May

Here are a few snaps from May!

Sam & Gordie have joined the VFD and are in charge of keeping Engine No.1 clean and ready for action. Here Gordie gives it a sponge bath. (Sam meant to help but was more interested in dumping the water out of the bucket!)

"Come out and play, Mormor!"

Sam and his girlfriend, Sylvie. Sylvie took care of Sam this year and has just graduated from Bowdoin. The two were pretty nuts about each other so it was a sad parting. Luckily Sylvie will be in Maine awhile so we'll hope to see her again soon. For now we have this photo on our fridge and Sam often requests, "want to look at Sam & Sylvie!"

Kevin's latest endeavor has been setting up a slackline in the backyard. "Let's do some slacklinin'!'" is now a common refrain from Sam.

Slacklining has been a good antidote to the Apogee pre-season build up. Life is all about balance, right?! :)

Sam and Mommy go for a ride in Mr. Gilly's big red truck. What could be more fun?!

April

I may be the world's most inconsistent blogger. Clearly this is not a daily log, nor even a weekly log. Every 4-6 weeks seems to be the best I can muster. Following are some pictures from April. We've been having some very nice spring weather of late, but you can see from some of the shots that it wasn't long ago that we were still in our down coats!

To celebrate spring, Mormor gave Sam a special rake. Here the two of them get to work on yard clean up. Putting leaves into the wheelbarrow is Sam's favorite part.

Gordie & Sam gather sticks.

Look, Sam! Spring really is coming!

Inspecting Dad's buzz. This is Kevin's answer to the Barber Shop.

Sam LOVES bike rides with Daddy. Guess that gene passed.

A walk with Dad on the Gilroys' country driveway...

...that ended with a face plant in the mud!

A bike mechanic in the making. I may need to remind Kevin about U.S. child labor laws. For now Sam is a willing worker!

One to Ten Video

We took this video last night to commemorate Sam turning 18 months. In it Sam demonstrates his latest party tricks, counting to ten in Spanish and singing his ABC's. It's a little like putting a bumper sticker on your car touting "My kid is an honor roll student", but hopefully you'll humor us and get a kick out of it. :)

Easter 2008

We enjoyed Easter this year at Mom & Dick's house along with Kristin, Bobby & Gordie. Here are a few photos of our day together.

Our little Easter Bunnies looking springy in blue & white.

Sam & Aunt Kristin.

Sam proved neither hunter nor gatherer. This one find of the yellow egg was about the extent of his egg hunt. Gordie thought the whole thing was pretty great, though, and pressed on until all the eggs were found and nestled nicely in his basket.

More boys in blue & white.

A round of "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" with Cappy on the piano.

It wasn't exactly a warm, springy day, but the sun was shining and it felt great to be outside. Looking forward to those daffodils!

Taking a stroll with Mormor. Great to finally see some patches of grass!

Maine March

Following are a few images of Sam from March...

I know, I know...everyone takes this photo of their kid. I'm sure we won't be posting pictures to our family and friends if Sam comes home with a Mohawk at age 15!

Sunny Sam.

Yup. It's still pretty wintery here in Maine. Luckily Sam seems to have nothing but fond feelings for snow and ice.

A little spring shoveling in Mom's bike helmet.

Taking a break.

Vaaacuum!

I took this picture today. The vacuum cleaner is one of Sam's greatest obsessions. He often says good morning and good night to it, and regularly demands, "Mama vacuuming!" He also will chant, "1,2, 3 vacuuming!" Not sure where that came from, but it's a good motivational cheer. I'm hoping this interest will last long enough for him to learn to operate it on his own. He's also quite fond of brooms and mops, ...as well as ceiling fans.

Construction

Kristin and Bobby just started a remodeling project at their house in Freeport. The other day Sam got a chance to check it out with cousin Gordie. A giant hole, piles of dirt, an excavator and a skid steer...eureka!

Uncle Bobby, Sam, Gordie & Mormor check out the equipment.

Gordie and his GC daddy.

Sam gives Mormor the "scoop"! (so punny...couldn't resist!)

Florida

We recently took a vacation to Florida. Kevin's parents are spending a couple of months in Fort Myers and invited us down for a few days of sun and sand. Sam & I flew down on our own, and then Kevin, who was on the road for work, jumped on a plane in NJ and joined us there. It felt great to thaw out, soak up the vitamin D, and recharge the batteries. Sam had a fantastic time, and I must say I didn't miss the whole snowsuit and boots routine!

Big Poppy Cash, Sam & Mimi on Fort Myers Beach.

Much to Sam's delight, our pool had a big waterfall. He astutely pointed out that the waterfall was noisy, like a vacuum cleaner. Following are some shots from our many visits to the pool.

Could these three be related?!

Taking a rest with Mimi...vacation can be exhausting!


We also celebrated Mimi's 60th birthday!

Snowdays

We've had quite the snowy winter up here. Luckily Sam has learned to navigate his big boots and supersized snowsuit. He absolutely loves walking around on the snow and ice and is very into the concept of "slippery". Even though he gets upset when he falls on the ice, he nevertheless seems to seek out the slickest spots he can find!

A snowy adventure in our very own driveway.

Over President's Day weekend we went sledding with cousin Gordie. Kristin & Bobby have a fantastic hill just across the street from their house. Above is sweet, cheeky Gordie catching a lift up the big hill.

Gordie, Bobby & Kristin.

Sam & Daddy coming back from a big run.

The throne of sleds.

Below is a video of Sam & me taking a run down the hill. There is something about hurtling down a snowy hill with your small, defenseless child, only vaguely in control, that goes against a mother's better judgment. You can hear from Kevin's unbridled laughter that a father seems to have a different threshold for such things!

And this is Sam's good friend Benjamin. Sam spends every Monday with Benjamin and his mom, Sarah. The two boys, just two-weeks apart, have become wonderful pals!

Toothy Grin

Nothin' cuter than a two-toothed grin!



Following is a filmstrip of the many faces of Sam Q.