Connecticut Fun

We were lucky to visit Ryan's mom and Dad in Old Saybrook, Connecticut for a few days before Ryan and I flew to Paris (more to come later!). They generously offered to fly the kids out with us so that they could be well taken care of while we were on our trip. We were glad to finally see their stomping grounds (Ryan had been out there already, but the kids and I had not).

After an overnight flight into JFK, they picked us up bright and early and we got settled. We dropped Bruce off at his ferry to go into work and spent some time getting to know Old Saybrook and the surrounding area. It is beautiful there!

Hooray for outlet malls! The kids loved all the fun things they had to look at in the courtyards.

They raced around this yacht (until their mama told them to stop since they almost plowed over some unsuspecting people).

We went out for an authentic east-coast dinner of fish-n-chips... although Liv, Coleman, and I opted for the non-fish-n-chips menu choices.

They didn't have root beer, but instead birch beer, which is clear and has a unique flavor. Coleman thought it tasted like wintergreen lifesavers. Hmmm....

My sandwich was a triple decker. You may be wondering how I managed to eat it... it's all about stuffing the face, baby.

Ryan loved the fish and we all liked the chips!

We made a stop at the coolest furniture store ever (Bob's) where they have a fish pond (with fish that are eerily conscious of your presence) and all you can eat treats. We enjoyed ice cream, cookies, candy, and even hot chocolate while Ryan's mom and dad got a great new coffee table set.

Then we were off to a submarine museum in Groton. Did you know that it's the submarine capital of the world?

Periscope down!

Coleman was enthralled with the missiles.

Liv thought they were pretty neat too!

Here are the kids with the docent--he was very nice to them and gave them an official looking nametag sticker.

We even got to tour an actual submarine... and see the tight quarters. I'm pretty sure I'd have a claustrophobic attack on a regular basis if I were on one for more than a tour.

Even though it was rainy, we went to our favorite east coast treat place where they serve gelatos (yummy slushy fruity delights with frozen custard on top).

On Sunday after church we took a drive to Rhode Island and drove down a street filled with enormous mansions. There was a neat path behind them and we took a walk. Coleman kept saying that when the huge homes went "on sale" he was going to use all of his money and buy one. He has dreams of a large home filled with Lego sets :).

The coast was beautiful!

(Side note, good picture spots sometimes take some fancy maneuvering to get to.)

Coleman and Liv were thrilled to spend so much fun time with Bruce and Terri.

One house had a pagoda in the back with a tunnel nearby. We told the kids there was a dragon guarding the tunnel.

We loved all the rocks and the water! It was a little on the chilly and windy side, but gorgeous.

On Monday afternoon Bruce took us to Milford (near New Haven) where we hopped on a train to Darien and my brother Matt picked us up. We got pizza and had a lot of fun with his cute boy Samuel. Ashley was in Brazil, so we missed seeing her, but Matt was a perfect host.

Samuel is such a cute and happy little guy. We wish they lived closer!

Everyone was happy in the morning and we ate a yummy pancake breakfast!

By the end of our visit Samuel had warmed up to us... hopefully he'll remember us next time we see him!

We loved Connecticut and are so happy we got to spend time there! Thanks Terri & Bruce and Matt & Samuel!