TODDLER_TOUR_2010_LEG_7-MAINE 2010!

Happy Labor Day to you all! To those fortunate enough to have the day off, and are looking for something to do, I present you with some holiday reading material!

Well...it's been a long time coming, but once you see this thing, you'll understand why.

It's kinda epic.

Two weeks ago, for only the second time in my well-traveled life, Mom and Dad took me to the cabin up in Maine. And when I say up in Maine, I mean up in Maine... the exit is literally one of the last ones on I-95 in Maine before you hit the Canadian border.

See the little red "A" in the picture above? That's Houlton...see the line on the right where the "95" highway icon mysterious changes to a more Canadian-looking green highway sign? Yep...that's Canada. Pretty cool, right?

All except for the long drive....while I had fun looking at all the trucks and buses....and reading tons of books...and playing with tons of toys...and singing tons of songs...it was a LONG drive. Mom and Dad talked about doing it in between 8-10 hours from Connecticut where we had stopped depending on traffic...we actually had a pretty sweet drive up there...made it in decent time considering the number of times I kindly requested a stop...but it was still a long time, man. It WAS a beautiful drive being so far out in the country, though...

Once we got there, it was amazing...two little cabins in the woods on the lake just the way I remember them...Gramma Mindy had gone up earlier, so I was excited when I got to see her there waiting for me.
She was nice enough to get me a few toys, including that pink bucket and a shovel that I really loved playing with in the lake down by the dock.

Mom and Dad also hung out with us at the dock, and we had such a nice time out by the lake. The scenery was beautiful, and the weather was perfect, except for a few drizzles...but even that wasn't so bad.

One of the other fun things we did was ride in the paddle boat...THAT was an adventure....first they put me in a life vest (Safety first) which was designed for little kids, but was still kind of puffy on me. (I'm runty...what do you want from me!?)

As you can see from my expression, I was a bit skeptical about this whole proposition...

But Mom and Dad eased me into the paddle boat. Dad held me on his lap, and both Mom and Dad paddled to get us out onto the lake...

We got pretty far out on the lake! It was such a great view, and we got to get a really good look at the cabin from far out, while Gramma Mindy stayed behind on the dock to watch us have fun, while taking some pictures of us!

I was laughing a lot, and having a great time (though in some of these pics I look a little concerned, since it was all a bit new to me, and that life vest was pretty hardcore)

We arrived back at the dock, and Mom helped me get that vest off of me. I was happy to be back on dry land, but certainly enjoyed the ride while we were out there.


The paddle boat is one of Mom and Dad's favorite things to do in Maine, and I can totally see why...

With Gramma Mindy keeping watch, I even hopped in the boat later while it was docked on land to practice driving it. I'll be a pro by the next time we go up there.

Gramma Mindy and I spent lots of time down by the dock playing in the water. Sometimes Mom and Dad joined in, and other times it was just me having some Gramma Mindy time.

I did a lot of splashing and playing. While I had a simply adorable bathing suit, I sometimes just dropped into the water wearing whatever I happened to have on at the time...

For some inexplicable reason, I felt the need to splash my face, and drink some of the lake water. Dad calmly remarked that he couldn't wait until we had to take me to the hospital to battle whatever lake parasites would infect me, but I made it through unscathed.

Which obviously means that next year I'll tempt fate and drink some more lake water. It was delicious. Crisp, cool...refreshing! What could possibly be wrong with that!?

Sometimes, when I got bored with running around the camp, I would hop in the car with Mom or Dad, and practice driving. I wanted to get a 16 year head start, and I gotta say...it is a different view from up here! So many buttons, and levers! LOTS of fun!

I have sat up here a few times with Mom or Dad to play for a bit, but this was probably the most driving I have gotten to do. Mom was a good sport about hanging out with me, and although everyone mentioned the irony of me wanting to hang out in the car when I had another 15 or so hours of driving ahead of me, I still had a blast!

In addition to the times at camp, we also spent a fair amount of time in town. Houlton is a great little town, with lots of unique little stores, and friendly people all around. Mom, Dad, Gramma Mindy and I went to a place called "Zippy's" for lunch one day, and I sat by myself in a big kid chair while I ate a delicious lunch of chicken tenders and french fries. Mom was semi-annoyed with Dad since he prematurely introduced me to ketchup, but I think that I can keep my need for the red stuff at bay. Mom knows of many kids that can't eat anything without an abundance of ketchup, but I think I will be the exception to the rule. I like it as an add-on, but don't need it to drown out the other subtle flavors of my meal.

After Zippy's, we stopped at the Houlton Dairy ice cream stand. I am told that Mom and Dad go there daily whenever they're in Maine, and I can see why. Homemade ice cream that tastes good, and is inexpensive. SUCH a great place....I can't wait until next year! Dad split a butterscotch dip cone with me...and for that, he is awesome.

