Thursday, November 25, 2010

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, 2010!!

Well, it was a nice Thanksgiving today...lots of traveling (and even a tantrum or two from yours truly) but I really enjoyed seeing my family...I'll have a more detailed blog post soon, but I just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

This is a project I made at school...

And then when you open it...

You see where the turkey was hiding! And there's a nice shout-out to Mom and Dad, because I'm thankful for them....Thanks, guys!!!

Anyways...I still have a long weekend to enjoy, and so do a lot of you, so travel safe, and enjoy the leftovers! I will be avoiding all foods that originate from the Thanksgiving feast, because I am feeling particularly difficult.

I'm a toddler, you know...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

TODDLER_TOUR_2010_LEG_10-CONNECTICUT PART 2!

As your read this, I am probably sitting in the car in traffic, ironically returning to Connecticut just as I am finishing my entry about my last trip to Connecticut.

And yes...traffic for this holiday weekend is probably so bad, that no matter when you're reading this, I am probably still in traffic. Seriously.

But that shouldn't stop my updates, since I'm almost caught up!

Now where was I....Oh yeah!

As Dad returned to Washington to work, Mom took me over to see Gramma Mindy, JustRichy, and Uncle Mat!


Once again, I could count on being able to play the piano with JustRichy (who was getting kind of annoyed that Uncle Mat was referring to him as Uncle Richy...luckily I didn't pick up on it, because he just isn't Uncle Richy to me...he's JustRichy. :-) )

Obviously sometimes I get a little frustrated at myself when I am not playing up to my fullest potential. JustRichy is kind enough to console me, and remind me that I have plenty of time yet to become a great pianist.


Luckily, I also got a rare visit from Uncle Mat! He's often busy with work, or his duties as a Marine, so I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, but when I do, we like to make it count! Also, I barely have to walk anywhere, since he's kind enough to do the heavy lifting!

He was kind enough to let me run the controls for the fan and the lights. And really, the only thing more fun than getting to see lights and fans go on and off, is to be the one in charge of it!


I had a really great time with JustRichy, Uncle Mat, and Gramma Mindy, but I did miss Dad a little, so we headed back home. It was once again a long drive (Seems to be a theme lately) but totally worth getting to see everyone back in Connecticut!

While we're on that topic...I guess I'll be seeing you again soon!


Tuesday, November 23, 2010

TODDLER_TOUR_2010_LEG_9-CONNECTICUT PART 1!

Today was a big day....not only did I get to see Gramma Debbie, Grandpa, Uncle Steve, Aunt Amy, Auntie Steph AND my cousin Braelynn...but I got to meet my new baby cousin Nicholas for the first time!

We also got to have a huge Italian-style dinner together. It was so much fun! And by huge, I mean REALLY huge....the portions were comically large, but that meant that everyone got to share their food, which was all delicious. I sampled a few different things which was a lot of fun.

Everyone came over, and there were so many people to see, and so much to do!

I got to see my cousin Braelynn again. She's gotten so much bigger, it's crazy. It seems like just yesterday I was holding this teeny baby, and now you can tell she wants to crawl like crazy! They grow up so fast! But they never get too big for hugs!

I even got to try out my sharing skills, which haven't QUITE gotten fully developed yet. I was a little frustrated watching Braelynn play with toys that I was used to having all to myself, but I discovered that if I found something else to play with, things seemed to be OK.

She really liked the ones that lit up and made noise. (This posed a bit of a problem, as those were also my favorites...but we worked it out....luckily, I can work it a bit better, so as I would set it up to spin and make noise, she'd watch and have just as much fun as she would playing with it herself. Win win, folks.)

Then of course there was the newest addition to the family...my new cousin Baby Nicholas. This kid was also pretty cute. (Seems to run in the family!)

Mostly he slept, but once he woke up, I decided that the best way to introduce myself was to give him a big old kiss!

He seemed a little annoyed that I woke him up in this fashion, but really...I can think of much worse ways to wake up. :-)

Later, I accidentally used his head as a support when I was trying to get up on the couch. He had just fallen asleep in my Mom's arms, and I wasn't thinking when I hoisted myself up. Sorry about that, Nicholas.

Later on, after dinner, I got to sit down with Grandpa and he read me a story that's supposed to help with potty training. Instead, I saw it as simply an entertaining tale that really showcased the difficulties and strife a young bear goes through. It just happened to have the potty training as a story element. It was a fun read, though...

Mom and I packed up to head over to Gramma Mindy's, and Dad hopped a train back home. Whew....certainly a busy weekend!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

TODDLER_TOUR_2010_LEG_8-NEW YORK CITY 2010!

While Mom and Dad prepare for a trip to Connecticut to celebrate Thanksgiving, and the baptism of my cousin Nicholas, I figured I should detail my last weekend trip to the Northeast....it'll be in three parts since it was a doozy!

