....and Summer!

I would be happy living in an eternal summer. I don't mind the cold, but there's something about being able to go outside anytime you want, wearing whatever you want, that is very appealing. As I mentioned earlier, there is something about being outside that puts Kellan in his happy place and that happened A LOT this summer. 

Obviously one of the most common outings was ultimate frisbee. Kellan was jealous that the dogs always got to drink out of a frisbee and only thought it fair that he did too.

Also, why are crates just for dogs?? Again, Kellan makes sure he's included here too. 

One thing that we will have to make sure we purchase for next summer is a wagon. I don't really understand the appeal - but he would have had me pull him all over in this tiny wagon designed to carry his toys if I would have allowed it. 

Don't worry, he still falls asleep eating. It is perhaps one of the most adorable and funny things that he does.

Kellan is a water baby. Every time we are near water he thinks that means he MUST get in it. The same goes for Kenobi. 

Another bucket list item was taking the ferry to Long Island. We did this on the 4th of July. It was such a fun thing! Kellan took a minute to warm up to the boat, but loved it once he did. When we arrived in Port Jefferson, we walked right into a parade. Which, apparently, means every fire truck in a 100 mile radius drives around the block again and again. While Kell loves firetrucks and the sounds they make, it was a little overwhelming to be in such close proximity for such an extended amount of time. We took that as a cue to go get let - during which walk Kellan PASSED out. haha. 

This little man is all boy! Oh, there's mud?? I should probably splash in, sit in, and drag myself through it. Again and again.

Storm drains are right up there on the top of the cool list. Every walk we took he had to throw at least one stick and/or leaf into one.

More pick your own! This time was blueberries - and they are way harder than strawberries! This was my first time picking blueberries, and man, it took so much longer to get way less. haha. That probably worked out for the best though so we were able to eat them all and didn't have to freeze any.

Not all journey's in this tiny wagon were good. He's just a little too big for it. haha!

When the Bothwell's moved they gifted us their little pink pool. Many an afternoon were spend just like this. 

Kellan's ability to ride a bike effectively was discovered too! Not a day passed without one bike ride - be it at daycare or at home or both.

The nomadic end to our year started in July. We were able to stay in the house we'd been living in until July 31st at which point we moved to Middletown, CT. Hunter had a couple friends that lived in a multifamily home that hooked us up big time. We had the hardest time finding somewhere to live that would let us stay short term and have dogs so this was a lifesaver. Move #1 involved a Uhaul since it was only about 20 miles away. We won't talk about how that affected my commute to work. haha.

On one of our first days in Middletown we happened to go out to dinner next to a forestation. Kellan was so happy to be able to sit in the firetruck and see all the buttons. He didn't say a word while we were there but as soon as we started walking away he expressed all his excitement with his limited vocabulary.

Beach days now consisted of trips to Hammonasset - which is a much nicer beach than West Haven. haha. I didn't realize what we were missing until we went there a couple of times. 

Of course, Grandma (as well as Vovo) came out to help us move and get everything settled again.

Two of Grandma's purchases while she was out visiting were the bike and the "bus" which is actually a train but Kellan has called it a bus from the first time he laid eyes on it. We went with the intention of only purchasing a trike but Kellan saw the bus and literally rode it all the way to the cash register in its box. We couldn't say no at that point and he got both. 

Many a night were spend with me riding the bus and Kell riding the bike all around the house. 

This was a picture taken after daycare one day. This boy loves all things that move.

Another thing we wanted to do before leaving CT for good was go to the Peabody Museum in New Haven. It seemed like such a good idea buuuut we were quite mistaken on that. The entire first floor Kellan was not pleased - crying, screaming, cowering. Apparently dinosaur skeletons were a lot scarier than we anticipated. After struggling to look at things on the first floor, we went on an outside trail to attempt a reset him and continue through. We were marginally successful, but what ultimately won him over to the experience was the ant farm. He just kept pointing and saying Ants!

Another water baby picture.

Kellan has become a lover of green smoothies. To the point that when I made him a pumpkin banana smoothie one day - that was orange, not green - he let me know how unacceptable that was for a solid 15 minutes before finally deciding it was edible. He also went through a phase of demanding he wear his pajama top as a hat. Toddlers. They are just too much.

The culmination of our summer ended with our big family trip up to Maine. It was absolutely beautiful and I would go again in a heartbeat. We spend most of our time in Acadia National Park and explored around Bar Harbor and a couple lighthouses. 

The place that we stayed had a private beach included. We thoroughly enjoyed trekking out there daily to play in the ocean and watch the tide rise. Kenobi didn't hesitate for one second to swim right out in that salt water. 

We saw a number of tiny starfish just hanging out on rocks on the beach, 

picked wild blueberries - which are tiny (I am holding a 4 oz container!),

ate all the Lobster, 

and took lots of pictures!

I have never been to a more dog friendly place! Our dogs were allowed everywhere we were and there were even water dishes periodically next to stores.

Ameya even braved the water a little bit.

One thing that must be documented from our Middletown days is that we had to hang dry our laundry. It brings feeling domestic to an entirely different level. haha.

The end of summer brought with it moving Hunter to Mamaroneck, NY so that he could do a couple rotations at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan. On one such occasion we decided to take the train into the city and Kellan LOVED it! He was less sure about the subway, but was very fond of the train.

We were also able to make a stop at the Bronx Zoo. Kellan's favorite part was a toss up between the petting zoo and the Gorillas. 

We've also learned all about toddler messes, haha. This one pictured below literally took seconds to happen. He has always been curious about my spice cupboard so I gave him a couple and didn't at all expect him to be able to open them. Oh, how wrong I was! At least this was a very contained mess and only cinnamon! 

One of our very last Summer adventures was going to the Corn Maze. It is so much fun to be able to do these activities with a toddler and experience it through is eyes. The world really is such a magical place to him and I absolutely love helping him see as much of it as possible. 

He raced in and out of the corn saying "zis way" "no zis way" over and over.