Christmas Day (xmas part 3)

After we opened gifts at our house and each had a morning nap, we went over to Becky's parents for Christmas day.

Sawyer enjoyed re-arranging his Grandma's winter village (aka 'Nancyville').

We exchanged gifts (including plenty of loot for the boy). We also ate a lot of food. (Becky's favorite: her mom's cinnamon buns)


Sawyer's grandparents gave him a train/airport set, which kept all of us entertained for a big chunk of the day. Becky set it up in the living room (more complicated than you would expect), and each of us played with it at some point.

A fun day spending time with family :)

Thanksgiving '08

Living close to our parents has lots of advantages (including free babysitting). One big plus is that we're able to all get together for Thanksgiving.


My parents hosted, and we were joined by Becky's parents and their friend Wayne.


The food was great (my mom brined a turkey) and there was lots of it (I had a piece of each of the 3 pies). Here's my dad expertly carving the bird.


Here's Sawyer giving a tour of the photos in the house. I'm pretty sure everyone had a great time. Thanks to my parents for hosting! :)

A birthday in the park

We celebrated Sawyer's birthday at a local park on Saturday. The main events were: eating barbeque sandwiches, playing a Sawyer-speak translation guessing game, riding on the park's choo-choo train and carousel, enjoying a homemade train cake, and finally, opening presents. A good time was had by all, especially the birthday boy. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us and also a special shout-out to Grandma and Nana for their contributions to the buffet. What do you think -- same time, same place next year?

Maine State Aquarium

While we were in Maine, we went to Boothbay Harbor to meet up with Becky's parents while they were staying there on vacation.

On Monday, we all went to visit the Maine State Aquarium. It's small, but just the right length for a toddler's attention span. Sawyer's favorite part (by far) was the 'Tidepool Touch Tank,' where a museum volunteer allows you to reach into a shallow tank and feel different animals; Sawyer wasn't gentle enough for creatures like starfish and crabs ("CAB CAB CAB!"), so we focused on more sturdy critters like oysters and clams.

Another tank had the biggest lobster ("LOPPER LOPPER LOPPER!") I've ever seen (at 23 pounds, it weighs as much as Sawyer.)

After Sawyer was good and wet from splashing in the tidepool tank, we went outside to watch the boats in the harbor. A very nice day!

Memorial Day Weekend

Over Memorial Day weekend, Becky and I went to New York to visit our friends Dave and Carrie. Sawyer stayed behind, and spent half the weekend with Nana and Papa, and the other half with Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone enjoyed their vacations!

Here are some highlights! Sawyer with Nana at Frying Pan Park:
Grandpa playing lifeguard:
Me canoing with Dave. If I look a little rough, it's because the night before was the coldest I've ever been! (camping tip: remember to pack a sleeping bag.)

Here's Dave's report on the weekend.

Swim class

Sawyer and Grandma have been taking a swim class at the local community center. He looks concerned in this picture, but he really enjoys it. :-)

Naptime

With all the activity last weekend, Sawyer was just worn out by Saturday afternoon. Grandma was more than happy to spend a little R&R time with him.

Fair play

Now that Sawyer has made an appearance during my dad's sermon (via PowerPoint), I thought maybe it was about time my dad made an appearance on Sawyer's blog.