Pennsylvania Visit

This past week was Winter Break for the kids.  Here in New England, they love their time off.  And apparently they love having school until June 23rd, because with starting after Labor Day, and two breaks in the second have of the year, that will be our last day of school.  Unless we get more snow.  Which we will.

So - during our week off each February, we take the kids somewhere.  A few years ago, we used this week to go to Disney World.  But this is not a Disney year for us, so the kids and I went to Pennsylvania to visit the family.  Mat couldn't get the time off, so my saint of a mother flew out to meet us, then rode BACK to Pennsylvania with me, and then drove back with us at the end of the week, and flew home today.

Hope my kids don't expect me to do that.  Kidding.  Sort of.  (I hate flying)

We had a great week.  I got to see my grandparents, my sister in law and nephew, shop, eat out, sleep in a little bit, take the kids to a West Virginia. Basketball game, etc.  My saint of a father watched the kids a few times so that my mom and I could spend some alone time with my grandmother at her chemo treatment, and so that I could do a little shopping.  It was nice to even have a small break from the hoodlums.

Here are a few pictures from our week.  Enjoy!

Friday night we had a surprise visit from my nephew E.  He is a riot!!  The girls and he played a game of bingo.

 Cainan loved playing with my brother's old hockey game:

 Three Amigos having some pizza from my favorite local pizza joint, Buds.  I don't make a trip home without eating there.

 Finley and Cainan broke out the playdough.  Grammy and Papa are nicer than I am.

 Finley made some soup for Grammy, Gramma, and GiGi on Tuesday.  She loves this vegetable soup that she learned to make at Sunday School.

 Visiting Aunt Tricia's school on Wednesday.

 At the WVU women's basketball game Wednesday.  Since Arlington played this year, she was excited to see the college kids play.

 Finley at the Basketball game.  Notice how she is not wearing WVU clothing.  She refused to take off her dress.  Diva.

 I took this picture for my Grandma Bonnie.  At the game they had introduced their senior manager who was recently diagnosed with a cancer called Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was there at the game (working!!) and looked good.

 The women's basketball team came out in Purple Shirts in support of National Cancer Awareness Month and their senior manager.

 The crazy Mountaineer.  He shot off his gun inside and freaked Finley out.

 To pass the second half of the game, we had slushies!!

 On Thursday we went to dinner with my Aunt Renee.  We don't get to see her often enough, so it was great to spend time with her.

 We went to visit Grammy Bonnie on Friday.  My kids love her basement.  I don't bring many toys with me when we visit her because her house is filled with treasurers that attract my kids.  Their favorite game?  String a clothes line across the basement and get out the wooden clothes pins.  They will play for hours with those things.

 Having lunch with Grammy Bonnie (in the middle), Pap (on the left - obviously), and Gram's sister - Aunt Mary (on the right).  Pap is 93, Aunt Mary 89, and Gram 88.  My three favorite Italians.

 My mother-in-law, Sally, was sweet and wanted to visit Gram, so she went with us to visit her on Friday.  It was great to spend some time with her as well.

 We had a small birthday party for Arlington while we were there.  She picked this delicious - yet sickening - cake.  It was Chocolate cake with chocolate pudding and chocolate mousse filling surrounded by chocolate ganache.