A Vermont Wedding in the Woods!

Well...after a well-deserved vacation in Maine, I have returned to continue updating you on our newest adventures!

Before I headed off to The Maine Cabin with Mom and Gramma Mindy (Dad is sitting this year out) we stopped for a couple days in Vermont. One of Mom's oldest friends was getting married, and we were lucky enough to get to go.

We spent the nights in a lovely little Motel, but the wedding itself was held at a gorgeous cabin on a Lake. It was a very low-key, and mellow affair, but it was so much fun.

We got there and saw how nice and rustic the place was, and immediately we knew that we'd have a great time.

When I got there, the first thing I did was run as fast as I could down the big grass hill, and dive headfirst....

...landing on the grass and destroying my pants but having a blast in the process.

But hey....who buys a toddler white pants? They've lasted through two weddings, and Mom and Dad certainly have gotten their money's worth...so went to town on 'em!


Also, when I arrived, I found out that there were a few more kids of varying ages, which is nice because a lot of times there aren't any other kids.......this time there was, and my favorite was a boy named Jasper. I kept asking Mom and Dad what his name was, and then proceeded to follow him around the camp most of the day calling out his name (sometimes calling him Christopher Robin, because his adventurous spirit reminded me of Pooh Bear's dear friend....also because I kept forgetting his name)

He was really nice, and played with me a lot. He was patient with having me call his name out all day, and even gave me a tennis ball of my very own to have! (His quote "I have too many tennis balls at home...I have a problem.")

I had a lot of fun tagging along with him, and getting to play with a big kid (sometimes he'd do stuff I couldn't do, like climb up on cars and in trees and stuff...but even though I couldn't do it, I was in awe to watch him...)

The cabin was located on the edge of a lake, and Dad hiked up his pants, while Mom changed me into my bathing suit...it was kind of chilly, and I was a bit afraid, so I didn't go whole-hog into the water, but Dad followed me while I ran around, splashed a lot, and got wet...

Later on, while chasing Jasper around, trying to find him when he swam out to the dock, I slid on a rock, and hurt my arm...Mom and Dad were kind enough to refrain from taking pictures during my injury...it was just a few scratches, but it was scary and I was very lucky a lady was close enough to me to grab me as I fell...Mom and Dad were just out of reach and couldn't get me...however, after thanking the woman, they cleaned me up, and I was back, and ready for action!

Mom started playing baseball with me, and in order to help her avoid getting hit in the face while I swung the bat around, Dad set up a makeshift tee-ball...I got to hit the ball off of it, and felt like a real baseball player!

While I avoided much of the food due to my recent general avoidance of food, it was very down to Earth and quite delicious...the setup was a visual feast, as much as it was delicious to eat!


After we ate, us kids got together and ran around...A LOT. We chase each other around the hills at the cabin, and jumped around trying to get as dirty as humanly possible.
I like to think that I had a leg up, since I am truly committed to getting dirty...it's an art for me, really...a passion that I think many people take for granted in their daily lives...get messy, people! You have more clothes at home!

There was a lot of toys and things for the guests to play with, since the theme of the wedding was love, and general whimsy...the only thing cooler than having a grownup blow bubbles so you could chase them around...is being able to blow the bubbles yourself...so you could chase them around.

Towards the end of the day, when things were winding down, Dad found one of those guns that shoot the plastic spinner up into the air...

He loaded up the spinner for each of us, and let us fire it up into the air. He was really good at setting us up so we each had a turn...I wanted to run off and chase the ones I fired, so the other kids were kind enough to let me...

We would simply never tire of this...watching the spinner launch up into the air, spinning quickly into a blur of pink or blue or orange (my favorite was the blue one) was simply magical...

I tried to wind it myself a couple times, but luckily Dad was there to set it up, since it required some very specific skills to get it wound properly...it was certainly a fun way to wrap up the evening!

As we left, we were lucky enough to catch the fireworks that they were setting off, and I was thrilled to get to sit back in the car with Mom and Dad and watch them through the sunroof in our car...

What a perfect weekend...

Oh wait...here's another picture of me running...have I mentioned that I spent most of the day running up and down the hill, and all around the campground?

Congratulations to Mom's friend and her new husband....you guys had a really fun, and beautiful wedding!!! The ceremony was lovely, and very relaxed, and everyone I met at the wedding was very nice to me, and a lot of fun...

Next up....Maine!!

TODDLER_TOUR_2011_LEG_5_A SUMMER TRIP TO GRANDPA AND GRAMMA DEBBIE'S

Since we had the time available to us, and it made the drive a bit easier to do it in stages, we stopped at Grandpa and Gramma Debbie's to hang out for a couple days before we journeyed north to our final wedding of the year. We arrived on Thursday and had a cookout on the grill (Which Dad botched spectacularly with the help of Grandpa and Uncle Steve.

