Always in September

There's a sign outside of the Cumberland Fair Grounds that says, "Always in September." It's painted on a building actually. All Summer we drove by and Lexi used to ask me what the sign said until she started to remember what it said AND connected that it was the same month that her birthday was in.  So the moment she heard it was the month of September she started asking when we were going to the Fair.  It's interesting,   the Fair grounds exist all year round and I'm not sure they are actually used for anything else except the Fair, which runs for one week long period.  The grounds span about 5 acres (which is approx 5 square city blocks). So a large space to only be used once a year, but I guess there's no real shortage of space here in Maine.

We really had no idea what the Cumberland Fair would entail, but we had to live up to our promise to Lexi, so we piled into the car on Sunday to head to the Fair. As it turns out, it's a true old fashion Fair.   

 

What do I mean by old fashion?  

Live stock competitions, including cattle competitions and horse and chariot races. 

Showings of every kind of farm animal and breed possible. 

Carnival food, carnival games (yuck!), and carnival rides. 

A largest pumpkin competition. 

A full display of John Deere trucks and farm equipment for sale.  (I have to say that this section was pretty cool.  Have you ever seen shinny new tractors?)

You might guess, but the kids loved it...

Daddy and Heath watching the horse and chariots...

Finny was invited to drive the real fire truck...

Lexi (overexposed sorry) standing by one of the largest pumpkins.  Surreal in person.

Just a random photo of one of the signs above a food vendor.  Not sure what these actually are.  Anyone know?

Loving the carousel

And the motorcycle rides

Dreaming of being  future race car drivers

The gang indulging in freshly cut and prepared french fries

On our way home, we stopped as a local farm to buy a couple of pumpkins.  Each kid got to select their own.

Heath's not sure what to do.

Heath thinks he's getting two.

It was a great Fall day, but Patrick and I can say, we won't miss the Cumberland Fair if we never go back again.

Life After Pharma - Hitting the Jackpot!

I'm back at work.  Full-time no less, which is a bit of a bummer since I desperately miss my time with the kids.

That said, as far as I can tell (after 10 days), I have hit the job jackpot! I'm working as a Senior Marketing Manager at a company called IDEXX.  It's an animal health science company.  So why is it so great?  Listen-up pharma gang (and CP - this is likely written just for you because most of this won't be understood or appreciated by anyone but you). 

• I can wear whatever I want to work (loving my new jeans!)
• Everyone has a pet and if you don't, people expect you to make one up (seriously)
• Power Point slides include pictures of cute animals (speaking of Power Point, we actually have a version that was created in the past 3 years - wow Office 2007 is amazing!)
• There's been no mention of regulations or what we can't do
• Work "fire drills" are solved in hours, not in 6-9 months
• Wireless everywhere and everyone travels to meetings with computers - connected always
• The Help desk answers the phone on the first ring and solves your issue immediately
• The CEO not only knew who I was, but introduced himself to me, telling me he was excited to have me join the company
• Entrepreneurial spirit
• In my ten days, I can actually say that I've completed a project already

There's more, I'm sure, and I know these things seem trivial, but they add up to something big which equals a much less stressful day for me and an amazing work environment.  I do miss the kids, but I feel lucky to have found a great next step in my career and what seems to be an awesome company.

A Princess Tea Party

I apologize for those of you who are used to my monthly updates, only to find I've done four posts in just a couple of days. The truth is, I don't upload pictures very often, so when I load them, I'm ready with tons of updates.  There. Now we're all on the same page so you'll see there is a method to my madness. Anyway, I'm not writing today about nothing.  I wanted to share Alexia's 5th birthday festivities.

When I asked Lexi what she wanted to do for her birthday this year she was very specific.  "I want to do my nails at a salon and then have a princess birthday tea party." And so it was, A Princess Birthday Tea Party.

She chose to invite three friends, wanting to keep the day intimate. One was unable to attend, and one was sick.  The most incredible thing is that Lexi felt sad for the girls who could not come, but never complained once about how it would impact her.  She enjoyed every moment of her special day and soaked it all in as if she were a true princess.

I present my sweet 5 year old princess! Ready to go to the Salon.

At the Salon with Carolyn

Lexi showing off her nails

Post nails we went back to our house to kick-off the Princess Tea Party.

The table was set with all the necessary princess tea party items...

Yes, Prince Finn did make it to the party as well... (he wanted to get this nails done too)

They enjoyed pouring their own "tea" (lemonade) and eating small sandwiches and treats.  We also spent the meal speaking as if we were royalty, with lots of pleases and other pleasantries.

Here's King Daddy joining in...

You may remember that Patrick now has a tradition of making the kids cakes from scratch for their birthdays.  After lots of consideration, Lexi requested a castle cake.  Patrick claims this was not one of his best, but it did look great.  More importantly it was delicious and Lexi loved it and thanked Patrick repeatedly.

Waiting to blow out her candles

All in all Lex had the perfect day.  We can't believe she's five already!

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to also share a couple of photos of Sam.  Sam was sick on the day of the party so we brought her party favors to her when we saw her next. 

More Milestones

Life is crazy as usual and while I have been thinking about Blog updates, they just haven't been happening. Here's a bit of a dump of what's been on my mind. No photos to share today.

FINNY:
Finny finally decided to take the plunge and become potty trained. I don't want to jinx things, but it was seriously as if he decided one day it was time and that was that. He's really had virtually no accidents and requires no reminders, just a lot of help dressing and undressing in the bathroom. I should mention that we upped the ante from M&Ms as rewards to trucks and that may have had something to do with the ease of this process. Let's just say we went from 1 truck to 4 in a very short period of time. He's even gone straight to being like dad and standing up when he goes #1. Wow - only one in diapers. Speaking of one in diapers...

HEATH:
I believe it's long over due to mention, but Heath continues to grow. At his 18 month appointment he was off the charts for height at 36 inches. His weight was in the 90th% topping out at just under 30lbs. I know many of you have 3 years olds that are not 30lbs. Heath's favorite activities of late are cars, reading about cars/truck/trains, and coloring. His most recent favorite thing to say is "truck" but he replaces the "t" with an "f". That makes for some funny public situations.

He also likes to be on the move and climb everything. He definitely keeps us on our toes.

ALEXIA:
At Alexia's five year check-up she weighed in at 50lbs and still towers at 46 inches.

School kicked off again the week after Labor Day. Finn and Lex are both be at the same school this year, but on different days. Both are very excited to be back in school and meet new friends. While we enjoyed the lazy and sporadic Summer, I think everyone benefits from a bit of structure, so being back in school is a good thing overall.

An Apple a Day

Apple picking in Maine is absolutely what apple picking is all about--beautiful weather, plenty of trees, minimal crowds, homemade donuts, and perfectly delicious apples! Great friends top off the day! Enough said. I'll let the pictures provide you with a glimpse.

The Holsten/Gilbert Clan

This was our attempt at a family photo. Funny, huh?


These are great. Sam literally thought Finn was the funniest kid ever...

I should mention that the apples are so sweet and crisp you crave them! Nothing like what we get in the store.

Thank you Thompson's Orchard for another fabulous year!