Newport, Rhode Island

For a last solo getaway before Baby #2 arrives in November, Steve and I headed off to scenic Newport, RI. Andrew stayed with the grandparents in Carlisle. We stayed at the Cliffside Inn in the Garden Suite, courtesy of our Austin employer, RVi.

We spent our vacation wandering around the town, enjoying a stroll on the nearby beach, and going on the mansion tours, which sparked our interest in the Gilded Age, the people and the wealth that existed back then.


On the front steps of the Cliffside Inn


The bedroom of our suite


The downstairs of our suite, which had a reading area, whirlpool tub, separate bathroom, fireplace and private garden area


A view from the Cliff Walk, whose steps were right outside the B&B


On the Cliff Walk


We hadn't heard of this university before, and we were a little jealous of how lucky the students were to attend classes in such stately buildings.


Marble House


Chateau-sur-Mer


The Elms was easily our favorite.


Near the sunken garden of The Elms


The expansive lawn of The Elms


The Breakers - the most famous of all the Newport mansions; owned by the Vanderbilts


The Vanderbilt children's playhouse of The Breakers


The International Tennis Hall of Fame with grass courts open to the public


Even the mansions' TREES were huge and awesome.

A Cat Called Kitty

At times, Kitty can be a spaz and a stinker to Steve, me and the other pets, but with Andrew, she has always been very gentle and sweet. She always uses "soft paws" when she plays with him, she always wants to sleep under his crib or on its railings, and she always sits there patiently and without flinching when Andrew comes up to pet her or to show her a new toy or when he accidentally pokes her in the eye.



The good buddies sharing a toy

Misc. June

Andrew is almost 15 months old and has had 4 haircuts from stylist Dad at Salon Kretzing. We decided to take him to an actual kiddie salon to see how he would like it. Apparently, no type of distraction, be it an Elmo video, a salon chair disguised as a Jeep, or Nickelodeon-colored walls, will ever work on our little guy. He knows he's getting a haircut, and he will protest. Besides, Dad does just as good of a job, if not better, at home...for free. :)






This weekend we picked strawberries at a nearby farm with Grandpop and Grandmom Kretzing.

Faker, Faker...

Having perfected the fake crying, fake coughing, etc. that accompany toddlerhood, Andrew now hams it up with fake reading.

Carol's Wedding

This weekend, we attended the wedding of Steve's older sister, Carol, to Tom in Perkasie, PA. A beautiful ceremony was followed by an intimate reception at their house.


The newlyweds arriving in style in Tom's Barracuda with hemi


Tom and Carol making their way down from the house to the reception tent


Andrew and Grandpop Harold




Sharing a meal with Grandmom Jean


Andrew feeding his cousin Emily a cracker at the "kids' table"


It was a humid evening, so Andrew worked up a sweat by walking everywhere.


Like his uncles, Andrew passed out from an evening of partying with the Kretzings and the Brubakers.


The next morning in the hotel pool