Octoberfest!

There he is folks, pumpkin butt! Oddly enough, it's padded to soften the landing which also makes it irresistible for smacking (lightly). This month, he stands - a lot.

A certain grandmother would have him be an Eagles fan. Please don't judge him until he's old enough to dress himself, when he will deserve your criticism. And below, guitar dreams.

We all went to an Autumn Harvest Festival at Ringwood State Park, where the bratwurst was delicious, the pumpkin beer flowed nicely, and the music was country (but in a good way).

Take note of the teeth in this shot (above). And below, evidence of a premature curiosity toward beer... yikes. We're not sure where he would get that from.



Finally, more barking and laughing with Walter. Note the camera grab at the end. Stay tuned; more Octoberfest coming soon!

No sleep 'til...

Brooklyn! And no sleep in Brooklyn when we went to pick up Walter from the soon-to-be parents, Uncle Kofi & Aunt Hillary. Congrats - Sonny can't wait to meet his first, first cousin!

They were kind enough to dog-sit while we were on vacation. There was a delicious brunch and Sonny was thrilled they could provide a fresh banana for him to dine on.

Sonny also attended his first charity event recently, the Red Cross Jazz Brunch, partially in tribute to his Grampa Jim who was heavily involved with its planning each year. It was an emotional day for us all. Sonny nearly stole the show from Bucky Pizzarelli and the other top-notch performers whose names now escape me.

More Brooklyn visits coming soon!

If the hurricanes don't get you...

... the accommodations will. A less than stellar trip was taken to the Outer Banks, NC recently - our first family vacation. There was some fun to be had - a few memorable moments were even captured. This kid's got some grip!

Due to the accommodations at BARRIER ISLAND STATION at DUCK, we could not in good conscience stay any longer (1 night of a total 6 nights planned). The mold was unbelievable - growing out of the air vents and throughout the shower. It was even in some of the drawers. The accommodations were a timeshare swap through RCI, and we've had some great experiences otherwise. The conditions eventually wore us down.

Finally, we could take no more.

Disclaimer: this is just an unfortunate picture - Sonny's health was never comprimised!

From there, we traveled north - determined to salvage our week! We drove up through Delaware and took the ferry from Lewes to Cape May, NJ.

We checked into Congress Hall in Cape May and all was perfect - walks along the boardwalk, strolls through town, outdoor dining, hotel pool, scoped out some investment properties, and most importantly slept in a clean and comfortable room! Sonny couldn't have been more pleased, and neither could Mom & Dad.

All in all, not a terrible vacation at all. Sonny learned that you need to be adaptable and make the best of your situation. If it's altogether unacceptable, change it.

August Events!

First of all, a happy birthday to Aunt Meg! We all gathered at grandma Chris's house to celebrate a few weeks back, where the food was delicious and the company was terrific. Sonny spent a little time w/ Victor, Aunt Sal, and the guest of honor. He made his rounds and delighted everyone, however the best pics came from these three. I have to admit, it's nice having a couple of extra eager hands during mealtime.

We were also visited by a family of bears last month, right in the back yard - how exciting! Sonny spent his fair share of time tormenting Walter, who doesn't seem to mind a bit. And we've got a couple other shots worth sharing.

This shot is just plain funny. The back-story goes: Walter is not allowed on the couches, however this is a rule he's not capable of upholding when he's home alone. So, we put up some gates which he appears to be mortally afraid of. One day when I returned home from work, this was the scene I found:

Apparently, Walter had managed to get into the gated area, but was then trapped by his own fear of the gates. What a loon.

More to come soon, real soon - I promise.