People actually DO read this thing...

So....blogger has completely revamped their interface...(you may have noticed some formatting problems with my pictures in the last few posts, as I adjust to the new way of doing things...) I must say that for the most part the changes are an improvement over the original...there is a lot more control and ease of use that looks more complex, but once I get the hang of it I'm sure it will be a piece of cake...there are a lot of new customizations one can use like location tagging and what-not (which I won't really be engaging in until I'm a bit older) Adding pictures is also WAY easier and intuitive....

One of the interesting things they have added is an overview and graph of the amount of page views your blog is getting, and a bunch of other stats specific to learning more about the number of people who visit the blog, and when they're doing so...check this out! This is the one from today...

Now, I knew that people enjoyed the blog, as many have told me...but it is humbling to see that I have 4700 views over the last three years (which doesn't seem like a lot until you consider the fact that I started this blog mainly just to entertain and inform the members of my family that don't live close by...and really, much as they love me, it's simply not possible for Gramma Debbie and Gramma Mindy to look at this blog 230 times in one month...so someone else must be enjoying it)

So thanks to my fans...obviously my Grammas are my biggest fans, so I thank them so much for giving me reason to continue the blog...the rest of my family and friends have supported it as well, so to you, cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Great Aunts and Uncles, friends and friends of friends...thank you....

And to you quiet ones that stop by to see what I'm up to, or even if you just pop in to see the exclusive pictures that Mom and Dad don't post to Facebook and don't read a word of what I say...thanks for visiting. I am happy that you're interested in what I'm up to, and will continue to do my best to be a source of entertainment and happiness, as you are for me.

Oh...and here's a fun new picture of me helping Daddy make some waffles from scratch the other day to thank you for stopping by.

Trick or Treating 2011

So this year's Halloween has been a full one, I must say!

In addition to all the previously mentioned celebrations, I got gifts from both Gramma Mindy, and Gramma Debbie! Gramma Debbie sent me some clothes, a story book, and a coloring book. After reading the superhero story (Where is Spiderman hiding in this one!?) a coupel times, I got right down to coloring in my Halloween-Themed coloring book....

Gramma Mindy sent along some stuff, too, including a very cool book with sliding panels. You can read the book, and then when you slide open the panels, the stuff hiding behind them enhanced the story with more information and pictures (or answered questions that were in addition to the story, like "How many Mummies do you see?" etc) It was very cool. (Note my last wearing of my Mummy PJs from last year...)

In addition to this cool stuff, I also got to go out to Trick or Treat this year! Even though the thing we do at daycare is lots and lots of fun, I got to actually go outside and go from house to house for a little while to take part in a time-honored tradition with lots of other kids. Mom and Dad's friends invited us to their neighborhood (Since we live in an apartment, and trick or treating is kind of hard there, their friends were kind enough to invite us to a safe neighborhood with lots of kids, and trusted neighbors) Here they are being the first people that I trick or treated from (Actually, Dad said the "Trick or Treat" part since I was still feeling a bit shy at the new situation)

Even though Mom has been under the weather with a respiratory infection, she still came out with us (What a trooper! She did have lots of fun, I must admit....) Look at this great picture she took of Dad and I (Yes...I made him carry me the whole way....and he let me hold the flashing light that helped tell cars that we were out and about)

We walked next door, and I began warming up to the idea of talking to people...just like the other events we went on, people seemed to be genuinely taken by my costume and personality (I try to be modest here, but sometimes people simply won't let me....)

A few doors down was a nice man who had two little dogs that both intrigued and terrified me. He and I talked at length and he told my Mom and Dad that he foresaw me becoming something special in my grownup years. We had a lot of fun talking together and yelling "No!" and "Yes!" back and forth at each other. We were like an olde tymey comedy duo back in action for the first time....

The man and I even yelled back and forth to each other at his neighbor's house, becaue he yelled to his neighbor "You have to talk to The Cat in the Hat....he's hilarious!" And then he and I threw back and forth some more witty banter...

