The Cart Before the Horsing Around

Family outings to the grocery store are a challenge in child containment. The stores do their best to lend a hand, er, cart. Some stores keep a couple oversized carts—complete with double seats—in their corral. But these carts are most suitable for families with youngsters of similar or same age. Other places build seating out the back—Target’s on the mark with this style. Our kids prefer the places where they can ride around in—or on, in this case—a car attached to the front of the shopping cart.

Ground Bound

There are plenty of highs and a fair share of lows to emotionally metabolize as a parent of a toddler. Your child throwing himself to the ground is often a low point, but not when his motivation is to get a closer look at—and feel for—the leaves that have fallen in the yard and driveway.

Off-the-Street Pedaler

I needed to summon my inner Yoda in this instance: “Do or do not, there is no trike.”

Not in the house, at least.

He Deserves a Big Pack on the Back

Reed started the school year with a Mr. Happy backpack (as seen above on a not-so-happy Reed). Perhaps he knew then what would eventually become of that backpack—a broken zipper for the main compartment meant that the pack was no longer packing. His newest backpack takes him to infinity and beyond, and has him all abuzz.

Get the Skates Rolling

Back when ESPN was the age that Olivia is now, they televised something called “Roller Super Stars,” which showcased the theater that is roller derby. I remember taking in and being taken by the end-to-end (round-and-round?) action.

Roller derby has reemerged in the collective conscience of our community. Our area supplies us with several teams, and these teams supply us with entertainment and awesome participant nicknames (e.g., Bruisy Homemaker) in return.

Here are my attempts at derby-esque names for the kids:

Olivia, aka O, the Humanity!
Reed, aka Rough-and-Tumble Reed

Swirled Cup

Rain Stormed

Reed rushed outside when the skies opened up, shook his rain stick at the celestial faucet when the water slowed to a trickle, and then danced around the drenched driveway when the raindrops rebounded for earth.

Do You Read (to) Me Loud and Clear?

The answer: A resounding yes. Every night. Big sister. Mommy. Daddy. Three to five books before bed. May our love of books bind us together forever.

Moose Pad

We stopped by the Mooses’ house to bid farewell to its owners before embarking on our long journey home.

To Beach His (and Her) Own

The last day in Newport meant a last hurrah on the ocean’s sands. We brought the boogie boards and packed our beach bags with beach blankets, big buckets, banana bread, and a boom box—with a B.B. King album, of course. We can’t wait to BB—be back, that is—next year.

Cliffy Situation

Newport’s cliff walk is known as the Cliff Walk—its prominence is such that it gets the capital-letters treatment. Wildflowers, birds, and rock formations line its 3.5-mile length, but it is best known for its breathtaking views of the ocean and gasp-inducing size of the nearby mansions.

All the news and commentary—now on (a) countdown: The 5 of us—the family 4-some plus G—walked a third of the 3-some mile path before heading back, which is when the 2 below posed in the back of a mansion and 1 tired toddler passed out on the lawn of another.

Hot and Cold

By day, combing the beach for shells; by night, roaming the beach town for Del’s.

Kicking It in Newport

Our plans were to arrive in Newport, Rhode Island—the home of not only the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but also G—in time for a dinner gathering with our New England relatives and our new England relatives. Martin, the gentleman to the left of his lovely wife who’s at the far left of the picture above, is the long-lost British cousin of my mother-in-law.

I can’t begin to calculate and report the low probability of this group getting together for dinner and this picture: it takes parties that didn’t know of each other’s existence a mere five years ago, one of which happens to routinely take holiday near where the other lives (even though the two parties are separated by an ocean), and us with our decision to go through with the crazy idea of taking our kids on a 20-hour-plus road trip to see their grandmother and great-grandparents at a time when the aforementioned party from across the pond happened to be back, to converge on an area of the country that had been threatened to be decimated by Hurricane Irene just the week before. Plus, we had to convince a wound-up Reed to put away his beloved soccer ball before dinner so that we could get to the restaurant on time.

And somehow it all came together splendidly, much like the fusion food items of the Salvation Restaurant + Bar.