Connecticut 2010

Our annual trek back home every summer has become busier than ever now that Vincent is on the go. It began (and ended) with a lively plane trip-much more tiring than last summer when Vinny didn't require such constant entertainment. We filled our days with lots of field trips and visiting...and trips to Dairy Cream for the yummiest soft serve. Thanks to Katie and Brian, Ant and I were treated to the most memorable trip to Fenway Park, where we got to sit in the front row right behind home plate. We were on TV all night! It was such a great visit to Boston. Brian's family has become our family, and spending time with the Rosadini's, Hoffman girls, and of course the Claffey's is always treasured.

Soon after Boston, we spent a couple days traveling all over Connecticut to Kid City, an interactive children's museum, The Maritime Aquarium along Long Island Sound, and the outlets. We spent a lot of time hanging out in the front yard. While he's still in his mama's boy stage, Vinny is developing quite the independent side, wanting to do everything himself-including sitting with Daddy in the big boy chair-he even figured out how to place his sippy cup in the cup holder.

Why play with toys when you can empty out the pantry?
Kid City with Blaise
Maritime Aquarium

Vinny loved playing with my nephew, Blaise, although you'll have to take my word for it, because judging by the pictures, it doesn't appear Vincent even cracked a smile. Blaise was so sweet with "Binny," sharing his toys and bathtub, playing together, watching favorite TV shows, eating ice cream, and giving kisses and hugs. It's so fun watching Vinny with his older cousins on Anthony's side, but with only 11 months separating he and Blaise, it's so comforting to know that Vinny has a buddy his own age, and they are becoming so close-even with nearly 3000 miles between them.

Although we were on the go the whole time, we got to visit with Vinny's Great Grandparents, too. We've decided this Japanese Maple will be our official photo spot every summer. I've had fun looking back at how much Vinny has changed since last summer. He's gotten so big and although he smiles all the time, he still surveys his environment before he can be sure it's safe to cheese it up for the camera.

One of our favorite parts of our trip was a visit to Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. It's a real old-timey boardwalk beach. Ant and I couldn't wait to see Vinny reaction to the sand and sea, and he loved it! He could have played in it all day. I wish we had more time to vacation there. The beach was beautifully manicured-no rocks or seaweed, just soft white sand. The water was freezing but that didn't stop Anthony and Vinny from taking a quick, and I mean quick, dip into the Atlantic. We decided to take the long way home along Route 1A which winds long the coast through some really old colonial fishing towns. We stopped in Gloucester for lunch and got caught up in a huge Italian Fiesta in honor of St. Peter. The entire wharf was filled with a carnival atmosphere, and the harbor was crowded with boats to watch the annual greased pole competition and the Blessing of the Fleet. As the priests called upon God to protect each fishing boat by name, I was reminded of the perils these fishermen put themselves through. It's not just a reality show on the Discovery Channel; the fishing industry is the heart of Gloucester and so many neighboring New England communities.

Our visit back home was wonderful. Anthony golfed a bunch, and participated in his favorite event of the whole year, The Trainer. Run by Brian now, the Claffey's know how to throw a party! Soon after, we packed up our things and returned to Surprise...but not before one last trip to Dairy Cream!

New Games and Favorites

Here we have what's become the parking lot, where Vinny ditches his cool rides and ascends the staircase. He is really quick and really steady on his knees, but still knows somehow to wait for us on the landing before going all the way up. Don't worry mom, we're always right behind him hovering :)

Another favorite activity, climbing into one of his toy bins. He loves knocking down towers, and is even beginning to stack the blocks on his own. But more than anything, he loves to throw the blocks out of the basket and climb in!

New cheesy face :)

Other updates and favorites from the past month:

• still loves and devours pancakes, yogurt, blueberries, and broccoli.
• favorite toys are his noisy lawnmower, stacking ABC blocks, his cookie jar puzzle blocks, and singing puppy dog. He plays with that in his crib when he wakes up and when we can take no more of the songs through the monitor, we go pick him up. That puppy would keep him occupied all morning if we could stand it!
• still loves pulling out each and every book from the shelf under the TV.
• figured out how to hold his own bottle and has just about mastered the sippy cup. We've been trying to ween him from the bottle, and we might be just about there!
• we can see some molars peeking though his top gums!
• loves watching Play With Me Sesame ( I love that he enjoys the same characters I loved as a child). Still loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and absolute new favorite is The Wonder Pets. It's become our new favorite, too! This is the show that Vinny winds down to as we rock in the big chair every night. Yes, we still rock him most night to sleep-and we love it! Won't be giving that up as long as Vinny allows us, and we fear that night may be coming soon...some nights, he just can't get comfy and we know he just wants to lay down. So we kiss him good night with his eyes open, and he goes out as soon as we lay him in his crib.
• had his first sleepover at Uncle Tom and Aunt Weez's house! Had powdered donuts for breakfast-yum!
• says dada, quack quack quack, and dog/doggy. Has recently started roaring like a lion, or maybe more like Cookie Monster??
• loves loves loves BOOKS! Favorites include anything with flaps like Dear Zoo, Peek A Moo, and Where is Mommy? But the funniest is the Blue Book. The last page has a picture of a jar of blueberries. After pretending just once to grab a few blueberries off the page and "eat" them, he does the same thing! We also love reading Goodnight, Baby. In this book, each baby animal is attached to a ribbon, and once you say goodnight, you slide the baby animal into bed with the mama animals. Vinny gives each animal a kiss before we turn the page. It's so adorable!