Road Trip!

Whew! Nola and I had an extremely fun big girls' day today. Nola's "first friend" Ella and my friend Heidi were visiting the grandparents in Connecticut and we decided to take a road trip up to see them. It was a busy day - left PA at 9 am and were back home at 10:30 pm. Good thing Nola's a GREAT traveling companion!

Here's why we made the effort....
Heidi is a dear friend of mine from my graduate school days. We both got our MSEd at the same time, AND Heidi hooked me up with a very lucrative waitressing job that paid the bills while I attended school full time. We ended up interning in the same school district, then were roommates for a brief time before we BOTH decided to move out to San Francisco. Can you tell we have a lot in common??

When it came time to reproduce, both Heidi and I had our first baby girls within 2 months of each other. As a result, the girls were quite regularly thrown together on playdates so Heidi and I could enjoy a visit together. Sadly, Nola doesn't remember any of this (we moved away just after she turned 2), but she definitely knows that Ella was her "first friend" and was looking forward to seeing her again on this trip.

Baby Friends - just a few days after Nola was born

Toddler Friends - shortly after Nola turned 2 and right before we moved away from CA

Kindergarten Friends - Yay! We meet again!

A New York Minute

Well, I officially spent a full day away from the kids this weekend. Diana and I took the train into NYC to see Legally Blonde at the Palace Theater. I'd forgotten how it feels to be responsible only for myself! No one wanted anything from me for the whole entire day, and I got to do something adult. Fantastic!

getting ready to leave....

I was also reminded how much I dislike Times Square. Seriously, does any real New Yorker spend time there? Judging by the number of tourists in t-shirts and fanny packs, I think the answer to that question is a resounding NO. Why would anyone want to go there anyway? The only things there are billboards and chain stores with glitter. Yuck!

On the positive side, though, the play was very entertaining and we went to a cool vegetarian Asian restaurant afterward for dinner. Unusual for me to be able to order anything on the menu without scrutinizing the ingredients! We also had a pre-show Guinness at an Irish pub called the Pig and Whistle. Real Irish bartender named Connor. Very refreshing in the sweltering heat (the beer, not the bartender).

One other reflection on New York. Why is ANY pizza you get there so much better than anywhere else??? I had a slice at Penn Station and was reminded just how good that particular food item is in NYC. Maybe it's the extra grime?!?

I managed to get home in time for my usual bedtime, but I felt like I'd been away for a week's vacation. Today the girls woke me up when they came bounding into the room at 6:15. I can tell that they missed me because they were giggling and saying "mommy's home!". I know I missed them because I didn't mind getting up to grab a quick morning cuddle instead of a few extra winks.

I Wish They All Could Be California Girls

Yay! Diana is here from California!!! Diana is one of our closest friends from CA and she's here for a work/play visit. More later on the events, but here are a couple of photos taken at the Italian Market last weekend.Diana in front of a very cool spice shop - smelled amazing!!! (The shop, not Diana...)

Our Big Cheese Nola standing next to a VERY big cheese (provolone). Who knew they made cheese that big? Not me!

Today we went to the Adventure Aquarium with the kids. They had a FANTASTIC time, especially Aubry!

Diana is petting the juvenile sharks - Aubry loved to watch, but was very hesitant about petting them herself. They feel like fine grit sandpaper!

Aubry was fascinated by the spiny lobster tank. Nola was more interested in Aubry (and moving on to the next thing!)

Jellyfish are always fun to watch. Declan spent quite a few minutes trying to grab them - so cute!

MY favorite thing in the aquarium was the hippo tank. Those things are HUGE and they were right next to us. I've never seen anything quite like it. Declan got a little spooked when a hippo swam past him (about 4" away) and needed to be held for the rest of the viewing.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. It's so nice to go on vacation in your own city.

The Philly skyline is in the distance.

The Never-Ending Birthday Party

We threw the kids in the car on Friday at 7 AM and headed down to Annapolis to celebrate the 4th with our dear friends the Burkes. They invited us down for their neighborhood's parade/party and their own celebration in the evening (not to mention the traditional firework viewing).

We forgot to remember that the Burkes subscribe to the "go big or go home" philosophy....

The kids marched in a parade with real floats, had a great time swimming at the neighborhood beach, passed out for a few hours in the late afternoon, and then rocked until 10:30 PM roasting marshmallows, waving sparklers, watching fireworks, and generally RAGING. Oh, and Greg and I had a great time, too!!

Thankfully (?), Saturday was rainy so we had a chance to catch up with Mike and Jennie while the kids had some mellow playtime. Oh, yeah, Mike and Greg also used some of the time to sign up for a HALF IRONMAN (Eagleman) next spring. (For those of you unfamiliar with triathlon details, a half ironman encompasses a total distance of 70.3 miles) We all celebrated with bloody marys and greyhounds. (Hey, you need to start your training sometime!)

We packed the kids up for the drive home and prayed for naps.

On Sunday we headed out to my parents' home in the Lehigh Valley for a low-key BBQ with them and my sister Stacey. Declan and Aubry were so tired that they even took a nap there without complaining!

Today we're all recovering from such a busy weekend (and a VERY busy month or so). Again, it's raining so things are relaxed and slow. Thank goodness!