I was moving and grooving, guys...whenever Mom asked me "Sam...what does the Cat in the Hat say?" I would dutifully reply (With a huge grin) "Your Mother will not mind AT ALL if you do!!" just like they do in the books and on the TV show...I was on fire, I tell ya! I was bringing my best material out for all to see!

After one or two more houses (We kept it simple this year as it was my first, and it was already getting late) we stopped at the house of this nice lady who I finally said "Trick or Treat!" to...she was thrilled, and gave me a Rice Krispie Treat, which I simply can't WAIT to eat....

We saw LOTS of kids in some really cool costumes...it was so much fun to be a part of such a big event...there was a kinship there that I really appreciate in life...very fun stuff...

And of course....what Halloween would be complete without enjoying the spoils of your journey! Mom and Dad were kind enough to bend the rules a bit and let me have a piece of candy before bed when we got home (AFTER supper of course...) People gave out a pretty good variety of stuff, so I didn't get stuck with too many of one type of treat....

Once again, even though it had its challenges, Halloween was a resounding success. We did so many fun things throughout October to celebrate it and I can't wait to do it again next year!

Happy Halloween 2011!!

The other day was our annual Halloween parade and party at my daycare. Mom and Dad were kind enough to give me a choice in my costume, and since I am hugely into all things Cat in the Hat right now (Books, the TV show, wearing random hats and proclaiming myself The Cat In The Hat, etc) I picked the Cat in the Hat as my costume this year!!! How cool is THAT?!

As soon as the costume arrived, it was nearly impossible for them to get that hat off of my head. They were wise in that they put the costume itself away so it wouldn't get damaged or dirty before the big day. I kept asking where the bowtie was...and they had to calmly explain that they were keeping it safe for me.

I begrudgingly accepted their rationale.

We arrived at daycare, and I met up with all of my friends...there were lots of cool costumes...there were two Buzz Lightyears (One was a girl, which was cool) a firefighter, a SuperGirl, a football player (About whom Dad kept remarking, "Look at his little helmet!") and lots of other fun stuff...

The first thing we did was the parade....we walked around outside the building, and some people came out to watch us (Not as many as last year because it was freezing this year! Never have I ever been so glad to have been wearing a furry Halloween costume!!)

As is typical, I got very excited and ran up ahead...Mom and Dad tried to keep up while I ran off on my own to lead the parade....I must have been a pretty good leader, since every time I turned around, everyone was dutifully following me.They seemed to enjoy the fact that my hat helped to make it easier to find me at any given moment....I think they may try to have me wear it all the time for that very reason.

I will not fight them. That hat is awesome. Can we talk about that for a second? I mean, look at that thing...the price of the costume was worth it just for the hat, let alone the cozy cozy Cat outfit...

Also, I am not confirming or denying the following information...but there just might be pictures of me wearing only the hat and a diaper that Mom and Dad referred to as "Sam at Burning Man" whatever that means...

Anyway...once we were finished with our parade, we went upstairs to a conference room in the office building where there were a lot of staff members seated in a line so we could move down the line and do a trick-or-treat session. They do this every year, and it's always fun for all involved....Once again, and this boggles my mind, you simply walk up to a complete stranger, say "Trick Or Treat" and they just give you candy. How much easier could it possibly be!? This is a pretty solid holiday, I must say. Many people remarked that I was super cute, and who was I to argue?


Dad had to convince me to slow down! In my excitement, I kept running past all the people with the candy...Mom was helping with some of the other kids, but she was right behind me the whole time. :-) 

I sat down with my friends after I ran down the gauntlet of people and checked out my haul...not bad, if I do say so myself! A pretty good variety of both chocolate and lollipops was waiting for me....You'll notice the cool candy collectors that the teachers helped us make out of some paper plates during our craft time last week....pretty cool, right? I decorated mine with lots of great Halloween colors!

