30 days, people!!

Did you happen to notice the counter on the left sidebar? Do you see what it says?? Only 30 days until The Big E!! I can't wait! I hope Matthew learns to love it as much as we do.

In case anyone needs any help getting in the mood (which I can't for the life of me understand!), here are some shots we've taken in previous years (except for the chicks, which came from The Big E's website).

The Farm-A-Rama - one of our favorite stops


A mama pig and her piglets


Baby chicks hatching!


Harley, friend of the Hallamore Clydesdales


We love to watch this guy wash down the Clydesdales


The Giant Slide! (Man, I was tan and skinny then...)

And something new this year - I think this is right up my alley. I think I need to be a judge. I mean, come on....what could be better than that? Although I wonder if my passion for the fried cheese curds might get me banned.....

12, 40 and 8.8.08 - our weekend by the numbers

Lots going on this weekend. On Friday, we went to our 12th Saw Doctors concert. It was supposed to be Matthew's first show (not counting the four he attended before he was born!), but with the threat of thunderstorms in the area, we just couldn't chance taking him to the show, which was held at the outdoor Pines Theater at Look Park in Northampton. The skies brightened a bit around 6:00, so we decided to go. Nanna and Poppy were more than happy to stay home and watch Matthew. Danielle came along with us, and we made it to the show just a couple of minutes before the Docs came on stage. Despite our late arrival, we ended up with only 2 rows of people in front of us (not quite the same as being pressed right up to the stage, but excellent nonetheless.) As always, they put on a great show, mixing it up a bit with some oldies but goodies. They played our wedding song, Never Mind the Strangers, so any time that's on the set list, I'm a happy camper. It rained lightly for maybe 20 minutes, but the weather held out for the most part. Here are a few shots from the evening...

Davy

Anto

Leo (with Eimhin on drums in the background)

Then, on Saturday, we went to a 40th birthday party for my friend, Mary Lou. They had a private room at Vivo Seasonal Trattoria at the Marriott in Hartford, and we had a wonderful time. The food was delicious, the jazz band was awesome, and the company was fantastic. Here are a few shots of the evening...

Mary Lou and Rob - looking fabulous!!

Awesome jazz band - ML, what was their name again?

Happy Birthday, Mary Lou! Thanks for having us!

Then today, we went to the hospital to visit our friends Adam and Chrissie, who just had a baby boy, Timothy Joseph, on Friday. Yes, that means his birthday is 8-8-08 - cool, right? He's beautiful, and we were so happy to get to meet him. Here's a picture...

Just kidding! I promised his Mom and Dad that I won't post any pictures of him on my blog until they've had a chance to post their own online.

Congratulations guys! We're so very happy for you!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

First haircut

Today we took Matthew to get his first haircut. I've been fighting it for a while, but I knew it was time as it was getting quite long over his ears. We took him to Snip-its in Canton, CT. They only do kids' haircuts, so we thought that would be a good place to go for his first time. The place is all decked out for kids, with bubbles, computer games, animated mascots and a prize at the end. Very cool, even as an adult.

He got his haircut by Lena (sp?), and she and he both did a great job. He didn't mind a bit, and actually seemed to enjoy the experience. We were able to take pictures and video the whole thing, so we have it for posterity. They also took a picture of him that they attached to a certificate of bravery, along with locks of his hair. I didn't think it was possible for him to look any cuter, but see for yourself....

Before....

During...

After...

After we finished up, we went out to lunch. We went to Flatbread right in the Canton shops, and had the best pizza ever! They use all local ingredients, and you can pretty much customize anything on the menu any way you like it. Dennis had a nitrate-free pepperoni and mushroom pizza...sooooo good!

And I customized mine - 1/2 Coevolution (Kalamata olives, fresh rosemary, red onions, oven roasted red peppers, goat cheese, mozzarella, garlic, and herbs) and 1/2 Test of Love (the daily veggie special - Homemade tomato sauce, roasted garlic, organic caramelized onions, local goat cheese topped with mozzarella, parmesan and organic herbs). Fabulous!

Matthew had lunch in a restaurant for the first time...no pizza for him, though. Oatmeal and pears.

Since it was pouring outside (of course it was!), we decided to linger for a while on the comfy couches and have dessert. Dennis had a brownie sundae with local J. Foster's vanilla ice cream...

and I had gingerbread, also with vanilla ice cream.

