Sunday, September 30, 2012

A Treat for Daycare!

A few weeks ago, I made the final transition at daycare into the Turtledoves Preschool class, where I will theoretically stay for the next two years until I am ready for daycare...

We've been so busy lately that we haven't had time to do our customary "Treat for the Old Class!" So Dad and I finally got it together, and made the class our famous Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Bars...they have been passed down from Gramma Debbie, and we have made them a bunch of times...Mom, Dad and I signed a Thank You card for the Beanstalks teachers, and then together we made the treat!
First, I cut the cookie dough (while testing a piece or two, for quality's sake) and laid the pieces along the bottom of the pan...while the bottom layer was cooking, Dad and I made the cream cheese mixture...not only did I get to put all the stuff in the mixer bowl (I even cracked the eggs, with Dad's help into a separate bowl first, since he wanted to be able to catch any shell pieces....the first egg had a couple shells in there, but the second was perfect) I also got to turn the mixer on! It mixes stuff really well!
We poured the cream cheese mixture on the cooked bottom layer of cookie dough (taking a couple tastes for quality's sake)...
Then we laid another layer of dough, taking a couple tastes...oh the heck with it...we knew the quality was good, we just decided that we wanted a sweet treat!
And then we baked it all together....after saving a few for ourselves, we delivered it to the Turtledoves class, along with the Thank You card, and pictures of me helping to cook...it was a lot of fun, and they told me later just how much they loved it! Since we didn't take any "after" pictures of the treat, I snagged one off of a blog called "Kellie's Kitchen" Thanks, Kellie! They looked like this:

And they were AWESOME. I will miss the Beanstalks, but after a hard transition, ended up having a great time with them...thanks!!!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Maine 2012!

Well, hello again!

I have been so busy with my new preschool class, and Dad's new schedule (Saturdays off, mean one Family Day a week!) that I have been falling behind on the blog! Sorry, folks!

Let's carry on, shall we?

SO....right after Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory's big ole wedding bash, we carried right on North towards our next destination: The Family Cabin in Maine....it was a long drive...

....a really REALLY long drive...

but totally worth it! The weather was great throughout the week, and this year Dad made a welcome return to the cabin after taking last year off...

There was a lot of pajama time, and relaxation, while having a chance to play with some toys that live up there year-round...
Mom and I played a lot of "Superheroes" together. She got to be little Spiderman, and I got to be Big Spiderman. She makes really awesome flying sounds when she plays, which I appreciate...
I even got to have an upgrade to my sleeping arrangements! I got to sleep in the top bunk of a bed!! It was WAY cool! I got to climb up the ladder, and then monkey and I got a fantastic view, capable of truly giving us the lay of the land....very cool digs! So rustic and cozy!
Family snacks were, of course, important....here we enjoy our 64th (or was it 74th?) serving of the Houlton Dairy ice cream....the only thing that compares to going to Houlton Dairy, is taking it home with you and eating it there!
There was also a lot of lounging out by the lake...they recently cleared some trees, so it gave me even more room to run around!
We often ate lunches and dinners out on the deck, so we could enjoy the scenery....boats passing by, loons calling out to each other (these terrified me at night, by the way...) and lots of birds...I had some problems with the really late eating, as I was not really sold on the idea of eating out in the woods in the dark...I had a few issues with the dark that week...it was really bugging me out for some reason...luckily, Mom, Dad, and Gramma Mindy did their best to allay my fears...
Dad managed to get the boat up and running, which meant we got to go out on the lake, too...it was so nice to let my hand trail in the water...it was just the right temperature...(and before you panic, Mom was right next to me in case I took a tumble)
Mom, Gramma Mindy, Dad and I tooled around the lake for awhile (and had to go on an impromptu rescue mission for Gramma Mindy's hat when it blew off)...
I can't tell you how relaxing it was to just let my hand run along in the water while we drove...it was a such a pretty day out, too...
This is a view of our cabin from the lake...the main (Ha! The main Maine cabin...hilarious! I still got it!) is the one directly ahead, and the smaller bunkhouse (home to the awesome bunk bed) is kind of tucked away in the trees on the right, there...
I also managed to make some friends while we were there....this is a very tiny inchworm that let me play with him on the deck...he was very friendly, and I let him crawl all over my hand and arm...
The week wouldn't be complete without spending some time relaxing with Mom in the hammock...
...and also Dad for our almost yearly picture together....Mom and Dad were so cozy, and it was the perfect place to relax, or read, or try to catch a few zzzzzzs...
Stomping around the camp became a constant past time...I really took it to heart that I could conquer the whole camp, and did so as often as possible....I really kept everyone moving...the Chasing After a Little Kid Workout is one of the best around...
Can you keep up!?
Down here is where we typically have the fire pit so we could sit around it for warmth (or toasting marshmallows) We didn't light one this year....I'm not really sure why, exactly...
Arts and crafts were also on the agenda...there was a set of paints that we used to make some fun drawings throughout the week....we also painted a star and added it to the quilt celebrating the family...the star was for my new lil cousin Jaxon (Spelling?)
In addition to Mom and Dad getting to go on a date night while I hung out with Gramma Mindy, we also went out to Houlton Dairy a couple times...this night, I ended up paying (using a loan from the Bank of Mom)
I got a dip cone which was a huge mistake...my little face simply couldn't keep up with the hidden melting going on under that delicious shell...I tried my best, but it was a constant losing (and sticky) battle...
Also...Dad let me try some of his shake...it was called:

