flying swings

Bennett starts his new daycare today.  We have been thinking about switching for a while now.  The hours are more convenient and the vacation time is minimal.  I also like that he will be on a better routine and he will be doing a lot of crafts.  At Flying Swings the kids do a craft everyday.  On our way this morning looking very perplexed.

The trip to the new daycare is quite a bit longer.  Bennett is in the car for about 25 minutes now instead of 5.  He did well but started to complain toward the end of the trip.  I was starting to get nervous.  We plan on staying with him for a little while since it's his first day.  We brought him into his new classroom and thought that he would have a hard time letting us go.  But, he got down to play right away.  He was grabbing all the toys and saying: "Wow!"

This one was his favorite.  He brought it over to the table and was so focused on playing with it that he didn't notice us leaving. 

I was a mess on the way out.  It felt like the first day of daycare with Jeanne all over again when he was just 3 months old.  I couldn't stop thinking about him at work and called to check in right around noon.  Bennett was doing well.  He cried only a little when he realized we were gone.  And, didn't mind sleeping on his mat during rest time.  

Bennett worked on his first craft today too.  He enjoyed painting with blue and red doters.  I cannot wait to proudly display his handy work on the fridge.

Here is the complete report from his new teachers Miss Katherine and Miss Kristen.

Finally it was 5 o'clock and time to pick up our nugget.  He was all smiles when Nick picked him up.  He was also exhausted and hungry.  I bet a new place, new toys and new friends can be very tiring.  I am not sure why he didn't eat much of his lunch though.  He made up for it at dinner.  I hope tomorrow and the rest of the week goes by just as well as today.  Great job Bennett.  We are so proud of you.

tougas family farm

It was very hot today.  We stayed in most of the day but decided to get out to stretch our legs, mostly Bennett's actually, for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  I heard that a nearby farm had a nice playground and farm animals so we thought we would check it out.  Bennett wanted to check out his favorite, chickens, first.

He was having fun hanging onto the cage and chatting away at the chickens.

We visited the goats next.

Bennett liked petting them.

Bennett wanted to share his milk with the goats since we didn't have any food for them.

Sorry, cuties but that's not in the cards.  

We didn't see any other animals so we headed to the playground.  Bennett pondering his next move.

The swings of course.

This climbing wall made of tires looks fun.  Bennett didn't know what to do with it though.

He just kind of stood there looking around.

We found a tunnel to explore.  

Bennett enjoyed crawling back and forth between mom and dad.

It was so hot out that after the playground we headed home.  I wish the strawberry fields were open for picking.  We will have to come back here for some fresh picked fruit another day.  I bet Bennett will love it.

cupcake

Bennett had a cupcake after lunch today.  I love taking pictures of the mess.  It's unique every time.

He mostly ate the frosting and just played with the rest of the cupcake.  Vanilla just doesn't make as much of a mess.  Bennett enjoyed it nevertheless. 

business man

Daddy was doing some work on the computer this morning.  He made the mistake of walking away for a few minutes.  He is going to have to wait for his turn now until Bennett is done conducting his business on the computer.

peek - a - boo

Bennett is entertained by the smallest things.  Tonight playing with the closet door turned into a game of peek - a - boo.  I love to hear him laugh. 

rutland state park

Mommy and Daddy had the day off today.  All of us were tired from our busy weekend so we decided to take it easy today and check out Rutland State Park.  It's about 30 minutes away and has a small beach we can enjoy.  I knew Bennett would love it.  We packed some snacks for a small picnic and headed out.  Bennett stayed awake for the entire car ride until literally the last few minutes of the trip.  He didn't budge when I took him out of the car seat so we took him for a walk.  An hour later we were still waiting for him to wake up.  Not exactly the way we wanted to start out our beach day.

He did eventually wake up and hit the beach.

Bennett was not really into playing in the water today like yesterday. 

He enjoyed building sandcastles with daddy.

And, climbing on Daddy.

I don't think Daddy was having as much fun though.

Once again it was a gorgeous day.

We enjoyed the sun and the sand.  I am sure this place is packed on the weekends.

Once the snacking started we decided it was time for the picnic we packed. 

We found a nice table to hang out.  Someone was busy walking around and took his snack on the go. 

I love hanging with my boys.  So happy we got to do something relaxing on our day off together.  

exploring in new hampshire and maine

Our camping trip extended today into a trip along the coast to Portsmouth, NH and Ogunquit, ME.  We have not spent much time in these neighboring states but there is a lot to do and see.  We decided to take the scenic route along the coast.  Best decision ever!  It was gorgeous.  We drove by some really nice mansions, restaurants and parks.

The weather was gorgeous.

The beaches were crowded.  There were lots of places to sit and enjoy the scenery.  

We didn't stop until we got to Portsmouth.  We didn't have time to do that if we wanted to get home around Bennett's bedtime.  I think that was a Model T next to us at one of the lights in town.

 We took a short walk to explore the town before getting lunch at Popover on the Square.

Bennett enjoyed looking down at the water from the pier.

Bennett has a unique style when it comes to eating lunch.  The popovers at this place were yummy.

I loved all the shops this town had to offer.  We may have to come back for some Christmas shopping.  Next stop was Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME.  This mile-long pathway along the coast has some really gorgeous views.

Selfies are so hot right now.

There were lots of sail boats out on the water. 

Bennett was getting antsy in the stroller so we found a small grassy area for him to play and made a pit stop.

He was laughing at Daddy blowing at the dandelion seeds.  We tried to teach him how to do it himself but he had a hard time.

We found a better pit stop a little further down the path.  We climbed down to the beach.

Bennett really enjoys playing with sand.

He walked right into the water started picking up sand and rocks and throwing them back in.

Daddy had to pull him back in towards the shore a few times.

Needless to say, he was quite unhappy when we had to leave.  It was getting late though and we were hungry.  So we headed back towards home into Kittery, ME for dinner.  It's the oldest town in Maine first settled in 1623.  We stopped at Warren's Lobster House.  How can we go to Maine and not get lobster?  It would be a crime.  This place was huge.  It was packed on a Sunday night.  I took that as a good sign.

We had a nice view of the docks from the window at our table.  Bennett took a nap on the way to dinner and got a bad case of bed head.  

 

Bennett wouldn't sit still while we waited for dinner and climbed onto the table.  

Mommy and Daddy got the salad bar and tried to sneak a carrot that looked as large as a cracker on to Bennett's plate.  He actually fell for it and started eating it but then he spit it back out.  Bennett loves his carbs.

The dinner here was delicious.  It took us an hour to get back home.  It was a sad trip home.  The day went by too fast.  We did a lot and I hope we come back to do more exploring of this beautiful area soon.