These are a few of our favorite things: August

Dear Em,
Why is it that everyone seems thrilled about these cooler temps except for me? I'm all about bringing back the warm August weather & activities. Our August flew by. I keep wondering where our August went...& then I remember, we did a lot, an awful lot.

These were some of our favorites:

Your first Baseball Game:

Omg, you were so stinkin' cute in all your Red Sox gear as we took you to your first Pawtucket Red Sox (or PawSox) game. "I look just like Daddy," you exclaimed as I put your Red Sox hat on you (which we've had since before you were born but you hadn't worn yet). PawSox games are perfect for first games. The tickets are cheap, the ballpark is beautiful (especially as the sun sets), & it's a great place for kids. Before the game, kids dangle buckets full of baseballs into the dugout, & the players will sign the balls. Unfortunately, we were running a little behind & didn't get there early enough to try that. We realized that getting there any earlier may have been rough. You cheered & you were cute & you filled up on Dels & fried dough, but by the third inning you were pretty antsy. Sitting is not really a strong suit for you. So, we mostly walked around. Luckily, there's a great view of the field from all angles of the park & a great top walking area. There's also a grassy field that fans can sit on & watch the game. That's where we will definitely be the next time. It was a great place for kids who have a tough time sitting still. We did sit in our seats long enough to get on the jumbotron (yes, you were on the jumbotron at your very first game) & meet Paws, the team mascot. You loved it (you cried when we told you it was time to go) & I got tons of outdoor exercise walking. Win Win!

Being Artsy:

This is your very first person you drew all by yourself. Let me tell you, when you're a Mommy the small stuff really matters. I almost cried happy tears the first time it seemed like you were coloring things & not just scribbling all over every page. I cannot describe to you how excited this picture made me. I was practically ready to throw a parade. I know I'm a little biased, but I think you're the most adorable little artist.

Charlestown Seafood Festival:

Daddy was away at a concert & it was just us girls at the festival. We were excited to show Nonnie how yummy the jumbalaya is & how fun the rides are. Nonnie would not step foot on one ride, but you're a little daredevil. Look how high you flew on the airplanes! I see Daddy having a roller coaster buddy in the future.

Looking for Treasures & "Surfing":

I think Nonnie took home at least a ton of Rhode Island beach rocks & shells. When you weren't helping her search for smooth & pretty rocks, you & I were having a blast with the boogie board.

Outlet Shopping:

Megan, of A Baby Makes Four, Nonnie, & I took the kids on our annual fall outlet shopping trip. We blew through so many outlets. I spent way too much money. It doesn't seem fair that most of the things we bought were for you when I think back to how much you seemed to hate shopping during different points of our shopping adventure. Maybe 6 hours of outlet shopping is too much for a two year old? Asking you to try ANYTHING on pretty much wasn't going to happen. I feel like I bought EVERYTHING, waited until we got home to try it all on you, & then brought ALMOST EVERYTHING back when it didn't fit you. Sigh, at least we got some amazing deals, but I'm thinking Megan & I should think about leaving the littles with the Daddys & doing next year's shopping on our own (why do I hear angels singing when I think about shopping without kids?).

Watch Hill fun:

We brought Nonnie to Bay Street Deli & Catering for the best Rhode Island Clam Chowder anywhere, played on our favorite beach, & then went out for ice cream. It was a perfect way to end a work day.

Swimming:

A Visit from Papi:

Car dance party with Papi.

It was so amazing to share so much of our summer with Nonnie & that Papi was able to come to visit for a couple weeks too. It's so hard to live so far away from them, but I think we make the most of the time we do have together.

More fun at the Zoo:

We picked Papi up from the airport & said "surprise, we're going to the zoo!" It was quite a surprise considering Papi had gotten only 3 hours of sleep before leaving to catch his flight, but we all had fun showing him the animals & the zoo's Big Backyard. Plus, he treated us to Dels while you enjoyed a puppet show about recycling (they have puppet shows & story time at the zoo, how cool is that?).

Newport Vineyards Tour & Tasting:

So, you didn't go on the tour & you certainly didn't participate in the tasting. We surprised Nonnie & Papi with a fun date & dropped them off for that part. We hung out in the beautiful, grassy fields of the vineyard while Nonnie & Papi enjoyed the tour & tasting, & I got some fun shots of you & Daddy playing together.

