In the Dark

I usually have a moment of dread of Monday mornings because I know that John has to go back to work. Most weeks we've just completed a great weekend together and I hate to see it come to an end. Plus it means no sleeping in for me!  When I woke up today however all I could think was thank god that weekend is over!!!!!

Our weekend was kicked off on Friday morning when we woke up to no power.  The great news came when I called NYSEG and they assured me that the power would most likely probably maybe we back on my Sunday evening.  What????? It's cold outside!  After figuring out that pretty much everyone in our family was without power too we had to come up with a plan fast.  Just to make things a little bit more difficult we had to find a warm place to stay that would also welcome our very large dogs.  Our dogs have very little body fat so leaving them at he house for even a little while was simply not an option.  Unlike most people who own their own companies John is unfortunately not able to skip work in the wake of a natural disaster. In fact when power fails it usually means longer hours for John and ALOT of stress. That meant that he had to shuffle off to work while I got all of us packed up and devised a plan. I remembered that some friends of ours had a similar problem a few years ago and found a pet friends hotel. I was able to get us a reservation at the Marriott Residence Inn which let me tell you is a pretty cool place. So....me, Ethan, Raven, and Blade all loaded into the car with all the necessities and off we went. John left work as quickly as he could and since we had a kitchen at the hotel did grocery shopping for three days.  This is when it gets good...

That evening went pretty well. Our dogs settled in and relaxed as best they could and Ethan is so used to traveling with us that he wasn't surprised by any of this.  We all collapsed into bed at an early hour. Now keep in mind that my dogs haven't had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night in YEARS. They were in a new place though and a little nervous that night so of course I had to get out of bed 3 times and get suited up to take the trip down the stairs and to the dog area in the freezing cold!!!  Hotels and therefore apartments I'm assuming are not ideal for dogs. I thank god for my fenced in yard!  

I finally settled back into bed after the last bathroom trip at 4am excited for the  pancakes John promised to make in the morning. 7am came and Raven woke me up to let me know that guess what?  NO POWER AT THE HOTEL!!!!!!   Do they power gods not know how exhausting it us to move from place to place with a baby and two dogs the size of horses? It was still pretty dark out but luckily my dad had suggested that I pack some flashlights. We bundled everyone up in the cold room, and packed every thing we brought with us. We were now regretting the grocery run.  So it was off to HostRocket to make sure the generator had enough fuel and home to try and warm it somehow for the dogs so that we could take Ethan to my in laws who had finally had power restored.  Once returning home we realized there was no way to get it warm enough for the dogs. So John's parents were kind enough to hide their cat and welcome Raven and Blade.  Off we went again.  Saturday turned out to be great actually ! We ended up doing our Reyes Christmas a little early and exchange presents.

That evening we got the call from a neighbor that our power was back on. YES!!!! We were never so happy to get home!  As we fell into bed that night we thought about the amount of complaining we did and although felt it was a little justified we thanked god for our good fortune. How many people would not have been able to afford a hotel room for that night? So many people wouldn't have family close by to offer them warmth.  Many people didn't have a warm home to finally return to. Our complaining stopped there....

Until Sunday when we lost power for 5 more hours!!!!

Oh Christmas Tree

Once Thanksgiving was behind us it was time to focus on Christmas. The first order of business was getting the house decorated, especially since we're having Christmas pictures taken here on Saturday!  John and I decided to put the tree up the other night but wait a day or two to actually decorate it.  The look on Ethan's eyes when the tree was up and we put the lights on was priceless! 

What was really funny was the fact that someone Ethan knew that the tree was meant to be decorated. Now I'm of course assuming he does not remember the tree from last year, so maybe he's seen them on TV or from shopping lately.  After we put the lights on Ethan began "decorating" the tree with his favorite items....balls.  Before long we had large soccer balls on our tree! He then began bringing all of the smaller balls over! What's funny to me is that ornaments usually are kind of "ball" like.  He wasn't too far off!  

