An Epic Journey Part III-My first trip to the cabin in Houlton, ME

After what seemed like forever, I finally had made my first pilgrimage to the infamous family cabin, in Houlton, Maine. Technically the cabin is in New Limerick, I think, but Houlton is really the town to see.

 Above, you can see that my name has already been added under Mom's on a quilt made to honor the family bond we have....all of the grandkids (and now great-grandkids) are connected to Granny and Poppy, who bought the cabin, and left it to all of us to enjoy for years to come! Suffice to say, seeing the star already was a great way to be welcomed to Maine!!

A little background...the cabin is actually 2 cabins (A larger main cabin, and a smaller sleeping cabin) located on a small site that sits on the edge of Drew's Lake. You really are in the middle of the woods up there! There are some logging trucks driving in the woods, sometimes...but really, it's so peaceful! A mountain view, a gorgeous lake, and temperatures in the low 70's in the middle of August with practically zero humidity.

It really is one of the best vacation spots out there!

It's a really relaxing place...this is the place Mom and Dad go to every year to get away from the world at large, and get some real rest. A lot of reading, puzzles, walks in the woods, paddle-boating, canoeing, visits to Houlton Dairy (I'm told it's the best, and least expensive ice cream on the planet, but will have to fill you in for sure when I try it myself next year...) and trips in to Houlton to go to some Mom & Mom-type places...We can also head on over into Canada (Only a few miles away) to spend the day if we want to, though this year we skipped it because apparently I need a passport.

Yeah. Me. I know, dumb, right?

JustRichy took me on a brief tour of the campsite, and showed me that, yes, one day this will all be mine...

Gramma Mindy and I hung out a lot, while Mom and Dad got to do some stuff on their own, and I had a lot of fun gazing out at the lake with her, and playing inside.

She also bought me some stacking cups, which have become some of my favorite toys to play with. There was also a new high chair in Maine that I got to eat in like a big boy for the first time! (everyone discovered that the cups, combined with the high chair was a clear winner!)

In addition to Mom, Dad, Gramma Mindy and JustRichy, I got to spend the last half of the week with Amber, my Godmother, and her fella John (Jon? I don't know how these silent letters work yet...for now, we're gonna go with John...)

I had a lot of fun with Amber, but it took us awhile to get connected, since she was wearing this nail polish that bugged me out. I can't explain why, but the delicate combination of that shade of purple and glitter just got to me in ways I can't explain...once everyone figured out that's why she was making me cry, she hid her fingers from me, and we had a great time...

She was a bit jealous of John, since he kept drawing my attention away from her, but c'mon...look at the faces this guy was making!

Below, you can't really see his face, but you can see my stunned reaction to it...

Stunned. 

Some activities went better than others...JustRichy helped me work on my independent standing (and Dad snapped one of the rare pictures of it)

Dad started the week by dipping my toes in the water...it was chilly, but felt great against my feet.  I just wasn't so sure about going into the water all the way...

Eventually, Mom and Dad got my in my adorable bathing suit, and submerged me fully...I was OK for awhile, and had a good time kicking my legs in the water (and I thought bath-time was fun! Here, I get to splash around, and there are no walls!) And as time wore on, I was OK as long as someone was holding me close to help keep me warm, but I finally had enough...c'mon, man...I'm tiny. But how awesome is my hat?!

Paddleboats (Not so successful) Why, you ask? Let's talk about how I looked like a marshmallow encased kid...

I tried to maintain some sense of dignity as my parents started paddling out, but I quickly realized how long they had intended to be out on the lake that day...and rather than freaking out when they were far from shore, I decided to make life easier, and freak out when they were close enough to drop me back off with Gramma Mindy...they  took the paddleboat out without 

me, and missed me, but I was happy to be on dry-land, and happier to be rid of my giant yellow marshmallow...

I got to relax with Dad in one of his favorite places next to the lake...

Yes, he's in his pajamas. Yes he spent most of the week like that. Yes he's OK with you knowing that.

Towards the end of the week, JustRichy showed me how the other half (The tall half) live, and took me on a shoulder-mounted trip around the campsite...man, the world looks a lot different from up here...Can you tell that I'm having fun? Just a little?

All in all, it was an incredible vacation, and I hated to leave, but I was excited to be getting home (With a quick return appearance in Connecticut to visit Dad's family!) 

I'll miss looking out onto the lake, and watching the sun set behind the mountains, but at least I have the trip to look forward to next year! 

