Aside from using it as a giant drinking bowl, Connor really enjoys having water in the backyard. The first time we used it, we filled it up and put him in. He was not a huge fan of the FREEZING cold water. Understandable. It made is significantly tiny penis shrivel up even tinier. (ed. note: The previous statement has been retracted due to its potentially offensive nature to unsuspecting readers who do not realize I can sometimes be offensive.) It’s cold. So the next time, following a great tip from our sister-in-law, we filled it up in the morning and let it heat up until after his nap in the afternoon. A much more pleasant experience.
For Easter, aside from remembering the Resurrection (I have to mention it), we showered Connor with candy and a few goodies. We did not bother with an Easter Egg hunt, because what is the point of that with a year old kid? It just means I have to run around the yard basically picking up trash. No thanks. I’m sure he will enjoy it in the future. Maybe I underestimate the intelligence of my child… either way, I did not want to pick up eggs. End of story.
Connor was super-excited (which is a super-literate way of describing things). The chocolate eggs filled with peanut butter were a huge hit. Dare I say a Super-Hit? I think we still have some lying in the fridge. I should gobble those up. And after the jump is a picture of his Easter outfit.
We went to Simmons Farm this morning to find some pumpkins. Of course, we also took a BA-ZA-HILLION pictures of Connor. His favorite part was sitting on an old tractor turning the steering wheel. His second favorite part was eating dirt in the pumpkin patch. See if you can spot the moment he tastes it. Ha! There was also a corn maize we got to stroll through. It was nice and quiet. We arrived at the tail end of a school tour. Once they left, we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. Yay.
Upon leaving Simmons Farm, we had two pumpkins, two dried ears of corn, an assortment of fresh vegies, a pumpkin roll, and some Elderberry Jelly. Yum. I am ready to stuff myself full of all that deliciousness. Check out the pics:
Posted by Todd on Saturday Aug 28, 2010 Under Family, Vacation
We biked to the beach today. Not a bike, mind you. No, a much more efficient vehicle. A surry. *cue Oklahoma Surry music now* It was quite the ordeal to pedal that much weight around on one single low gear. It felt as though we were pedaling up an incline both ways. Connor loved it. He slept most of the time there and back. Richard helped push the surry while on his bike. We could definitely feel the difference. It is very safe to say Liz and I are somewhat out of shape. Just a bit.
We went to the bike beach, and it was very much deserted. It was quiet and beautiful. Great waves provided a lot of entertainment. It seems as though most of the big, cool shells were deposited here as well.
The ride back was full of swarms of mosquitos. All in all, though, it was a lot of fun. It has been a relaxing week with a lot of beach exposure.
Posted by Todd on Saturday Aug 28, 2010 Under Family, Vacation
Another all day beach day. Oh, and Connor decided to model for us the latest in baby swimwear. We found a tide pool where he could sit relatively undisturbed by the waves. He enjoyed the salt water, and eating more sand. I kept up my commitment to boogie-boarding. What fun! What sun!
It was Richard’s Birthday today. To celebrate, we went out to AJ’s Fine Dining Establishment (Popular since 1985). After our meal there, we went back home and ate Double Chocolate Extreme Ice Cream Cake. It was like that Ella Fitzgerald song… “Heaven, it [tastes] like heaven…”. Afterward, we watched Salt. Ummmm… all I can say about that is it prominently featured a character called the “Spy Master”. It was pretty lame. But we had fun laughing at the absurdities.
Posted by Todd on Saturday Aug 28, 2010 Under Family, Vacation
On Monday, we made it to the beach. We buried each other, ate sand, and enjoyed the ocean. I turned into a 14 year-old infatuated with my boogie-board and riding the waves. Unfortunately, I am a pasty-white near-30 year-old who is no where near 14. But, hey, I still had fun.
Posted by Todd on Saturday Aug 28, 2010 Under Family, Vacation
Sunday became a day to recoup. Connor did not cooperate with the whole sleeping at night thing. He thought he should wake up every 45 minutes to an hour to remind us we were all sharing one room. At 5:30 am, I laid him on the couch, lay down next to him and we both went to sleep. Later that morning, Liz and Jeanne went for food at Wal-Mart, Richard and his boys biked to the beach, and I stayed home sleeping and watching movies (Advent Children and Centurion).
While watching the movies, a severe thunderstorm rolled in. Richard and the boys were stranded on the beach. Jeanne and Liz missed the whole thing while at Wal-Mart. At the home base, a lightning bolt and subsequent thunder clap struck so hard, a picture was knocked off the wall. Connor slept through that whole thing. Why couldn’t he have done that at night?
Posted by Todd on Saturday Aug 28, 2010 Under Family, Vacation
Driving down from Pittsburgh to Chincoteague Island, VA went a lot smoother than anticipated. Connor entertained himself in his car seat and we only needed to stop for major meals and diaper changes. We were prepared ourselves for wailing and gnashing of gums as we drove the eight hours down.
Once we crossed the bay bridge from Maryland to Virginia, we started to look out for a place to eat lunch. We only saw things like Bob Evans, Applebees and Panera Bread. As we passed one more (and seemingly the final) batch of restaurants, The Machins, who we were traveling with, made a u-turn. We thought that meant we were headed to Panera. But we were wrong. They found a Sonic! What a perfect place to eat for a family on a road trip! No need to leave the car. We let Connor play on the floor, and the dogs (did I mention Little Bit and Wesley came along?) played on their leashes.
On arriving at our bungalow in Chincoteague, we immediately unloaded, dropped the dogs off and headed off to the beach. During the trip, we caught a glimpse of the wild horses Assateague (the national park where the beach is) is famous for. We lit a fire and enjoyed the company of friends, fire and mosquitos.
After his sixth-month check-up, we have some stats about the little kid:
Length: 28.5 inches
Weight: 19 lbs 11 oz
Head Circumference: 46 cm (18.1 inches)
IQ: 193 (He’s a Mensa Baby!)
It’s so much fun to see him grow up, and it is crazy how fast it goes. Six moths ago he barely fit in the little blue tub, and now we’re thinking he’s too big for it. I think my favorite thing about him is when he giggles.
You might as well compare him to his first bath time picture from six months ago after the jump here.
Aside from using it as a giant drinking bowl, Connor really enjoys having water in the backyard. The first time we used it, we filled it up and put him in. He was not a huge fan of the FREEZING cold water. Understandable. 
