Portland

4 years ago we were exploring Portland, OR with a newborn.  Who knew we'd be exploring Portland of the opposite coast with two toddlers come October 2016?!

We had such a great experience in Ogunquit last weekend that we decided to make back-to-back weekend trips to Maine so that we could check out Portland.  The drive was a bit further, but still completely do-able as a day trip from our house in Southern NH.

As soon as the kids woke up in the morning, we hit the road.  Less than 2 hours later we'd arrived in Portland.  We parked the car near the shipping docks and Bryon ran off in search of breakfast (at a place I'd already picked out) while I took Maksim and Deklan to purchase some ferry tickets.

Bryon's destination?  Portland's renowned Holy Donut.  Bryon and the boys LOVE donuts.  And these donuts are made with fresh, local ingredients that surprisingly aren't all that bad for you (considering they're donuts).  The secret ingredient?  Fresh Maine (mashed) potatoes!

Potato donuts!

Bryon selected 6 different flavors - Chai Glazed, Maple Bacon, Sea Salt, Cinnamon Sugar, Chocolate Cake and Ginger.  I can't really remember much about them - except for the fact that I was able to eat exactly 1/2 of ONE donut before the remainder were entirely inhaled by the rest of my crew.  Breakfast of champions!

2.0 seconds before those donuts were annihilated.

We ate our breakfast while aboard a mail ferry.  For a small fare, we were able to cruise around Casco Bay via a courier fleet that hops around five of the islands delivering postal services to locals who reside on them.  We were happy to have avoided to typical touristy boat tours and enjoyed the nearly 3 hour scenic tour of such unique coastal communities!

Once back ashore we quickly grabbed lunch.  Unfortunately, EVERYBODY was out and about and the restaurants we'd intended on scoping out had nearly 2 hour wait times!  We caught a bite at a local brewery and made it back to the docks in time for another afternoon ferry.

I'm on a boat!

After a short 15-minute ride across the bay, we arrived at Peaks Island.  Can you believe that local children on the island (which has residents year round, in contrast to some of the neighboring islands which are strictly seasonal due to utility hookups) arrive at 6am each morning to catch a ferry across the bay in order to hop on a school bus and attend school in Portland?  Anyhow, we rented a golf cart and spent the remainder of the afternoon driving around the small island, stacking rocks along the shore, watching sailboats passing by, catching glimpses of lighthouses in the distance and playing on short stretches of sandy beach.  Bryon and I both agreed that we will be looking into a VRBO on one of the islands come next summer!

Watch out, world!  I wouldn't trust any of these 3.

Stacking rocks.

Mr. Stitches and I hanging back on the hillside.

Upon landing back in Portland, we grabbed some food and drinks at Novare Res.  This was the perfect end (nightcap for Bryon) to our trip.  It was a welcoming beer garden with long beechwood tables set up both indoors and out.  We grabbed a spot outside and the boys ran around playing with about 6 other children while adults conversed, drank and played lawn games.  The boys had a blast and fit in just as well as the rest of the adult crowd!  With more than 300 beers to choose from, Bryon was quite pleased with our final stop, too!

Wanted a "pony" just like his big brother.

Maine definitely hasn't disappointed me thus far.  Although this is likely to be the end of our Maine adventures for this season, I'm excited to plan a trip to Bar Harbor come warmer weather in 2017!

Exploring the Maine-land

I've wanted to take a trip to Maine ever since my mom would read "Blueberries for Sal" to me as a little girl.  I just never realized I'd live THIS. FAR. NORTH.  Who knew the Maine/New Hampshire border was just an hour away?

It's not exactly blueberry picking season anymore, but there's still plenty else to do in Maine.  I planned a day trip to Ogunquit, ME & Portsmouth, NH - and am so glad I did.

Ogunquit, ME

Ogunquit means "beautiful place by the sea" and it couldn't ring more true.  Although it's still taking me some time to understand the point of going to a beach that isn't sandy, sunny and WARM...well, Ogunquit makes this trend a little bit easier to comprehend.  Plus, we landed some mid-70's sunshine.  Win!

Marginal Way

This little town seemed quiet and quaint, but as the morning hours neared noon it was bustling with people.  Tourists out to see the sights, locals chatting at corner coffee shops, artists sketching along the seashore, runners making their way up/down the coastline trails - so picturesque.  We walked Marginal Way and I was absolutely blown away with the views.  The trail itself wasn't long; 1.25 miles in it's entirety.  However, we spent our whole morning strolling along the pavement, climbing down the rocky hillside and gazing out into the horizon.  Unequivocal coastal New England.

The world is your oyster, buddy. 

Skipping rocks. 

As the saying goes...Maine is all about the 3 L's - lobster, lighthouses and LL Bean (that's actually 4 L's for anybody who's counting).  Believe it or not, I'd never had a lobster roll - and neither had Bryon.  When in Maine...  For now I'll just say it was worth a try.  And I'll probably be a good sport and try it one more place in the Northeast before I give my final verdict.

For all those wondering - yes, Bryon is wearing pants.

Next stop was the beach.  It was a quick stop, too.  Actually, I was the only person who got out of the car.  Beautiful beach, but the weather was just too cool and windy.  Everybody relaxing in the sand was wearing hoodies and sitting in lawn chairs!  That'll take some getting used to.  The salty air was nice and there's just something so satisfying about being on the water - I'd have brought a good book and parked it for the afternoon if I didn't have my littles in tow.  But the truth is, my boys wouldn't quite understand a trip to the beach without board shorts & boogie boards!  We'll try it again in the peak of next summer's heat!

There's something about this kid and sailboats.

On the lookout.

A short drive to Portsmouth and we were back to playing tourists.  Maksim and Deklan spent a good hour riding their bikes around Prescott Park.  We made our way through the massive flower gardens and just wasted time.  Then we were off to watch the tugboats and grab an afternoon snack & flight of sampler beers at a local brewery.  Bonus: we were back home by dinnertime.

Northeast or Southeast, you can't keep these kids from the salty shores.

BUT...what's a day of adventure without a trip to the ER?  Seriously, we made it 4.5 years into parenthood with 2 rambunctious boys before our first stitches episode.  Deklan was running around the kitchen table and took a corner a bit too tightly, clipping it just above his brow line.

Assessing the situation. 

All smiles at triage.

Relaxing.

Dek was such a trooper.  He cried a bit when he hit his head, but it was a blunt force cut that folded back upon itself, so the bleeding was pretty minor for a head wound.  He calmly ate the dinner we'd been preparing before we all loaded up in the car to head to the hospital.  Bryon was going to take Deklan singlehandedly (I'm ok with most things, but when it comes to my own children my stomach is a bit less cast-iron), but Maksim was surprisingly concerned about the wellbeing of his little brother.  In all honestly, I'm grateful that this happened on a Saturday evening when Bryon was in town.  I'd rather not have tackled the ER with both children solo.  So, we all went.  I had Maksim step out of the room when they came in to numb and stitch the wound.  Partly for Maksim's best interest, partly for Deklan's best interest, and partly for mine.  Maks doesn't have any negative association with hospitals to date (actually, he has no association whatsoever).  Deklan would fare much better with the sting of the lidocaine if he didn't see me unable to console him throughout the discomfort.  And me?  Well, I volunTOLD Bryon for the job.  From what I hear, after the initial shot, it was smooth sailing for Deklan.  The detour made for a long night, but 2 hours and 4 stitches later everybody was tucked in bed and fast asleep.

Bruiser.

I vote for a quiet day at home tomorrow!  Or at the very least, a day with NO RUNNING IN THE HOUSE!  Will they ever learn?!