Vacation in New York

My boys & I had a fun vacation time this past weekend. We packed up our little car - full to the brim!! - and headed west to upstate New York to visit my friend, Deb, & her family. The whole vacation had been touch & go & we actually ended up leaving a day later than I had planned. My two little boys had come down with a rather nasty cold. They were having intermittent fevers & just plain feeling yucky. However, by Saturday morning J was well on the way to being back to his normal self & N just had a really nasty runny nose. I'm talking - well - seriously - I can't even begin to tell you how nasty & I would hate to cause any distress with any readers, but it was NASTY! ::shudder:: In fact, I stopped five times on the way to Augusta (which is normally a 1-1/2 hour ride) to help him with the "blobs" as we were calling them.

He fell asleep & seemed to do better. Then we stopped in Augusta at the Maine State Library. They do an outreach library for those of us in rural parts of the state without a library system. Unfortunately, state budget cut-backs mean that we now have to pay to have our books returned. Previously postage to us & back to them was covered - no longer. Thankfully I live close enough to make the drive on occasion. I somehow managed to cram all my books & a friends in to my already bulging car. It took me two trips to get in them all in to the library. Phew!

Off we headed & after more stops for "blobs" of the nose, I ended up at the Biddeford Wal-Mart. Why? Wasn't I fully prepared for this trip that should take about seven hours of driving - including necessary rest stops & lunch? Well, yes, I thought I was. Until the "blob monster" appeared & used up ALL the tissues I had packed. ::sigh:: We stopped so I could really stock up on them. In & out - quick guys! Back on the road we went.

The second half the trip did go a bit better. N & J slept some & the nose issue seemed to be resolving somewhat. That & the fact that I stoutly refused to stop while cruising at 70 mph down the highway to deal with said "blobs." It really wasn't a fun drive - but we made it. I arrived at Deb's right at suppertime. I literally went in, collapsed in a chair, and ate supper. It was VERY yummy. THEN I dealt with children & unpacking.

Sunday dawned bright & early. The boys seemed to really enjoy sleeping in the camper. They all slept at least an hour later than normal which I personally loved. We spent the morning at Deb's church which was fun. By the end of the day I think everyone was running around in T-shirts since it was such a warm fall day. It's hard to believe fall has finally come! Poor B - who I make pack for himself - only packed long-sleeved shirts. Bess had a T-shirt that fit him so that was great. Thanks, Bess!

The kids played outside on the trampoline, riding bikes, on the computer inside and just running wild getting to know each other. Now for the fun photos....

Dan was always up for a photo op.

N had a really fun time on the trampoline!

B & Gabe had an awesome time hanging out together - sometimes literally!

Hannah & Rachel enjoyed showing off their bike riding skills for me.

J is "riding" a bike - he just pushes it around - but he has fun doing this.

A country girl at her best!

This is where B & Gabe could be found most of the time we were inside. B really enjoyed playing The Incredibles & Snoopy vs. The Red Baron

Monday we headed in to the nearby city & did a bit of shopping at AC Moore (the closest one to me is a 1-1/2 hour drive) & then just up the road to The Parent-Teacher Store. Wow! Anything like that store is at least a two hour drive for me!!!


I picked up some really fun yarn at AC Moore to make some hats with my Kniffty Knitter. I started this hat while I was at Deb's & finished it last night while watching the Red Sox. I like how it came out & it fits well. Although, I may end up passing it on to one of my nieces as a Christmas present.

The Parent-Teacher store was a lot of fun as well. I picked up a Evan-More History Pocket book there on Ancient Civilizations as that is the history period we are studying this year. I also bought an Ancient Civilizations card game which we played a couple days ago. It was fun. They also had tons of fun dice for different things. I picked up an oversize one with colors on it. I thought I could make up some games using it for my three year old. I also bought a "+/-" one and two with the numerals 1-6 on them for math games.

Tuesday morning we did left around 10am & had a much easier ride home. We made it in seven hours flat and that included a few stops & a 40 minute stop for lunch. The boys all were very tired & slept most of the way.

Before we left we took one last chance for a photo op. While Deb posted a photo of the two of us on her blog (blah!!!), I only took photos of the kids.

The whole gang!

Out of the blue the day before, J told me that "Hannah is my first girl." It must mean something to him as he told me that yet again today when he saw this photo uploading. Too cute!

It was a fun-filled weekend in New York & I know it's something we'll always remember. A fun time with friends.