Fun with Family in Rhode Island

We had a chance a few weeks ago to drive up to Rhode Island and meet the newest member of the clan - little Avery Anne. What a cutie.

We left early on Thursday morning - and I mean early. We were on the road by 5:00 AM in order to miss all the traffic around the 3 cities we had to travel through. We had great luck and made it to Rhode Island by late afternoon. We got to meet Avery right away while Erin and Jeff re-acquainted themselves with cousin Rylie and all her toys. Jeffrey talked almost the entire drive about Cousin Rylie's house so he was quite excited when we got there.

We had a relaxed evening and then headed over to the nearby favorite beach to to a little wading and search for starfish. Uncle Jeff is a pro at finding starfish. Erin was pretty terrified of them at first but eventually realized they were pretty cool and decided she didn't mind helping to throw them back into the ocean. Jeffrey, as is typical, ran directly into the water and it was all we could do to keep him as dry as possible. By the end of the trip all 3 kids had wet bottoms from getting into the water.

On Saturday we went over to a nearby lighthouse. The day was gorgeous, if a little windy. We walked around the lighthouse and climbed a little on the rocks. Rylie pointed all the boats out to me. Jeffrey just wanted to run and climb. Erin had my old digital camera with her and she just wanted to take picture after picture.

That afternoon Rylie had dress rehearsal for her dance recital so we took the kids and Avery out to a nearby playground. They had a blast running and climbing. There was an Air Show nearby and we got to see some of the planes flying around in formation over the playground. Of course what good is a trip to a playground if we don't stop for Ice Cream on the way home. We found the greatest place for Ice Cream thanks to Uncle Jeff. Erin enjoyed her first strawberry Ice Cream cone while Jeffrey missed out snoozing in the back seat.

Sunday, Jeff drove us around Newport. The mansions there are amazing. Both the kids called them castles as we drove by. We stopped at a park overlooking the bay/inlet where we could see a whole bunch of sail boats. The kids spent the required time running around in the grass chasing and tackling daddy. Even Cousin Rylie got into the mix - until Jeffrey tried to clothes-line her. And then that was enough of that.

That afternoon Rylie had her dance recital. She was adorable doing the Twist and marching. Erin was mesmerized by the whole thing and now wants to take dance classes. I think we might have to wait on that a bit. "Uncle" Craig drove down to meet Avery and see Erin and Jeff after the show.

By Sunday night everyone was exhausted, moms and dads included. With early mornings for all on Monday we turned in not long after the kiddos. It was a great weekend to spend with family, for the cousins to play together, and to meet Avery who's just as cute as a button.