the day wanted me to think of rhyming words with him. I would tell him a word and he would try to think of a ryhme. The winner: I said "car" he (without even thinking about it) said "cigar" Not sure where he learned that one...

Also, at the library we checked out a video, which we rarely do because we always have trouble getting them to play on our DVD player. So, as I was putting the video in I went into a long warning about not having a fit if the movie didn't work. Amazingly, the movie played with no problems and I went to get some work done. FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later Isaac comes rushing up the stairs and says "mommy, mommy, it IS working, I just wanted to tell you".
Thanks dear...

After dinner I let Isaac know that I was getting dessert ready. (Icecream with peaches, raspberries and a pie crust topping). He walked into the kitchen and looked at the dish of stuff for the compost pile (egg shells, coffee grounds, potato peels) and said in his most serious (and disapointed voice) "that dessert doesn't look to good to me"

Still for sale

In case you are interested in seeing better pictures and a "virtual tour" of our house, or if you are in the market to buy a house in Maine, check this out: http://scottinmaine.com/listings.asp?listing_id=1100811857

I'm back..... Our blueberries

On Saturday I took the kids for a walk in the woods behind our neighborhood and we picked just over a cup of wild bluerries. On Sunday Isaac helped me make muffins with them. Yummy!

Kaylee's (6 total, 4 of which came from my bag), Isaac's (about 1/4 cup) and mine (almost a full cup)

We ate six before I could even get a picture

So, I know I haven't posted anything for awhile, but this one should make up for it.

We have finally made the decision (I think, we could still change our minds before tomorrow morning) to move to New Hampshire. Matt has accepted a job with Timberland.

So, our house is on the market, which is one reason why I have been slightly preoccupied lately, and we are gearing up for an eventual move.

I'll try to do a better job of keeping you posted on this, and all the other goings on of life around here.

If you are interested in moving into a great house (our humble opinion) in Brunswick, ME , ours is available. Hopefully some better pictures, including the basement, will be coming soon.

By the way, our house is 256 Mere Point Road... not the million dollar carriage house!

this one is for jon and jodi

What to do when you are watching a 10 year old and a 12 year old all day and it is raining outside? Dig out the old nintendo 64, and tell them they can play as long as they want as long as they let Isaac "play" too.

We haven't let him play bond yet, but he is definitely into Mario Kart, or the game with the controllers as he calls it. The thing he likes to do the most is drive himeself into the lava (which he calls the lama for some reason) and then turn into a bomb.

After the kids went to bed Matt and I "battled" eachother for a while... ahh .. that brings back memories

Isaac says:

Memorable Quotes:

This one is said several times a day: "I don't know so you have to know..."

"Why did dinosaurs stink?"

(To Kaylee) "I have a penis, you don't" (maybe it is time to end co-ed bathtime)

Our house from the air

A few weeks ago Matt went flying with our neighbor who has his pilot's liscense. It was a beautiful day, and he got some good pictures

Actually this is a great picture of our neighbor's house (the white one with the brown shingle garage), but our house is the gray one directly behind that (that is the back side of our house)

same picture, zoomed out view
same picture, zoomed out again

The closest bridge is the big green bridge that we cross when going to Topsham (right by the Sea Dog restaurant)

islands

vocabulary of a 19th month old

Kaylee has finally decided to share a few of her thoughts (words) with us. Here's what she's saying:

A:
B: bunny (for her stuffed bunny and all other stuffed things), boot, ball, bye-bye, baby (yesterday she pointed at Isaac and kept saying baby, baby)
C: cup, cas (coffee- maybe I drink this too much!)
D: dadda, Dutchie
E:
F:
G: go away (lovely, I know, wonder where she learned it...)
H: hi
I: Isaac (she also calls herself Isaac when she looks in the mirror...)
J: jump (she will stand at the edge of the playset and let herself fall into my arms- where is the fear?)
K:
L:
M: mease (please), mommy
N: NO! (she often says No Dutch!), ni-ni
O: open
P: potty
Q:
R:
S: shoe (one of the first words she said very clearly), side (outside), spoon
T: thank you (sort of)
U: up, uh-uh uh (for whatever she wants to have or wants to say, but can't), uh-oh, up

Dare I say....Potty Training is Complete???

So for a while I really thought Isaac would NEVER be out of diapers, but I do believe the impossile may have happened... a quick recap...

Last week Wednesday (3/26) Day 1: This was first attempt at SERIOUS potty training, and it was somewhat successful. Isaac drank like a gallon of juice and actually put something in the potty 4 or 5 times. He also put something on the floor or in his pants an equal number of times, but still it was a step in the right direction. However after setting the timer for 15 minutes all day, and cleaning up "accidents" and doing an entire load of his laundry I was less than enthusiastic about doing it all over again on Thursday....

Thursday (3/27) Day 2: The day started out on the wrong foot by my asking Isaac to sit on the potty while I took a shower. He sat, screaming and complaining the whole time. I was not as patient as I should have been, and we had to run to the store anyway, so I put him in a diaper and said we are done with potty training for this morning. When we got home I put him back in his underware, fully expecting another day like before (accidents, laundry, the timer going off every 15 min) but all of the sudden he said, "I feel something coming for the potty" and he ran and did it. He hasn't looked back since...

He has had a couple of accidents since and still wears a diaper at night, although it is usually dry in the morning, so I think we are almost all the way there (I almost don't dare type the words)

So to celebrate his accomplishment Matt and I told him we would buy him a train (Thomas). We went out yesterday to get it and when we got home he became so engrossed in playing with it that he p**ped in his pants. He said, "but I didn't want to stop playing" (with the toy we got you because you aren't doing that anymore...)

Whatever, I am not complaining, really I see this as one of most successful parenting accomplishements thus far!

Well, I guess there are some things we still need to work on....

Easter Pictures

We had a wonderful Easter, just thought I would post a few pictures...

Nana & Grandpa and Mema & Bepa are keeping a good watch over the eggs

Miss Kore (a homeschooler who helps me with the kidos on Friday mornings) assisted with the egg dying

aww, aren't they cute!

Thank you for the books Mema and Bepa!

Thank you for filling our Easter baskets Nana and Grandpa!

He's Three!

Isaac turned three on Sunday. Since it was Easter and we knew it would be a big day, we decided to celebrate his birthday on Saturday. As soon as he woke up he was ready for the "party" to begin. The party, which consisted of him opening his presents, was finished by 8:00 am... At least he had all day to play with them that way...

Matt was in charge of getting the Cars balloon. He spent $17 on two balloons (They didn't look that big in the store he said)

Thank you everyone!

That evening we took Isaac out to eat at Red Robin.

Here he is eating a cherry off of his icecream sundae


The spoon with the birthday sundae comes with balloons attached. I know they are pink and white... long story

We had Isaac's birthday cake on Sunday after lunch.

I am going to really have to work on my cake decorating skills.

Isaac was still impressed, although at first he thought they were Easter eggs

(It's Lightning McQueen and Sally in case you were wondering)

make a wish...