Our 2017 family vacay kicked off yesterday with a flight to Portland, Maine. The initial scouting group included my parents (Gigi and Pops), Lizzie, Charlotte, and me. JR, Ker, and Ryan will join us in a few days.

Thanks to all the prayers, positive thoughts, good vibes – and meticulous planning by yours truly – the flight went really well. 😉 Seriously, there were no crying spells and Liz and Char kept occupied with the many activities and snacks we had in tow. Major props to Gigi and Pops for all their help during both legs of the trip up here.

My mom found an adorable 2-bedroom apartment in the East End of Portland through AirBnB. It’s in a lovely multi-family house so there’s plenty of space for us all to spread out. 

Located very close to an ocean-side park, the apartment is also near some yummy restaurants and coffee shops. For our first night, we tried The Front Room – just a short walk from our place. Charlotte chowed down on Parmesan risotto and roasted veggies, and my parents and I enjoyed salmon and trout dishes. Yum! 

Although bedtime was near, the girls were a bit hyper as we tried to get them settled. I’m sharing a room with Charlotte and I finally got her to bed around 10:30 pm – about two hours later than normal. I was hoping for a little sleeping in the next morning – but Charlotte woke promptly at 4 am. Yes, 4 am!!! 😜

She was so excited to have Mommy in the room with her that she wanted to stay up and play…till 5:30 am. We had another short stint of sleep from 5:30 – 7 am, then she was up again for the day – and full of energy, at that. 

Well, if you can’t beat ’em you might as well join ’em. We began our second day of vacay early and headed out in search of breakfast. Just down Munjoy Hill we spotted LB Kitchen – which serves delicious and healthy breakfast fare. 

Thankfully, sleep was in our future. After the short walk back to our apartment. Char was ready for a nap (and so was I!) 

A few hours later, feeling refreshed, we headed to Cape Elizabeth to see the Portland Head Light. The day was perfectly clear, with temps in the 70s and low humidity. The girls enjoyed walking around the lighthouse and taking in the wonderful scenery and weather.

We ended the day with our first (of what I’m sure will be many) lobster rolls at The Lobster Shack at Two Lights. The food was good but the scenery was amazing…the rocky coast and blue ocean merging into the clear sky. 

Back at the apartment, the girls are sleeping peacefully now and we’re all crossing our fingers for a “restful in Portland” night. Wish us luck!