PEANUT BUTTER CRAZY!!! IT HAD PEANUT BUTTER...AND ICE CREAM...AND WHIPPED CREAM...AND...AND....AND...AND IT WAS AMAAAAAZZZZZIIIINNNG!!!!!
Our final visit to The Houlton Dairy Ice Cream Stand included a cup to help me manage the melting a little but better...the addition of the spoon and cup helped make the entire experience much more pleasant...
After yet another lovely week in Maine, we piled back into our car, and ventured home to Connecticut...we stopped at a candy store on the way (It was enormous, with TONS of sweets, both in-house made, and major label branded) and lots of stuffed animals for me to befriend for a little while....I ended up with a dinosaur candy pop, which was delicious...

As you can see from above, the pleasant travel companions make all the difference when on a long journey, so I'm glad I had some good company....also, as you can see from my zombie stare...I am pretty invested in that DVD player attached to the seat in front of me...

See ya next year, Maine!!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Uncle Mat & Aunt' Mallory's Beach Wedding!

Holy cow! Where did August go!? Did I REALLY leave you guys staring at my dentist post for more than a month!? Outrageous! Sorry about that folks! It was a busy August (as you'll see in my next few posts) and really, after taking a little break, it simply turned into a long one....

But enough of that! Let's get to it!!

The beginning of August saw a very important event in our family....my Uncle Mat married my Aunt Mallory!

They asked Mom, Dad, and me to be in the wedding...I had the Very Important Job of being the ring bearer, which means that I walked with Mom and Dad (who were a bridesmaid and groomsman, respectively) down the aisle with a pillow that had Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory's rings on it to give to JustRichy (who was the best man)

There were some snags in the days leading up to it, however...my intense dislike of buttons was brought out ten fold. When Dad took me to get fitted, it was stressful enough....as you can see, I wasn't very happy with wearing the shirt with so many buttons on it...

I tried to rally, but I simply don't like them...I've tried to articulate why, but I have no concrete answer, really...I just don't.

When the day finally came to get the tux, I must admit I was pretty overwhelmed and upset about it...

NEVER FEAR! Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory, in their awesomeness, had picked me up a spare shirt...it was a shirt that LOOKED like a tux shirt! Personally, I thought it was way more adorable than the tuxedo itself, and I compromised by wearing the tuxedo pants (Though I believe that at the end of the day, those were slipped on my all discrete-like) So, even though it was hot, and I was tired, I walked in for the wedding like a champ with my fancy duds on...

Mom and Dad looked pretty decent, too...


I am told that the ceremony was lovely, and that beautiful words were spoken...there were tears of joy shed, laughter had, and some great vows written and recited by Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory...

But how is a kid expected to pay attention to THAT when there is an entire BEACH to play on!? The Justice of the Peace told everyone that anything I did was the right thing, so I took that to heart...dropping down and playing the the sand like a champ! I was quiet, but managed to have a lot of fun during the ceremony....
This was our view of the lovely people in our family that joined us for the wedding...it was actually quite beautiful.

Even though it turned out to be a lovely day, I must admit that my little thermostat isn't quite calibrated just yet, and I WAS pretty hot out there...but I did my best, and luckily I had Gramma Debbie available to get water to me whenever I was really thirsty, and take care of my needs so Mom and Dad could focus on the wedding...Everything seemed to work out just right where I came in when I needed to, paid attention and stayed quiet when I had to, and walked out with Mom and Dad. Everyone said I did a great job!
Here's one last shot of me on the beach next to Gramma Mindy who was waiting to do her reading at the end of the wedding. She did a great job, too. :-)

Next up was the easy part: The Wedding Reception! A big party that came afterwards!

I met up with my cousin Timothy and we swapped stories about the wedding, and generally took time to catch up. It had a been awhile since I had seen him...he's a great listener! I like him a lot!
Soon enough, Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory arrived and everyone was very excited to see them! They were pretty excited, too!

I had a lot of time to play with the kids that were there...Timothy and I played a lot, but I also got to see my cousin Nicholas and Uncle Steve....next to me is another cousin, Hank...this is actually probably the most clothes I saw him in during the entire day...that kid loves to be naked even more than me!

The party was great! They even had a couple trucks that showed up that they gave us pizza from! That's right! They made the pizza fresh on the table in front of you, and then baked them in ovens that were DIRECTLY in the truck! How CRAZY is that!? It was pretty tasty stuff...



Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory had a very pretty cake (You can get an idea about how hot it was by the melting Mickeys on the side) and I even got to snag a piece before I went home...there was a lot of dancing and partying, but I must admit, I got worn out pretty quickly...a few brief tantrums were had, because I was wiped out, and Gramma Debbie was kind enough to take me home and put me to bed while Mom and Dad finished the party....it was such a great time! I really appreciated being involved, and that Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory took the time to put me at ease in regards to my whole button deal.

Seriously....I'll like them when I get older.



CONGRATULATIONS, 
UNCLE MAT AND AUNT MALLORY!!