HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

On October 4th, our little guy turned 2 whole years old. The time is just flying, and I still can't believe he's two. He's such a fun little guy, and we enjoy every minute with him (ok, maybe not the minutes when he's screaming...but you get the idea).

We had Connor's party on the 3rd, and we prayed and prayed for nice weather, but someone up there was playing a nice joke on us, because it rained all day. So, into our little house we crammed 15 adults, 2 sets of twins, a 4-month-old, 3 2-year-olds, and a 6-year-old. It was cramped, but we still had a nice time. Connor had a grand ole time coloring and watching his show. He was really disinterested in opening presents, but he definintely loved them after the fact. Coloring books were among his favorites! He also got a nice new "big boy" table from Mimi and Papa, which he loves. He can sit in the chairs all by himself, and it's the perfect place to color.

He also got a set of tents and tunnels from Grammy and Grampy. He had loads of fun with these, especially when Grammy got in the tunnel herself. He thinks it's pretty funny when we put the tunnel over his head as he's standing up. Hopefully this will provide hours of entertainment. Keep your fingers crossed!

We'd like to thank everyone who came to Connor's party. Everyone was so generous with their gifts for Connor - he really does love them! Thank-you!


Connor playing with Grammy in the tunnel.


I love this picture. Notice the massive amount of babies behind Connor!

The twins finally meet!

Connor was actually screaming because we were singing.

Notice the "2" on his shirt. Thanks to Megan for the tip!

A birthday party can really wear a guy out!

Connor's new table and chairs!

Pumpkins and Pals

Today Connor met his very good friend Mairead at the apple orchard. The Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow, MA was about halfway between for both Connor and Mairead, so they decided to meet there. They spent the morning looking at the farm animals, pumpkins, and eating a cider donut. Or three.

The first stop was the animals. Connor loved the bunnies, and tried to stick his fingers in the cage. The bunnies didn't seem to mind, though, which is good for little fingers that could be mistaken for food. Mairead, too, loved the bunnies and kept exclaiming "BUNNIES" all around the farm. It was very funny! Connor also REALLY loved the goat.... water. Yes, Connor's big thrill was figuring out that he could fit his little arm through the hole and put his hand in the goat's drinking water. GROSS. Needless to say we had handy-wipes ready before eating the donuts!

The donuts, I have to say, were the best part. They were delicious. My favorite was the cinnamon, Connor's was the plain. He did gobble them up, too (that's what happens when you refuse to eat your eggs at breakfast). He was mighty hungry and worn out from all the exploring of the farm.

After donuts, Connor and Mairead decided they wanted to pick out a pumpkin. Mairead thought it was her duty to put each pumpkin in a line, and Connor thought it was his to take them out. I think Connor had more fun reading the sign than picking out pumpkins - letters are pretty cool.

All in all, I'd say we had a very nice morning with our friends!


Connor trying to lift a pumpkin that's way too big for him.

Mairead organizing the pumpkins.

Running is fun.

Connor and the goat water. So gross!

BUNNIES!

Just call me Art

Even though the weather was beautiful today, it was a bit on the cool side, so we decided to let Connor paint for the very first time. We covered the playroom floor in newspaper and put his washable paints on his easel. Luckily, he has a little Home Depot apron from his tool bench, so I put that on him to help with the mess.

At first, Connor wasn't sure what to do, but after Mommy showed him, he got the hang of it pretty quickly. He loved mixing colors and making circles on the paper. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with how neat he kept everything. He hates messy hands, and I watched him get a little dot of paint on his hand. He looked at the paint, then pressed his hand to the paper to get rid of it. It was very cute.

If anyone would like to purchase some original Connor art, just let us know!

Hey Crab Man...

One of our last days in Maine Connor went crabbing with his cousins. Ok, so he didn't REALLY look for crabs, but he did splash and play in the little pools around the rocks. Since his cousins are very good at crabbing, Connor was able to see some close up. I don't think he knew what he was looking at...maybe next year.

After the kids had their fill of crabbing, cousin Emma decided to decorate Connor's belly with mud and sand. Remember, at the beginning of the week Connor couldn't stand being in or on the sand, so we were quite amazed that he let Emma do this without complaining! He walked around with sand on his belly and didn't even care!



Notice the sand....everywhere on Connor!


Because sometimes, big trucks are more fun than crabs.


Have I mentioned how much Connor adored Emma?

Emma trying to get Connor to look at a crab.

Everyone looking at the crab Kobe found.

Part IV - Surfer Dude

Connor turned into quite the little surfer dude as he became more comfortable at the beach. He loved playing in the waves and wanted to spend all of his waking hours playing in the water. His big cousin, Emma, was VERY good at helping him when those bigger waves would come around. He absolutely adores her, so it was a good match. It also gave Mommy a bit of a break so she could watch Connor play, which was a nice treat.

Next step: Surfboard!


Emma helping Connor with the bigger waves.

.....Part III (The Bubble Chronicles)

Thankfully, the only "bad" day we had in Maine was Sunday, which was incredibly foggy, and Grampy used this time to blow some bubbles for Connor. We all know Connor loves his bubbles, so he was in his glory chasing them all over the parking lot. Please don't mind the spaghetti face and messy clothes- it was just after dinner and right before bathtime. Might as well get messy with bubbles before a bath! They had quite a good time with the giant bubbles!

My Maine Vacation Part II

As the week wore on, Connor became quite used to the sand and saltwater. In fact, we had a hard time dragging him out of the water when it was time for lunch. It was hard to believe that just a few days earlier he wanted nothing to do with the beach. I guess persistance pays off!

On Wednesday, Meg, Dave and Mairead joined us on the beach. The twins had a nice evening with Nana and Grampy so that Meg and Dave could enjoy some alone time with Mairead. Both kids seemed to have a great time, even though they didn't really play "together". Mairead thought it was her personal responsibility to rid the beach of all the seagulls, so most of the time I saw Meg chasing after Mairead halfway down the beach. Mairead would yell "shoo, shoo" at the birds to try and scare them away. What a cutie!

My parents were gracious enough to offer their professional babysitting services so that Meg, Dave, Joey and myself could go out for dinner without kids. It's a rare occassion, and we quickly took them up on their offer. The kids enjoyed time at the playground while the adults ate seafood. It was a good trade off! I think the kids had a great time, and it was nice to hang out and have adult conversation. Well, as adult as you can get with Joey and Dave. :)

I will post more pictures soon. There are SOOOO many and I can't put them all in one post. Enjoy!



Yes, this is the same child who started to march himself OFF the beach on Day 1.


Beach chair? Who needs it when you have a wagon!


A little rock collecting.


Swinging at the playground. A favorite pasttime.

Apparently Mairead feels the same way.