Big Boy Bops Around the Beaver Valley and Beyond

Meaford Fall Fair Fans

Sir Sam was a busy boy playing host to his Grandma this past week. I had to make a quick getaway to La Belle Province (in Drummondville) to attend a funeral and left the Sam Man in the quality care of his Grandma Grandpa. Despite his abscence at the funeral, Sammy made quite the splash 'in spirit' as Nana proudly criculated glamour shots of the Little Man to ALL the Illick relatives and extended family. Grandma gets a huge high five for having stepped up to the plate to 'bond' with Timbit twice in one week.To my great and shocking surprise, the Wee Wun seemed to survive with minimal emotional scars and separation anxiety from his Mmmmarvelous Maman. A plus of heading out of town was that Mark had to step in and take Sammy to the doc for his latest round of shots. I will admit I was not disappointed in pawning off the responsibility of having to witness the poor lad get poked and prodded with injections. Brave Boy seems to have endured the latest round of innoculations. I think the exercise was definetely more painful for Daddy than Sir Sam.

Friday we headed downtown to partake in the Armitage Associates Fall Luncheon down at Spring Rolls on Church. The Wee Wun seems to have taken a liking to the sight and smells of the Pan Asian fare. The Sam Man was thrilled to partake in his first pow wow with the inner Armitage Associates contituency circle and offered some valuable input on his thoughts on the current 'Talent Marketplace' and the latest hiring trends. He has agreed to continue his weekly consulting gigs at Armitage Associates on condition that he continue getting first dibs on the board room table for use as his change table and 'tummy time'.

Chairman of the Board Sammy ponders the firm's 3rd Quarter Objectives

Friday night we packed up to speed up to the Beaver Valley for another visit to Springbrook Farm to visit our fam and fans up north. Sammy had a great weekend frolicking in the fall foliage and hangin' with Tipper, Cordell, and the barncats. We toured the Meaford fall fair on Saturday where Sammy scored yet another piece of clothing from Nana- an adorable ski hat in which he resembles one of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan. We also scooped up a gorgeous handknit fisherman's sweater from one of the vendors;

After being teased with all the sights and smells of yummy fall eats and treats all weekend, the Wee Wun has started showing signs of teething. He is set on sharing in all the fresh fall fare offerings. Sammy is bound and determined to chomp down on one of Meaford's crisp apples before the harvest season is out. He has been quite a good sport at bearing the pain of his emerging fangs. Oragel and Gripe Water were his best buds on Sunday.

Sammy was busy giving his Halloween costume a trial run with his 'first fitting'. The little stinker looked oh so cute in his costume amidst the pumpkins and bright fall colours.

Despite being spoiled to death with lots of Nana's fine home cooking all weekend, we had to make our regular visit to Pizza Delite for dinner in Meaford. Sam more than 'DELITE'd the to proprietors Cathy and Noel for his innaugral showing at Pizza 'D'. Sam's adorable coo's and smiles totally stoked Cathy's need and desire to be a Grandma whether or not her poor daughter is ready for the 'urging' and persistence. Drool Monster Sammy had was swimming in pools of saliva from both his painful gums and the sweet smells of pizza. I think someone has inherited his papa's total weakness for all things bready and cheesy!

Cathy and Noel celebrating with the Petit Pizza Delight Franchisee 'in waiting'

We rounded out our Northwestern tour with a visit to see Super Nana in the "Big City" o' Orangeville. Sammy was more than proud to show off the growth spurt that he has experienced in his girth line and his multiple chins. Super Nana was most thrilled with the 'bonding opportunity'. Our dining extravaganza continued with a visit to Kelsey's for dinner and back to Nana's for fresh gingersnaps and date squares for dessert- again with poor Sammy being shut out from the 'solids' selections.

Super Nana with her All Time Favorite Great Granchild

It was then back to the Big Smoke so Tiny Timbit could 'call it a night' in his own bed and reflect on his action packed Beaver Valley visit.

Sammy Does the Lunch Circuit

T’is been quite the action packed week for the little man having wined and dined all around the downtown core. Monday we met up with Dad and then Tuesday we trekked to Queen West to meet up with Auntie Mo for long overdue catch up at Teroni over antipasto and pizza. Sammy showed some serious restraint by taking a pass at all of the yummy pizza and pasta offerings in favour of his bottle. The little man sparked some serious stroller envy amongst the yuppie Queen West babies cruising around in his Cameleon. Given his maman’s less than stellar driving record, the Little Man has been most patient and brave to be chauffeured by his mom all around town in his fabulously fly stroller.

Downtown Dining Date with Daddy

Liquid Lunch with the Ladies

Thursday we punked off our weekly date in The Beach in favour of strolling along the Danforth for a granola outing to Grassroots with Auntie Mandy came over for a long overdue visit. We trekked along the Danforth so we could scout out the latest organic sweat shop free baby clothing offerings at Grassroots.

Showing Off My Mad Jumping Skillz to Mandy

Sam Man finished off his week by making a return trip down to Queen Street to visit his social activist papa who was volunteering at the Car Free Day festivities. The Wee Wun did his part in minimizing his carbon footprint by taking transit and chugging around in his emission free stroller. Sammy then led the crew to Mister Greenjeans to unwind over a few cold bottles before heading out to visit Uncle Mikey at CBC. There has been no lack of fanfare and publicity over the Little Lad on the part of Uncle Mikey amongst family, friends, colleagues...or just about anybody. Upon entering the CBC building, Tiny Timbit was showered with adoration and praise by his huge and growing fan base at the CBC. Uncle Mikey led us on a quick tour around the studios and newsrooms to meet his colleagues and watch the news roll in. Watch out Peter Mansbridge...Sam Man was eagerly eyeing up the Chief Anchor chair. Sam was most impressed with his tour of Uncle Mikey’s cubicle which was plastered with timbit glam shots. After the huge downtown jaunt, we headed home to meet up with Pops and Martha for a catch up and to rake in some more gifts from more Montreal fans. The terribly tired Timbit then retired to bed to rest up for his weekend visitors.

CBC's Poster Child

Saturday morning , the next round of Sam Fans flooded through the gates to visit the Wee Wun. Grandma and Grandpa trekked in from St. Catharines for an early sneak peak bonding session before the arrival of the Kilyk Krew. As per usual, the Sammy suffered NO lack of attention and was doted over by cuzzies Katie, Courtney, and Jack and Kelly and Bob. Proud Patriach Pat and Mmmarvelous Matriarch Becky manned the ship whilst we ‘kids’ fled to Queen Street for a bit o’ shopping and some eats. Sammy surprisingly suffered zero separation anxiety from his parents having been surrounded by his crew of doting fans for the afternoon. Being the youngest grandchild on his papa’s side, Sam has managed to score some wicked new toys and gadgets from his cousins. Jack kindly introduced the Wee Wun to his CHA CHING windfall of Bob the Builder sets and Tinker Toys that he had inherited from his cousins. The Little Lad now has grand aspirations of a career in architecture.

Frolicking Fam Fans from Fonthill

After an action packed agenda last week, Tiny Timbit is laying low for a Lazy Hazy Sunday to rejuvenate for next week’s thrills and spills.

Sammy the Rabble Rouser

Mom, Pops and The Jr. Activist Lending an Ear to Romeo

Sir Sam-A-Lot (nickname stems from his supersize status) had an action packed weekend of entertaining and getting out n’about. Saturday afternoon the Wee Wun played host to a gaggle of new friends –Rich, Jodi, and Jamie. Papa fired up the BBQ with an impressive offering of carnivorous treats from our favourite Danforth flesh vendor-Royal Beef- whilst Sammy entertained the guests with the latest gossip and toilet humour he learned from his fellow Beach Baby pals.

Sunday we headed out with pal’s James and Alex to participate in Sammy’s first ever activist event. The Toronto rally was in support of sending a Canadian backed UN mission to serve in war torn Darfur. L’il activist Samuel joined a good crop of his fellow youth to throw his support behind the cause. One of our all time heroes Romeo Dallaire was on tap to show his support for the mission and remind us of the frightening parallels between the ’94 horror in Rwanda and the deteriorating situation in Darfur. Sam Man was there in full force relaying his support for the Darfurians.

After his activist afternoon of, Sammy led the charge to the Rebel House to debrief over a few cold bevies and some ‘scooby snacks’. The disciplined Sam Man skipped out on sampling the Rebel House’s fine microbrewery offerings opting instead to show loyalty for his bottles of formula. It was then time to head home to retire early after the action packed weekend.

James and Sam Showing Some Respek and Solidarity for Darfur

Sam is now asking all of his fans to follow his lead lobby their MP’s and the Honourable Stevie Harper to step up and do their part and offer up troops and logistical support to Darfur. Timbit has taken time out his busy play day schedule to compose a letter template for anyone else who wishes to throw their support behind a mission in Darfur. To learn more about whats going on in Darfur, please visit Stand Canada.

Life is Rough

Bathing Beauty awaits his

poolside bottle service.

We're Baaaaaaaaaaaack!

After a long and very thoughtful pause (due to Mommy's loss of the username and password for the bebe blog) , we are back up and running here at the Timbit Times with some Crazy Catch Up Correspondence.

It has been quite the action packed 2 weeks. Notable highlights for Sir Sammy include:

1. Hosting his first overseas guest.
2. Surviving his first overnight away from his 'rents.
3. Attending his first wedding

Friends Carla and Kevin hosted a 'one of kind' wedding Labour Day weekend extravaganza up near Mansfield. The nuptuals served as an excuse for friend Sammer MacDonald Sam to make a return trip visit back here to Canada. Sammy and I made an early getaway for the country and headed up north on the Thursday night with Nana. We made a pit stop to visit with Super Nana in Orangeville to show off how his latest growth spurt. On the Friday night we stayed at Springbrook farms with Nana before leaving Sammy in the care of his Uncle Mikey, Nana, and Grandpa Peter for his first overnight away from his 'rentals. Sammy did not appear to suffer one bit from separation anxiety after being smothered with nonstop attention and affection from his weekend keepers. The one night hiatus was likely a welcome change of scenery for the little lad but it was definitely tough on Sam Man's parents.

