Pen Pals

Dear Em,
Last year you made the sweetest, little friend. You both love books. You both love pink. It was a match made in heaven.

Except...

You met your friend Claire at an out of state wedding. Her family lives in Pennsilvania. This doesn't make play dates easy to plan.

Luckily, her family came to visit Rhode Island for a fantastic long weekend a few months ago. It was as if no time had passed. You & Claire took up right where you left off. We loved the time we got to share with the whole family.

When it came time for Claire & her family to return home, you were devestated. I understood. It's so hard to say goodbye to dear friends, especially when you know it will be a while before you're able to be reunited. I suggested you write letters to Claire to keep in touch until we can visit her family. It didn't totally take away the sting of being apart, but you were excited to have a way to communicate...& you were really excited about the prospect of getting mail.

You wrote your first letter to her a few weeks later. Expecting to have a response the next day, you couldn't understand why the mail "was taking SOOOO long." Since then, we've had many discussions about how the postal system works. It's been an excellent lesson in patience.

When you opened the mailbox to find your first letter from Claire, you couldn't have been more excited. You read it aloud to Daddy & I. It was so fun to find out what she & her family had been up to. You "ohhhed" & "awed" over the picture she drew you & hung it up on the wall.

I smiled as I watched you write Claire a letter in return. In a world that's full of quick text, email, & facebook messages, you have a found a pen pal...& a fantastic friend.

I love you so,
Mommy

One Fun Fall Saturday

Dear Em,
We had such a fun fall Saturday this past weekend. Our friends had driven up from the New York City area (you fondly refer to them as Aunt Erin & Uncle Matt). Wanting to show them the best of Rhode Island & knowing rain was on the forecast for Sunday, we jam packed our Saturday with as many of our favorite fall activities as we could.

It started with a 5 year old birthday party at The Farmer's Daughter. We don't typically take our out of state friends to birthday parties of children they don't know, but the party was at a farm. So we figured, why not? We had planned on having some pumpkin patch fun, & this way you could also celebrate one of your dearest friends.

We watched you have a blast with you little friends, going on a hayride, picking out a pumpkin, & painting your pumpkin. You hit a pinata & collected candy. It truly was the perfect fall birthday party.

After you hugged all your little friends goodbye, we explored the farm ourselves. It took us a little while to pick out the perfect pumpkins to take home.

After we had purchased our pumpkins, we had fun at some of the other farm activities. You worked your way through a hay bale maze. Everybody slingshot pumpkins at scarecrow targets. We all got lost in the corn maze. Although there was a flock of bird nearby making ominous, horror movie bird sounds, everything else about the corn maze was hilarious. At each fork you would split up our group, ordering half of us to go one way & the other half to go the other way. Eventually, we all made it out together.

After the farm fun, you went to have a sleepover at Grandma & Papa's house. Matt, Erin, Daddy, & I began the adult portion of our Saturday. We went to Tilted Barn Brewery. I just love that there is a place near our house where we can taste beer in a barn & walk along a path filled with chickens.

We stopped to enjoy the fall foliage on the way to our next stop. The foliage was at its peak this past weekend. It made my heart so happy as we drove along backroads.

We took Erin & Matt to our favorite beach in Rhode Island. I promised them that after they climbed the giant dune, they would love the view. Of course, Napatree Point didn't disappoint.

We went into the night at Ocean House & Malted Barley (two of my favorite Westerly spots for very different reasons), & returned home exhausted from our full fall day. Luckily, Sunday was the perfect grey day for us to relax & recover from our busy Saturday. We mostly watched movies & football & ate a lot of yummy food. Although I felt a little guilty about not getting out of the house, I think it's what we all needed.

I'm so thankful for our beautiful fall Rhode Island weekend. The best part was sharing it with friends & family, & the excited smile that spread across your adorable face.

I love you so,
Mommy

Our Bed & Breakfast

Dear Em,
With Fall officially in swing, I wanted to post a little about our sweet summertime visitors. I joke that our house is a little like a Bed & Breakfast. That especially holds true in the summertime, & we love it. We had so much fun giving our friends & family a taste of the littlest state.

The Haeusslers were our first summer visitors. They came all the way from Ohio, & you camped out in the driveway for hours waiting from them to arrive. When they finally arrived, it was like you were reunited with your two long-lost, little brothers. You were thrilled that they were staying for more than a week. We took them all over Rhode Island. We watched you three littles play at the zoo, splash in the waves at the beach, explore URI (where Aunt Jayme & I met), eat ice cream, & be OK that we only spent five seconds at the PawSox game. We spent a lot of time at home too. We had a big gathering with old friends, Jayme's birthday celebration, multiple Independence Day celebrations, & even got to spend a day relaxing on an air mattress. 

You & Trey were best buddies. You read books together, built inside tents, pretended you were firefighters, watched TV together, & let your imaginations run wild. Dane very adamantly declared Daddy as his best buddy (we'll work on that). It was a fabulous ten days of ups & down & highs & lows & all the precious moments in between. I loved getting to share it all with my best friend & her family. It was so hard to say goodbye, but we know we'll be seeing them all again in Ohio really soon. Until then, I can't help but smile each time you & Trey Facetime. They're probably the most adorable conversations in the world.

Aunt Colleen, Ryan, & Dash came later that month. We got to spend a long weekend with them, & most of it was spent outside in perfect Rhode Island weather. We had a bunch of plans as just the adults, but we squeezed in a pool day with Colleen while Daddy & Ryan golfed. That night the adults enjoyed Aunt Carries for dinner & a stroll in Narragansett as the sun was setting. The next day we headed for Newport & had a blast at the Folk Festival. The music was so much fun, & I loved that we got to share it all with great friends. 

Colleen is the one who first introduced me to the loveliness of Rhode Island. When she comes to visit, it always feels a little like she's come back home. I'm so glad that even though she's moved away, I still get to enjoy precious Rhode Island moments with her & now her husband too. It was a quick visit this time, but we know she'll be back soon.

When we discovered we had a free weekend the beginning of August, I was so excited that our friend Erin decided to visit us. Erin & I met a little over a year ago, but it feels like we've been friends forever. You already lovingly call her Aunt Erin. She was one of the first people you shared your dreams of becoming a fashion designer with, & it made my heart so happy as I watched the two of you color & design together. Soon after Erin arrived, we headed over to Narragansett for dinner at Aunt Carries, building rock towers, music at the gazebo, Nana's gelato, & the most beautiful full moon rising over the ocean. 

The next day was jam packed with Rhode Island fun. We had a blast visiting a farmers market & a fish market. Then Erin, Daddy, & I visited two different local breweries. We returned home & you & Daddy set up tents in the back yard while the ladies prepared a seafood boil. We ate until we were stuffed, enjoyed a fun fire pit, & then had your first camp out in the backyard. Of course, a trip to Rhode Island wouldn't be complete without a day at the beach. While you & Daddy had fun at a birthday party, Erin, Nonnie, & I enjoyed a full & gorgeous day at the Charlestown Breachway. It was such a perfect weekend with such a fun friend. We're looking forward to many, many more.

Our last summer visitors came for a long weekend visit over Labor Day weekend. The Mages family came super late Thursday night while you were asleep. I didn't tell you they were coming, & you woke up Friday morning thrilled to see that you had little friends visiting. Claire & I picked you up from the bus stop that afternoon, & I loved watching you & Claire & Braden play together for the rest of the weekend. 

We danced to music at the Narragansett Gazebo for the last time of the season & then enjoyed Nana's gelato. The next morning we brunched at & explored the beauty of the Umbrella Factory. That afternoon you played at Grandma & Papa's house while Daddy & I enjoyed our last RedSox game of the season. We reunited as the Mages & the McGoverns the next morning & spent a beautiful day at the Charlestown Breachway before heading home to a yummy seafood dinner (thanks Alyssa & Paul!). We ended the day around the fire pit with s'mores & sparklers. Not every moment was perfect, but they never are when you're adventuring with small children. I think we all had our moments, but everyone took turns & everyone helped out  It was so amazing to spend time with like-minded parents who understand what we're going through. The Mages are such a beautiful family. We miss them like crazy, but plans are in the works for a Philadelphia adventure.

I can't write a post about our summer visitors without mentioning Nonnie, although she's not really a visitor. She has her own room in our house. She just doesn't use it all year long. While most of our summer visitors stayed for a short time, Nonnie was here almost the whole summer. We are so fortunate to be able to spend our summer moments with her...especially this summer. This summer was amazing, but challenging with your ankle injury. Nonnie stood right by our sides through it all, providing extra hands & the support we all needed. She basically made everything for your birthday party, cleans our house, & makes the most amazing fried fish. Nonnie is perfect like that. 

You & Nonnie were truly best buddies this summer. The two of you were pretty much inseparable. In fact, at one point you two got married. You two played barbies & babies & dress-up. You read together & built legos together & biked together & watched movies together. You even had your own date nights when Daddy & I went out for our date nights. Nonnie came with us on our Narragansett adventures & built rock towers with us. We fit in a kayaking trip or two. We finally introduced her to one of our favorite places: Duck & Bunny. She enjoyed The Little Mermaid & the Washington County Fair right alongside of us. 

Papi came for a couple weeks this summer too. He helped us out with A LOT of home improvement projects...like a real lot. He also had lots of fun with us too. The two of you played in a way I haven't quite seen you play before. It made my heart so full to watch you play with your Nonnie & Papi. We may not live close by, but we're so fortunate that we get to share the time with them that we do.

And that's why even though it wasn't the summer we were planning, it was an amazing & beautiful & perfect summer. It was filled with adventure & the people we love, & I wish I could do it all over again (well, most of it).

That's also why I've been working on another little home improvement project. We're officially making the office (which we haven't used as an office in three years) into another guest bedroom (I'll post more about it when it's done). This way we have even more space for our friends & family who want to take a little Rhode Island get away. I guess I can say that our Bed & Breakfast officially has more vacancies. Who wants to book your stay?

I love you so,
Mommy

love letters

Dear Em,

"We're Rhode Island born & we're Rhode Island bred & when we die we'll be Rhode Island dead. So, go go Rhode Island Island. Go go Rhode Island Island. Go Rhode Island! URI!"

It never ceases to amaze me that people travel from all over the country to visit & fall in love with Rhode Island...but we get to live here! Rhode Island has it's faults, but to me it is one of the most magical, beautiful, & amazing places to be. I lived all over the country growing up, but it was in Rhode Island that I finally found my home. I can't tell you how fortunate I feel to be able to explore here, share precious moments with family & friends here, & watch you grow here...each & every day.

We packed a lot of Rhode Island fun into our summer, but one of my favorite things to do was visit the Narragansett Gazebo on Friday nights. Each week different bands & groups performed for free. We brought a giant beach towel & chairs (& sometimes beer & wine) & plopped ourselves down amongst a community of people, young & old.

You made new friends among the tons of littles running around & dancing on stage. I listened to the music, took in the smell of the sea air, & delighted in watching the gorgeous colors of the sunset. Sometimes you & I danced together. Sometimes, I enjoyed just sitting back & taking in my rosy cheeked little girl, so full of joy my heart felt like it could burst. Sometimes, you liked to be a photographer. You captured everything, & I loved the way a huge smile spread across your face when you took a picture of something you love.

Sometimes we also walked along the wall. We tried to make little rock towers as tall as we can. It was like piecing natural puzzles together, & each time the result would be a little different.

As the moon began to rise over the ocean, we almost always ended the night at Nanas for some gelato. Then we browsed through the quaint, little shops (Simply Natural is your favorite). You waved to the shop owners who have become more like friends.

We typically walked back to the car holding hands, & I couldn't help but think of how very much I love the place we live. I love the quirkiness of this state, the fun activities available all summer long, the gorgeous views, & the special community of people. I love that we're constantly discovering new favorite places, even though we live in the smallest state in the country. I love that you think summer is a holiday, & it's your favorite one. Most of all, I love sharing this wicked amazing, Ocean State with you & Daddy everyday.

I love you so,
Mommy