They say Maine is Vacationland. I agree with they! They be right!
Maine is both beautiful and mysterious. The jagged rocks, the twisted trees and the old homes hold countless secrets. If you listen closely to the coastal breeze, you can hear the faint voice of deceased actor Fred Gwynne saying, "Sometimes...death is bettah." ('Pet Cemetery' ref. Some local author named Stephen King wrote it. )
Coop enjoyed picking up shells and playing with starfish in the tide pools on the rocks. 
He wanted to continue climbing, but the rocks were a bit treacherous. He kept crying, "UP! UP! UP!" Perhaps he'll be one of those nuts who climb Everest!
It's tough being a continent away from Mimi, Grampy, Uncle Jay and Scott. Coop had the time of his life.
I like the face he's making here. 
Jakob took this photo of me lounging on the rocks. In fact, that's a perfect title for this image: "On the Rocks."
"Aye, Captain! I see a mess of red hair."
The rock pictures are a family tradition. I've seen pictures of Jakob, Sean, Scott and Jordan as small children playing with their dad on the rocks at Pemaquid. 
Now I have photos of Cooper playing with his dad on the rocks of Pemaquid. 
Our fave place to eat ended up being Shaw's--a wharf restaurant where the lobster boats come in and unload their fresh catches of the day! Sure, it's a tourist magnet, but the food was BEYOND DELECTABLE! 
If I counted correctly, Jakob had onion rings at every other meal and three platters of fried scallops.
I tried to refrain from fried foods. ("Vacation" and "diet" do not go hand in hand.) I did have some onion rings (beer batter is brutal for the belly bulge) and I had to have chowdah!
I hate this picture, but Jakob loves it. What is being slurped down faster at this meal: the raw oysters or the martini?
It was great to see Cooper play amongst the trees. My own childhood was filled with adventures in the forest or at the beach. 
Now Cooper is having his own adventures. He found a tree frog and shouted "Riddit! Riddit!" 
Here's Coop spending some quality time with Uncle Scott. 
And here's Coop spending some quality time with some heavily buttered corn on the cob. 
Jakob did find some time to smile, despite work woes. 
This summer has been a stressful one. I look forward to a time and place where my husband can slow down and relax just a bit. Before he knows it, his little son will become a young man. ("Cats in the cradle and the silver spoon...")
Life is both short and long. I'm glad I have my family around to help make it joyful, too. 
Oh, and I had a mad love affair with a pirate, but that's a post for another blog.
After Maine, we spent time with Great Grandma and Grampa Bonin on Cape Cod before we flew back to Burbank. 
Those two weeks were fabulous. But it's good to be home. There's some time to adjust before autumn comes and changes everything.
Family Vacation - Part 2
Family Vacation - Part 1
The first stop on our grand East Coast tour was Jersey.
We visited my sis Danielle, her hubby Owen and their amazing new addition:
JOSEPH...my devastatingly handsome nephew!
He stole my heart right away. I suppose I look like (and sound like) his mom, so he took to me. And my bosom. He's a boob man. I like a guy who respects a woman's curves.
He's a smart baby with wise eyes. He barely complained and when he did, it was the tiniest "wha, wha, wha," as if to say, "um, hey, guys, I don't mean to be a bother or anything but there seems to be some pee in my pants and, not to rock the boat, but I'd really appreciate a dipe change. No super rush. When you get a moment. M'kay? Thank you ever so much."
My sis, being a teacher, researched "the best toddler activities in the greater New York area." The Liberty Park Science Center had a hands-on exhibit for ages 2-5. PERFECTO!
Cooper was glued to the Wondrous Ball Thingy! It was a Dr. Suess-esque contraption where you hurled balls into a basket, turned cranks, pulled levers and pushed buttons to watch your ball whiz about inside the gigantic moving machine.
There was an area with parts to build your own miniature wooden car and watch it careen down a series of hills. Cooper liked it so much that he went and grabbed the balls from the Wondrous Ball Thingy and started placing them on the series of hills to watch them roll with the cars. My friend Jessica pointed out that he was the only kid who thought to join the two experiments. Cross-pollinate...a forward thinker!
Did I mention that seeing Jessica Trimble in her hospital scrubs and white nursing clogs filled me with joy to the point of tears because I am so proud of her? It's true. 
There was a long troth filled with rice. Cooper started counting rice at one point and I thought to myself, "Well, this could probably occupy him for...well, forever."
Not so. We moved on to a coloring corner with a block building station.
Then mirrors and body mechanics...oh my!
Then, the Sound Experience Podium where you push buttons to hear a heart beat or a nature sound or your own voice echoing over the speakers. At one point, a four-year-old blonde girl sang into the microphone. She was softly treating everyone to the sweetest rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Then my boy ran at her, with all his might, and TACKLED her to the ground. I think he had a crush on her. He likes pretty blondes who sing. We might have to work on his communication skills with the opposite sex. 
Oh, and then there was the Oversized Xylophones! Would Coop be into smacking things with sticks?
You betchya!
I kept the crazy red eyes in this pic because they really capture his xylophone mania. 
