Mister Two

It's hard to believe, but Little Sam Q turned 2 this past weekend.  We invited a few friends and had a wonderful party - our first gathering at our new house!  Unfortunately rain kept us inside, but spirits were certainly not dampened.  Sam had so much fun and really seemed to understand that it was a special day.  Here's a window into Sam's big day...

Sam and his helpers open gifts.

Blowing out the candles with help from Mom & Macy.

Yummy!

In honor of Sam's first and truest love I decorated the cake with an image of a vacuum cleaner.  But Sam thought it was an elephant and Macy guessed an alligator.  "A" for effort??

Kevin had the kids upstairs playing games.  This was the lineup for "run and jump on the bed"...an old standard birthday party game, right?  From front to back: Gordie, Macy, Sam & Benjamin (hidden).

Sam & his guests, L to R: Baby Nate (Benjamin's little brother), Benjamin, Sam, Gordie, Macy & Harper (Macy's little sister).  Grownup guests included the parents of the above mentioned children, plus my mom & Dick (Mormor & Cappy), and my friend Laura...We highly recommend this crew for parties!

After everyone was gone Sam had some fun with his new loot.  And then took a 3 hour nap!  Ahhh...it's good being two!

Late Summer

I'm way behind on blog updates...No doubt our viewership has declined drastically and many have gone elsewhere to look at other people's cute kids.  Alas, if anyone is still out there, here are some pictures of Sam from late summer.

Reading continues to be one of Sam's favorite pastimes.  Here he enjoys Toot & Puddle, a delightful pair of pigs introduced to us by our friends Hana, Gabe & Liam.

Sam & Daddy tend to the worms.  The boys are equally enthusiastic about composting.

Sam holds up a wiggly one for a camera close-up.

Sam went through a "Wellie" phase.  What more does one need on a warm summer day?

(I believe this is one of the last pictures I took in our old yard.  We moved to a new house in Brunswick mid-August.  I have not managed to take a picture of the new place yet, but promise to do so soon!)

Early September Uncle Willy came to see our new house and to visit his favorite nephew.  Sam thinks Will is the bee's knees.  Several days after he was gone Sam sighed and said with such earnestness, "Uncle Willy is so talented".

Learning some new moves.

Sam & "Baby Finley" enjoy a play date.  Finley belongs to our friends Nate & Shannon Alsobrook who also live in Brunswick.  Sam absolutely loves being around smaller children and babies.  This day he kept bringing new toys to Finley and saying, "Maybe Baby Finley would like to play with the school bus...Maybe Baby Finley would like to try this toy..."  Finley was very receptive and agreeable.

The post-tubby towel wrap.

We took Sam to the Common Ground Fair this year.  It's a huge fair put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association "in celebration of rural living".  They have everything you can imagine from sheepdog demos to wagon rides to gardening tips to music, crafts and food.  It was a gorgeous September day and Sam thoroughly enjoyed all the sights and sounds.  Following are a few shots from our day.

Observing some musicians...

and joining in dance...

There was a terrific kids' area with all kinds of activities.  Hammering nails proved to be a favorite...

Look at that consentration...