Road trip to Mystic

At the last minute on Sunday, we decided to take a little road trip to Mystic.  It was around lunch time when we left. Jack had already eaten and we hoped he'd sleep most of the hour drive. We wanted to stroll through the downtown area and hit some of the cute shops. Lunch was a must do as well. We were imagining ourselves having a nice lunch outside, under an umbrella, with some wine, enjoying the view with our toddler, who would be his usual, mellow, and happy self. We weren't really thinking about the fact that it was a weekend, or the fact that it was HOT. Jack only napped for about 20 minutes and all the restaurants were packed, so we decided to throw in the towel and give up our hope of eating outside. Instead, we went to Mystic Pizza where it was air conditioned and Jack could color on the placemat. I really can't complain...The pizza was tasty and Jack was a little angel toddler once he was in the air conditioning!  :)

This is where we were hoping to have lunch...right under that umbrella...

I am linking to Sailor and Company for the Raw(e) photo challenge where the theme this week is yellow.

You Capture: Outside (at the park)

After dinner the other night, Rob, Jack and I took a walk to the nearby park.  There was no one there, so Jack had it all to himself...we let him roam free, and once he realized that we were letting him explore, he really took off...and he's fast.  It was so fun watching him discover and play. When he had gone far enough, he would look back and we could tell he was thinking hard about whether to keep going.  He usually did; putting even more distance between us.  I guess now that he's been walking for a while, his brave switch has been turned on and I'm afraid there's no going back.

Going down the slide...

Family portrait at sunset.

Once we had enough of chasing him around the park, we went to the baseball field which is completely fenced in.  I think he could have spent hours chasing after that ball!

 Here is our little pitcher on the mound...

I am linking up to I Should be Folding Laundry for this week's you capture challenge: Outside

California Trees

I stumbled upon another fun photo challenge site, where this weeks theme is trees.  I took a look back at my archives and found a few shots that were all taken pre-baby when Rob and I were living in California...I couldn't find any pictures of trees after Jack was born, since 99% of the shots I take now are of Jack. It was fun looking through these albums and reminiscing about our California adventures...

Quintessential LA...Santa Monica blvd

Santa Barbara from the pier.

Somewhere in Redwood Forest, Northern California at dusk (I wish I could remember where)

(my entry)

The Lone Cypress on the 17 Mile Drive

Driving through Redwood National Park on a rainy day

A Joshua Tree somewhere in Death Valley on the way to Las Vegas.  

My Boys

Rob and Jack had some fun a few nights ago hamming it up for the camera...

Lobsters and pizza...

Happy Monday!  It's rainy here and for the first time in months, I actually have socks on my feet!  I hope that summer has a few more warm days in store, I'm not quite ready to give those up completely.
We did have a fantastic, summery weekend though!  Rob was finally able to get out and dive for lobster which we enjoyed the next night for dinner, bibs and all, with corn on the cob, littleneck clams, wine (of course), and good friends!

Yesterday we headed up to Boston for dinner with some friends who we haven't seen in almost a year!  Jack came with us and was such a trooper...We had dinner at the Flatbread Company in Somerville which is the PERFECT place to go with a toddler, especially since we didn't get there until after 7!  It's loud and there so much to look at (including a bowling alley in the restaurant!) Rob and I were a little worried how he would handle a latish night out, but our friends took turns entertaining him and walking him around the restaurant to check out the pizza oven and the bowlers once the highchair was old news. Jack has never been a melt-down kind of kid, in fact, I really can't think of a time that he's had one...and with all of that entertainment, he was completely happy...even once the clock struck 10. We were even able to order dessert (home made chocolate chip banana bread with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream!) and enjoy it. We put him in his PJs for the ride home and he slept the whole way.

Jack: Same PJs, different night...

UPDATE:  Jack did great last night, but today, since he missed a few hours of sleep, he's a little rough around the edges...I'm sure he'll be back to normal tomorrow!

You Capture: In the Kitchen (with a toddler)

Don't worry Mom, I'm fine. I'll just step over it...

50/50 chance that these will actually end up in my mouth...

Did I get them all??

Clean sippy cups...

I am linking up to I Should be Folding Laundry for this week's you capture challenge: In the Kitchen.

Favorite shots: 7 month old Jack at the beach

Here's another found phone picture....this one was taken by Rob.  Look at those chunky arms!