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was very special to us. Not only is it the first that Ethan was big enough to actually enjoy but we also had the news of our expected baby to be excited about!  This time of year always makes me think about all of blessings we have in our lives. Health and family are certainly at the top of the list. There isn't a day that goes by that John and I don't stop and think about how lucky we are to have the family and friends that surround us.  Becoming a mom has made me even more aware of the amazing gifts that we have been given. Looking at Ethan each day I always stop in amazement at how wonderful he is.  He is of course perfect to me in every way. Now as I wait for our second baby I pray for a happy and healthy pregnancy, and a healthy baby in August!  I cant wait to hold that little one in my arms and to watch Ethan grow up with his brother or sister.  So much to be thankful for....

This year we had Thanksgiving dinner at John's parent's house.  It was wonderful! John's grandparents and Aunt and Uncle were here from Maine, as well as his cousin Michael.  It was so great to see everyone and to have the time all week with Grammy and Grampy. I adore watching Ethan with them!  On Thanksgiving night my parents joined us and John's family for dessert. How nice it was to have both sets of our parents together on the holiday.  It was also nice to have Kristen, John, and Ava with us all on Thanksgiving Eve.  

Now its time to get ready for Christmas!  There will be another post later today with pics of the tree going up! 

This chair is just right....

Lately we have been having a bit of an issue in our family room. We recently got a new couch which happens to be a super comfy big sectional.  Ethan has figured out that if he climbs onto the couch when we leave the room he can run from one end of the couch to another.  This is very frightening, and has resulting in more than one fall.  John and I thought that it might help to get him a chair of is own that he would feel proud to sit in. At first I was thinking that a bean bag chair would be the best choice but after my good friend Emily suggested the Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere chair I checked it out and knew it was the one. Thanks Emily! 

John, Ethan, and I went and picked out his chair last weekend and opened it up as soon as we got home. Oh my goodness...the excitement on this face when he realized that the chair was just the right size and that it MUST be for him!  He now loves sitting in his chair to watch sesame street in the morning and to have his afternoon snack.  So cute! 

Halloween

Ethan and Mommy on Halloween

Hi Everyone! Sorry it took me a week to post again, for some reason this past week seemed extremely busy. 

We had a wonderful Halloween weekend!  Ethan of course dressed up as a monkey, complete with his banana treat bag.  In the morning we went to John's office to visit.  Everyone at ViaTalk and HostRocket dresses up for Halloween so it was fun to see Ethan's reaction to their costumes.  They of course loved seeing Ethan in his costume as well. When John got home from work we headed over to my parents house for dinner.  Kristen and John brought Ava over for dinner too! Actually I should say they brought Snow White. She looked adorable! Unfortunately I didn't get any great pics of the two kids together but they had so much fun. John's mom and dad came over to celebrate with us too. We are so lucky that our families are close to one another!  After dinner John and I took Ethan trick or treating to a few of the houses in our neighborhood. Our friends loved seeing Ethan at the door and he had a great time seeing the other kids in their costumes and seeing the decorations at each home.  Needless to say we were exhausted by the end of the day!

On Saturday night John and I went to a costume party at a friends house.  John dressed as Napoleon and I dressed up as bad girl Amy Winehouse.  I would post a pic but its simply too embarrassing.  It's so much fun to dress up and be silly though! 

We topped off our weekend with a big day on Sunday. Ethan went to his first big concert at the Times Union Center. The Wiggles Live!  I have to say that they do an amazing job.  It was so special seeing Ethan react to the lights and music during the show.  When Anthony (the blue wiggle) came into the audience though Ethan wasn't sure what to make of it. I seriously think he thought Anthony had come out of the TV! He was shocked!  Credit for the amazing seats goes to John!

The picture below is of a moment to sweet not to share. Ethan and I spent Monday at Kristen, John, and Ava's. It is so much fun watching the babies play with each other now. They simply adore one another. Ava gave Ethan a big kiss while we were there, and Ethan was sure to open and close the Little Tykes car door for Ava whenever she wanted to go for a ride. Such a gentlemen.  

Here they are sharing a snack on the couch. Ava of course fed Ethan his share! 

Last Day in Newport

Above is a pic of Ethan getting ready for a dip in the pool!  

