New Furnace

 Old Furnace

 

New Furnace 

The chimney needs a new lining which will come soon. But this is how we decided to blow $10,000 this week.

Ready for Halloween

I don't think anyone 'got' our costumes, but we knew and we had fun at the downtown Gardiner Trick or Treat event today.

Wallace and Gromit if you didn't get it by now!

Brothers

Precious family moments

Elliott really likes the light fixture in the living room ceiling. That's what he's talking to in this video and also what he's smiling at.

We tried to get a family picture on the couch the other day. Everything was family bliss until Kerstin went for the camera. Elliott started to cry because he was startled by his own flatulence and Alden subsequently buried his head in the couch. Kerstin managed to catch this magic moment.

Elliott learns to smile

This video was taken on Sept. 21st. Elliott was 5 weeks old at the time and just starting to smile.

Bottle

As of today Elliott is drinking from a bottle. Hopefully things will be a little easier for Ilana and I can start taking over some feedings. Elliott took to the bottle easily and enjoys eating volumes and eating quickly.

The Many Faces of Elliott

Corn Maze Sunday

Today we went to Ricker Hill Orchard in Turner Maine to romp in a corn maze. On top of a corn maze there was apple picking and a bunch of kid activities that were perfect for Alden.

In the center of the corn maze we found a viewing platform. There may have been other areas to discover as well, but we didn't explore the maze extensively. Instead we spent a lot of time with the  horses, donkeys, and baby goats who were very friendly and sweet. There were also two snooty cows that would not let us pet them. There was a giant pile of hay bales with a long irrigation-tube-slide down one side and an irrigation tube tunnel through the middle. 

There was also old farm equipment to climb on, low-tech mini golf, frisbee golf, several inflatable jumpy castles, an obstacle course, picnic area, and a farm store that made fresh apple doughnuts from a (say) 50 year old doughnut machine.

It was our first whole family outing, although Elliott did not participate fully.

Big Brother and Little Brother

Alden is still digging little brother, which is great.

Yesterday at tummy-time Alden wanted in on the action.

More Wiggles

Elliott continues to grow and wiggle. He had a spell of about four days of crankiness, but that is gone today and he seems back to his pleasant self.

He is still living his life in roughly three hour intervals. A couple hours of sleep here, a few hours of feeding there, a few hours of cranky, a few hours of being pleasant, repeat.