The ABC's of Last Week

A is for autumn attractions! Pumpkin Valley Farm is where it's at for fall time fun!

 B is for bike rides. All around Prouts Neck! It's so beautiful

C is for clam chowder (homemade by Davi) and a corn cannon. Hinder was one little lucky devil and shot a corn husk right through the bulls eye!

 D is for Dunkin Donuts. Scored a dozen for $1! 

E is for Evergreen Cemetery and feeding the ducks.

F is for Fort Williams and at home Facials.

 G is for feeding the Goats.

 H is for The House at the End of the Street. I only watch a couple scary movies a year, and this one was a mistake! We live at the house on the end of the street....bad choice! 

I is for Iorn Man 3 on red box. 

J is for giant Jumping pillow at the pumpkin farm. I wish I had taken video of Vyla bouncing around like a kernel of popcorn.

K is for Killian Kousins....due any day! My sis is a day over due and I am at 39 weeks...both eagerly awaiting these kids arrivals.

L is for LOST. Lost is the corn maze with one cranky toddler.

 M is for Mackworth Island. Always a family fave.

 N is for nuggets. Vyla's newest word. Also- my favorite word to describe this cute kid.

 O is for Old Orchard Beach

 P is for Pumpkin Patch. The kids were pretty excited about picking their own.

 (I know she looks like she's bawling...but that's a tired cheesy smile. So funny!)

Q is for Question.?? Specifically the question, "When will the baby get here?" Wish I knew the answer.

R is for Rock skipping at Mackworth Island. Hinder won with 5 consecutive skips.

 S is for surfing and sand castles at Higgins Beach.

 T is for train ride. Cow style.

 U is for under-doggies. Endless requests for them every.day.

V is for Vyla and Hinder. They're in heaven with Aunt Davi around.

 W is for Walk on the Prouts Neck cliffs. We did this Sunday evening and made it to the very tip, for the first time.

X is for toy xylophone. That's what Hinder bought Vyla with his corn cannon prize money. How sweet is that?!

Y is for watching the youngsters in the yard. We did a lot of porch sitting this week!

Z is for zombies....Davi convinced me to watch World War Z. My quota for scary movies is met for the next year.

Davi's Here!

Davi is here! Praise the heavens!

 We're so excited to have her around for the next few weeks, mostly to lend me a hand when I have baby #3 (38 weeks!), but also because I miss her like crazy and it's been TOO long since we've seen her face.

She arrived last Tuesday evening, and we wasted no time acclimating her to New England's finest cuisine

 

Yum.

 The rest of the week looked something like this...

Wednesday: Bug Light Park and Lighthouse and Willard Beach

 

 And of course, a little Scratch Bakery

(Vyla's face is hilarious in this picture...and doesn't at all reflect how obsessed with Davi she is. 

"Day-bee come!", she says over and over everyday.

 Thursday: Beautiful day at Kettle Cove

Friday: Hike Mt. Bradbury!

Labor Inducing activity- Take One!

 

Saturday: Ferry ride to Peaks Island and then picnic and bike ride around the perimeter.  

This is my favorite thing to do here.

Labor Inducing Activity- Take Two!

 Sunday: Walk around Prouts Neck to Ferry Beach

 And then today...Monday: Freeport and LL Bean

 It's not a trip to Portland without a picture at the LL Bean boot....and a few toddler tantrums after too many stores.

We love Davi!

One Year Down

 It's almost been one year since I started my second 1001 day challenge. The official anniversary will be October 1st, but I foresee that week being pretty busy... with a new baby due about that time. So I'm updating now, so I can keep motivated and accountable (even if it's just to myself and my mom, who is joining me for this round!) 

(To see the original 101 things in 1001 days idea go here.)

(To see my first attempt at 101 in 1001 go here)

A few goals I've accomplished this year include...

*Re listen to each General Conference talk at least twice before the next Conference*

*Make a rag quilt and give it away*

In this case, a Tshirt rag quilt for my sister, Davi!

 

 *Complete a note card journal for one year 

(will be done officially on October 1)*

This is a cool idea. Instead of trying to write a journal entry everyday (which in inevitably fail at, and end up writing 5 pages of nondescript catch-up every few six months), I just wrote one line on a card marked with the day (i.e. March 25, June 6, etc). Then each year I'll write one line, marking the year. At the end of the note card, I'll have 8-10 years worth of daily journalling. Plus, it'll be kind of cool to see what I was doing on that exact day years and year ago.

 *Make a homemade Father's Day gift*

I always seem to space doing something for our dads. This time I was determined.

 

*Go ABC grocery shopping just for fun*

This one I wrote down on a whim, while making my original list. My mom and I were trying to think of less serious goals and a few fun ones, and randomly wrote this down. It ended up being a quirky little date activity for Riley and I. Our cart was full of random things like Jimmy Dean sausage, quesadilla mix, and Greek yogurt. 

*Ride a Train*

Even though there's no photographic proof, I swear I also rode this train. :) Good old Narrow Gauge. 

Progress at One Year:

Done-27

Started-22

Not started- 52

No Place Like Home

 A week ago we moved to the most beautiful place. We're feeling incredibly blessed and a bit lucky to get to call this place home for a season. The cherry on top is that we have the most awesome neighbors.

Some views from the outside balcony and in the yard:

 Inside, the house has old, early 1900's charm, wonderful natural lighting, and plenty of space. 

I'm in love with it.

 "One thing is very clear; the safest place and the best protection against the moral and spiritual diseases is a stable home and family. This has always been true; it will be true forever."
-President Boyd K. Packer