Picnicking on Goat Island:

We packed up dinner & headed to Goat Island in Newport. I first found this spot when I was at a convention at the Hyatt in Newport for work. I had lunch at the poolside restaurant outdoors, surrounded by an amazing view. There's a great grassy area with adirondack chairs. We enjoyed our picnic dinner with full view of the Newport Bridge, sailboats, & a wedding in front of the lighthouse.

Dinner at the Beach (with all the Grandparents):

Pizza, grandparents, & beach...yay!

Shipping up to Boston:

Our plan was to take Nonnie & Papi on a tour of Fenway & then play at the Boston Children's Museum. Well, you know the saying, "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail"? I majorly failed. I'm typically a very thorough planner, but figured I would relax & things would fall into place. Whoops. On non-game days, the Red Sox have tours of the ballpark from 9-4 (& it was a non-game day). After getting stuck in traffic & getting a little lost, we got to Fenway at 11:20 & went to buy tickets for the tour. Unfortunately Bruce Springstein was perfroming that night & the last tour started at 11:00. I was so bummed. Nonnie has never been in Fenway & Papi has never been on the green Monster. After some serious retail therapy at the Yawkey Way Store (probably the most expensive & coolest place to get Red Sox gear), we ate lunch at Remy's. Papi looked at me & said, "that sure was a long drive just for lunch." Augh. I was determined to show them a fun time, & we decided to go on a Duck Tour. The tours are half on land & half on water in a vehicle that is half boat & half truck (a DUCW). It was a blast. You were thrilled when you got to drive the boat. The driver asked you what you wanted to be when you grow up, & you said a sheep. You had the whole boat laughing. After our truck/boat tour of the city, we headed to the Children's Museum. You loved riding the subway. We got there at 4:33 & found out the museum closed at 5 (which shocked me, even the Providence Children's Museum is open later than that). Bummer. We had less than 30 minutes to go through 3 floors of fun. Whoops. We just made the most of our time & planned to go again soon. On the way back to the car we grabbed some dinner & ice cream. I realized I had parked in a different parking garage than we typically do & the one we parked in was way more expensive. sigh, the whole day wasn't exactly what we planned, but we still had so much fun with Daddy, Nonnie, & Papi. Plus, now we can take Nonnie & Papi to Boston next year for a tour of Fenway & fun at the Children's Museum (after better planning, of course).

A visit from our favorite Buckeyes:

It's so fun to watch you becoming friends with my best friend's little one. It's so crazy how much you kids have grown since we were last together in March, it was so nice to be together again. For Baby T's frist trip to Rhode Island, we wanted to show him everything. We went to URI & got you both some URI gear. We went to Galilee for fresh lobsters. We played at the beach. You were so sweet with Baby T. At one point he was crying. You ran into the room & said, "it's ok sweetie, I'm here."

Steak & Lobstah Dinnah:

Every year there is a fair across the street from our neighborhood. We typically have a big get together, & people can walk over to the fair from our house. This year was just so busy. Daddy had a golf tournament & other friends already had BBQs planned. So we had a few people over on Friday night instead of Saturday. Rather than cook hotdogs & hamburgers, we made steak & lobster (correction, Nonnie & Papi made the lobster & then cracked mine open & got the meat out for me). It was the yummiest get together I think we've ever had.

Vermont Get-Away:

While you were away in North Carolina & we were desperately missing you, your daddy & I decided to make the most of it & go on a little get-away. We headed up to Stowe, Vermont. I don't think we realized how much we needed the alone time until we got there. It was an amazing weekend of biking, kayaking, yummy food, a Ben & Jerry's tour, & relaxing on a hammock together with some wine & amazing mountain views. I think Stowe might be one of our new favorite places. It is such a cute town that is so biker & activity friendly. We can't wait to go back & someday bring you.

So, that was our summer. After our Stowe trip, we were back on the road to North Carolina to reunite with you & spend some amazing time with my family (which I'll talk about next week) for Labor Day weekend. Sigh, I think the summer goes by quicker every year. I loved Summer 2012, but I'm ready for Fall 2012 & all the amazing apple & pumpkin smells & activities that come with it.

I love you so,

Mommy