In addition to trips into town, and playing on the lake, we also did a lot of relaxing. Mom and Dad called it "recharging their batteries" which I don't quite understand yet, as my batteries are fully charged after every nap. They read a lot, and Mom and Gramma Mindy both worked on a puzzle. Dad loved hanging out in the hammock near the lake, and I stopped by to hang out with him for a bit. The sunglasses were obviously a necessity to maintain my aura of "cool"

We spent a lot of time in the cabins themselves, often listening to music that I got to pick out, which was pretty awesome! Once I learned how to work the radio/cd player, I became the unoffical DJ for the week.

I even had my own little spot for when I ate lunch, and wasn't sitting in my high chair. It was a comfy ottoman to sit on, and I got to put my food on the table in front of me. I always feel so big when I get to eat when I'm not in my high chair.

We also spent a lot of time out on the porch, looking out onto the lake. It was so tranquil on the porch (except for when the jet skis came by...Dad said they they were called a "Sea Doo" I immediately picked it up, and started saying "Sea Do" when I heard the motors, to everyone's delight. I even sometimes mistake a motorcyle engine for a Sea Doo. I guess the fact that they're on land should tip me off, but I just get excited is all.
Dad was kind enough to prop up his legs while he was enjoying his morning coffee and reading to let me play for a bit.

On the picnic table, I met a real-life caterpillar for the first time! After reading about these furry little guys in books all these months, it was exciting to finally get to see a real one up close. After petting him gently for some time, I got a bit overenthusiastic, and started poking him a bit. He curled up into a little ball, and Dad kindly helped him get back into the woods. I had fun hanging out with him during the time we had, though...He was so soft! Wouldn't YOU poke him!?

This cabin has everything!

Sadly, as with all good things, our trip to Maine came to an end. Vacations are never quite long enough, it seems, but we packed a lot of fun into the time we had there. I got to have my own little rock to sit on near the lake while I was hanging out with Gramma Mindy and Mom...

...and know that I can always go back there at some point to enjoy it...everyone can feel free to use my rock, but know that it is, in fact, my spot.

I enjoyed the cabin so much, and can't wait to go back there next year....I will miss sitting in Poppy's big chair...he's my Great-Grandfather, and the reason we all have this cabin to enjoy together. He bought it years ago, used to spend summers up here, and he left it to his grandchildren when he passed away several years ago...Even though I never had the chance to meet you, you were still kind enough to leave me a little present to share with my family...thanks Poppy!


The drive home was long again, but I fell asleep towards the end. Mom and Dad quickly dropped me off, happy and asleep at Gramma Debbie's, and they went off to see a movie (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World...they highly recommend it)

The next day saw another drive back home, and thus ended our vacation...we'll be off the road for awhile to recuperate from the driving, but it was totally worth the trip. See you again soon, Maine!

Maine Bookends...

Sorry it's been awhile....such a long, lovely vacation (but still somehow too short) and so many pictures to go through...so many stories to tell...It's a biggun, I must say...It'll arrive soon, though. I promise!

To tide you over until my big epic Maine post, here is a quicky from my swing through Connecticut...

Whenever Mom and Dad head up to Maine, (most times) they cut the trip in half by having a stop-over in Connecticut. It breaks up the trip, and makes the drive a bit easier, while also allowing them to have a quick family visit...such was the case on this trip. The weekend we drove up, we got to see some people (I got to see lots of people while Mom and Dad did wedding stuff for my Dad's friend) and on the drive back, we got to stay over at Gramma Debbie's. As always, she had Pooh and Eeyore waiting for me (and introduced me to that little Snoopy blanket)

As I was getting ready for bed, I gave Eeyore a kiss goodnight...and then jumped right out of bed to play some more. :-) Sometimes I get so excited about being up and playing, that I conveniently forget that it's bedtime.

It's always nice getting a quick visit in whenever I can...next up...MAINE 2010!

Floor Food!

While I'm away for the week enjoying Houlton, Maine...I figured I'd give you guys another random glimpse into my life to tide you over until I return with my epic vacation post...

Dad caught a shot of me unabashedly enjoying "Floor Food" No, it's not some clever name...it's exactly what it sounds like...it's food I drop on the floor and happily gobble up (sometimes a few hours after I drop it there)

Now don't get me wrong....our place isn't a hideous mess of food everywhere (though I wish it were) Whenever I drop stuff like meatballs, and corn and what-not, it's cleaned up pretty fast, but when I drop cereal or crackers, sometimes I manage to hide it in a place that I can get back to later for an impromptu snack.

Most of the time, they manage to clean it all up, but there are those moments I live for when I can savor a snack that I have squirreled away, and there's nothing they can do about it! And sometimes, like in the picture above, it's just a case of me spilling some food, and happily eating it off of the floor. Don't worry, Dad is usually pretty good about vacuuming, so the food is not really in any danger of being all that gross. Plus, cereal and crackers are pretty good at repelling gross stuff.

