Summer PA Trip 2015

Here we come Pennsylvania!!

 

 

We made it!  The kids could not be happier to be with Grammy and Mom-Mom!

 

 

 

They loved playing in a big driveway and having plenty of room to run!

 

 

See?  PA has big trees too...

 

PA also has Aunt Amanda.  :)

 

And for a few days, PA even had Gram and Pop again!

Pedicures upon their arrival!



Andrew's first remote controlled car - a Monster Truck - from Aunt Amanda!

Andrew's 4th Birthday (Sunday) - We spent the morning at Ralph Stover State Park with Aunt Amanda, Uncle Dave and his dogs. Afterwards, we headed back to Grammy's for dinner and ice cream cake!

 

Yes! I am 4!

 

Whoaaa!

I meant to do that...

The only pics ever of me anymore... selfies.

Uncle Dave with the doggies!

So sweet.

Addison loves the water!

 

Tuckered out kiddos.

Cracking up Gram, as usual.

 

Can't believe he's 4!

 

Monday was supposed to be Gram and Pop's last full day in PA, so we headed up to the DaVinci Science Center in Allentown... which was between stops at local breweries, of course. After lunch at Allentown Brew Works (decent), we headed over to the science center. We've been to quite a few museums like this over the past year or two, but this was the first that Andrew and Addison seemed thoroughly engaged the whole time. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with littles in the area. http://www.davincisciencecenter.org/

 

"Driving" a Jeep in the National Geographic Explorer exhibit.

 

 

Totally entranced by the dry ice. Never seen him sit and pay attention to something like this before.

 

Excuse the next few pics, but I just couldn't pick my favorite - this face is so precious!

Poor Addison couldn't fill the space, so it didn't have quite the same effect.

Since Tuesday was kind of dreary, Mike, Andrew and Grammy headed down to the beach without me and Addison (read: rammy toddler on a boat with 6 other people didn't sound like the best idea). So, Gram and Pop decided to stay an extra day and we enjoyed just puttering around Doylestown.

 

Gram's obligatory stop: Annie's Water Ice.  Addison approved.

 

Meanwhile, Tuesday in LBI turned out to be a nice day. Andrew had a great time hanging out with his cousins Brooke and Elaina (Lanie), and really loved sleeping on Aunt Barb and Uncle Warren's boat!

 

 

Sleeping arrangements.

 

Wearing his new headlamp to do some crab racing!

 

Gorgeous night at the beach.

Wednesday morning, Addison and I said goodbye to Gram and Pop, and headed to the beach with Aunt Amanda to meet up with the gang. It was the perfect beach day, and for the first time in my life, I wanted a beach house. Or, I should clarify... I wanted Grammy to get a beach house and us to stay there for the summer. As much as I have always loved the sun and "going to the beach", I don't really enjoy the ocean and if I'm honest, the sand, the winds, and the crowds always ended up annoying me a few hours in. Well, that all changed when my focus was on my two children who ADORE 

everything about the beach. I was able to see it all through their eyes and I could really appreciate how wonderful it would be for them to spend their summers making trips to the shore. This was also our first visit to Barb and Warren's new boat, and having that as our "home base" was such a treat. Definitely memory making stuff right there.



 

 

 

Selfies with Aunt Amanda



She kept on her hat!! I was so happy.

 

Digging in their hole.

Me holding up the umbrella... notice Addison has crawled out of its shade.

 

The beach beauties!

Ready for a nap.

Picking up dinner for the kiddos at Barry's. Brookie loved Addison and was so sweet with her.

We decided to stay low-key and local on Thursday, so we headed to Kids Castle and played in the nearby creek before heading into town for pizza at the new Artistic Pizzeria. That night, we went to the Tizer's for dinner, but totally spaced on taking a single picture. I guess we were too busy enjoying their company!

Not quite ready to go down the huge slide by himself yet...

 

 

Happier in the creek than in the castle. :)

Friday morning, we headed to the Grange Fair with Grammy. This was Mike's and my first trip to the fair, and although it has nothing on the size of the CA fairs, it was still pretty neat for the kids.  They got to see lots of animals, climb all over tractors, and we even watched the pig races (which I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of)!  Friday afternoon, I took the kids to the Hatboro Community Pool to meet up with Jen, Andrea and their kiddos... and again, I did too much talking and didn't take any pictures!!!

Can you spot Mike and Addison?



Addison did not want to share her tire with Andrew!

Ahhh... this is more her style.

Saturday morning, Grammy took Andrew to a train museum as a birthday present, and Mike went tubing with friends, so Addison and I headed over to Aunt Amanda's for some backyard fun!

Addison really really wanted a cracker, but I really really wanted to take her picture.
So this was her saying "cheese" to get her cracker.

Backyard fun courtesy of Andrea. She gave Andrew the cool frog tent a couple years ago,
and this year she gave the kids the adorable duck pond water table. 

Saturday night we headed back to the Grange Fair to see the Dancing Diggers. If you have never seen this, you really need to YouTube it -  https://youtu.be/V2uf8tsVu3s . And if you have kids who love tractors, this is a must. Grammy flagged down one of the drivers at the end of the show, and Andrew got not only the chance to sit in a back-hoe loader, but he also got to DRIVE IT. Unfortunately, my pictures of that came out terrible because I was so excited for Andrew that I was jumping up and down and waving too much to get a good shot. For a little boy who spent over half his life obsessing over trucks and tractors, this night was a blast!

There he goes!!

 

Sunday was our last day in PA, so Mommy took some "me time" and went shopping with Aunt Amanda, while everyone else went up to Uncle Dave's to see the fish tank, and apparently - another first for Andrew - get dirt bike rides!!  Thank goodness Mommy wasn't there! ;)

Making a "happy" face.

Leaving Grammy a good-bye present.

These trips keep getting harder and harder for Andrew (and in turn, Mike and me) to leave, because:
a) he is spoiled rotten while he's in PA. Not just with gifts (we do tend go at his b-day and Christmas), but also with love, attention, and good-old family time.
b) he has a better understanding of time and knows that it will be awhile before he sees all these people who he loves so much again.

I am so, so incredibly thankful that he has so many people who love him so much, and that he returns that love to... his heart is so big, and I adore that about him. Here's to hoping we move much closer to everyone before Addison gets to this same point!!