The Veteran's Day after Isaac was born we invited P-Pa up to spend the extra day with us and he jumped (on a plane) at the chance.  There were all kinds of great moments, that first Guy's Day--eating hot dogs, hanging out by the fire, going for a nice hike.  Last year on Guy's Day we went to the Harvard Natural History Museum, and saw Isaac FREAK out at all of the cool mounted animals, including a giant Siberian Tiger.  This year, we continued the tradition.

It started a little early as I had custom t-shirts made up for the occasion and we gave them out in August as a belated birthday present to P-Pa.  Here we are in August:

As the big day approached this year, Dad had a plan.  We have to be aware that Isaac, as a 2 1/2 year old, needs some serious action to stay entertained.  Fortunately, the plan met Isaac's needs.  I threw in a tour for P-Pa, and all of a sudden we have a GREAT day.

The plan was pretty simple.  We will travel to the Budweiser plant in Merrimack, NH.  Now before you gaffaw at taking a 2 1/2 year old to a brewer, the Budweiser plant isn't just a brewer, it is really a beer campus.  There is a huge multi-building facility with its own water processing plant and train stop.  There is a massive farm (farm? yes, a farm for the Clydesdales).  There are a few living quarters for the folks that take care of the horses.  Overall there were lots of things for Isaac to see.  Unfortunately it doesn't open until 10 and Isaac has been waking up at around 5:45 AM.  Oh man.  On the way up to Merrimack there happens to be a huge farm and construction equipment dealer, Chappell Tractor.  The two things together covered us until Isaac's nap.

Before sunrise, Isaac woke up and wandered into P-Pa's room.  He pushed open the door and made his way in to see his buddy.  A few showers later and we were on our way.

Chappell didn't disappoint.  The lack of sales tax and the close proximity to Massachusetts means that Chappell's inventory was huge.  P-Pa estimated they had about $8-$10 million in inventory and that means plenty of places for a little guy to play on beep beeps.  Here is a picture of Isaac and P-Pa in the small tractor Kubota section:

Up the hill from the tractors were ATVs.  Here is Dad and Isaac hanging out on a four man ATV:

From there it was off to the Budweiser plant.  The place is really quite nice, recommended to me by a friend from work who's son LOVED it.  We were the first group of the day and the group was a small one--just the guide and three Sculimbrene Boys.  The first stop of the tour was the huge grain silos.  They were so big that they were fed by their own rail line--massive grain cars pulled in and dumped hundreds of tons of grain every day.  All that went into a HUGE series of stainless steel hoppers.  Both the trains and the hoppers amazed Isaac.  We wandered through a maze of tanks and tubes until we arrived at the bottling portion of the tour.  Unfortunately, that wasn't working so we moved to the outside where Isaac finally got to see the biggest horses of his entire life.

The stables were immaculate (as the whole place was, really).  Here is a quick video of the stable:

The Budweiser Clydesdales are pretty massive animals, second only to elephants in strength and well over 6 feet tall at the shoulders.  Isaac walked into the stable and instantly fell quiet.  He stared and they stared back.  The beasts, King and General, were quiet and very gentle, never making so much as a quick tail flicker.  They had very little to be agitated about though, as this was the nicest stable I have ever seen.  We went outside and saw a few more horses.  The entire time our chatty, nonstop talker, was as quiet as a monk.

The morning ended with a quick car ride home and Isaac fell asleep quickly.  As is tradition Isaac took a very long nap for his P-Pa.  This resulted in a rather impatient P-Pa, as seen here:

Three hours later, Isaac emerged from his Rip Van Winkle style nap and we took him, where else, to Adam's Tool and Nail (Dad needed a piece for a project).  Here we are next to the biggest circular saw either Dad or P-Pa has ever seen:

It is apparently used in timber framing and the like and the guy at Adam's Tool and Nail claims they sell three or four a year.  All three Sculimbrene boys were truly fascinated by the massive saw.