Friday was our last day in Newport. It was such a beautiful day that we stayed in town until around 2:30 before heading back to NY.  In the morning we walked the Cliff Walk which is a beautiful path that offers views of the ocean on one side and many of the mansions on the other.  Surprisingly the walk is actually all private property owned by the people who live in the bordering homes.  The views are amazing. As we walked we couldn't help but wish that we lived close to a town that offered that type of atmosphere.  Although some parts of the path required climbing over rocks on the beach we were able to complete most of it.  Ethan of course slept the entire way! Here is a picture of John and Ethan on the path! 

Ethan and John putting some back at lunch!
After we finished our walk we headed back into town for some shopping and lunch outside on the deck.  It was such a great day! We were sad to see our trip end but excited to get home for Halloween!  I have to admit though that I am officially a vacation junkie. There is nothing like the three of us having that time together. Plus Ethan is a pro-traveler now.  He is so used to traveling he never complains...just enjoys the scenery.  I was a little worried about how he would sleep in a hotel now that he's getting older, but he was fine.  We put the pack and play next to our bed and he slept a good 10 hours a night even with the TV on and Mom and Dad laughing at the Office!  What a trooper.  

Where will we head next.... you never know! Keep reading!

Newport Mansions

Good Morning Everyone! Sorry I didn't get a chance to post anything yesterday.  We had a really busy day and after Ethan went to sleep I started a post but had such horrible sinus pain that I had to just put it away. I'm feeling much better today though!

What a wonderful day we had!  Ethan woke up very early yesterday (around 6). He always seems to get up earlier when we are on vacation for some reason. This morning he slept until his normal 7:15 though which was nice.  Once we were up and ready yesterday we decided to brave the cold morning and walk to town rather than drive.  When I say we bundled Ethan up its an understatement. He looked like Ralphie's brother in the Christmas Story.  He had on a long sleeved shirt, a Patagonia fleeece, LL Bean winter coat, mittens, hat, and for most of the trip a blanket!  That's him in the stroller if you can't tell! hehehe We kept checking him to see if he minded the cold ocean air and for the first five minutes he was just smiling and enjoying it all.  After the first five minutes....he was sound asleep!  Who's child is this?  We are SUMMER people!  He actually enjoyed the cold air! We walked to a place called the Aloha Cafe where he proceeded to sleep through breakfast.  

Ethan's nap gave us the courage to try the mansions one more time.  This try was a lot more successful than the day before when we had to leave.  Our first visit was to the Elms.  The pictures at the top of the post show how beautiful it was.  It was a self guided tour which was perfect and afterwards Ethan was able to run on the huge lawn out back.  Once we finished up at the Elms we took a drive to the Green Animals which is a sculpted garden outside of Newport.  Unfortunately no one told us that it closed for the season! The good news however is that we found a great Brewery for lunch!  

After lunch we tried one more Mansion...The Marble House.  It was literally full of solid marble walls.  Crazy! It was so interesting to be inside these homes and think about the lives that were led inside of them.  I have to say that I can't imagine living in a home with 70 rooms, I don't think I would like it!  

Ethan, John, and I were able to get some swimming in at the pool once we returned to the hotel. Although we were planning on going out for a big Italian dinner, we settled on room service since we were all so sleepy!  

We are sad to see our vacation come to an end but we have a great morning planned.  First we will complete the Cliff Walk (no worries we won't go over any!) and then tour one last mansion before heading home.  I'll post some more pics tonight!

Mystical Mystic

Today is day 1 of our mini vacation to Newport RI.  When John and I decided to "get away" we were at first thinking up crazy far away destinations ( hard to believe huh? hehehe) but after giving it some thought we realized that there are many places close to home that we have yet to see.  Let me tell ya....so far we are so glad we made that decision. Today was a great day! We left NY around 9:30 this morning and after stopping for lunch on the way arrived in Mystic CT around 1:00. We thought Mystic would be a great place to visit on our way to RI.  Our first stop was the Mystic Aquarium.  The pic above is of Ethan looking at the Sea Lions. The one above is John and E in front of the Beluga Exhibit! The first pic is Ethan watching the sting rays! Although smaller than the New England Aquarium it was the perfect size for someone Ethan's age.  He loved seeing the colorful fish in the large tanks! His favorite exhibit by far however was the outdoor Beluga Whale area. They were incredible! He was able to walk right up to the glass and see them swim quickly by.  So much fun!  He also like sitting near the Sting Ray tank and watching they "fly" through the water.  