After the event, we helped some of the other kids get back to the classroom, and had some water to drink...since today was not a day I usually went to daycare, I went back home with Mom and Dad...because of their crazy schedules, it's always nice when we can all do something like this together, and have a lovely time!

To everyone going out for Halloween tonight, I hope you'll stay safe and have lots and lots of fun! Depending on the weather, and how I'm feeling, I may see you out there! Either way:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving 2011!!

As you may recall from THIS blog post, we all went to pick pumpkins up at Homestead Farms in Maryland....sadly, our pumpkin began rotting soon after we bought it...apparently, the pumpkin season was a difficult one this year, and many people had a hard time with medium to large sized pumpkins...(Dad said he ran into a lady who was getting a replacement pumpkin for her and her kids because they started carving their pumpkin and found bugs in it! Eeewww!)

So...that leads us to the story....Dad met this lady because he was out getting us a new pumpkin. Luckily, our tiny pumpkin made it out unscathed, and still adorns our dining room cabinet, but our larger one had to be thrown out.

Dad asked me what kind of face I wanted on the pumpkin and I told him I wanted a sad face. He double-checked with me, and I confirmed that yes...I wanted a sad face. He drew a sad face and I was very excited.

Dad cut the top open so that we could get inside, and he was really nice to let me sit next to him and watch....

Of course, even though he picked out a pumpkin with a nice awesome shape, he didn't take into account the fact that his hand would be too big to scoop out the guts....

I had to step up and do some scooping....I dramatically referenced It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! cartoon by yelling, "I didn't know you were gonna kill my pumpkin...waaaahhhh!"

Mom and Dad were understandably amused.

I decided to try to be funny by licking the lid of the pumpkin...

And immediately regretted it.

Dad and I worked some more, while Mom took pictures (She is still sick) and then we stood back to admire the final product....very classy for a last-minute pumpkin replacement, don't you think?

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

This year, I got to watch my first Halloween Cartoon Special...it was called It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! (They added the exclamation point, not me...though I must say, after having watched it, I would added one myself, had they not gone and done it for me already.

It was a very good cartoon....On Halloween night, the gang, including Charlie Brown's younger sister Sally, goes trick-or-treating. On the way, they stop at the pumpkin patch to ridicule Linus' missing the festivities, just as he did last year; but Linus is convinced that the Great Pumpkin, recognizing the sincerity of his patch, will come, and even persuades Sally to stay and wait with him. The gang goes off, leaving Linus and Sally behind. During trick-or-treating, everyone gets assorted candy, apples, gum, cookies, money, and popcorn balls except for Charlie Brown, who gets a rock from every house they visit.

I kept trying to figure out what the deal was with Snoopy. There is a whole random offshoot plot of him as a World War flying ace (which was actually a little scary at first...it's got a lot of shooting in it....but Mom and Dad watched it with me, so I was OK)

It was a lot of fun, and I have watched it a couple more times, since...I look very forward to making this a yearly tradition. For some reason, Mom and Dad have the movie on a storage media called "VHS Cassette" I kept asking them where the CD for the movie was, but they just laughed at me...

I was even dressed in my It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! shirt to mark the event...Halloween has been a lot of fun this year so far...

Pumpkin Picking 2011!

Well, it's that time of year again! Mom, Dad and I went out to Homestead Farms in Maryland to pick some pumpkins!

The trip would not have been complete without a hayride, and we got there just in time for one of the last ones of the day! We all hopped on, and rode through the farm. I buried Mommy in hay a little bit, and got to bop around in the back of the trailer for awhile...it was really cool. The scenery was great!

Once we made it out to the field, we walked around for awhile in an effort to find the best shaped and perfectly-sized pumpkin. It was fun to run around the field to see all of the pumpkins that they had to offer. Dad mentioned that because of the rough weather we had this year, there were a lot less pumpkins than usual, and a lot of them were rotted out (These rotted-out ones were of the greatest interest to me, much to Mom and Dad's chagrin)

There were a few false starts...sometimes you see a pumpkin and it speaks to you, but it isn't quite what you're looking for. We several instances like that (and several instances of me finding a suitable pumpkin, and then having my attention drawn elsewhere by another also-suitable pumpkin)

Finally, after much deliberation...I found the one I wanted most!

