Vacation!

No, we didn't drop off the face off the earth, we just went on vacation! Last Tuesday we packed up the mini-van, woke the kids early and spead off for our 12 1/2 hr trip to Pennsylvania to Kreg's grandparents house. Grandpa and Grandma Seifert had not seen Aiden since he was 6 months old and therefore had never met Makayla. I must say the car ride went better than I had expected. Each of the kids had their moments but thats to be expected and the moments didn't seem to last too long. For some reason my kids don't sleep much in the car so thats one of the reasons for my pre-travel concern. Aiden only slept 30 mins the entire day! But we made it there and it was fun to see where Kreg spent every other Christmas for many years. And where he visited in the summers. I got to meet his extended family on his mom's side too and I enjoyed finally putting faces with names. Of course the part that brought me the most joy was seeing the smile on his grandma's face when she watching Aiden play and holding Makayla. His grandparents are both in their 90s so I'm glad we were able to give them that interaction with their great-grandchildren.

After a few days in Pennsylvania we went up to Rochester, New York to visit a good friend I went to high school with and her husband. Many of you know them...Sherwin and Julie Damdar! Oh we had a blast up there. They just recently moved into a very cute 3 bedroom home so there was plenty of room for all of us (and the loot that goes only with a 2 1/2 yr old and a 6 month old). They were fantastic hosts too! We ate some amazingly yummy meals (Sherwin is quite a cook and I must add that Julie makes a mean french toast). They showed us all over Rochester, including a trip to the public market Saturday morning and the Museum of Play, Saturday afternoon. The market was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was downtown and PACKED with people. You could buy pretty much anything there from fruits and veggies, to ground beef, pastries, bread, nick nacks, or cooking utensils. Personally we came home with a bag of cherries and some apples. The Museum of Play is just as it sounds. Aiden LOVED it. It has all kinds of different "exhibits" for kids to interact and play with. There was a street just like the one seen on Seseame Street, an airplane Aiden could sit in, a train we rode on, a carrousel, a fun house, tractors to play with, and balls to throw, etc. Aiden's favorite part however was the kids grocery store. They have a mini grocery set up complete with miniture wire carts, rows and aisles of real food containers (now empty of course), a bakery with fake bread, and check out lanes where the kids can be the buyer or the cashier. They can actually swipe their items (each with a real bar code) and get a printed receipt when finished. Its the coolest thing.
Ok so time for pics:
Aiden thought it was great that grandma Seifert had an electric chair that went up and down the stairs. I think this picture explains itself!

Grandma Seifert, Darlene (my mother-in-law), Makayla, and Me!

The kids with their great-grandparents.

Grandpa and Grandma Seifert live in a small town in the Pocono Mountains, called Newfoundland. One morning we ate at the local diner, Spanky's. And the morning we left we went to the General Store. At the General Store they have 1 or 2 cent candy. Kids can climb up on a little ladder and pick out what they want. So thats what we're doing in this picture. Aiden was picking out his candy.

On to New York!
The following 4 pics are Aiden at the play grocery store at the Museum. Here he is being my cashier.

Shopping for some crackers.

He decided he needed to buy some fruits and veggies.

And this time he decided to let another little girl check him out with his groceries.

A little train ride.

Sherwin and Aiden on the carrousel.

Sherwin, Julie, and Aiden in the fun house. It was one of those houses tilted on its side so when you walk in you feel totally dizzy.

A family pick in the garden outside the museum.

And us on the front porch of Sherwin and Julie's home before starting the long trek home Monday morning. Makayla was eating Aiden's little bag of cheerios.