The Office Halloween Special

Yesterday, Joey's company had a Trick-or-Treat event for employees kids.  Connor dressed up as a pumpkin, per request.  He used a costume that I wore when I was a little kid, so it was a little worn, but it did its job.  If I have time I'll patch it up before the big Halloween festivities on Monday!

Connor was quite the social butterfly when he went around to the different offices and cubicles for treats.  He talked to everyone about candy, autumn (yes, he uses that word instead of 'fall'), calendars, etc.  He was quite concerned with one group who had the word "October" written on a white board, but instead of the calendar dates they had a bunch of mathematical symbols written.  He wanted them to erase it and write the calendar in its place!

After hitting up the conference room for some juice and treats, Mommy left Daddy and Connor so she could go have dinner with her friend, Meg.  I guess Joey put Connor to work because these were the pictures that were sent to me after I left.  Enjoy!

September

It's been a while since I've updated the blog, so let's play a quick game of catch-up!

Connor and I took a trip to C.N.Smith Farm in early September to grab a few apples and some mums.  Connor was fascinated with the little pumpkins, and just HAD to pick up a pumpkin of his own.  He still calls it his "new, little pumpkin".  It's super cute.  We also saw the animals they have there, and a baby goat managed to escape and was walking around by himself.  Connor had a great time petting him and the other animals.  We did try to get him to ride on a horse, but he was afraid.  I'm not sure why.  He's been on horses many times before, but I guess it's been a while since our last horse ride and he was a little skeptical.  He pet the horse, but didn't want to ride it.  We'll have to go back to try it again, I guess!

This month we also started soccer at the YMCA.  Connor has shown an interest in soccer over the past few months, so I thought it would be good for him to attend.  On the first day, however, shy Connor made his appearance.  He was extremely apprehensive about joining the other kids, and it was a challenge for me to coerce him into participating.  There were times I literally moved his leg so he could "kick" the ball.  By the end of class, he would at least kick the ball to other kids, but it had to be a "backwards" kick.  Week 2 (this past week), went better, but still not great.  He at least followed a few of the directions (like sit on the black line, wait in line, etc).  But the first half of class I was still trying to get him to kick the ball to another boy.  Once he finally did, we had to move on to a different station.  Baby steps, though!  He did well at kicking the ball in the goal (which was a HUGE improvement from the week before), so I was happy with that.  He even understood that when his turn was over, he had to wait behind the last kid in line.   I was happy with that.  I was worried he'd throw a fit if he wanted to keep kicking the ball.  He did have to dribble the ball in a square formation, which was challenging for him, but at least he participated.  Every week he seems to be making improvements, which is great.  I just hope he gets over his shyness and meets some new friends.  A few faces are familiar from swim lessons, so I hope he comes out of his shell to get to know them!

Last week we headed up to the Stone Zoo, and thanks to a Groupon we got half off two adult admissions!  Joey was out of town, so I took his parents with us!  Connor was thrilled to spend the afternoon with his Mimi and Papa, and I'm sure they were thrilled, too!  The zoo was nice, but not one of my favorites.  We still had a nice afternoon looking at all the animals, though.

 

Zoo!

Since we haven't been all season, Connor and I went to the Capron Park Zoo yesterday.  It was a beautiful day to go - not too hot at all!  I'm not sure Connor remembers going last year, but he loved seeing all of the animals.  They all seemed to be close to where he could see them easily, so that was a bonus.  He especially loved the rainforest display.  He's very much into Angry Birds "RIO" right now, so seeing all of the birds made him quite happy.  He also liked the Meerkat exhibit, especially since they were right up close to the glass.  He even took some pictures of them on his own!

The only disappointment was that the Otter's were napping inside a log, so Connor didn't get to see them.  He loves to watch them swim, but they were just too tired that day!

Connor is getting a shot of Mommy!

Not too sure what to make of Ron McD!

Stoughton Town Beach

While waiting to pay for my salad one day, I was reading the local paper. They had a picture that was taken at the "Stoughton Town Beach". WHAT? Stoughton has a beach? I knew there was a pond around, but I'd only ever seen lily-pad infested areas and didn't even realize there was a beach area to the Ames Long Pond. A few clicks of the mouse and I found the location!  Score! I thought it'd be a great little afternoon activity for Connor. It's PERFECT for small kids. It's a very small beach area, fenced in from the road, complete with bathrooms just feet away. There's a dock in the water, and kids can walk to it since it's so shallow. The other side of the dock is the "deep end" where bigger kids can swim and jump, but we stayed on the shallow side. There's also lifeguards on duty, who are active in making sure the kids walk on the dock and follow the rules. Even Connor had to be spoken to when he was "stomping" on the dock instead of walking. My little rebel! I did have to keep reminding Connor to stay on the inside of the docks, and after doing so the lifeguard said "thanks for your help, Mom" Anytime, Lifeguard. Just making sure my kid doesn't end up in the middle of the pond!

Anyway, the water was nice and warm, and after convincing Connor all was well, he was a fish! He didn't want to come out of the water. Only his hunger brought him to the shore! I definitely recommend it for an inexpensive afternoon out (there is a cost, but it's minimal).

Connor's "Raisin Hands" after being in the water for so long!

Beach Days

Family vacation in Maine means...

Playing with Emma...

 

Crabbing...

Reading with Emma...

Hangin' out with Uncle Nate...

Making dirt "meatballs"...

Digging in the Sand...

Falling asleep playing Angry Birds....

Braving the water with Daddy...

Smiles...

Releasing lobsters back into the ocean...

Shoulder rides with Uncle Andy...

Eating peanuts with Grampy...

Walks on the beach...

Fishing with Grammy...

Cuddle time with Mom...

Learning to walk JUST LIKE DAD...

And naptime at Nubble.
What a great vacation.

Stars and Stripes

Our annual 4th of July trip to Vermont started with Aunt Con's Kiddie Parade.  Every year she has all of the littles to her house where they can design T-shirts, play, and snack to their heart's content.  After the T-Shirt decorating everyone began to decorate their bikes, wagons, and strollers for the march to the park.  Connor was VERY excited to be able to ride his bike like a big boy, and was very eager to get going.  We had to remind him a few times that we had to wait for everyone to be done before we could go.  Once we started, there was no stopping him.  He rode his bike all the way to the park and back again!  We ended the parade with a great swim in the pool!

Sunday started out pouring rain, and it looked as if the day might have been a wash out, but it cleared up and the sun actually came out long enough for Grampy to take Connor fishing for the first time.  We were unsure of how interested Connor would be in fishing, but he LOVED it.  He picked it up very quickly and it wasn't long before he was holding the pole and fishing by himself!  After we were done, he kept saying "I go fishing again?".  We'll definitely have to take him again soon!

Sunday night were the fireworks, and Connor was not impressed.  He buried his head on Mom's shoulder and would NOT look at the fireworks.  I don't think it was the noise that bothered him as much as the light.  Maybe next year will be better!

The fourth turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day.  A very HOT, beautiful day, which Mom loved, but Connor - not so much.  He took to the shade every chance he got, but there wasn't much shade since Uncle Nate's big tree came crashing down this winter.  Connor finally went to the porch with Dad for a much needed break from the sun.  

He did like the parade - he had a great time counting ALL of the fire trucks (23, according to Connor), and many uncles and cousins marched with the fire department with their sharp new uniforms.  Grampy was driving one of the trucks and Connor was ecstatic to see him.  He still looks at the pictures and thinks it's pretty cool that his Grampy drives a fire truck.  I'll post more another day, but here are a few pics from Mom's camera: