On the Road Again...

USS Constitution Museum
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

So before we left today for home, we stopped by to see the U.S.S. Constitution. Daddy was so excited to get to see this ship. It was one of the main things he wanted to do in Boston.

When we arrived, it was kind of boring at first. We watched part of a movie which didn't have any cartoon characters but I got to eat raisins so that was good. After the movie was over we went through some exhibits that I could barely see from my stroller.



Then the fun part happened. We got on an elevator and traveled to the second floor.



They had it all set up for kids! It was very interactive and told you all about life as a shipmate aboard the U.S.S. Constitution.



It let you try out some of the different jobs. I got to scrub the deck and play with the cannon. They told you about how much money you would make, what life was like aboard the ship being away from your loved ones. They talked about what you could pack and take with you on such a long voyage. It was really neat! Plus I got to ride the elevator up and down!



But my FAVORITE part was when we were leaving the museum. I got to stomp on the outside deck of the museum. My shoes made the best noises on that hollow deck. Click the video to see me dancing my fool head off.



Then we went to the ship. Because it's in dry dock at a Navy Yard, we had to go through some strict security. But after that we were able to sit and wait for the tour. I was starting to get cranky, tired and hungry because those raisins will only get you so far. So Daddy went on the 30 minute tour and took some of the pictures you are about to see and Mommy and I visited the top deck of the ship. I wasn't too sure about going up the gangway so Mommy carried me. It was pretty neat to see such an old American ship. Daddy loved it!



While we waited for him to finish his tour, we stopped in to the visitor center. It was air conditioned and I fell fast asleep. They had a few more exhibits in there about the ship and it's engineering and mechanics. After we met up with Daddy it was time for the long drive back to Beltsville.



We got a little lost trying to leave Boston but were on the road by around 1:30pm. We hit some slow traffic on the Massachusetts Turnpike but once we got past that we were good until New York. Mommy missed a turn and we had to do a little detour. We stopped at a couple rest stops but they said for the most part I was pretty good.



We got home around midnight. I was so happy to see my bed again.



Vacation is so much fun. There's so many neat things to see, try and do. But I will tell you, there's no place like home.

Droid-Hunting

Old Church Downtown Boston
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

This morning, I got up a little early. I cried off and on all night. Mommy and Daddy aren't sure why. They think it could be gas or my teeth. I don't know. I just know I don't feel good. They were okay with me getting up early because Mommy wanted to go buy a new phone from Verizon.

Mommy and I took a taxi which I LOVE to do because I can go places and don't have to sit in my stinky car seat. When we got to the store we had to wait because they weren't open yet. There was this one other guy there, too. This phone must be really popular. Mommy said today was the first day it was being sold.

The next thing I knew there were about TEN people waiting to get a new phone. I was glad we were second in line because I didn't want to have to wait. I had to sit in my stroller and it was boring. I was pretty good for Mommy. It helped that she had fruit snacks with her.

Once we had the new phone, we left and went to a neat little park area by the big church in the picture above. It was a pretty church. There were all of these people walking to work. Some smiled at me or stopped to ask Mommy about me, some just went on their way. There was a produce vendor on the corner. Mommy stopped and got me a banana and some grapes because I hadn't eaten breakfast yet.




Then we stopped at Bruegger's Bagel Shop and Mommy got an egg sandwich on a bagel which she shared with me. I got to sit by the front window and watch all the people walking by to go to work. They make yummy bagels there.





We got a cab and went back to the hotel. I laid down and took a nap while Mommy played with her new phone. The next thing I know Daddy came in the door and we went down to the hotel restaurant for lunch together. I'm so good at using a fork now. But I'm not a big fan of using it to put the food in my mouth. I just spear my food and then grab the food off of the fork and put the food in my mouth with my hands. It might not be the conventional way but it's the way I like to do it.

More lunch pictures. Mommy playing with her camera on her phone.

After lunch, Daddy had to go back to the conference but Mommy and I rode the elevator up and down a bunch of times. People would get in and wonder what we were doing and when Mommy told them they would laugh. Usually they would say they had small kids once and they understood.

After I got tired of elevator rides we went back to the hotel room where I played for a while. It was a nice day to just relax after all the busy things we had done this week. I watched some Curious George and had fun playing with my toys that we brought from home. I also sat in the window sill eating raisins for a snack with Boston behind me. And I played my favorite game of "Where's Elaina?" with the curtains. I loved that hotel room.

