Tidbits and Trains

Our last day in Portland, Maine was drizzly and cloudy. Luckily the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad had closed cars so that Porter could get his first train ride in while on vacation. Here’s a picture, video to follow!

Here are a few tender tidbits that I wanted to share from our trip to Maine, a state I would highly recommend visiting:

Hotel Hot Chocolate
Our hotel had 24 hour coffee, tea, water and hot cocoa mix in the lobby. Luke really likes hot cocoa, but I’m not a super fan of making it with plain water, so here is the recipe to beef it up a little.
Ingredients
1 pack of instant hot cocoa
3-5 ounces of boiling water*
3-5 containers of half & half or flavored coffee creamer (in the event that there is no more half & half)*
*I prefer half&half. When I have half&half I use more of that and less water and when flavored creamer is available I use more water and less creamer.

Ingredients!

Boil or microwave the water.

Add water to the cup first.

Empty packet of instant cocoa.

Add half&half or creamer.

Stir to combine.

Enjoy a creamier, better, version of instant hotel cocoa.

Travelling with 4 month old Porter, overall, has been a great experience. While he often sleeps through our excursions, it’s exciting for us as parents to do the simple activities just knowing that he’s with us. It’s also nice because he keeps our pace in check. When Luke and I vacationed before Porter we were on the go much of the time. It was great and we got to see awesome places like France, British Columbia, LA, Southern Oregon and Maui, and having Porter won’t stop us from future adventures. As a couple we also got to enjoy things like dinners out, doing activities on a whim, and hot tubs without any limitations. We were always going somewhere, doing something.

Porter has forced us to slow down, take naps, sleep in, eat in, change plans and appreciate the moments when he’s asleep so we can savor a few moments alone. This trip involved a lot of hanging out on the bed and playing with our baby. Here’s a taste of what down time with Porter is like. Of course I can never get the amazing laughter and giggles of when we start playing together, on video, because I’m pretty caught up in the moment with him…but that’s the way it should be.