Yeah, we made short order of those...

We had such a nice lunch. So relaxed and cozy, spending time with our handsome little boy who no longer seems so little. I felt so full of love.

We did a little shopping in the shops, and then headed home. My wonderful husband, who always takes me to my favorite places, took me by my favorite tree in the whole world. Yes, I have a favorite tree. I used to pass it daily on my way to the Simsbury office I worked in. It's a gigantic sycamore tree - the Pinchot sycamore, the largest tree in Connecticut, and I have always admired it from the road but never stopped to see it. Well, Dennis drove us down to the park at the base of the tree so I could see it in all its glory. It was last measured in 1998, at 26 feet around, 95 feet tall, with an average canopy diameter of 140 feet. Check it out!

If you click on this picture, you'll notice a car going over the bridge behind the tree. Gives you an idea how humongous it is.

Then, as if the day could possibly get any better, we stopped in Southwick on the way home for dinner. No, not at the Summer House.....

And, in case you're wondering - no, I'm not surprised that none of my old clothes fit me.

Not gonna rain on our parade

Lately it seems that whenever we decide to head out for a ride, it ends up raining. I'm not talking sprinkles here. I'm talking full on thunder, lightning and torrential downpours. Usually, it's just a matter of us not checking the forecast before setting out. But this weekend, we knew what we were in for, and we headed out anyway.

Where to, you ask? Well, the beach of course! OK, not exactly the beach, but the shore, anyway. Old Saybrook, to be exact. I wanted to show Matthew where I used to fish with my Poppy. Those are some of my favorite memories - climbing down under the causeway and setting up on the rocks. Fishing all day, landing a few flounder here and there, having sandwiches (one slice of ham and one slice of cheese on Sicilian bread, choke dry - my favorite!), and drinking coffee from a Thermos. I used to have my grandfather bait my hook. I didn't mind touching the worms, but he used to break them in half. Ewwwww....... Such a sweet man, and he even did it for me after I hooked him in the eyelid while casting out one time. Niiiiiice....

Anyhow, I digress. So, we checked the forecast, and saw there was a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Old Saybrook. Looking at the radar, we saw some nasty stuff passing through, and another storm not far behind it, so naturally we took that to mean we had a window of opportunity.

Well, not exactly. It was storming pretty hard when we got down to the shore, but it was great just the same. The water was churning, and the lightning show was spectacular. We hung out for a while, just watching the boats coming in and out. It started to let up a bit, so we captured a couple of shots.....

Notice the seagulls on top of the sign? Nice shot, babe!

By around 3:30, we decided we were famished, since we hadn't eaten since 8:30. We headed out in search of a place we could go dressed as we were. We decided to stop at a place we had passed on the way.....Voted Best in Connecticut. Celebrating 35 years. OK, must be good.

Well, let me just say this was quite the experience. After having to defend my decision to have a clam roll rather than the clam strip platter to our waiter, Mohammed ("The platter has a lot more clams. The roll just has bread." Yup, uh-huh, got that - that's why I'm ordering it.), we had some lunch. It was edible, but not someplace we'll be going back to. Ever. On our way out, Mohammed and another waitress said "Thank you. Come again please." To both of them, I said "Don't count on it." Not sure how quietly I said that, now that I think about it.

In any event, the spookiest part of lunch was not so much the food, or even the little washboard that had the day's specials on it. It was the teddy bears. They were everywhere. At first, I thought the family sitting near us had brought their giant teddy bear with them to lunch. But then, Dennis pointed out that all the tables with kids had a teddy bear sitting in one of the chairs. Now I'm no germophobe, but come on.....do you think those bears have EVER been cleaned or hosed down with Lysol in 35 years? How many kids have sat on those bears and had a little accident? Thank God Matthew was in his car seat so Mohammed was not tempted to bring one for him. Not sure what it was voted Best in Connecticut for - perhaps Best Collection of Dirty, Freaky Teddy Bears?

On the way out, we spotted this one.....you tell me - is that a bear? Looks like a gopher in drag to me.

Lovin' the Bumbo

I've been fighting buying a Bumbo seat. I don't know why, exactly. Maybe it has something to do with the crazy colors they come in. But after seeing Matthew in one at school the other day, I knew we had to get one.

And, can I just say, he absolutely loves it! I'm officially a convert. I think it gives him a new perspective, and makes him feel very independent. Check out these pictures.....