Thus, floor food was born. Mom and Dad aren't thrilled with it (and probably won't be super-excited that I am sharing it) but this is a warts-and-all blog, folks. I know you can handle it.

Hi...I'm Samuel Pellegrino-Grant, and I sometimes enjoy floor food....

Gramma Mindy's July 2010 Visit!

Recently, we were treated to another visit from Gramma Mindy! As always, it was lots of fun for me, and also Mom and Dad got to have a bit of a break!

They got to go out and see a movie (Despicable Me, which they enjoyed despite having seen it in 2-D...they promised that once I'm old enough, I can see it too!) and even go out for a walk or two while Gramma Mindy held down the fort.

I got to see where Mom got her awesome cooking skills when Gramma Mindy did a bunch of cooking while she was here...she definitely earned her keep at The Pellegrino-Grant Inn....She made a SUPER tasty Eggplant Parmesan which I LOVED (and which even Dad, picky as he is, liked.)

We had a lot of fun throughout the week. We went to see a great exhibit on Norman Rockwell at one of the Smithsonian Museums which was fun, and afterward I got to run around the museum's atrium for awhile.

I also got to play some great games with Gramma Mindy. My favorite was "Ring Around The Rosie" Gramma Mindy, Teddy and I played this game a lot. I refer to it as "All Fall Down" but everyone knows what I mean when I say it...


We spin around and around...


And we're waiting for the best part of the song...

When we all fall down! And we laugh and laugh! Since then, I have also played this game with Mom and Dad, and they enjoy it almost as much as do. We laugh and laugh, and have such a great time.

Another great visit was had, and as I wished Gramma Mindy farewell, I was told that we'd be spending almost a week with her up at the cabin in Maine. I went there for the first time last year, and now I get to go when I can run around and really get into trouble...uhm, I mean have fun.

So yeah...the blog will be pretty quiet this week while we're away on vacation, but expect a full recap when I get back. We'll all be well-rested, and rearing to go, so you probably won't even have to wait that long for the blog post!

The Honeycomb Hideout....

Dad has dubbed the area under the dining room table "The Honeycomb Hidout" I love to play under there, and take my toys or blankets under there too! (Or in the case of the picture above, one of our dish towels from the kitchen...have I mentioned that I can say "Towel" quite clearly? I'm moving right along in the speech department, folks!)

Apparently the name came from a series of commercials in the 1980's from the "Honeycombs" cereal. From all accounts, they were pretty insane, but they featured kids in a little clubhouse that they dubbed "The Honeycomb Hideout"

Now, why Dad remembers this random fact when he can barely pull up seemingly important ones from just a few days ago is beyond me, but I love the name, and I love hiding and playing under there. Often, my ball or balloon (or both) end up under there. I go in to get them, and end up hanging out for ten minutes or so, just because it feels like a little space all my own.

If you're lucky, I'll let you in there with me to hang out...Mom and Dad have been two of the lucky invited few...

Are you next?

Puddles...

You know what I like doing?

I like to tip my sippy cup over and make puddles on my tray when I'm supposed to be eating.

Deal with it.

Now, the sippy cups are designed to be "spill-resistant", but they are not spill-PROOF.

I found a way to squeeze the spout so that I could pour water or milk all over my tray (or myself if I'm in the car) I then slap at the puddles, which really is a blast. You adults are missing out. My only downfall, is that I get so excited about the puddles that I inevitably start unconsciously saying "puddddlllless" and then the jig is up...Mom or Dad puts an end to it pretty quickly.

Killjoys...look how happy I am.

Fun at Daycare!

We do some fun stuff at daycare! I spend Monday through Wednesday there, and not only are the kids lots of fun, but the grown-ups that watch me are pretty great, too! We learn a lot, but still manage to balance it out and have lots of fun.

They like to do fun stuff around the daycare that changes all the time so that we don't ever get bored...like for example, there are different notes posted around with our birthdays written on them...sometimes they are themed like leaves for Fall, or they are just fun shapes like one of my favorites...balloons

Other times they do fun, yet mildly weird, stuff like this:

It looks like I'm wearing those clothes, and I get an idea of what I'd look like if I were much taller! Awesome boots, by the way...the suspenders make me feel like a farmer. Dad keeps telling me that he's "bringing suspenders back" Yeah Dad, I'll believe it when I see it...

Below is a picture of the door to my little cubby. There is where they keep all my stuff like extra clothes for waterplay (Or little accidents I might have) sunscreen, my lunch bag when I'm done with it, etc. How funny is this picture? My name is right on there so I know it's mine, and my picture is on there so that people know that I am happy, and adorable.

I have to say...Children in the Shoe Daycare? Two thumbs WAY up. Always something fun going on!