From Sea to Shining Sea.........Connecticut 2011

Vinny and I headed back home a couple days earlier than Ant's schedule would allow, and per his usual, Vinny flew like a seasoned pro. Armed with a bag full of snacks, crayons, stickers, and a brand new iPad, Vinny kept busy the whole time. He was happy, quiet, and still talks about the "super bumpy" flight in the purple airplane. It was just a short episode, but when the sippy cup goes flying off the tray table and into the aisle, your tend to remember it.

Are You Ready Some Football?

Thanks to Mike and Mary Lou, we went to the Patriots Season Opener. It was a perfectly clear day, almost too warm for New England football. But when the sun went down, and we zipped up our sweatshirts, it felt like fall! And the Pats won!

Silly Blaise

My brother and sister in law ought to have a grand time getting Blaise to sit for Christmas portraits this year. I predict some major bribery will be in Blaise's future...Not sure what's more amusing, the silly faces or the shirt.

I love when kids get a hold of a camera...you can really see life from their point of view. Here are a couple shots Blaise took while playing with Vinny in Gramma and Papa's back yard after nursery school. Notice his finger in each shot :)

Playing at Babci's

Babci has lots of cool toys, but Vinny wasn't too keen about this motorized truck, not even with its cool tricks. So he just held his ground around the corner while Babci ran defense.

Now we're talking Babci! Vinny could sit and color and paint for hours, and so he really enjoyed this new painting book Babci had for him. So serious about his work.
One of the funniest moments of the visit came while Vinny was playing with the myriad of magnets my grandmother has covering her fridge. I think some are older than me! Anyway, Babci asked Vinny if he had found the duck. Vinny looked annoyed with her ignorance of water fowl and replied emphatically, "No, it not a duck. Dis a goose!" He didn't seem nearly as amused by this exchange as we did.

Molly the Dog

Much like Gabby gets top billing in Arizona, when asked who we were going to visit, Vinny would say, "Gramma, Papa, Molly Dog." So when Aunte Gail brought Molly over for a playdate with Vinny, he was all smiles. What fun he had playing fetch with her in the big back yard and keeping her company during water breaks.



The BIG E

It's been at least a dozen years since Ant and I have been able to get to the Eastern States Fair, a celebration of all things New England, and deep fried of course...though Dr. John M will be happy to hear we ate none of it. Well, that's not true. Ant and Vinny were able to sneak away to the Rhode Island building for a bag of clam fritters, which Vinny loved. But who doesn't?

Our very first stop though was the Big Yellow Slide. Vinny was too scared, so I went up with Blaise. There we are way up there on top ready to fly down.
On to the petting zoo. Vinny loved feeding this donkey.
Blaise loved milking the cow in the agriculture building.
When it came to rides, Vinny preferred the safe, slow, and steady rides like the choo choo. His face doesn't show it, but he talked about that choo choo all week...along with the dragon roller coaster that he liked not so much.

Last ride. Still not warming up to anything that looks unlike a choo choo.
Wedding Bells

The whole reason for holding off on our yearly summer trip back home was to be able to attend two family weddings. Congratulations to Donny and Anna on my side, and David and Corin on Anthony's side! While it is wonderful to have your children invited to a wedding, easy it is not. there was lots of wrangling to be done. But Gramma came prepared-she loaded two Woody and Buzz lunch boxes with all kinds of goodies to keep the boys busy until it was time to booty shake. And oh boy, did they ever, especially Blaise. Sure the bride and groom were the star attraction, but these two hooligans stole the show a few times. No one will forget Blaise asking the DJ if she had any Lady Gaga. And then he proceeded to bust a move like nobody's business. You can't buy that kind of entertainment.
During the special family dances.
Table camera shots...

On our way to David and Corin's Wedding
Wrestling with Uncle Brian

Best Buddies

After a microburst of energy let loose all over the living room, I asked if they'd sit for a picture. To my surprise they ran to the couch, flashed cheesy smiles, and posed away.




We had been in the living room chatting away, so Mom decided to check on the boys in the den (it seemed oddly quiet) and this is what she walked into.
Look familiar?

This was after another night of playing hard. Not two minutes after I snapped this shot, Vinny fell asleep on Blaise's shoulder.
A Few Random Favorites

Vinny loves watching home video clips, especially if he is the star.
Stealing Papa's Chair

Heading Home

All set with a backpack of goodies.

"Purple Pwee-Pwane Mommy!"

Vinny loved watching all of the airplanes coming and going. My grandfather figured Vinny had traveled across the country 14 times by this point. But this trip was the first time Vinny was vividly aware and expressive about his excitement. Now, everytime he sees an airplane in the sky, even the little prop planes that fly near our house, he says they are going to "Connec-cut."
The magic sidewalks were great fun, too.
Looking out the window. Such a big boy now that he gets to sit in his own seat.
All that excitement makes a boy sleepy.

What a whirlwind of a trip, though it always is. The older Vinny gets, the busier he keeps us, and so the number of photos in the camera are significantly fewer than in years past. Got to make the moments count! It'll be a while before we get back home, but thankfully Gramma and Papa will be making their first trip to California in October. Looking forward to that!