After the run to get project parts we came back and P-Pa let Isaac ride his back, like he did when I was Isaac's age.  We used to call him Billy the Bull and here Isaac is trying to tame Billy (who, incidentally is a calmer ride than he was a few decades ago):

It was, as it has been, the last three years, a great time for all of us.  Isaac, Dad, and P-Pa are all looking forward to the 4th Annual Guy's Day, though this one will be tough to top. 

Bianca and I have been struggling trying to find a way to get Isaac to drink water. He loves juice and milk, but water does absolutely nothing for him. We have tried in special cups, at special times, when he is really thirsty, but to no avail. Nothing has worked.

Then, last night Dad decided to combine two things all kids love--silly rituals and loud noises. I told Isaac to grab his cup of water and we would take big drinks. I grabbed my cup, stood up and did a sumo wrestler style ground stomp, first with my right foot and second with my left. It was hard enough to make the grate in the toaster oven to shake. Then with a big, hearty laugh I threw my head back and guzzled some water. When I finished I let out a great big "AHH!" For a moment, Isaac stared at me. Then he burst out laughing and followed the ritual exactly. He did is best little double stomp and then threw his head back and drank water. He finished with a big "AHH!"

We did this for about ten minutes, until I was dizzy and he was out of water. The water had ice inside and he loved the ice so I showed him how to get the ice out of the freezer. He liked that too. The ice was in a big clump, so I put it in a dish towel and smashed it on the counter. Of course he liked that too. But then we drank some more and we were out of ice, not just in our drinks, but in the house. He looked in the fridge and let out an adorable "oh man." Sad, forlorn and dejected he put his drink down. I suggested we go get ice. He asked: "Idik come too?" Then I saw the time. It was 7:00, when we start the bed time ritual. Mom shook her head "no" and I told him I wasn't going. He didn't throw a fit, but he was even sadder still. Then Bianca looked at me and said: "You boys go get ice." Isaac raised his head and looked at me. "Okay," I responded. Then I asked Isaac "You want to come too?" "YES!" he shouted.

The convenient store is about 500 feet away, maybe a 1000, so it is not a big drive, but Isaac was thrilled. It was so dark out, so late, that going outside was a huge difference. He has been out this late when coming home from trips or Rhode Island, but he has never LEFT home this late. Bianca said to us, "Bring some ice home, no chicks." I then told Isaac: "We need two things, ice and chicks." Isaac and Dad got our coats on and jumped in Limo to ride to the store.

Once at the store Isaac looked around seeing the world for the first time after he is normally inside for the day. He saw the street lights and the car lights and people milling about in the convenience store. For me, it would have been a bit of an unpleasant errand, but for Isaac it was an adventure. When I grabbed the ice he said "Chicks now" but it sounded like "chips". When we got to the cash register he asked the man behind the counter "Do you have any chicks?" Ten minutes total and we were back at home. Isaac went down exactly at his normal time, but not before he had a grand trip.

It was so much fun, great reminder why little people are so important. I was amazed at how excited he was, but then I thought about it from his point of view. This was peeling the curtain back on the adult world, the world of things that happen after you go to bed and it was a spectacular event. I have never had so much fun getting ice before.

Halloween was rescheduled because of Superstorm Sandy.  It was on for the Saturday after Halloween.  That morning we received a call from an excited grandpa in Rhode Island.  Work was going to allow him to get out a little early that day, so he could come up and go trick or treating with I-man.  It was a match made in heaven.

Poppa Dom arrived just after lunch and waited for Isaac to wake up from his nap.  When he did, Isaac immediately began inspecting Poppa Dom's beard.  He LOVES the beard.  For whatever reason, Isaac is fixated on the beard, it is like the Golden Fleece to him.  He likes to look at it and rub Poppa Dom's chin and ask everyone who is around at the time if they have beards (it is quite funny when he asks a woman, say his mommy).

After the beardapoolza we went outside and played in the backyard.  We introduced Poppa Dom to Speed Trike.  We played in the sandbox.  Then Isaac decided it was time to play "bightbabbers" with Poppa Dom.  I'll let the footage speak for itself: