Not so hot on the beach

Boats are awesome

Lifeguard chairs are also awesome and, even better, forbidden

Dancing at the festival

Notes on our first real vacation:

This week we headed to the Cape for our first vacation together. We've traveled quite a bit to friends and family's houses, but this was the first time we stayed in a hotel on our own. It had been raining for something like 2 weeks in New England by the time we left Wednesday, and we were ready for storms. (I nearly convinced myself to buy a new rain coat the day before we left.) Instead, we got lucky- we saw blue sky as we drove from Boston to Provincetown, and it showered only twice (and then at night) over the four days we were there. Otherwise, it was perfect: bright blue skies and warm and sunny. 

We used to go to Ptown fairly often. It's one of my favorite places in the world, but our old trips involved a lot of beach time, shopping time, and napping. None of those things happened, really at all, this week. Graham isn't that keen on sand; the water was really cold; stores in Ptown are small and filled with expensive, breakable objets. He also was a little weirded out by what he called "the strange room." It had lights in interesting places and a shower with a bunch of different heads all over the walls- this in particular freaked him out. He did LOVE the train table in the breakfast room, the pancakes, all the dogs, and the fact that a boy (really an 18 year old) lived at the inn. The first two nights we were there it took him an hour or so to finally sleep. 

So, after we adjusted to vacationing with Graham, we had a great time. We walked around the pier and looked at boats; ate ice cream and lobster rolls; found all the good parks; watch movies together, and had a really good time at the Portugese festival, where we discovered Graham has an affection for bad Europop.  

It was a great time, and very good practice for our trip to Europe in August. My other goal for the summer is to get this kid to be more excited by the beach. 

Holy Big Boy, Batman

I know, I know. We're now the MonthlyGraham. I submit this picture heavy post to satiate our readers.

Our lives seem to get busier and busier, and I almost (almost) miss the quiet days of Graham's younger life. Now, we are up and OUT early in the morning. In fact, requests to go OUTSIDE begin well before it's possible to do so without irritating the neighbors. This suits me ok on sunny days, but this crazy wet spring we've had here is, uh, challenging my sanity. 

A few awesome things have happened this month; first, a new park opened up just a block away from our house. We are very, truly, eternally grateful to the families who agitated for this change. The park is now Graham's main territory, and he struts around the place introducing himself to parents and kids. The city threw a big party to introduce the site, and the mayor came (election year, anyone?). Graham was not at all intimidated, and chatted up all the officials. It was the first of a series of events that have made me realize that he is no longer reserved- he is, in fact, hell bent on social interaction. Here we are with Mr. Menino. 

 Graham's new demands for what he wears every day are another new hurdle. Jen took him to a party last night, and he was wearing green striped shorts, crocs, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, a yellow construction man vest, and the ever-present GD Red Sox hat. No substitutions, thank you, because workers and garbage collectors wear hats and vests and sweatshirts. I've included a picture of a typical day's outfit here. Thank goodness it's been a cool spring. I have to imagine that some of this will need to go when it's 90 degrees. And yes, that's a Swiffer, which he also takes with him on walks from time to time. 

Touch-a-Truck, or the best thing that has happened to Graham in his WHOLE LIFE

So, we had heard a little about these events- businesses donate use of their vehicles and kids come climb all over them, usually to benefit a charity. Sounds cool, right? What we didn't realize was that our own 2 year old's mind would be completely blown at the thought of so. many. trucks. I guess we hadn't realized that the kids are invited, no, encouraged, to climb on, in, over, and around the trucks- that is, to do all the things they are told not to on a daily basis. So, once they get the fact that they can play WITH the trucks, they freak out. Graham ran from one truck to another all morning, as if we would soon realize that what he was doing was against the rules and force him to stop.  It was amazing, and, I must admit, kind of cool to be able to sit high up in a cement mixer, a garbage truck, and a UPS truck. 

I went to Utah last week, by myself, so this isn't a true DailyGraham post, except that I saw our family: Papa Wilson, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Michelle, and cousins Abbie and Oaklee. I missed Graham and Jen alot, and am already scheming a trip to Utah again maybe in the fall. 

Here's Abbie, who looks a lot like G, especially if you compare baby pictures. 

Here's Oaklee, who looks to me like her mom, though my dad swears she takes after my mom. 

Here are two of the things I miss most about Utah, the summer sky and the mountains. These two aspects took my breath away on this trip.