if only we could go back...

A little teaser of our St. Thomas photos. It's taken me way longer to upload and edit them than I ever thought it would. I guess visitors and a very important little guy's first birthday are a good enough excuse for that.

Right now, I just want to go back. Isn't it breathtakingly beautiful?!

winter escape: florida

Last year, we snuck away to Barbados on a babymoon right smack in the middle of January. We loved it so much we decided we needed to plan a getaway to somewhere warm every year to help us survive these bitter NYC winters. We jumped at the chance to plan a tropical getaway with our good friends the Berns & as a bonus, got to spend a few days in Miami too.

My first time ever in Florida did not disappoint! For Kyle, Florida was all work, but for Hudson & me, it was all play. We got to drive to the mall (the MALL!) while Kyle was visiting clients. I know that may not sound exciting, but the suburban lifestyle has its appeal after living in a big city without these perks! We even got to meet up with Kyle for lunch one day and then got to drive down to Fort Lauderdale and take an evening family stroll on the beach.  Even Huds took some steps (with our help, of course) and we all dipped our feet in the ocean, a must anytime you visit the beach. Huds wasn't a huge fan of the sand. I imagine that feeling the gritty & squishy sand between the toes for the first time may be a bit crazy. Don't worry. Our little guy recovered before we hit the beaches in St. Thomas. Whew!

This picture captures Florida perfectly--sunny, carefree, & all smiles!

DC

Kyle travels frequently with his job and we were lucky enough to get to go on two back-to-back trips with him. Not only was it fun to take a trip out of the city, but we also loved getting to spend time with Kyle in the evenings instead of having him away!

I fell in love with the quaint Old Town Alexandria where we stayed. We had been there before when we came to DC for our marathon & then another time when we made a surprise visit to see my sister & her husband who were traveling in DC a few years ago, but it was just as charming as if it were the first time! Huds & I took morning runs along the banks of the Potamac, window shopped up & down the cute shops on King Street, devoured the most scrumptious brunch at Bread & Chocolate, met up with my dear friend Liz and saw her sweet new baby Caroline, and even went into downtown DC for a day to meet up with my cousin Becky. She was sweet enough to work straight through lunch so we could meet up for an afternoon stroll in the 60 degree weather to see the Mall and the US Capitol. It was just lovely. Huds & I continued our walk to see the White House & several other monuments, but decided to hit up the Lincoln Memorial as our last stop just as the sun was beginning to set. I am so glad we made it to this memorial. Hudson had been such a patient boy all day in the stroller, but I let him get out and crawl around. He even climbed up about half of the steps to the memorial! I absolutely love the pictures I took of him there.

As close as we got to meeting Mr. President.

I love the dirt smudges on his cheeks from crawling around. So cute!

This is my favorite pic from our trip! 

After our fancy dinner on King Street our last night there. 

Far across the ocean...

Okay, not really. Block Island is only about 14 miles off the shore of Rhode Island & a quick 50 minute ferry ride, and that is on the slow ferry, mind you. But honestly, after taking this ferry, I would not have wanted to take the speedy one. It was so nice to sit on the ferry, basking in the warm sunlight of the perfect day, feeling the gentle rise and fall of the waves. It felt like we were escaping to a far away, secluded island, just our little family of 3...& a few dozen other people on board. 

Hudson loved it too. He made the cutest faces as we played with him & of course, I couldn't resist an impromptu photo shoot of him in his little chambray romper, boat shoes & boat hat. I thought he looked so cute all decked out for a day at sea. He loved the boat, & he even tried to take off his shoes and just kick back and relax, just like mom & dad! And relax we did, until the slight mishap of the utter blow-out/explosion occurred just before we reached the island. Luckily, in one swift move, Kyle had the babe out of the carrier, so most of it ended up on the deck & not on him. Yes, it was that bad. All over the deck of the ferry. Good thing it wasn't our private million dollar yacht. And good thing I have such an awesome husband to help me and laugh with me in all these adventures of being parents together. 

Before we knew it, we had reached the island. All the other passengers scurried off immediately, but we leisurely walked around the boat, catching glimpses of the beauty of the island. 

Us at sea

Our first glimpse of the island

Just kicking off those shoes. Maybe he has a fetish with tan feet like his mama.

Can he get any cuter?!

The explosion happened right after I clicked this photo!

Hudson in outfit #2, taking his daddy's hand and ready to explore!

Block Island Getaway: Part 1

It's been over a week since we returned from our Labor Day dream weekend away and I am still sifting through the hundreds of pictures we I took. I sometimes annoy Kyle by stopping every few minutes and snapping a picture. You just never know when you'll want that moment etched in your memory, you know? I think he might enjoy it more than he lets on though; at one point on our trip he simple said, "I remember moments when we take a picture more than moments when we do not." Cha-ching! Now, I do not feel so bad about my addiction to taking photos.

We had such a lovely weekend away with just our little family of 3. This picture was taken in our final few moments on Block Island right before we boarded the ferry back to the mainland. I love that this picture captures it so well. The ocean behind us, the picturesque harbor, our sunglasses and summer hats, our little Hudson (who honestly looks a little dazed, but happy nonetheless...he is such a trooper on all our adventures), our creamy & delicious half-eaten peach ice cream in homemade waffle cones, and the big smiles on our faces. Our day on the island was slow-paced, stress-free & simple. Simply perfect, I might add. When I look at this picture, I am instantly taken back to that moment. And I love that sensation.

More on Block Island coming up...