Connecticut///NYC...

Last month James + I (and Henry) embarked on an adventure together! We flew all the way to JFK to hang with my brother, nephew, and mama.

Let me begin by admitting how nervous I was. I haven't always been the "worrying" type when it came to myself doing things like traveling to a big city, or even a different country, but when you add your children to the mix, not to mention being at the end of the second trimester (I was actually a few days shy of beginning the third when we left), it makes one seriously question whether or not even driving 100 miles away from home is the best decision.

Do I regret it? HECK NO! I LOVE NYC!!! And I love my family even more than that!

But here are a few tips for those that are flying with a toddler for the first time:

• Pack lots of toys. Seriously. The carryon had at least 5 brand new toys (thanks 99 cents store!) 

• Pack lots of snacks. We had goldfish, raisins, crackers, bananas, cheerios, etc.

• Pack an i-pad if you have one

• Pack at least 2 pairs of extra clothes. James had an accident on the flight home and I was so grateful for that second set of clothes just in case he had another one

• And last, but most certainly not least, GET A SEAT FOR YOUR TODDLER!

With that said, the last point is a serious must. James did great on the flight to JFK, we had an entire aisle to ourselves consisting of James, my brother, my nephew and myself. The boys sat between my brother and me which worked out great and they fell asleep after a couple of hours since it was a red eye flight.

The flight home to Long Beach was a different story. James was up 3.5 out of 4.5 hours of the flight. In my arms. During nap time. In between a man in his late 40's and another man in his late 70's. OUCH. I know...

They were pretty cool for the most part, luckily the guy by the window had a son close in age to James so he knew what to expect from a rowdy toddler. The older man in the aisle seat was okay, he just huffed and puffed a few times but nothing too rude. And James was so great considering the long flight and being stuck between two strangers...have I mentioned I was so proud of him?  Well, I was. He's bound to be an adventurer someday!

We started out our first day by driving from JFK to Conneticit to visit mom. She was doing some work at the Yale Medical Center (which is so cool of her!), and had some time off that weekend. The weather was rainy and cold which was the complete opposite of California at the time, I think we were in the 80's that week. Conneticut was so green! It reminded me a lot of Oregon and I know you know how much I love me some Oregon! We drove around and mom gave us a quick tour of Yale. We had dinner at a place called, "BAR", if you're ever in New Haven please try the mashed potato pizza!

The next day we took the boys to the Yale Peabody Museum, a natural history museum located on the Yale grounds. James LOVED the big dinosaur bones. I can't wait for him to be a little bigger so he can ask me a million questions about them. Please remind me I said that, mmkay?

On our last full day we drove back to NYC and took the kids to Central Park, FAO Scharwz, and took a pony ride thru Central Park. Mom really wanted us to do the pony ride, and I'm so thankful for her setting up the whole trip. There's nothing like being with loved ones in a new city experiencing what are sure to be the best memories of your life!

And the next day, we were home!