Everyone on Dad's side of the family was there, and we had a great time. Braelynn is full-on walking now, which means that I get to chase after her and play with her to help with her walking skills.

Nicholas is crawling up a storm, and creeping towards being able to walk...but Braelynn is just off like a shot when I run away!

She also liked when I chased her around the yard. She ran away from me, giggling like crazy.

She was having such a great time, that she even let me hug her a bit...and after I did, she would push me, causing me to dramatically fall on the grass. (One time I shoved her down in return as a joke, but I forgot to clue her in on it, and she fell backwards, none too happy that I had pushed her....but she's a good sport, and jumped right back into playing with me again...)

After dinner, once we were inside, Nick and I played with some legos. He was really getting his hands in there and pulling out the pieces. Since he currently lacks both the coordination and the strength to actually put the blocks together, I decided that we would divide the labor, and he would pull out blocks for me, while I put them together. I thought it worked out quite well, actually...

I went to bed, and Mom, Dad, Uncle Steve and my (Second?) cousin Cynthia went out to see Harry Potter (Which they said was amazing) We all woke up the next day, had breakfast, and headed north to continue our journey....

Braelynn's First Birthday!

See! I TOLD you it'd be soon! Only a week later, we turned right back around (after having unpacked, and repacked on the same night) and returned to Connecticut to represent at my cousin Braelynn's first birthday party! (The picture above was stolen from Facebook by my Dad for reference, as Braelynn spent a lot of time sleeping while we were there...so we didn't get to take our own picture...she's very beautiful, though, right?!)

I know what that's like, trust me...I've had those days...especially at my own first birthday party, which was slightly overwhelming...


Now, just because the birthday girl was asleep, doesn't mean we had any less fun! There was still TONS of people to see, and stuff to do!

The little pool that I had all to myself last time, was a bit crowded with little ones this week, but that didn't stop me from hopping in and cooling off. (Somehow, I was the oldest kid there....how is THAT possible? I'm two and a half!!)

We also spent some more time playing baseball! Uncle Mike was VERY brave, and held the ball in his hand, making it MUCH easier to get a good hit off of it...look at that ball go!!!

I got to see Grandpa for awhile too...and we hung out, chatting it up while looking over some of Braelynn's birthday haul. (Yes, that's a water table that my Gramma Debbie got a great deal on! Braelynn is super lucky!!)

This weekend, we weren't limited to the little pool, as the big pool was finally ready for prime time! Uncle Mike helped me dip my fingers in to see if it was the right temperature for me, and it certainly was!

Soon enough, I had hopped in with Gramma Mindy, and cooled off like a big boy. (I'm still a little shy, thus the t-shirt, and water shoes...it's a habit? What can I say...)

Gramma Debbie came out to cool off a bit, but couldn't go into the pool since she had cut her hand a few days earlier. :-( Poor Gramma Debbie...it was nice to see her though! She was gracious enough to let me splash her, as long as I didn't get her bandage wet....I am happy to report that her hand is healing nicely, and NEXT TIME I'm getting her in that water with me!!

And what nice water it was! I got to splash around in my tube while Dumas and Lynette watched me...they were ALSO kind enough to let me splash them a bit (Though I suspect that they had ulterior motives, since it was pretty hot out, and I was cooling them off!)

As is typical with these events, I finished it off with a cupcake....oh how delicious it was...I hung out on the couch with Gramma Mindy, savoring the rich sweetness of it (Pink frosting, of course, as it's Braelynn's favorite color...or at least Auntie Steph HOPES it's her favorite color. ;-) ) and watching some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...


What a fun party, with beautiful weather, and lots of nice people to hang out with...

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, BRAELYNN!!!

TODDLER_TOUR_2011_LEG_4_BASEBALL AT GRAMMA DEBBIE'S!

As we sometimes do, we stopped at Gramma Debbie's on the way home to DC on Sunday a few weekends ago...Uncle Steve and Aunt Amy were there, and Dad was kind enough to pack my Toy Story bat and baseball set...


Aunt Amy tried to help me with my hand-eye coordination by throwing the ball to me, and having me hit it....I still have to work on that a bit...I understand the principals, but the timing isn't quite right yet...

Uncle Steve attempted the same method, and I had a bit more success, but a true hit continues to elude me...

It's not for lack of trying...I really swung the bat at those pitches, and tried as hard as I could to hit them the best I could...but trying to connect something so small with something else so small is proving difficult. Dad blames himself and his "non-sports" genes, but I think I can overcome.