In the evening we were gonna go out but we decided to get pizza and watch the football game on t.v. More hanging out and just having fun in the room. Daddy and I did some dancing, I played with the mirror, and I loved flushing the toilets. A great time was had by all. I love vacation. I'm gonna miss it when we leave tomorrow but I look forward to seeing my doggies. Good night!

Sweet Family

Sweet Family
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

This morning, Mommy and I got up and had breakfast at Starbucks. Daddy and Miss Steph, a lady he works with, came to Starbucks during the conference while we were there. I showed everybody how I love to climb in the window and walk along the wide ledge while Daddy, Mommy and Miss Steph chatted. She has two kids and said that her seven month-old is a difficult little kid like I was.

After breakfast, I went up and took a long nap. I was tired after all the activity of yesterday. Around noon, Mommy got me up and we got in the car and headed out to New Hampshire to see Miss Sarah.

We stopped at McDonald's to grab a quick lunch and eat it in the car. While we were sitting in the car, it was such a beautiful day that Mommy decided to leave my car door open and a bee flew in. Mommy got really scared for some reason. She quickly got me out of my carseat because I was locked in it. Then we spent the next 10 minutes looking for it. Mommy figured it flew out and we never saw it again.

We got back on the road and Mommy asked me if I had seen her french fries because she took them out of the bag but when she saw the bee she lost track of where she put them. I had no idea where they were so I just kind of looked at her.

We got to Miss Sarah's around 2:30 in the afternoon. I got to meet little Tobias. He's only 2 weeks old. He was a very sweet and quiet baby. I got to play in Kaleena's room and watch Curious George. I also sat at Kaleena's desk that you see here in the picture. I really liked it and hope I will have one, too, someday.





Miss Carol and Kaleena came in around 3:30. Miss Carol is Miss Sarah's mom and Kaleena's Grammy. They had been swimming and playing at the place Miss Carol is staying. Kaleena was so sweet to me because she shared her snack with me and picked up my sippy cup every time I dropped it. She's a great friend.






Because we had a long drive back we didn't stay too much longer. Miss Sarah let Mommy borrow some DVDs and we got on the road. I slept a good part of the way back. We had to stop and get gas and while Mommy was pumping the gas, guess what she saw? A bunch of fries stuck in the luggage rack of the van. Now I guess she knows what she did with them. She was laughing that they had made the trip up to New Hampshire and back to Boston stuck in the luggage rack. And no, she didn't eat them. Ewww...





We met up with Daddy and took a taxi to Boston Common which is a really pretty park in the middle of the city.

We found the visitor center which was closed but had a sign that begins the Freedom Trail.

The freedom trail is a neat red line that goes a lot of places throughout the city and stops at different historical sites.

We only walked a little part of it because Mommy and Daddy didn't have on good walking shoes and we still had to get dinner. So we found a map on Mommy's phone and walked back towards the hotel where we knew there were some restaurants.

We ate at the Atlantic Beergarten. Mommy ordered me Grilled Chicken and Pear but I wasn't in the mood. By this point I was really cranky. I did eat my french fries though. We walked back to the hotel and went straight to bed. It was a long but fun day. I can't wait to see what we do tomorrow. Good night!

Tuesdays with Elaina

Daddy had to attend his conference today so it was just Mommy and me today. She took me to the Sleeper Street Cafe and they fried me up an egg. They don't normally have that on the menu but they said they would do that for me. They would take turns coming over and talking to Mommy about me. They were just so fascinated by me. It was funny. I was appreciative of the egg.


Then we went to the children's museum. This man kept hitting Mommy in the ankles with his stroller. She asked him to stop and he apologized, he didn't speak much English but that's okay because neither do I.



We visited the Bubble Room first. I got my outfit SOAKED, Mommy was so glad she had a spare dress for me in the diaper bag. After I played in there for a longgg time, we went up to the second floor where they had a special huge room just for 0-3 year olds. They had a section dedicated to babies, a section dedicated to crawling babies and then a section dedicated to us walking toddlers. It was obvious that these people understood little people because I had a BALL doing all the things you could do in there.



Everything was perfect for kids my age. They had a puzzle place, a flashlight tag place, a great climbing area complete with a slide just my size. Once Mommy showed me how to do it, I must have climbed up and slid down 20 or more times. She lost count. They had all kinds of plastic play food in a basket that I loved playing the in/out game with and they had a snack room where they would feed you a snack and read you a story. It was the most wonderful place. To top it all off they had an aquarium where I liked to sit and watch the fishes swim.




After we left that room, Mommy tried to encourage me to play in other rooms but I was just too tired and too hungry. It was lunch time. So we went outside and ate by the water.

Next we got the van and drove to the mall. Mommy had some shopping to do. We went outside to look around and there was this beautiful fountain in the middle of this big lake! I wanted to toddle over to it but Mommy tried to explain to me why I couldn't. I don't understand that I will sink so she eventually just had to say, "No." Well, I was tired and now I was mad so I cried off and on for the next 2 1/2 hours. She was pretty frustrated with me because I didn't want to nap. I finally did pass out while she was trying on some clothes in the dressing room.



The children's museum has rules that let you back in that same day and discounted price if you come in during the last hour, so we drove back and picked up Daddy and took him to the museum around 4:30 so he could see me play in the Bubble Room and drop golf balls. Unfortunately, I couldn't show him the Baby/Toddler room because that closes a little earlier than the museum does but that was okay because he and I discovered the sand tables and the air paddles together! We had so much fun.






We then took the car back to the hotel and got dressed to go down to dinner. Mommy got to wear some of her new clothes. We ate at the hotel restaurant and we got to eat outside on the patio. It was such a nice night. I liked playing with the holes in the patio table. It was so fun because Daddy would stick things up the holes from the bottom and I would try and grab it. I would laugh and laugh. Tonight, I went to bed right away because I was wore out from such a big day. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings! I love vacation!

Boston or Bust

So this morning, I had a yummy breakfast with Mommy and Daddy, then we went back to the room to pack. Once the van was loaded we had lunch at a deli across the street. It was here that Daddy said something to Mommy about being "Busted!" and I thought that was a funny word so I said it, too, "Busted!" We all had a good laugh.

After that we drove two hours to Boston to take a tour of Fenway Park. We just missed the two o'clock tour by a few minutes and had to wait for the three o'clock tour. That was okay because it gave us a chance to use the restroom and get a little snack from the sports bar at the park. I had a good time playing with Daddy's visor and entertaining everyone around me. Daddy had some New England Clam Chowder.



When we took the tour we got to follow a smaller group in an elevator because I was in the stroller. I was so tired of sitting over the past 24 hours so when we stopped to listen to the tour guide, I had to get up and walk around or climb the stairs. I kind of distracted everyone from the tour with my cuteness. I can't help it. That's just the way God made me.


Here we all are at Fenway!



After the tour we found the hotel and checked in. I immediately fell in love with the recycling can. I carried it around like it was my best friend.



That night we got dressed and went to dinner at a place called, "The Barking Crab." It was so cool because I got to ride in a cab on Mommy's lap! I was happy that I didn't have to sit in my car seat. They also had a touch screen in the back of the cab so you could see a map where we were going. Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me play with it. I was kind of bummed about that. But once we got to the restaurant, everybody there was so nice to me. They brought my food super fast before Mommy and Daddy's to keep me happy. I was so good even though we didn't have dinner until after 8:00 and I didn't go to bed until after 11:00. I was still a very good girl. I hope they know how much I love them. I'm very excited about all of this new stuff and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Good night!



Here are all of the pictures from today!

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Well, we started driving around 12:30 pm and got here into Connecticut around 9:15 pm. Mommy and Daddy quickly changed my clothes and we went swimming in the warm pool. It felt so good on my body after sitting in that car seat all that time. We did make a few stops but it's hard sitting still that long. I usually don't like to do it. Mommy kept me entertained with stuff while Daddy drove. I took naps at times, too. We're here now and about to go to sleep. So good night!

Beantown

I know, I know it's been well over a month since Mommy and I have added things to my blog. We've been pretty busy but I'll have to catch up the blog later. I HAVE to tell you about my vacation to Boston. The last time I took vacation was to Ocean City, MD last August with Gramma and Grampa. I wasn't even walking yet. This time I was able to swim in the pool, ride the elevator, flush the toilets and try all kinds of new foods. I had so much fun, jumping on the beds, running through the hotel room and just learning and seeing all new stuff, I didn't even miss my "Blue's Clues."

