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!!