After we left the aquarium we walked over to the Old Mistic Village. To walk around and do some shopping. We found a really cool Himalayan shop that was really interesting, and bought some cheese and crackers at a gourmet store.

Once we were shopped out we headed straight to the Hyatt on Goat Island in Newport RI. It is soooo beautiful! We LOVE it so far and are so excited to explore the town tomorrow.  Looks like we might tour the old mansions tomorrow afternoon so I'll be sure to post some pics before heading to bed tomorrow night.  Ethan is a pro traveler.  He and John are both snoring right now!  Love to all!

Over the river and through the woods.....

Having Ethan has led to a lot of changes in our lives, one of which is more frequent trips to Warren, ME to visit John's Grandparents.  This is one of my favorite trips to take as there is something comforting about walking into their home.  You are of course greeted with a huge hug (after Ethan gets his!) and the smell of fresh homemade rolls along with whatever is cooking in the oven for supper.  Before we had Ethan we only made this trip about once a year. Now however, we find that making the trip more often is important not only to them but to us and Ethan.  

Our last visit was at the end of July so we were not expecting Ethan to remember much about being there.  This age brings about it many stages including an uneasiness around strangers.  Although Grammy and Grampy are by no means strangers we weren't sure if he would completely remember them.  We were ecstatic when at first glance of Grammy Ethan reached his arms out to go to her.  He even remembered the "chasing" game that he played in the living room with Grampy and where the bathtub was for bath time. This visit was very special as Grammy had gone all out decorating the house for Halloween.  Strings of Jack O Lantern lights graced the bushes outside, glowing pumpkins were put in the windows, and non breakable fall decorations were put out for him to explore.  She even removed her breakable collectibles from the shelves in the living room and replaced them with trucks that Ethan could use.  He loves it there!

Our trip usually lasts at least three nights since its such a long drive, but unfortunately we were only able to make it two nights this time.  Grammy and Grampy will visit for Thanksgiving and we are counting the days.  This time with them is so important.  Seeing how much they love Ethan and how he responds to that love is very touching.  I was never able to know my great grandparents and I am so happy that my son has his in his life.   Next stop Hawaii.....soon I hope! 

Big weekend coming up! Wedding tonight, and dinner with my brother Stephen and his family tomorrow night.  On Tuesday Ethan, John, and I set off for a mini-vacation. We seem to be on the go an awful lot lately! 

Those apples look like balls!

Sunday was spent apple picking with our great friends Shelly and Keith.  I should say our incredibly patient friends Shelly and Keith! This was Ethan's first time at the apple orchard.  And his reaction was priceless.  The second he got out of the car  he pointed to the trees proclaiming, "ball! ball! ball!".  Those of you who have spent time with Ethan know that we could have no toys other than "balls" in our home and E would be happy.  The thought that "balls" grow on trees was the best thing in the world to him!  Figuring out that these "balls" were not the type you throw was not as much fun.  We compromised by giving Ethan the very important job of putting the apples into the bag to carry home.  Needless to say we have a lot of bruised apples!  

Ethan's love for throwing continued on into Tuesday when we visited the portrait studio for the first time.  Up until now all "planned" portraits/pics of Ethan have either been taken at our home or at Kristen's house.  I wanted to surprise John though and have a pic of Ethan taken in his Halloween costume. I first have to say that the pics are insanely cute.  I couldn't believe some of the shots this poor woman was able to get.  At one point they had Ethan sit in the studio next to a bale of hay and some decorative pumpkins. Small, medium, and large ROUND pumpkins!! Ethan being the "boy" that he is turned these pumpkins into balls before I could reach him.  The sad thing is that Ethan was not throwing these pumpkins to be mean or bold in any way, he honestly thought they were cool balls that were meant to be played with.   This is a concept we will have to keep working on!  In the meantime...watch your mailboxes as most of you will be getting a special halloween greeting from our photo session!  

We are heading to Maine this weekend to visit John's grandparents.  I'll be sure to post pics and details on Monday night!

Ethan's First Trip to the Farm!