Finally, Uncle Steve chased after me when I had sort of hit the ball, and rather than just tag me "out", he grabbed me, lifted me up, and made me beg for mercy (in a fun, baseball-y kind of way, of course. :-) )

After our game of baseball, it was back on the road (Man, I have truly logged a lot of miles being only two and a half) and off to see Dad again...


See you soon, Connecticut!! (Like seriously....REALLY soon....stay tuned...)

TODDLER_TOUR_2011_LEG_3_KEEPING COOL AT GRAMMA MINDY'S!

Sorry about the movie detour....I was just SO excited and I simply HAD to tell you about it!!

Now...back to catching up...several weekends ago, after the BBQ at Grandpa and Gramma Debbie's, we sent Dad packing back home to DC, and I continued on so I could hang out at Gramma Mindy's place for a couple days!

We headed off to the splash park near Gramma Mindy's, which is one of my favorite things to do!

I don't know how much I've talked about this place, but it's basically a giant maze of pipes and fountains that you can run around and play in...if you figure out the pattern of the water, you can even tell what fountain is going to spray next!

We were lucky enough to have JustRichy come along for the ride, and he hung out with me...now, he wasn't just a carefree observer....he hoisted up his pant legs, and got right in there with me!

We both did a lot of running around (Me a little more than him, but that's typical...I tend to run around a little more than most grown-ups) and enjoyed being cooled off during such a hot day!

I will admit, that it DID take me a little while to warm up to the splash park (as it does with most things) but once I was ready, there was no stopping me!

After we had had our fill of splashing about, JustRichy toweled me off, and we headed back to Gramma Mindy's...

Now, this is not to say that the fun ended once the splash park visit did...we also kept cool by hiding out inside at Gramma Mindy's...and what was waiting there for me...but PLAY-DOH!

They wisely set up a platter on the table so that I could mold my creations safely without fear of destroying any upholstery or carpeting...but even with that limitation, we had a ball!

(Note the cameo of Mom's old "Angela Stool" in the picture above...it used to be Mom's when she was younger! How cool is THAT!?)

Gramma Mindy even took the time to make me a small Play-Doh Teddy Bear, who I fell in love with immediately. When we were done playing, we placed him gently into one of the containers, so that I could see him again someday....he was just adorable...
As with most things, JustRichy proved to be an awesome Play-Doh teammate. We had a lot of fun using lots of colors to make our sculptures. I hope to one day own one of those playsets like I've seen for sale online. You know, the ones that make crazy shapes out of the Play-Doh. I think they are called "Fun Factories".

What? You think I only use the internet for this blog? I check out toys all the time...mark my words.


Mark them! :-)

Later, JustRichy and I followed tradition and played the piano together...this time around, we changed it up, and I played two keyboards at once, much like the great prog rock keyboardists of the 70's and 80's....it was pretty amazing.


As always, a good time was had by all, with more to come, I'm sure!

My First Movie!!!

I'll take a break from catching up with old blog entries by talking about something that happened just yesterday...why you ask?

Well, yesterday, Mom and Dad decided to take me to see a movie in the theater for the very first time!

They had been seeing previews for the new Winnie the Pooh movie (The first one that has been shown in the theaters in many many years) and thought that it'd be the perfect movie to take me to...and they were right!
While we walked to the theater, we all talked about who were going to see...Mom and Dad talked about Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Kanga, Roo and Owl...but they had forgotten Eeyore! So I filled in the blank by shouting "Eeyore!!"

Before we knew it, we were at the theater....Mom and Dad bought tickets and some snacks, and we sat down in the theater...I was SOOOO excited....I sat on Dad's lap, and even tried a few pieces of popcorn (it was delicious, but I was engrossed in the movie and stuck with my pretzel bites instead....popcorn is apparently a choking hazard...but it was nice to test it out)

There were easily 215 previews, which were fun, but they were really trying my patience...I was getting so excited that I nearly exploded when I saw the preview for the new Muppets Movie...

The lights dimmed, and we were treated to a cartoon short about the Loch Ness Monster, which was fun...(And yes...Dad took this picture before the movie, so we weren't bothering anyone. :-) )

After the delightful little short, the main feature began, and I was simply entranced...I sat there for just over an hour, enjoying myself with the movie...I danced on Dad's lap during the songs, and really had a such a great time. Mom and Dad seemed to enjoy the movie as well. They told me that it was a new story, but retained the classic feel of the old Pooh cartoons...I won't spoil anything, but I will say that if you're in the mood for a good old-fashioned bit of hand-drawn animation that is just a joyful bit of fun, Winnie the Pooh 2011 is for you.

When the movie was over, I immediately wanted to watch it again, but I contented myself with watching the little bits of animation that played over the ending credits....

When it was over, we walked home, filled with the happiness that only seeing a good movie in a darkened theater with a bunch of other like-minded people can bring...