Headed to Connecticut

Today, we went to church and then left for our big vacation right afterwards. We're driving to Connecticut to spend the night and then heading to Boston tomorrow morning. I'm not so sure about being in the car this long but Mommy and Daddy have brought some toys for me, some old favorites and some new. I also have my Blues Clues DVDs so I should be okay.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

Today was a special day. Miss Jessi is out of town so she asked Mommy to play in the orchestra for her at Mommy's former church. So this morning we all went to Grace Baptist Church. This place is HUGE. It has a nursery just for toddlers and there were at least six other kids in there with me. They had all kinds of fun toys for kids my age. It was pretty neat. Miss Willie came by to see me, too!

After church we went home, ate lunch and took a nap. In the evening we went to Gramma and Grampa's house for dinner with all my cousins. We had a big time playing and eating and playing some more.

Then at night I though Mommy and Daddy were taking me home they took me to a park instead. I thought they were confused because we never go to the park in the dark. I heard some people playing music and singing and I started dancing to the beat in my stroller. The we saw some pretty lights in the sky. Mommy called them "fireworks." I was pretty tired by the time we got home but it was worth it. I had a great day!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Ryan Evans!
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

Today is *not* Daddy's birthday. Not yet anyway. It's next weekend. But today Gramma, Grampa, Daddy and Mommy went to a baseball game to celebrate Daddy's birthday. He's gonna be 30 years old.

Gramma and Grampa dropped me off at home and picked up Daddy and Mommy to take to the game. I stayed and played with Mom-mom I ate all kinds of yummy food, played outside in my backyard, played on my porch on my water table and showed Mom-mom all my neat toys in my house. She even gave me a bath. We had a lot of fun together.
I'm glad I stayed home because Mommy told me it was really hot and they were sitting in the sun for most of the game. Mommy had the Nationals put up a message for Daddy on the scoreboard. She said the game was a lot of fun because it was close and the Nationals won. Everybody had a great time.

Vacation Bible School

I'm Not Too Little!
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

All this week, Mommy and I have been getting up like Daddy does every day. We get breakfast, we get dressed and we go out the door. But we don't go to work like Daddy does, we go to church. This week Mommy is teaching Vacation Bible School with Miss Patty.

I go down to the nursery and watch Blue's Clues for hours. I love it. The helpers give me snack and my DVD player and I'm all set. I don't sit on my bum the whole time. I get up and play and still watch Blue's Clues at the same time. It's great!

Towards the end of VBS each day, Mommy comes down and gets me and brings me upstairs with the big kids. Sometimes I just play on the steps but today I got curious about what was going on. I had fun watching the kids. I'm not too little for VBS! I can do it! I hope Mommy lets me next year!

Stick 'em Up!

Sleeping Beauty
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

Remember when I was this little? Here I am sleeping at four months of age.







Now here I am at 19 months of age. See any similarities?

Bach to Rock

The Evanses
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

Every year our church has a big concert outside. They have musicians come and play all kinds of music. This year Mommy and Miss Jessi played their flutes. I've been listening to them practice for several weeks now and I love hear all the music. Mom-mom, Gramma and Grampa came, too! We had a great time of listening to live music and eating yummy food. As you can see in the picture, Grampa took me for a walk in my stroller and I didn't last too long. Everybody's gotta recharge at some point.

Ready for the Zoo

Looking So Grown Up
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

Today Gramma and Grampa are coming to take me to the zoo. I'm so exicted. I haven't been to the zoo since last year and I couldn't even walk yet. I can't wait to see all of the animals. I let you know how it goes.

Frustrating Fours

Mommy calls this Franken-hair
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

It always seems that around 4:00 I get really, really cranky. Mommy has been putting me in my crib lately for a quick time-out. Sometimes I even fall asleep for a short bit. After I awoke from a quick nap today, Mommy found that I had pulled my bows out and tried to pull out my ponytails. My hair looked like this. She called it, "Franken-hair." Very funny, mom.

A Blue Ban

She looks like Cindy Brady
Originally uploaded by jevans1120

Mommy is really tired of Blue's Clues now. She really is trying to keep from turning on the t.v. at all because that's all I want to do is watch Blue's Clues. I have even learned how to turn on the small DVD player by myself. I know what buttons to hit to turn on Blue's Clues. She caught me sitting on the floor of my room watching it while I was waiting for her to change her clothes so we could go outside and play.

It's been pretty warm outside lately. It's getting into the low 90's. Great pool weather! I love playing outside and Mommy said the best part is, there's no t.v.

Do you like the bows in my hair? They're courtesy of Gramma Evans. Bathing suit is from Mom-mom Garrison. And the cuteness is all me.