This past weekend we ventured to Watkins Glen NY for Ethan's first trip to the Farm Sanctuary.  Gigi came with us since she had never been either, it was so much fun!  This is a picture of Ethan petting a cow named Snickers.  Snickers was being raised as a veal calf before being brought to the farm.  Although we were worried about the rain as we drove out to the farm as we got closer the clouds parted and let a little bit of sun out.  We ended up having great weather for our tour.   

                                                                                                                                                                                 Here is a pic of us meeting Phoebe, the pig that we sponsored this year.   Although Phoebe was very sleepy,

she wasn't shy about showing her love for belly rubs.  Ethan loved seeing how large the pigs were!  Gigi and I were surprised by how rough

 and course their hair was.  Weird!

After we met Phoebe we went on a full guided tour of the farm.  Ethan got to meet cows, sheep, ducks, chickens, turkeys, pigs, bunnies, and go

ats. The goats were his absolute favorite! They were hilarious and seemed to put on a show for everyone who entered the barn.  I particularly fell in love with a goat named Goodwin.  Goodwin has a form of dwarfism that can affect goats and other animals. Although he is much smaller than the other adult goats on the farm he does not let that stop him!  I think that I have a soft spot for Goodwin because he reminded me a bit of our greyhound Blade.  Goodwin has just started coming out of his "shell" at the farm.  He has spent the past two years feeling very anxious and not so sure of people.  He has finally started letting people approach him and even approaches strangers for attention now.  Just a few weeks ago he started making happy noises that are typical in healthy goats.  He is just a reminder to me that like Blade all types of rescued animals (even goats) need patience and love in order to feel safe again.  When we were leaving the farm we decided to sponsor Goodwin in Ethan's name.  Ethan has helped pay for Goodwin's food and care for the upcoming year!

Visiting the farm is always a special trip for me because it reminds me of why I chose to be a vegetarian. I am always amazed by how social these animals are.  This trip was even more meaningful because my mom was with us and because it was Ethan's first of many trips.  When we decided to raise Ethan as a vegetarian we knew that it would be important to introduce him to farm animals and let him see why we live the way we do.  We are looking forward to returning next year! 

Rainy Days and Runny noses

This has been a busy week despite Ethan's cold!  It has been one of those weeks that reminds you that as a parent you have to be flexible.  You can make plans up the "wazoo" but you still have to be free of expectations and willing to change what your doing at any time!  Ethan and I started a music class as well as a mommy and me "gym" class last week.  Wouldn't you know that after our first week of classes Ethan already caught a cold.  Although doctors say that its good for young children to build up immunities I felt so sorry for his poor runny nose.  To make matters worse he has at least three teeth cutting through.  Poor little guy!  Ethan is such a trooper though he still managed to sleep 10 -11 hours each night.  We were planning to take E to the Bronx Zoo on Wednesday but decided to hold off until next week when he is feeling a little better.

We woke up this morning to a rainy fall day.  Although I love the nice weather I have to admit there is something about fall that makes me smile. I've already started in on the Halloween decorations.  This weekend we are heading to Ithaca and to Watkins Glen where we will take Ethan to the Farm Sanctuary for the first time.  It is an amazing place that my brother actually introduced me and John to a few years ago.  Since we are trying to raise Ethan to lead a vegetarian life style we are excited to introduce him to the farm animals.  We will also meet Phoebe for the first time. Phoebe is the pig that I adopted for John this year for his birthday.  She lives at the farm and I'm sure is excited to see us! I will post pics from our trip when we get home Sunday night.  Cross your fingers that the rain will stop for a few hours tomorrow!

Its been awhile!

Originally I set this blog up to stay in touch with everyone while we were on our long cruise last year, but lately it seems silly that we stopped using it. It's such a wonderful way to keep everyone updated on what's new with us, especially those of you who are far way. So bookmark this page and keep checking back. I'll try to post something at least once a week!  

It is hard to believe that summer has already come and gone.  As you all know Ethan turned one and is now on the move.  He is so fast!  Its crazy to think about how tiny he was when he was born...he is such a big boy now with a huge personality!  We've been having so much fun!  We have a busy couple of weeks coming up so I will be posting about it all and will be sure to include some fun pics!