Carnival Happiness

Look at this face! JUST LOOK! How did this little boy get this happy? We took him to a little carnival down the road in the next town.


It was a great experience, because they had LOTS of toddler rides. He rode this truck about 4 times--and at only two tickets per ride, it was a steal!



Baby Sister was pretty happy watching her big brother vroom vroom around the track.


We had typical yummy fair fare for lunch. A shady spot on the grass and we were in heaven.


And then more rides! Look at Mr. Serious coming in for a landing!


Of course we had to hit the games in the little midway!


And then my favorite--the carousel! Look at the big boy, riding by himself! (Chris took him on first while I held my breath--but he's a great rider!)

He kept saying to me during the ride "You are riding Flash and I am riding Sonny!" the two horses that he visits when we see Grandpaw back in Maine.


A million rides later and this girl is still smiling!


My all-time favorite pic of my men:


Well, there are about 22 fairs scheduled between now and mid-September--and I plan to hit as many as we can!

Meet the Smallest Bird in the World

This Hummingbird visits our feeder throughout the day.

Every time I see him, I smile.

Memorial Day with the Egans

Just the kind of day I like--breezy, sunny, 80s, freshly cut grass, a cookout and the laughter of children. PERFECT.

More Like Chris? Or More Like Me--You Decide!

I have been wanting to get Ella a toy that James had when he was her age--a Leapfrog Musical table, because as you can tell from the previous post, she is at the stage where she is pulling up and standing. I bought one for her today, brought it home, put it together, and within seconds she was standing at it, having a grand old time.

I snapped some pics and then somewhere, waaaaaaaay back in my mind I remembered taking similar pics of James.

Hmmm, I wondered, how old was he when I took those photos, and where are they? Well, thanks to a VERY organized husband, within minutes I found the pictures I had been thinking of. The picture of James was taken in March, 2007--so they were both about 9 months old when they started to pull to stand.

Now, I can absolutely, emphatically say what I have been thinking for months: These two don't look ANYTHING alike! Maybe the hair, maybe the noses, but not much else. So here is the question. Which child looks more like Chris, and which looks more like me? (You can click on the photo collage to make it bigger.)

I realize that many of my readers haven't met either Chris or I in person so maybe this is all for naught, but I am curious to know what you all think.

Whatever the result of this unofficial voting result may be, can I just say--these kids are SOOOOOOOO CUTE!

9 Months This Week!

I can hardly stand how fast Ella is growing up!
This is her newest trick, trying to climb up the stairs.
Really, I just can't believe it.
Look at how proud she is of herself!

New York, New York!

It's a wonderful town!

A Moth Mystery

So I need one of my uber-talented nature friends to identify this exquisite moth for me--I think I actually saw it on one of their blogs a few weeks ago. Jayne? Any ideas?

We are heading out to Manhattan for a couple of days--I am very excited to take James to the National Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaur exhibits. We will be hitting a restaurant called Carmines that I haven't been to in about 10 years that a foodie friend of mine introduced me to, (miss you Karen M!)

On Saturday we will head to the Central Park Zoo with my college roommate (love you Reg--I am CRAZY excited to see you!) and then to the carousel.

I'll have tons of pics to share with you Sunday!

Happy Friday everyone!

A Sure Sign of Summer

My husband is working in Rhode Island this week. He and I have a number of great memories that focus on summer trips out to Narraganset, and each time we went we fell more and more in love with Del's Lemonade.

So yesterday evening when he walked in the door and plunked a container of Del's on the counter for me, I was CRAZY HAPPY.

Oh, if you have not had this lovely, icy, must-come-from-Heaven concoction, you must! And the very best accompaniment? Why clam fritters, of course!

Rhode Island, look out, because the weather is getting warmer and I'll be heading your way to scarf up as much Del's as I can!

Tweet! Trill! Whistle! Coo!

Chris was playing around with Picasa yesterday, and made this collage for our desktop background from all of our bird photos we have been taking. I love it, and had to share! Click on it to really enjoy it.

Airline Rail Trail -- South Section Part 3

This and That

Father and son at a local vintage farm equipment show:


Ella's first trip to KidCity:


James exploring the town playground:


Fun with sidewalk chalk:


Bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles!


Building a caterpillar:


Bath time with Baby Sister:


Happy Friday everyone!

Airline Rail Trail -- South Section Part 2

We hit the Airline Rail Trail again last Friday. The weather was glorious! Chris was out of town and I took an opportunity to take the kids out around their nap time.

We went again yesterday and will go out again tomorrow. I just love that I can pick a number of different sections of the trail, and get about 2.5 to 3 miles in, alternating walking and jogging. This section was a little bumpier (each town is responsible for their section) but there were some great things to see, like this beautiful meadow.


I saw a field filled with these flowers, but I haven't the slightest idea what they are. Any thoughts?

We passed by several marshy areas, filled with Red-Winged Blackbirds (I couldn't get any good shots this trip, but I did get some on the last trip, which I will post later in the week).

Here is an example of one of the stone walls that line the trail. I always look at these and wonder, when were they built, who built them, and what for. Most of what I have read online is that they were mostly used in my area for sheep farming.

On this leg of the trail we passed over two bridges. I loved the dandelions that lined this one.

There were several roaring brooks that provided lovely accompaniment to the rhythm of our walk.

For the hour or so that we have been out the last two times, the kids have been great. James and I practice nursery rhymes and sing songs, and Ella sleeps and pokes her brother.

In a few places along the walk, someone has put several bird houses. I think these may be for swallows?

I'll end with this photo--I just love the tree in this picture, and the trail trailing off in the distance.


If you have a chance to get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature around you, do it! If you are in my area, the Airline Rail Trail is calling your name!