Adding yogurt to my peaches!

I'm going to veer away from my August travel updates for a second here, to clue you all in to something new that has been presented to my palate.  

The other day, Dad blew my mind by mixing yogurt with my peaches...

Now, I already love peaches (they're delicious, yet are a pain to prepare...that's why I let my parents prepare them for me...) but adding the yogurt creates a whole new world of taste! The next day, they sent me to daycare with bananas and yogurt!

NOW...I can have yogurt with fruit, or fruit minus yogurt! Or someday when I get a little better at working my mouth, yogurt solo!

If you haven't tried it yet, mix some yogurt with your favorite fruits...it truly is a delight!

Some timeline changes...

Hello all...

Sometimes, I am prone to getting events down in my head a little out of order...I suppose that the fact that my brain works that way, is indisputable proof that, no matter how fair my hair or eyes...I am my father's son...

Mom has helped me clarify some of the events that occurred last month, and has also helped me to clarify what order they occurred in. I have made this changes throughout the thread that pertains to my "Epic Journey" please feel free to reread them to get the correct timeline, and even some bonus pictures....

Thank you for your patience, and support!

BREAKING NEWS!!

Yesterday, for the first time ever....I pulled myself up to a standing position on the bed!

I was on the bed, and Mom had me crawling around on the bed while she was going through some new boxes of clothes sent down from Connecticut (Thanks everyone!!)

I decided that my parents weren't freaked out enough, so in an effort to get a better look around the bedroom, I moved onto my hands and knees (Still not interested in crawling...thanks, though.) and slowly pulled myself up, using one of the boxes for leverage!!

And there I stood...triumphant, yet mildly horrified, as I still don't really know what I'm supposed to do next. I see Mom and Dad do it all the time, but easier seen than done, I suppose...

After a moment or two, I plopped down on the bed, giggling at myself, and allowing myself a few moments of unabashed pride

An Epic Journey Part II: A Wedding on a Boat! (With an Island Reception!)

After Friday's little adventure...we loaded up the car on Saturday and headed to points North. Our car was packed to within an inch of its life (Sorry...I require lots of stuff...Dad keeps teasing Mom that we have to buy a minivan....Mom won't have it.)

The trip to Portland was quite long (9 or 10 hours or so) and by the end of it, I am not ashamed to admit that I was a wreck.

After a projectile vomiting laced stop on the highway (We had to stop a lot to give me a break from the carseat....c'mon, man...I give you guys SO much more quiet time in that thing than a lot of kids.) We powered on into Portland. Staying on the cheap, we hit our HOJOS which smelled like a delicate mix of smoke and mold.

Suffice to say, we asked for a different room.

Next was another crying-filled (though thankfully brief) drive from the hotel to the pre-wedding dinner. After being mired in traffic downtown within sight of the restauarnt, Mom freed me from my plastic prison, and walked me to the restaurant. Everyone was really excited to see us, and I dutifully fulfilled my role as "community baby", being passed around.

The place was this great little flatbread pizza place on the water in downtown Portland. We were right on the water, so I got to see a lot of seagulls, and boats. The food took awhile, so we got to hang out there for awhile. After dinner, I fell asleep in Mom and Dad's friend Laura's arms, and was whisked away to sleep...

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to head over to the boat.

That's right...the title of this blog is not just a clever reference to the humorous SNL Digital Short....the wedding itself was actually held on the boat! A schooner to be exact. The Wendameen.

Upon arriving, I discovered that Dad's friend has a thing about monkeys at weddings (He tried to arrange a real one at Mom and Dad's wedding, but apparently monkeys don't grow on trees...they just hang in them) I was able to meet the monkey, and I have to say, we got along famously right off the bat...

Here, Dad's friend's Mom shows me the monkey (Cleverly dressed as a sailor for the boat ride) and I had a really hard time hiding my excitement...

Speaking of hiding my excitement...

The boat ride was SO...MUCH....FUN!

Let me say this again...SO MUCH FUN!

Everyone was super helpful on the boat, with people helping Mom and Dad carry my stroller, and entertain me. It was so much fun! While it was a bit chilly, Dad kept me strapped to him in the Bjorn, and I hardly felt it. I also got to wear my adorable hoody for the first time.

The long-awaited wedding finally began, and after some heartfelt vows, Chris & Lynette were married. I had a great view, and aside from crying at the end of the vows (It wasn't the emotion of it all...clapping scares me, and people clapped at the end of the vows...don't ask why clapping scares me. I have yet to figure it out, but if I do, you'll be the first to know.)


