Trip to town

We have been having such great weather here over the past week, and Grant and I both love to be outside! It's just fun to do something different, so we've had some of our most fun times yet these past couple of weeks.

First, last Tuesday, we went up into town to have lunch with my friend Karen, who works downtown. Grant has been downtown once or twice before, but he was only 4 months old the last time we went. So this was the first time he really noticed everything around him. He loved walking down the streets and looking at everybody, and he kept rocking back and forth in his stroller, as if saying, "mom, come on, you're going too slow!" He looks up and smiles at people, and just loves all the attention he gets. Anyway, we went to lunch at an outdoor restaurant, and he did okay.....it's very hard keeping him occupied and happy sitting in restaurants these days, but I think it helped that we were outside.

After we left downtown, I let him sleep in the car while I drove around and ended up at Central Market (one of my ALL-TIME favorite places!). We got out and walked through Central Market (he enjoyed getting some free samples, just like mommy!), then walked from there over to Pottery Barn and some of the stores over in Highland Village. Then we went back to Central Market on our way out and bought some dinner to take with us.

Since Dean was in a training that day and would be gone until after 9pm, I thought it would be fun to go to Hermann Park (where I used to go all the time, and where Dean and I got engaged) to eat our dinner. Again, Grant had been there once before, last Christmas when he was only 1 month old! He LOVED it.....we walked around the park and watched some ducks, then ate dinner on the grass next to the reflecting pond. The only thing he was unsure about was the little passenger "train" that runs around the park....he just stared as it went by the first time. Then a few minutes later, he heard the siren and held on tight to me, looking to see where it was coming from. He still just doesn't quite know what to think about it....

We also met a really nice couple named Deborah and Julius, who stopped to talk to us and kept trying to get Grant to take his first step....Deborah just knew that he would walk to her! Of course he didn't. But he did enjoy the attention....of course!

We had SO much fun....it's just nice doing something a little out of the ordinary like that. I can't wait to go back up in another few weeks or so. I think we will make a "mommy and Grant" trip to town every once in a while.

Chasing the duck:


He hears an airplane and looks up at it:
There it is! He has been pointing to things a lot lately; he'll just hold his hand out towards whatever it is he sees. I'm not sure if he's pointing or trying to wave. He notices airplanes so much now because we live just behind an airfield and have planes flying around us all the time!
Mommy and Grant eating dinner: