On Finding A New Church In Maine

Confession: I cried during a couple of church services while visiting here in Small Town, ME. Not easy to admit, but it is true.

As I sat in the small chapels, I couldn't help but compare to my 2 church homes in Dallas. One being a mega church, the second being much smaller, but since I had known most of them for many years, it felt like home.

Looking back 3 months later, I realize a lot of it was just newbie nerves, just nervous about moving somewhere where we knew no one, and literally starting new.

Being here, we have thrown ourselves into the mix of things, from meeting the clients of the business and seeing them around quite frequently, going to a playgroup, and our favorite Friday activity: library story time and park/beach playtime afterward.

And since we have become more comfortable with our routine, I have since started helping out Vacation Bible School preparation at the place we have decided to call our new church home.




It's not Fellowship; then again, I never met Ed Young, the senior pastor, in the 7 years I attended there. This church definitely has the feel of Live Oak church, with the band and contemporary songs, but also toss in a couple of hymns.

The pastor here has great sermons, and the associate director is a lady who I have been able to get to know a little better as I paint butterflies and flowers for VBS. And I have met several other women who are very sweet and fun as well. I look forward to our next meeting to paint more!

This is a church I can really get involved in, something I never really did (minus the Home Teams) at Fellowship, and miss greatly about my high school and college days at Live Oak.

And I have a feeling it will be a great place to let Brylee grow up and immerse herself as well.

Just another part of becoming one with our new community...(a big one, I know!)

Toddler Entertainer

And if she decides to run away to join the circus, we won't stop her (we might go too, and let her support us!)

They May Not Be Pretty...

But their taste is oh-so divine!!!

Got the recipe from here. And surprisingly, I managed to get them done in about 2 hours (hence the reason they may not be so pretty...we won't blame it on me...), thanks to motivation from my husband who would have been disappointed to not have any for dessert...

I wanted to give these a try for my new friends that meet at the lake after library time on Fridays. So, we'll see if they last long enough to go!

And maybe someday I'll have the ability to make them look like this. Aren't they cute?!

Caption Of The Week IX

Brylee Loves Packages!

And after a rough night and morning when I broke down and gave her back her 'bow', it was a very nice surprise to wake up from our naps to find:

A package from her T-Ma and Poppy full of swimsuits and accessories, and

A package full of books and a little craft package from her cousins Addison, Reagan, and Gracyn!

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you (!!!!) for making our day you guys!!!

And now it's off to read and do a craft or two with the little one...

Project 52: 23/52 Summer

Brylee's Happily Ever After Story Time

Friday was a very special storytime for all the kids at the Small Town Library: it was the last story time for their regular storyteller, Ms. Lizabeth. It was bittersweet to me because Brylee loves her stories and especially songs, and if Brylee was old enough to understand, she would be very sad to see this sweet storyteller leave.

Brylee came out of her little shy shell from Ms. Lizabeth's songs "If You're Happy And You Know It", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "The Wheels On The Bus", and "Old McDonald".

Ms. Lizabeth really knows how to go out legendary, though! 2 weeks ago, it was a Teddy Bear Picnic themed storytime, and this week it was Fairy Tales. So, many moms got involved and dressed up their kid for the event, and a really sweet mom did a lot of planning to have a surprise going away party for Ms. Lizabeth as well!

























Notice how Snow White has little fairy Brylee's full attention!






























And after the story and song time, there was craft time, as the usual!










We had to get a group picture to add to Ms. Lizabeth's scrapbook that was put together by one of the moms. Where I stood, I had a hard time getting everyone one in the picture, but this looks like it was the majority.










The mom who made the scrapbook also made some super cute cupcakes, which Brylee gladly devoured! And of course I forgot to get a picture of them...someday I may be able to decorate that nicely!










And after storytime, I have started joining several moms out by the lake for lunch and a little playtime. It is such a good time, and Brylee gets to play a little longer with her friends, and find puddles as seen below. She was too distracted by this wonderful puddle to socialize and just kept going and jumping in it. Her T-ma has now seen these pictures and has a swimsuit heading her way so that way she can play more than she did that day.

And someday I'll learn how to relax a little with Brylee being around all of the water and chat more with the other moms. They are all so sweet, and I want to get to know all of them more!



















Thanks again, Ms. Lizabeth, for all of the fun songs and stories for the children, and we do hope to see you around town!!

She Calls Me Dadda...And Other Randoms

Brylee is currently fascinated with the alphabet. She points to words and says random letters. But tonight as I was singing (terribly) the ABC's to her, she inserted 'QR' (as 1 word) in the right place! Cary didn't believe me at first, but after several times of repetition, we have both learned that she knows certain letters and where to put them.

We got Brylee an outdoor sand/water toy for the patio so that she has a little more to play with then just the picnic table and running around splashing water puddles. We introduced it to her last night, and needless to say, she LOVES it!

My little girl is growing so fast: she is eating pizza now, just slightly cut up to make the handling easier. AND tonight at dinner, she didn't make a mess all over her shirt, as is the usual!!!

We took her to her first movie last night. We decided that the drive in might be the smarter place to go, because we could be inside the car and talk as loud as we want (or in Brylee's case, scream). We were going to see Kung Fu Panda 2, but that screen was down, so it was X-Men instead. She didn't have any interest in the movie (as I suspected), but we closed ourselves in the back of the SUV (because of the mosquitoes and light on the back) and ate popcorn and candy. Brylee even helped herself to the Nestle Crunch Bites and popcorn...and even the soda. She loved to wipe her chocolate-covered hands all over the window while we tried to watch, and then...licked the window. Lovely. And when she was tired, she flopped around, trying to get comfortable. And when she finally fell asleep, she was sprawled all over me and Cary...making our feet fall asleep...and making us uncomfortable.

As the post title says, she has been trying to get my attention by calling me 'dadda'. Though she knows who her daddy is...

And speaking of calling names, she loves to point out Ashes (Ashey), Radio (IO), and Petunia (Flower) whenever she sees pictures of them. Maybe she'll get the hang of it and call my mom 'Flower' since she still refuses to say T-Ma. Poor mom!

Springtime is officially here. I say that happily, as well as frustrated. I don't mind insects, and love to see new critters, but just not inside our house. Crawling on Brylee's bean bag chair, hiding by our shoes, and running in our door whenever its open

We finally broke down and bought curtains for the 2 big windows that allow a lot of sunlight in our upstairs room in the morning and all through the day. They are a sheer maroon color, but I can already tell a difference. Now, with those and 2 fans, maybe this lack of a/c summer heat won't be too bad.

Speaking of insects, I locked myself out of the house on Friday morning rushing around to get Brylee and me to story time. Brylee was in her carrier and I was putting on my shoes when I found a scary looking spider run out from around my shoes. So I gathered it up in Chester's peanut butter kong, and stepped outside to release it when I realized that it wasn't going to be easy to convince him to come out of the dark, yummy-smelling crevices of the rubber toy. So...I bounced it...hard. And it bounced across the driveway into the grass. So I tip-toed over to the grass to pick it up (shoeless and also trying to watch for that now-shaken spider...if it was still alive) and picked up the kong, walked back to the door, and tried to open it...with no luck. D'oh! I am thankful for 2 things: I had my phone in my pocket, and Brylee was in her car seat. Otherwise, I just know she would have gone crawling up the stairs...with potential injuries occuring. I called Cary and asked him to come 'rescue me', and he asked if he could do it after lunch...to which I realized he was kidding as I was about to freak...Oh how I love him! He got home and opened the door in time for me to kick on my shoes and get Brylee to story time.

After story time, Brylee and I met a bunch of moms at the lake/park, where Brylee chased some ducks and played on the slide and swing. I had brought crackers with me for Brylee to snack on, but they became duck food...and these ducks were not shy about getting the food! Brylee loved to quack at them while they were around! It was really nice to spend the (windy and chilly) lunchtime with these moms from town...and I am excited about doing it again next Friday!

Brylee is now 'bow-less' and bottle-less. We attempted to start with her pacifier on Wednesday, and ultimately, it has brought great results. She has had a little fussing while going down at first, but with books and toys in the bed, she distracts herself and talks, and then falls asleep. But we have also been keeping her so busy that she is exhausted at night. This is including how she took out one of her daily naps by herself, so she is pretty tired at night!

Project 52: 22/52 Downtown

Downtown photo of Small Town, taken by me.

Downtown photo of Portland taken by Cary.

You choose your favorite.




Yeah, me too....

The Maine Routine

I like how adding the word 'Maine' to certain posts makes it a play on words...

Cary pointed out to me that I should make a post about what our week is like here in Maine, mainly to be able to look back and see how we adjusted within our first 3 months. So...here we go!

Monday is a day that I consider a 'resting' day. It is a day that Brylee and I can play together, and if we have to go anywhere, it is usually the grocery store. If the weather is pretty, I like to go out on the patio with her and Chester and blow bubbles, draw with sidewalk chalk, etc...The outside time doesn't last long usually, mostly because she still likes to hunt down the puddles of water and splash around...and I think that sitting water can't be healthy to get all over her, even here in little-pollution Small Town...