The sun came out right after their vows, which was super cool! (and helped warm us up a bit) As a final surprise, Dad's friend's monkey (who got gussied up for occasion) finally got his bride, and the two of them looked so very happy together!


We continued on to a small island called Cow's Island for the reception! While everyone dined on sumptuous appetizers and drinks, I took the opportunity to catch a little cat nap...


Once dinner started in earnest, belly dancers arrived, which I thought was pretty cool. Their belts jingled, and really...that's the best way to keep my attention. They were really nice to me, and got a kick out of me watching them. Again, people insisted on clapping, which was a little upsetting, but as long as there was just music and dancing, I was OK.


During dinner, Dad's friend, Mike let me play with a lobster claw (I was thoroughly cleaned afterward) It was really cool! Smelly, but cool.

I tried my first blueberries, which Mom and Dad's friend Laura mashed up for me. I liked the taste of them, but the skins weren't doing it for me.


The wedding blew right by, and before I knew it we were back on the schooner, and off to dock in Portland. (Apparently, I also slept for awhile)

Did I mention I also got to play with the monkey again for a little while? The groom was kind enough to let me hold him while his sister held me...Again, I find it hard to contain myself...


Continuing our adventure, we hopped into the car straight away, and drove on to Houlton, Maine....location of Mom's family's cabin!

I was exhausted, but I powered through, and only had to stop a couple times for a break...

Next up....my first time in Houlton!

An Epic Journey Part I-Connecticut!

Earlier this month (and at the tail end of July) I mentioned that I was about to embark on an epic journey. This was to be my finest moment, but also one of the most difficult that I have endured during my time on this Earth.

Due to the way the timing worked out, Mom and Dad were invited to a wedding in Maine (in Portland) in August, which is when they usually go to the family cabin in Northern Maine. It was my Dad's oldest friend, and they couldn't possibly miss it, so they shuffled their Maine trip around a bit and decided to combine the wedding in Portland, and the Maine cabin vacation.

And THEN they thought, "We wanna take Gramma Debbie to see West Side Story in New York City, since it's her favorite play....why don't we add THAT to the mix, too!"

Suffice to say...it was gonna be a long couple weeks.

We drove up on Thursday, July 30, since the play was that night. We had a long drive, and by the end of it, I was all done being in the car seat.

This would prove to be a theme of mine throughout the rest of the week.

Mom and Dad dropped me off with Gramma Mindy and met Gramma Debbie at the train station. I saw them off, and they were off to the big city, while I got to spend the night with Gramma Mindy.

Mom, Dad and Gramma Debbie enjoyed the play very much, and even though it was sometimes difficult, they pulled it off.

In an effort to visit Gramma Debbie before we headed up to Maine, we drove out in a pretty vicious storm (Which actually ended up being a tornado in some places) and right before Gramma's exit, a tree fell across the highway, effectively closing it down.


I must say, I kept pretty calm throughout the ordeal, and got to see a big construction truck zoom by to help clean up the mess, but I was done with this little sidetracking by the end of it. Mom tried singing many songs, and Dad let me drive a little bit...

But really, I was just exhausted. The tree stopped us for almost two hours, though it felt like days...



We finally made it to Gramma Debbie's, and Mom and Dad ate dinner while everyone tried to calm me down...I was pretty upset. I didn't think I'd have to spend all that extra time in the car. :-(

And with that, my time in Connecticut had come to a close yet again, and I was off to Maine for the first time...

Sam...now with clapping!

The past few days has seen me start clapping for things that make me happy...and things that kind of make me happy...and things that I deem worthy of applause just because I find them worthy of it, even if it's not necessarily amusing...I am quite sneaky about clapping, and then quickly stopping when Mom or Dad tries to take a picture of me, but as you can see above, Dad not only connived me into a still shot, but even got a bit of video. It's a lot of fun to clap, and I wholeheartedly endorse it!

I have also begun waving, but am a bit embarrassed by how rough it is. It is nowhere near the graceful wave goodbye or hello that it should be. Rather, it's a flopping, sort-of wave....at least I'm waving in your general direction...many kids wave at themselves first, and I think to myself, "Don't do it! The grown-ups are gonna laugh at you!" but they don't listen...now, whenever I wave, I merely ask that people say "Byyyee! Hello!!" in a higher than usual pitch voice, and wave madly at me...

So go me! Give me, uh, a round of applause...now I can join you!