Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Early on in our relationship we started the tradition of choosing and cutting our own Christmas tree. This year we returned to the same tree farm as last year, King's Mountain, and were not disappointed with the selection. It didn't take us long to spot what would become our tree...

We were excited to cut it down and bring it home!

Eric started out with the saw...

...and Stacy took over.

We felled it!

Once home, we got to work stringing our popcorn and cranberries. Unfortunately, Eric trusted Stacy to pop the popcorn, and, true to her style, she burnt it to the point where it almost caught on fire. Guess we have to add microwaves to her "Use With Caution" list!

It took a few days, but we finally got it fully decorated. While it was a few feet smaller than last year's tree, measuring in at 8ft, it was still quite impressive (that's what she said) and never toppled over!

It looked just as nice from the outside.

To include our bun in the oven in this year's holiday celebration, we got a mini stocking for the little one.

Stay tuned for pictures from Christmas day...

A Thanksgiving Feast

Since Eric had to work this Thanksgiving, we decided to invite Stacy's family up to celebrate with us in Holden. It was our first time cooking a special dinner for so many people.

Stacy got some much-appreciated help in the kitchen from her mom, especially with chopping up the celery root (for a new recipe, mashed potatoes and celery root), as seen here:

The men spent the late morning and afternoon enjoying the parade, football, and even a little basketball!

We were excited to finally get use from our new, large table and put much time and thought into making the table look nice.

Despite doubts from the peanut gallery, the turkey was done on time and came out perfectly!

Brian, Melissa, Joe...

...Sue, Scott, Uncle Dave...

...Eric and Stacy all enjoyed the Thanksgiving feast!

The Alexanders/Vaillancourts don't mess around when it comes to dessert! As you can see from the spread, there was plenty to choose from, although some (ahem, Brian) didn't choose, and had a true "rainbow." (In fact, likely for the first time in the history of Alexander/Vaillancourt Thanksgivings, Brian had a double rainbow - a little of everything from both dinner and dessert!)

Our first holiday hosting experience was a huge success, and we hope to do it again...someday!

We hope all of our family and friends were surrounded by as much food, family and fun as we were!

Growing pains

We went on Monday to meet Stacy's OB/GYN for the first time. The appointment included another ultrasound, which was exciting because it actually looked like a little person this time, not just a blob.

Our embryo has now officially graduated to the status of fetus! Based upon the size, our due date has been pushed back to June 4.

Stay tuned for updates, although it could be another 10 weeks or so before we have new ultrasound pictures.

A New Addition to the Russell Family

If you haven't heard yet... we're pregnant! Our due date is May 30, 2011. Below is our first ultrasound, taken at 6 weeks. The dark white dot inside the black circle (Stacy's yolk sac) is Baby Russell's heartbeat!

We can't wait to share this exciting journey with all of you!

Happy Birthday Hunter!

Late last month, we joined some friends at Pumpkinland in Mechanic Falls to celebrate Hunter Chadbourne's 2nd birthday! It's hard to believe how fast he's grown.

Thanks for inviting us to be a part of your special day, Hunter!

The Romantic Getaway

For our actual anniversary, we found a little resort in Lincolnville (near Camden) called Inn at Ocean's Edge. It was incredible! The room we booked was the most economical, but still larger than our old apartment! There was an 8x10 entry before walking into the sitting area/bedroom as seen below. It's only 1/2 of the room...

They pipe soft jazz and contemporary music into the room in the afternoon and evening. It certainly helped to set the mood, as did the oversized whirlpool tub and gas-lit fireplace you see below...

The bathroom was larger than our spare bedrooms. The shower itself could have comfortably hosted a dance party, although we didn't test that theory!

The resort had plenty of amenities, including an outdoor fireplace, hot tub and heated infinity pool.

The lounge chairs were so relaxing that within 10 minutes of sitting down, Eric was snoring! In the background you can see the main resort, which was cozy and quaint. There were only about 2 dozen suites in this building, and about half as many in a smaller building just behind it.

Because it was such a special occasion, we got all dressed up and went out for a fancy dinner.

Brevetto is a small Italian restaurant in Camden that Eric spotted online. The food and atmosphere were perfect!

After dinner, there were some fireworks! (Get your mind out of the gutter, we're not talking about what happened in the bedroom!) Our anniversary fell on the same weekend as Camden's Windjammer Festival and it wrapped up with a spectacular fireworks display on Sunday night.

The next morning, we headed back to Camden and boarded the Appledore, one of the many schooners moored in the harbor, for a scenic little ride.

It was another beautiful day, perfect to be out on the water.


Being on the water brought out the artsy photographer in Eric...

Even though we had five days off together, it still went by too fast. Oh well, there's always next year!

Our Anniversary Weekend

We took an extra-long weekend to celebrate our 1st anniversary. With the hectic nature of summer, it was nice to have a few days for just the two of us.

One of our favorite hikes in Acadia National Park is the Precipice Trail, which is often closed because of nesting falcons. We've talked about doing it again for the last few years but haven't found time. With five days off, we finally had time and took advantage of a beautiful (but hot) day. Here, Eric is trying to stay cool in what little shade the trail offered.

One of the reasons we like this trail so much is because it's more than just a long walk up a steep hill. Throughout the trail, there are various rungs and ladders to navigate particularly precipitous stretches. Good thing Stacy isn't afraid of heights. Oh wait, she is!

Another reason we like this trail is because it's relatively short, but still challenging and provides great views of Acadia and Frenchman Bay.

After hiking in 90+ degree weather, we rewarded ourselves with a dip in Echo Lake, which is the only freshwater swimming area in the national park.

Another thing we did with our time off was take in the Blue Hill Fair, which is just a short drive down the coast for us.
We're not sure how to introduce this and do it justice. There was this guy and his pigs and they just did the most amazing tricks you could ever imagine. Here, "Rosie" is playing the piano. And by that we mean knocking her snout against the keys trying to get her treat. Once in awhile, the piano made noise. It was amazing!

If you think the pigs were something, wait until you hear about the dog that catches frisbees. This dog has been on Animal Planet and ESPN (or so this guy would have us believe). Apparently, the dog's great skill is catching discs from a range of about four feet. It was pretty spectacular. Who knew Blue Hill could attract such talent?

This show was actually pretty entertaining. After thrilling the crowd with fast-chopping feats and axe-throwing, these lumberjacks competed in a log-rolling contest.

These few days were a nice lead in to our big day...