Footprints

We could not have had a better start to February break. I made banana pecan pancakes for breakfast using our new griddle. The first few were dark ("that's what she said"), but then I got the hang of it. After breakfast, I cleaned up and the four of us, five including Basker, went for a walk in the fields behind the house. It was a beautiful day so I went to the top of a knoll to see if could get a good shot of the Wind Turbines in Freedom. The prospect of Industrial Wind Power generation coming to the area has been a heated debat over the last year. Being Chair of the Planning Board, I will be glad when we are finished with the ordinance.

I realized as I rejoined the group that it has been a little less than 3 years since we first found out that Ciara was pregnant with Aden. Now we have two boys. Aden loves walking, running and dancing. I love watching him be independent. Along the way we found a few natural treasures. Deer droppings were all over. With the warmer weather, snow in the fields has melted and the deer have been moving.



There were many other tracks that we suspected could have been fox, birds, mice etc. Half way through our trek, Ciara saw a tuft of grass. We walked by for a closer look at what turned out to be a skunk carcass. Aden had many questions about this. He seemed to be able to recognize it as being somehow related to the cats and dogs that he sees everyday, but didn't understand why it was "incomplete" and what had happened. It was a long while before the image evoked fear. I ran ahead again to climb a deer stand and get a view from the vantage.

Initially I thought it was something that I could take Aden up on, but once I got up there thought against it. Aden had his own idea however and suprised Ciara and I both climbing two-thirds of the way independently. He further suprised us when he was able to climb down, with minimal support. Ciara and I were both relieved that neither Nannies were around to see it.

After our walk we went into town for groceries. The boys fell asleep as we expected, so we traveled further out to Skowhegan. The woman we bought our cloth diapers from opened boutique in one of the shops. We went there to get some supplies and an impulsive train set for Aden. Just down the road we broke for lunch at a fantastic spot. The Old Mill Pub was off the main drag but worth it. The interior was as Old Enlish/Irish as I've been in Maine. The pub fare was delicious - Ciara got the Fish and Chips and I a guacamole burger. Aden got a PB&J, minus the PB. To wash down the burger I had a fantastic Oak Pond Brew. MMM. I love my family.

Smelling Roses

I'm very excited for the next couple of months and the time that will be spent with my young family. We kick off the fun tonight, the beginning of February break for Maine schools, by heading to Bangor to watch Mount View win their playoff game. They were ranked 3rd in the Eastern Maine B and should go far into the tournament. Winslow's Girls team is also ranked 3rd, but we had to leave before their game kicked off at 8:00. Ciara and I have deliberately not made plans for the break. We'll have some time to work on Rylan's room, see some more tournament games. I might even get some time in the school to get caught up or ahead. Towards the end of the break we'll be heading to Orono to see the re-emerging Black Bear hockey team with my mother and Clair. I think they'll enjoy this as well .



The first weekend in march, we'll be heading to Boston to see friends, Caroline and Josh, and family Simon, Siobhan, Larry and Imelda. During the middle of the month I'll have a full week with Ciara and Rylan as part of my FMLA leave. I'm fortunate to be in the position to do so. Ciara will return to work after that week, I'll continue to stay home for another week and then return to school part-time for a few weeks. I loved having time with Aden without Ciara and feel confident that this go around will be just as good if not better.

The adventures culminate with a 3 night stay in Burlington, Vermont during April break. Last year we found the Lang House, a kid friendly B&B within walking distance of downtown.

26

Today was one of the best days of my young fatherhood life. Aden slept deeply all night and Rylan was cooperative with us in our room. We slept in, 6:30, but got an early start after showers. We decided to go out for breakfast and make our way to Belfast to visit the Coop, our favorite grocery store. This was our first grocery trip as a family of four. Aden had fun running up the aisles with a mini-cart and Rylan had fun...peeing. Fortunatly the Coop is an organic store and family friendly; none of the patrons seemed to mind the knee high read head tearing by or blocking the way.

Ciara and I unpacked while Aden hung out side. I eventually went up to the woodshop/garage/barn to open the door so he could go visit with the ducks and chickens. This was time he spent a prolonged period of time outside on his own. I'm sure both grammas would not have been happy had they been around but for Ciara and I was proud moment to see him finding enjoyment in the outdoors and being independent. This is why we live where we do.

This was the first weekend without company. I hadn't really connected with Rylan since his birth. Unlike Aden at that age, Rylan spends most of time asleep, when not nursing. So once I finished unpacking I settled down to enjoy a nap with the little guy. Ciara and I will both miss these times when the boys are young and small enough to fall asleep on us.

On the way home I had a new revelation. We knew on night of Rylan's birth that both Aden and were born on the 26th day of thier birth months (November and January respectively). Today I realized that Aden was exactly 26 months old when Rylan was born. Hmmm. So I googled 26 and found some interesting things on 26. Here are a few:

• Number of letters in the alphabet.
  
• Atomic number of Iron.
• Gematric number of the true name of God - YHWH.
• A Spiral Galaxy in Pegasus.
  
• The number of Spacetime dimensions in the original string theory.
  
• Michigan was the 26th state to foin the Union.
• The age at which males can no longer be drafted.