Mom was kind enough to not only help me in the choosing process, but she helped me carry it once I picked it out!

We hopped back onto the hayride (And got to watch as the driver of our hayride helped another driver get his tractor out of the mud he got stuck in....Dad was pretty impressed, and Mom was amused at how impressed he was...)

I was EXTREMELY excited about our pumpkin, and was also pretty psyched about getting back to the entrance to the farm because I knew there was even more stuff we could do there...

Waiting for me, as though she remembered me from last year, was the witch scarecrow decoration that they had put up on one of the barns...last year I was mortified, but this year I wasn't scared at all, and faced her down...I thought she added a nice bit of atmosphere to the place, and nothing more. :-)

We also couldn't resist going over to one of the little photo op dealies that were set up at the farm...Mom and I had a lot of fun with that one...

We also went over to the petting zoo that they had set up and saw some goats first...a little girl offered me some of her treats to feed the goats, but I politely declined, since the goats were looking a little aggressive today...so I was understandably concerned...


I mean, look at this guy:

Who exactly does he think he is popping up like this? C'mon, man...

Instead I grabbed a piece of hay, and tried to feed it to both the goats and the chickens (Because of the safety of being able to try and feed them from 9 inches away I was cool with it) They weren't all that interested, but I think it's because other people had spoiled them with the treats that the farm provided (Maybe I'll try those next year...)

In addition to our big pumpkin, we also picked up a lil decorative pumpkin for us to have around the house....how cute is this little guy?! (and no, I don't mean me....but thanks for thinking that! You KNOW you were!)

While Mom went to go pay for the pumpkins (And pick us up some apple cider at the farm stand....mmmmmm....)

Ad and I checked out the other pumpkins that the farm had for sale...I ran around the rows of pumpkins (and surprisingly only fell once....ouch!)

We wrapped up our trip, and headed home, happy that we had accomplished the mission...find pumpkins! A crisp, beautiful Fall day was perfect for our little outing! I can't WAIT to carve our pumpkin!

Trike-A-Thon 2011

A couple weeks ago, we did this really cool event at Daycare called a "Trike-A-Thon"

Basically, it's an event where we raise money for St. Jude's Children's Hospital by taking pledges prior to the event...we get either a flat donation, or a "Per Lap" donation...

Oh yeah...did I mention that we got to ride our tricycles (or bike if we had one) around a track at daycare for the trike-a-thon?!? Thus, the clever name for the event...

We brought our wheeled machines, and once the signal was given, we rode around the track as fast as we could, and as many times as we could!!! It was hilarious...I was so excited that I was yelling every time I went around the corners....

Every now and again we had pile-ups, but generally things were chaotic, but orderly...

We rode around and around as fast as we could...some kids got bored and stopped riding, but most of us kept on trucking...we wanted to do as many laps as we could in order to raise lots of money for the children's hospital.

I was surprised and impressed that they were able to get so many people to participate! If someone didn't have a bike to ride, the daycare had extras for them, which meant that everyone got to participate!!! We all had so much fun. (OK....admittedly, there were a few brief episodes of tears for whatever reason, but none of them came from me! I was too busy riding in circles, yelling, and laughing!!!)

In addition to my Dad, there were also a few other parents there, which was nice...anyone that was able to support us came out, and we appreciated them being there!


Round and round we went until the time was up! We averaged 74 laps for the event, and that is about on par with what they've had in years past...we were all really happy, and broke for some snacks and water to celebrate...since it wasn't one of my usual daycare days, Dad and I went home to have even more fun, and I will tell you...

I napped pretty darn hardcore that afternoon....