Summer Vacation #2 - Burlington, Vermont

YAY! Another state to add to my list of places I've been! Actually, truth be told, this wasn't the first time that I went to Vermont. I had a spur-of-the-moment lunch date in Rutland the weekend before (right Grammie?).

Once we got to Burlington, we walked up and down Church Street, taking in all of the sights and sounds.

We also took a wonderful walk along Lake Champlain. There are those beautiful Adirondack Mountains again!

Nothing much better than a day at the lake!

And yes, that is MY HAIR blowing in the wind!Here's Daddy and me enjoying the beautiful day:

On our trip, I also finally got to meet my Aunt Kristin! She happened to be in Vermont for the weekend, too, and so we met up with her at the Burlington Center Mall! One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to go to the Echo Aquarium and Science Center right on Lake Champlain.

Hey Mom, don't forget to get my foot in the picture!

I saw all kinds of turtles, fish, and frogs at the Echo Center. I still don't understand why I didn't see my friend Echo there, though. It was fun seeing so many little creatures. Check out this Wood Turtle!

Have you hugged your state fish today? Here's Mommy and me with some Brook Trout, the state fish of New York and Vermont. I think the one on the left is the one representing New York and the other one is Vermont's, but I could have that backward.

This is me with a Tomato Frog. I LOVED the Tomato Frog! The sign next to this exhibit said that Tomato Frogs are only found in Madagascar. Um...then why do I see one here in Vermont?

In fact, there were other clues that made me question whether I was really in Vermont. Although I did see a number of Vermont license plates during our weekend, I was also surprised to see many others including Idaho, Tennessee, Wyoming, Texas, Iowa, Rhode Island, New Mexico, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Orgeon, Quebec, & Newfoundland. And then, there was this one:

Had I been to Vermont afterall?

Ten Things I've Been Up To This Summer

#1 Chasing Rainbows

This awesome double rainbow appeared in our backyard after an amazing thunderstorm. Mom kept trying to get me to look at it, but the raindrops falling off of the patio furniture were MUCH more exciting.

#2 Playing with Lobsters
My friend Echo got me this cute onesie and stuffed lobster on her trip to Maine. That lobster better look out for this Lil' Snapper!

#3 Eating "Real People" Food

I'm eating a lot of different table foods now including macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, bagels and cream cheese, Rice Krispies, and my favorite...COTTAGE CHEESE!

Fortunately for us, the ice-cream truck passes by our house with some regularity. One hot day, I had my first Dreamsicle. Um, is THIS the stuff that dreams are made of?

Once I got past the coldness factor, it was actually pretty good! I think I've got my daddy's sweet tooth (but I've got my mommy's smile).

#4 Using a Sippy Cup

Water is simply delicious!

#5 Waving to Cute Babies

I've started to wave! One night when we were in Lake Placid out having dinner, I saw this cute baby in the mirror and gave it a friendly hello. It even waved back! I love playing with the Baby In The Mirror! #6 Becoming a Glyphologist
One day, I used my Alphabooks to put together a crossword using all of the letters of the alphabet just once. I worked on it with Grammie, Grandpa, and Mom for hours (it's A LOT harder than it looks) and finally got it to work out! We got down to the end and had a Z left and tacked it right on to the end of 'QUART' to make 'QUARTZ'. I 'gnu' we could do it! #7 Making Music by Standing Tall

With a little help from my friends (or my music table or the couch), I've been practicing my standing.

Would you like me to play Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major for you?

SURPRISE!#8 Doing Push-Ups?

Well, I'm still not crawling yet, but boy do I want to! Maybe it will help if I get up on my tiptoes?

#9 Reading

Hey, do you know what turns a good book into a great book? Reading it with your foot up in the air!

And speaking of feet...

#10 Poking My Foot Out

That little foot! I guess some things never change. :)

9 Month Check-up

Believe it or not, this is what tall and skinny looks like:

I had my 9-month check-up on Monday and got the following measurements:

Head Circumference: 16 3/4 inches (25th percentile)

Weight: 17 pounds, 8 ounces (25th percentile)

Height: 28 inches (60th percentile)

So, I'm skinnier than average on weight and taller than average on height. I guess these thunder thighs of mine are actually hollow.

While I was at the doctor's office, they also did a routine blood test on me to check me for anemia. However, my iron count was just fine. It turns out that my pasty white skin is due to the fact that I'm the world's cutest vampire. Man, I have GOT to get those top teeth in!

Summer Vacation #1 - Lake Placid

For the first of many summer vacations that we're planning on taking this year, we decided to head up to Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. It was beautiful! Even the trip up there was gorgeous!

We stayed in a nice hotel and I tried to claim the "big bed" before Mom and Dad did.
Ah, I could really get used to this!
Wait...is THAT my bed?

One of the most exciting parts of the trip was when we got to take a train ride from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake. My first train ride!!
I snapped this picture of a beaver dam while on the train. These beavers had a satellite dish and a sign out front that said "Lodge for Rent." I wonder if they've got it posted on Craigslist?

Seeing those beaver dams inspired me to work on getting some top teeth. Clearly I was working pretty hard on them during the train ride as evidenced by the fact that I have my hands in my mouth in every picture.

And check out those baby blue eyes!

As we were driving around, we saw the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. WOW. Mom, can I go down THAT slide?

And just in case you were wondering...they really do have Adirondack chairs in the Adirondacks.

A Visit From Alana

At the end of May, Mom and Dad's friend Alana came to visit - all the way from England! I was so glad to finally get to meet her...and I LOVED her beautiful scarves!

We went to eat at IHOP one night (you just can't get good pancakes in England!). I wonder if I stare at Alana like this long enough if she'll give me that sausage link. (Or do I need to call it a banger?)
In true British fashion, Mom, Alana and I had a tea party. My first tea party!!

Here's me trying some tea cake. Yumm-o!

Hooray for tea parties!
We also spent an afternoon at Saratoga Coffee Traders, chatting the day away and enjoying some fair trade coffee and tea. I'll take an Iced Caramel Macchiato, please!
Look, I've got a coupon!

On second thought, maybe I'll just share whatever Alana's having.

It was really great to have Alana visit. Hey, guys...maybe we could finish the basement so Alana could just stay here with us? Pretty please?