My sister is an excellent mother. In fact, she seems happier and calmer. Parenthood suits her. She shines when Joseph is in her arms. 
I wish we did not live so far apart. But I can see these two cousins becoming friends despite the distance. And when they are pre-teens embarking on mischievous adventures together, I'll show them this video so they can witness the first time they hung out:
Still to come...Part 2 of Family Vacation: Maine!
While You Wait...
Just got back from the East Coast.
I promise to have a post with all the deets and pix soon.
But for now, enjoy this picture I took of a deformed green grape.
I was about to just eat it, but then I noticed that this grape was no ordinary grape.
Doesn't it look like it has a bum? This grape totally has a butt. 
A perfect grape for Sir Mix-a-lot.
Caught Red Handed
Let me just say that when Revlon calls a product "ColorSTAY", they totally mean it.
Cooper found my "Red Velvet" lipstick and decided to make himself pretty.
After quickly taking this photo, I plopped him in the tub.
No matter how much soap I used or how hard I scrubbed, the lipstick remained.
I called my mother in a panic. She suggested baby oil. It was miraculous.
Cooper enjoyed how slippery his skin felt. He kept rubbing his arms together and smiling.
I told him that he'd have to stick to the same exact rule that my mother had for me when I was young:
No makeup until 16.
The Laundry Monster
When I got the invitation to Ryan and Jenny's baby shower, I knew I was going to make a gift that was strange...strange and furry.
My goal was to create something that looked like it belonged on The Muppet Show.
The year I left for college, my sister made me a hamper that had eyes and teeth and was covered in fur. It was one of the best gifts I've ever received. I bought a flip-top hamper and started concocting my laundry monster for the Wee Gantz's nursery. 
I ordered turquoise and neon green fur. 
I carved a foam nose and some ears. I painted eyes. I added feathers. 
Many hours and many, many, many hot glue sticks later, the hamper was complete.
The finished product looks like a cross between Falcor from The NeverEnding Story and , Sully from Monsters Inc. 
It sort of looks like a big, blue beaver, too.
Cymbalta
Side effects may include the following...
* Nausea
* Dizziness
* Diarrhea
* Insomnia
* Fatigue
* Loss of appetite
* Vomiting
* Decreased sex drive
* Shakiness (tremors)
* Blurred vision
* Anxiety
* Vertigo
* Chills
The positive effects of Cymbalta can be hindered, reduced or reversed by the following:
* Listening to more than six songs by either Elliott Smith or Aimee Mann.
* Getting a haircut that makes you look 40.
* A cranky toddler throwing instant oatmeal at your face.
* Watching "The Brave One."
* Poor posture and a large bum
* Being alone and scared
Nikki Doodle
My husband recently left a collection of R. Crumb comics in the "library." (BTW-that's the bathroom!)
I was in high school when I saw Terry Zwigoff's documentary on Crumb and I instantly became a fan. His stuff was ugly and beautiful and satirical and sexual and attractive and uncomfortable. I liked the way he drew woman. I knew people thought his work was misogynistic, but I saw girls that were big and round like me and I liked it.
Jakob put the book in there on purpose. He wanted me to sketch. He knew that I'd start sketching if I started thumbing through Crumb comics.
I've always been a doodler. I'm constantly clogging the margins of my journals with odd illustrations of tree people and pigs and such. 
I drew this one after my workout at the YMCA.
I was wearing my Pixies shirt and two different people said "nice shirt."
I hate exercise. I hate dieting. I love being sedentary. I'm way good at it.
My doctor has advised me to lose weight. I'm really going to try this time. I'm using my son as inspiration. I want to be the best mom I can be and that means being healthier.
Sea World
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
Dickens was talking about San Diego, right?
Sea World recently opened what I can only describe as "Elmo's Ultimate Toddler Chaos!" It's a Sesame Street themed section of the park. 
It's basically a lot of well-padded areas where kids can scream and freak out. Cooper loved it, but he kept crashing into other kids and making them fall over. An uptight one-year-old in a floppy hat HATED my son. It was hard to see his expression beneath the ridiculously over-sized hat, but I did hear him yell "Stop, you!" right at Coop and then (I think) he rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Then, it happened. 
Cooper met Cookie Monster. Yes. THE Cookie Monster.
He was overwhelmed. His little brain blew a fuse. He got to see and touch his fave tv celeb.
A line began to form so I started to pull Cooper away. "Say bye to Cookie," I said gingerly. Then my lovely little child lost his s**t! He began to yelp, "Wait! WAIT!" His little hands were trying to grasp at the blue fur. He sobbed. He begged. For several minutes he was simply inconsolable. 
Ice cream eased the suffering. 
The stingray pond was very crowded. You could pay $1 for some fish to feed them, but since Coop seemed more interested in splashing the water rather than viewing the marine life, I decided to save my 100 cents. 
Coop's favorite thing (besides meeting his furry, blue idol) was the aquarium. Each section we entered, he would yell 'FISH!"
He watched them swim. He saw a frog and said, "ribbit." 
There were more meltdowns and tantrums.
I wish he'd stop flopping on the ground like a mackerel. I'm not a fan of that move.