What a Trip!

As the last post revealed, we have returned after a three week trip back East to visit family and friends (so sorry to have missed you this time, Em!). We had a truly marvelous time and Sam was in heaven with all of the love and attention he received. This shot captures how he seemed to feel for most of the trip:


The vacation started and ended in Boston, where we stayed with the Bruskins, who are truly fabulous hosts and got to see some other great friends to boot. It was especially wonderful to see the newest addition to Team Bruskin, Absolutely Adorable Abby. Sam also became infatuated with Maggie the pooch. I kid you not, he is still trying to call Maggie on the phone by shouting "Man-gee!" into any cell phone he gets his hands on. Here's a short video of Sam naming everyone in the room (Heather was a particularly good sport, having been dubbed "Harrar" for the weekend).

For more Boston pix, including Sam and Abby's first dinner date alone, click here.

Silver Bay, where we spent three weeks with the extended Parlin family, was also a tremendous hit, and we all miss the place and the people terribly. Sam and his parents especially appreciated the remarkable set-up/clean-up efforts of Team Saul, the dedicated, adoring and very helpful grandparenting provided by Mimi and Grampa, the wonderful setting courtesy of Poppy and Julie (including noteworthy background music!) and the enthusiastic, loving and responsive attention that Cousin Jamie doled out.

Sam seems to have grown leaps and bounds during this trip, talking a blue streak in his characteristic Sam way and remaining very happy and flexible throughout. Some of his favorite experiences include:

sharing a bedroom with Jamie ("Geh-Geh") and spending as much time with his adored cousin as possible;


riding in the "mo-mo" (motorboat) while making constant motor noises (with accompanying facial expression) and floating in Grampa's trusty Sea Eagle;


taking nature walks and spotting creeks while identifying everything in sight ("Ceek! Wa-wer! Bubbah! Wocks!" for example);

finding creative ways to wait out one of the many thunderstorms, including an impromptu popcorn party in the tent (on a safe porch!) at which Sam demonstrated a popcorn-eating strategy that would have made his Uncle Ben Saul proud (Note: he's blurry in the second photo below because of the frenzied speed at which he was pounding the popcorn);


and continuing to demonstrate his love of all things culinary at every opportunity ("Peppah" is now Sam's most frequently spoken word and he literally danced for joy when he found an unexpected pepper grinder. We can't make this stuff up!)

In addition, Sam got to meet and spend time with many other loving relatives, spent some time on the farm with goats, turkeys and chickens, got to swim, albeit reluctantly, in Lake George, and learned to love the best parts of country living, including mud puddles, pine cones, tractor mowers, deer, apple trees and bears. Okay, not real bears, but the decorative bears all over Poppy's house (We are still getting plenty of "Be-ah! ROOOOOAAAARRRRR!"' s).

What a trip indeed! For those interested in the dozens of other photos we got, click here.

See you back here soon for more updates.
With love,
Team Parman