Mixed Nuts: Vacation number two

Quotes

"There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark." - Helen Keller
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck
You may never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.- Unknown
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow' ~Helen Keller
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."- Dr. Seuss
"Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it."
"God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family."Author Unknown
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go – Abraham Lincoln
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~ Benjamin Franklin
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle - Albert Einstein
The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step
Sometimes in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives you a fairy tale
Where there is great love, there are always miracles - Willa Cather
The Difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer
Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness
There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
Be the change you want to see in the world
Don't tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big Your God is..........
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it
Fall down seven times - get up eight - unknown
Despite our differences, we sink or swim together
Life may not be the party we expected, but while we are here, we might as well dance
"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." -Confucius

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Vacation number two

Isn't this a cute picture? The is the kids with my nephew "E" (big E since there are two now. )

I am quite a bit behind, aren't I? Ah well. Such is life. Here is a quick recap. By the way - Mat was away on a business trip, so I took the kids to Pennsylvania without him this trip.

Wednesday - before we went to Pennsylvania, my mom and I went to the movie theater to see Harry Potter. Yes, I am an embarrassingly huge Harry Potter Fan. So I love going to see the movies. This one wasn't that great. It was okay, but there wasn't enough action for me and too much love story. That isn't what the book was really about, and they left out a lot, but whatever. I like going to the movies anyway!

Thursday - we drove to Pennsylvania. It didn't take us long to get there. We had dinner with our family friends, the Hornicks when we got into town. It was nice to see them and have a chance to catch up.

Friday - we had breakfast at IHOP and met Nanny and Aunt Jeanie there. It was nice to see them - we haven' seen them in a long time. We had a nice breakfast, and I had a chance to eat some yummy stuffed pancakes! They were really good. After that we went to a friend's house who was having a yard sale and got some really cute things for the girl's for fall (the friend doesn't have any boys. Didn't want you to think Cainan got left out). Arlington also had the chance to play with the two little girls, which she really enjoyed. I had a hard time getting her to leave! The girl's got their hair cuts in the afternoon and we just played after that. We went to dinner at my favorite local pizza place Bud Murphy's. Yum. I am hungry for it right now......

Saturday - started the day with Mat's parents coming down for a visit. (for those of you who don't remember, Mat and I met in high school, so his parents live in the same town as my parents). We had a nice visit with them. Arlington left for Kennywood (local amusement park) during this time where she spent the day with my brother and SIL AJ and Tricia. Arlington had a fantastic day. The little ones and my parents took a nice walk, had lunch at a playground, and enjoyed the afternoon before we left for Kennywood to spend a few hours there. It ended up being super packed with people, so we didn't stay long. But we had fun spending some time with AJ and Tricia and their baby "big E" before leaving to come home.

Sunday - went to the children's museum in Pittsburgh for the day. We had a great time there. The kids were all really well behaved and really enjoyed themselves. We stayed there all afternoon, and then left around dinner time to visit my Grammy and Pap who don't live far from there. We spent the evening at their house and the kids haven't been to their house in a long time. Our family friend, Elda, was there too. My grandparents have a hill for a yard, so my kids had a great time running up and down after dinner. The played all through the house and outside until it was time to leave.

Monday - we spent the afternoon visiting AJ and Tricia and "big E" at a park near their house. The kids had a blast and it was a fun afternoon. They have a big pool, a wading pool, a water splashpad, and even a (gulp) sand area. The kids loved every bit and were sad when it was time to go. We had dinner with AJ and Tricia before heading home for the night. After dinner we went to a big field to let the kids run around before getting back in the car and driving home. They had a blast running free. Big E is a hoot to watch! You forget what they are like at 1 year.

Tuesday - we left to come back to Connecticut! We had a fine ride. Not much traffic and were home by dinner time.

So that was our vacation. Here are a few more random pictures to share with you. Some of from a birthday party Arlington attended right after we came back from the lake. The other is of Finley wearing her "Got Zac" shirt her Uncle Zac bought her. And there is a picture of our newest family member - the fish. Just in case you cared. At least it is still alive. That is saying something.