As is usually the case in the Fall, Mom had to go to New York City to close one of her biggest projects of the year for work, and we got to come along again! So last weekend, we decided to pack up, and head East!

This year, the weather was a lot nicer, so it was a bit easier to get around.

While Mom worked during the day, Dad and I explored the city and got to do some fun stuff. We had coffee and breakfast with a friend of Dad's (I chased some pigeons) in the morning on the first day, and then met Mom and another or Dad's friends for lunch.

Later in the day (After a hardcore power nap) Dad and I went to Times Square while Mom went to a reception for work. We had so much fun, and there were SO many lights and people, that it was a bit overwhelming...

But one of the coolest things was that we saw a bunch of people dressed up like Elmo and Cookie Monster....two of my currently favorite people. They typically would take pictures with tourists for a couple of dollars, but Dad didn't have any change, so he thought it was rude to take pictures with them. They did, however, spend lots of time with me...one of them even did a perfect Elmo voice, and sang a bit of the Elmo song with me. It was so much fun hanging out with these guys, and they made me so happy. They kept shaking my hand, and letting me play with their eyes...it was beyond fun. I kept asking for hugs, and they gave me high fives...I can't put into words how much fun this was.

We were hungry, so we went off to find something to eat. I protested, because I was enjoying Elmo and Cookie Monster, but Dad promised that if we got some change, we could come back so I could get my picture taken with them.

We found one of Ray's Pizzas to eat at (Dad will explain to you the Seinfeldian reference to this place...he lost me after "Nexus of the Universe) We both got pizza, and I LOVED IT.


For some reason, I really enjoyed the crunchy bottom of the pizza, so I insisted that Dad fold the pizza in half so I could eat it from the bottom.

Weird, I know, but it was simply delicious!

The good news in all this, is after a yummy pizza dinner...we had a few bucks to go back to Times Square and take pictures with Cookie Monster and Elmo...and they were nice enough to do a joint picture with me! I cannot possibly describe how happy I was to get a picture with these guys...I was squealing with delight...I'll just let the picture tell the tale:


After a whirlwind day, the second one couldn't possibly top it, right? Wrong!

As Mom finished up work, Dad and I started off the day at a small coffee shop, where I had some of the best Honey Cinnamon Oatmeal you could ever imagine. I got to sit in the booth like a big boy, and I enjoyed my meal, while Dad had a banana walnut muffin, and an awesome (or so he said) mocha coffee.

From there, we walked a few blocks to Central Park....you may recall that last year (Click HERE if you do NOT recall) that last time we went to Central Park, it was cold and rainy....but surprisingly, Dad had never been, so Mom took him (and me) since our hotel was so close to it. This time, it was gorgeous, so Dad took me, and not only did we get to walk around and check out the lovely scenery...

...but we got to go in the big Central Park playground!


There was lots of slides, and sand to play with...


...and also a little boy dressed as Superman, who I made fast friends with. We ran around a lot together, and had a lot of fun! (At one point, he "rescued" a little boy who had gotten stuck in part of the playground)


The setting was simply perfect, and we had so much fun!


But alas, everything must end, and we hopped into the stroller, only to be stopped by an impromptu musical duo performing outside the playground. Drums and Togo....how could I resist?

We met up with Mom, and I promptly fell asleep, while we drove on to Connecticut for the next leg of the Toddler Tour, 2010....

Friday, November 19, 2010

My First Rally!

Hello all!

Sorry for my delays in posting...once again, Dad has been hogging the computer in an attempt to write a novel, so there is a lot to catch up on!

A few weeks ago, there was a huge rally held down here in Washington, DC right on The National Mall! Now, usually Mom and Dad avoid such events, but this one featured Sanity as its main focus, and two of Mom and Dad's favorite TV personalities were hosting it.

Yes...my first rally was The Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert!

Now let me tell you....this was a crazy day all around. Cell service around the Mall was scarce, and Metro trains were packed...people were excited about this little event, I must say....Also, I'll preface this whole thing by saying that we really couldn't see or hear much on the Mall itself... was CRAZY packed with people!

Mom started off the day by getting me ready a bit earlier than usual, while Dad went to work as he usually did on Saturday (he works right across from the rally, so not only did we get to go there together, we got a sweet parking spot!) After getting me prepped, Mom had to actually take me on the Metro a few stops going in the opposite direction of the event just to get to the point where the trains had some room for us!

Once we got on, it was a little cramped, but everyone was in super good spirits and were being (Surprise) rational. So, it wasn't much of a problem.

When we got down to the agreed-upon Metro stop to meet Dad, we discovered that cell service was pretty limited, but lo and behold, as Mom checked her messages, who should appear, but Dad! He bounded over to us, we sat down to eat a quick lunch near the lion statues (I'm all about statues these days...I'm either fascinated by them, or terrified...no middle ground.) and then headed off to the rally.


When we got there, we couldn't believe how many people had shown up! The organizers of the event had planned for around 60,000 people, and there ended up being around 150,000.

As we got closer and closer, the crowd got thicker and thicker. People had made these really funny signs (Most of which I didn't understand, but they kept Mom and Dad laughing) that were supposed to be "Sane and Rational" according to everything I was told. They were supposed to go against all the crazy signs usually at rallies. It was a lot of fun!

As we got closer, the crowd got really thick, and it was hard to move...I was a trooper the entire time, creeping my feet up to make sure I didn't kick anyone, and people were very kind about letting us through, but after awhile it got to be too much.

People were doing anything they could to see, especially my favorite guy up there on the stoplight...I kept telling Mom and Dad, "That man is up in the sky!!"

When the crowd got too thick, we ducked out into the sculpture garden where there was some breathing room to take a break, and just enjoy the surroundings...it was really cool.

You know who else was cool? Me.


We finally decided to walk around back behind the stage since I was getting a bit restless, as it was approaching my nap time. We walked around, and generally enjoyed the good vibes that surrounded the rally.

Even though we didn't see much, and could only hear a little, it was still a really good time! Everyone was in a really good mood, and there were so many entertaining people there!

On the way out, we walked backstage, and got to see a bit of what it was like back there. Mom and Dad saw the giant teleprompter that had the words the hosts were saying on it, and they even saw the backs of the hosts as they performed a musical number. It was really cool.

I, however, was obsessed with the green men. Yes, men dressed up in full body spandex suits (That were based on a bit from a show I'm not allowed to watch called "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) were wandering around taking pictures with people, and I couldn't get enough of these guys!

Even now, when I see anyone that looks vaguely like a green man, I start shouting "Green Men!" It's a little weird, I know, but I'm all about costumed characters right now...even if the costume is just a vaguely creepy lycra bodysuit.

On the way out, Dad let me get really close to a police car to see the flashing lights....you all know I love watching emergency vehicles of all kinds go racing by me, whether it's looking out our window at home, or being on the side of the road watching them...but to be this close was such a dream come true...it was really fun.

The police officer was so nice, and he let me touch the lights, which was super neat. I was over the moon!

I was also exhausted, and Mom and Dad left at just the right time...they laughed as we approached the car (in its awesome parking spot) and I got all excited...they laughed harder when I saw my car seat and shouted, "It's Sammy's seat!!" and climbed right in.

I was being pretty obvious that it was time to go home.

Thanks to our primo parking spot, we were out of the Mall area, and home in about half an hour...it was a tiring day, but super awesome.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

My first Jack-o-Lantern


So...just when I thought my Halloween 2010 experiences were limited to my parade and party on Friday, lo and behold, Mom and Dad let me help carve my first pumpkin. Sadly, there was no actual carving involved on my part, as I still haven't mastered "sharp things" In fact, sharp things are kept away from me with alarming consistency.

I also consulted on the final face for the jack-o-lantern...I decided to go with something classic, while adding pupils.

We decided to carve the larger pumpkin (the one that I have nicknamed "Too Heavy") since we knew it would be a bit easier to carve a face on this one than on my smaller one. Also, we can now keep the smaller one as decoration for the Fall for a bit longer. Hooray!

Dad set up some newspaper, and Mom suggested that he put it on the floor to make it a bit easier to let me help.



Dad cut a hole in the top so we could access the "pumpkin guts" as people tend to refer to it (Classy, right?) Mom got me a good sized spoon, and we went to town scraping out the inside of the pumpkin.


There was a lot of pumpkin to be scraped out, but with the both of us working, we did a pretty good job of it!

Sometimes, when it was a bit harder to scrape, Dad would scrape, and then pass the guts to me, so I could pile it up next to us on the newspaper.

I was WAY too excited for words....mostly I just made faces accompanyed by cute sounds...



Mom helped a little, mostly cleaning up a bit when I got a bit overzealous and pulled the pumpkin off of its protective newspaper coating...


After the pumpkin was sufficiently empy and clean, Dad drew a face of my design on the front, delicately carved the features into the pumpkin, and VOILA!


After I double-checked that the pumpkin met my quality standards (It did) Dad lit a candle, and dropped it into the middle of the pumpkin, popped the lid of his head back on, and we got to stand back and admire the hard work we did!


Later, Dad set it up in the window in hopes that it would ward off evil spirits, as they are said to do...or at the very least that someone would see it, since we're on the second floor. Another fun tradition that really helped seal up this Halloween season as one of the best so far! (Yeah...I've only had two, but you know...)