Tuesday is a day I think she looks forward toif she comprehended days of the week (does that even make sense?). We attend a play group at the Community Center, a great place to get together and watch the kids interact while the moms can sit and talk. It is always interesting to see how Brylee will play with other kids, and so far, I'm pretty proud. She gets a little territorial when it comes to the balls at the place, but we are working on sharing. And she can hold her own, too. This last week, a 2 year old boy tried to persuade her to let him have the tricycle she was playing on...but she held steady! All of the kids are adorable at the group. All are well behaved as well, except when they start getting hungry or tired. Just like Brylee and her momma!

On Wednesday, the morning is slow, which is nice considering the 2 previous days start off fast and early. But we have lunch with Cary, Brenda, and Gary at the office, and afterwards, Brylee typically goes with her Opa for their play date. At that time, I go and run errands and go to the house to do a big cleaning. Apparently I don't feel I get as much done with Brylee around, and it really helps me focus on what needs to be done and get it done...and see it stay done until the next day! Lately, we have been having dinner at Brenda and Gary's, just as some time with them, but an easier way to 'exchange' Brylee, and a small way to say 'Thank You' to Gary for playing with her so I can get things done.

Thursday is our other 'down day'. Brylee, Chester, and I lounge around the house, relaxing, and playing. I need to take her to the park to run free for a little bit, but I also feel bad for Chester because he needs (and wants) to get out of the house, too. But I have a little more difficult time managing both of them...especially on Chester's leash, which he likes to try to trip Brylee with...This last Thursday (last night), changed up a bit because our church is getting decorations ready for VBS coming at the end of July, so I left Brylee and Cary for some father/daughter time and went to the church to help paint. I wasn't sure how helpful I would be, but once they mentioned painting, I was all over that! It was a very nice change of pace, and I also met and talked with some very nice ladies!

Friday is my favorite day of the busy week. It is Library day, and, like this morning, we rest for a little bit and then at 10:00 rush around to get everything done to get out the door. Even when there was snow on the ground, I was usually in a sweat from my poor timing. But I love the library time, and Brylee really does, too. We also usually see at least one of the little ones from the play group earlier in the week. After the library time, we used to head home, but today we will be meeting another little one from the library time and go to the park afterwards. Brylee will not have a nap beforehand, so hopefully having food in her little belly will keep her satisfied and playful. Friday nights are usually reserved for Oma and Opa to have Brylee overnight, and Cary and I go on a date for ourselves.

Saturday morning is a little calm, since Cary and I get to sleep in. And after we wake up, if there are any outstanding errands we need to run, we do that. And then it is off to have lunch with his family and spend a little time with them. So far every weekend we've been here and the weather is nice, we've driven around looking at 'new' towns and potential houses. Close to dinner time, we head home for dinner and our own family time.

Sunday, we wake up early to go to a local restaurant for their delicious breakfast buffet, and then on to church. Brylee has finally joined us at this church, and they love her, and I think she feels the same! After church, we figure out lunch and what to do for the afternoon. Last Sunday, we drove to New Hampshire to attend a craft fair and then visited the Children's Museum for Brylee. Sunday evening is spent with the usual eating dinner and preparing ourselves again for another week.

So, now, I have this put down for future reference to look back and say, "Wow! We were so busy!", or "Wow! We were so lazy!"

Happy Friday everyone!

Just What Are They Doing To Me?!?!

That is what is going through Brylee's head right now.

First it was getting rid of the bottle. She had no problem drinking juice and water in a sippy cup, but refused to drink her milk out of anything but a bottle. And magically, one morning, after close to a month of anger and fussing, she decided that milk in a sippy cup or straw cup wasn't so bad after all.

This morning is attempt #1 to break her of her beloved 'Bow', a.k.a., pacifier. According to the pediatrician and other things read, we are delayed on breaking her of it, though I really am not incredibly worried. I just see a bigger dependance on them, and want to take care of it before it is much harder to do.

When I asked her for her bow, she gave it up after a little persuasion (and me pulling just slightly on it), and placed it on the top shelf of her room. Currently she is talking/crying to herself, not much different than a regular nap when she needs to wind down...

We are starting slowly with naps. I might let her have them over night a couple of times, depending on how she responds to 'no-bow-naps'...and how much I value my sleep.

After she breaks her dependence, we will be rewarding her with a special "Bow" bear, with the pacifiers inside, much like my cousin did for her little one. However, we won't be surprised if we wake up one morning with the bear de-fluffed and the bows back in her mouth...