The wedding was hosted at a fabulous cottage on a beautiful property where almost half of the guests set up camp for the weekend. We arrived 'sans Sam' on Friday and were treated to a fabulous barbeque dinner and a night of chillaxin and catch up around the fire with friends. Most of the guests were ultra hard core and camped in tents for the entire weekend. Because Sir Sam was residing with us for the Sunday night we scored a room AND a bed in the main cottage for the entire weekend. Sammy was definitely our ticket to luxury. The soggy wet weather cooperated and cleared long enough to allow for a beautifully cozy outdoor ceremony after which Sammy comandeered 'his keepers' to deliver him to reunite with us to partake in his first wedding reception. Mike and Nana were long faced and vexxed at having to return Sammy to his rightful guardians after his night of babysitting his uncle and Nana.

The Wee Wun was definitely a hit with the wedding crowd. It was an opportunity for the Little Man to bond with the nutty cast of characters- Emily, Nix, Kevver, and Sammer that I worked with in Guyana. After an action packed night of 'workin' the crowd' we retired to the cottage where Sammy got to share a room with mom, dad, and 3 new girlfriends. The next morning we enjoyed our final spread of breakfast with the wedding crew before heading back to Toronto. Kevin and Carla and their families deserve an ultra hug HIGH five for having wined, dined and entertained such a huge cast of characters for the whole weekend whilst simultaneously staying calm, cool and focused enough to pull off a wonderfully magical wedding ceremony.

Sammy trying to woo the Beautiful Bride to Be before she ties the knot

Last weekend Sam Man chalked up a fine weekend of hosting Grandpa and Grandma as well as 'the other Sam' or better know as the Crazy Hair Lady as she finished up her 2006 Canadian tour back here in Toronto. On Monday we made a visit to the Armitage Associates headquarters for a visit with the crazy crew- Pops, Natalie, and Karen and Daddy joined in the fun. Sam played chaperone to the Armitage Associates gang whilst we dined at Spring Roll for one of the company's quarterly lunches. Sammy opted to stick to skip the Spring Rolls and Red curry in favour of a vintage bottle of formula.

The week was filled with exciting outings with 'the other Sam' whilst she shopped and delighted in the Canadian 'comforts of home' before trekking back to Dar Es Salaam on Wednesday night. Sammy is now eagerly planning his first East African visit to climb Kilimanjaro and spy up some giraffes and elephants.

The Little Lad continues to grow cuter and more charming by the millisecond!

Official (Second) Launch of Timbit Times

Official Launch of the Timbit Times

Okay fine fanz .....here it is FINALLY.... the first instalment of the Timbit Times-chronicles of Sweet Sammy Cline. (This is actually my second attempt at launching the blog after I brilliantly lost the password for the first posting so the date for this one should read August 28th) I am an admittedly horrifically careless and neglectful new maman for not having commenced this cyber anecdote collection earlier than his 3 month birthday mark (which incidentally was yesterday-remarkably I remembered ).

Just as an FYI for all you new subscribers to the Times- Sammy has adopted the nickname Timbit- a derivation of his papa's nickname Timmy.Anyhoo....I am going to TRY my very best and log/blog the latest and greatest endeavours of the Wee Wun here on these very pages so to keep the Sam Man's fans and friends up to date on his latest harrowing adventures. This weekend was highlighted with Sir Samuel's inaugural visit to his papa's proud homeland in grape and vino country-St. Kits aka St. CathArines, Ontario and surrounding area to visit his grandma and grandpa. As per usual, Sammy C. was the star of the evening wowing the family with his enthusiasm and exuberance on his flash vibrating play mat....I swear to the gods that the world would be one heckuva happier place if we were all granted time to shake our sillies and stresses off on our own vibrating pad. Sunday we trekked on our adventures to Fonthill where Sweet Sam helped his cousins Jack, Courtney, Katy 'tie one on' for Katy's 14th birthday party. Sammy was one heckuva a good sport sitting put at the sidelines whilst we all hoovered our juicy succulent steaks, taters, and ice cream cake. Little Man is now eagerly anticipating his first teeth in order to indulge in offerings more exotic than his blah bland diet of baby formula.

Kelly explaining to the Wee Wun that not all parties are thrown 'In Honour of Sam'

Today we kicked off the week on a mundane and mellow note whilst waiting for a Rogers Techie Surf to 'boost our signal'...I'd like to say it was worth the wait and anticipation but we'd be lying! We tried to distract ourselves with some Baby Einstein but opted to divert our attention to our all-time favourite pastime-watching the ceiling fan- oh my how our days seem to WHIRL with excitement! Soooo sports fans... that's enough rambling and raving to fill my first instalment of the Life and Times of Sammy C'. I will try to include some more glam shots of Subject Sam once we get our camera fixed from a weekend mishap (the birthday party/ 'Fun in Fonthill' got a little out of hand).