How I Spent My Vacation, the Conclusion (aka Getting Back to Normal Life)

My Boys Rock!  They were great both to and from Pennsylvania.  Nicholas never slept, but he never asked us “Are we there yet?”  I knew I had a smart boy, so I told him which exit was ours.  On the way home we told him he could look for our turnpike exit, or just wait until he saw our house.  I would not hesitate to take them on long car ride again.

Our house also looks great!  The painter did a wonderful job.  Now we just have a few more things we definitely want to get done before we contact a Realtor.  I know my July deadline isn't going to happen.  I have another deadline in my head, but I’ll just keep it to myself for now.

I love the new color!

Nicholas and Evan still managed to go to church Wednesday night, just hours after we got back.  When you’re cooped up in a car all day, you have lots of energy.  Well, they did.  I was just beat.  Thankfully, we kept bed times pretty much the same while we were away.  The boys have slept pretty well since we've been back.  Daniel even had a couple of long naps.

Now that we’re home the focus goes back to getting the house ready.  My mom and sister have been a great help to me so far.  If we could only get the bathrooms done . . .

Here are the boys getting back to normal:

Daniel comes up with 101 ways to play with this turtle.

You can stand in it,

Sit in it,

Or get out and let your older brother chase after you like he's a dog.

Nicholas bouncing out some energy at a nearby farm.

Daniel wishing he could jump too.

The boys and I are having a lazy Saturday.  Daniel and I are getting rid of the last of our colds.  I can't believe it is almost July.  We'll have to see what fun things we can do with our last full month of vacation before school starts.

How I Spent My Vacation, Part 3

If you missed it, check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our vacation.

Tuesday was my birthday!  The first present that I received was that Daniel slept 12 hours that night!  He was starting to feel better and got some much needed sleep.  The rest of my birthday celebration took place at Sesame Place. 

The first day we were there Nicholas wasn't really interested in the water slides.  But, on Tuesday, Evan convinced him to ride the ones where they could share a tube.  Nicholas was hooked and they ended up going on every water slide in the park.  

Nicholas' first water slide ride with Evan.

That little "ant" is Nicholas at the bottom of the slide.

Then, it was Evan's turn.

We did take the opportunity to do a wading pool and splash pad type activities for Daniel.

We had reservations for lunch to eat with Elmo and Friends.  Not only did we get to eat a buffet, but the characters came around to each table.  Nicholas got his picture taken with every character!  Daniel was in heaven too.  He seemed mesmerized at every one that walked by.  He fed the Count one of his cookies.  Then, he grabbed Grover’s arm and gave it a hug.  

They also had entertainment.  The characters danced and sang.  Nicholas was able to join them on the dance floor, but seemed hesitant to show off any of his moves. 

The characters started the lunch with a dance.

Nicholas and Count

Open up, Count!

Nicholas and Grover

Daniel loved Grover too.

I think the character lunch was a great time and would highly recommend it.  It is also the place where I had my birthday cookie (since I didn't have any cake).  I got to eat it in the same room as my soul mate – Cookie Monster (Evan understands). 

Me and my birthday peeps!

Later in the afternoon we caught the show – Elmo Rocks.  Then, we saw the Sesame Street Parade. 

What do you see, Daniel?

Elmo Rocks!

I think everyone had a great time, especially Nicholas.  While he enjoyed all of the Sesame Street characters in the context of Sesame Place, don’t expect him to broadcast it.  He might just say that he went to a water park.  He’s six years old and Sesame Street is not his favorite show.  But, Daniel will proudly tell you his love for Elmo and Friends any day.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of our trip!

How I Spent My Vacation, Part 2

If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.

Remember how Daniel and I spent a lot of alone time together while Nicholas was at camp last week?  Well, Daniel also shared with me his illness.  My throat was sore as we were driving to PA, but it got worse as the night went on.  While Daniel slept better Sunday night, I did not.  My throat was killing me and I was coughing a lot.  I was pretty sure that it was a chest cold.  I just didn't want it to put a damper on our vacation.

We left shortly after breakfast for Sesame Place on Monday morning.  We got there early enough that we found a nice shady place to park.  It was already 80 degrees that early in the morning and it was supposed to go up to 90.  After a quick ride on the carousel, we tried to find a water activity we all could do.  

Daniel loved this cardboard cutout at our hotel.

We found Cookie Monster hanging out here.

There was a lot of wading time pools where Daniel could stand or sit down.  Nicholas enjoyed these too.  We especially enjoyed Count’s Castle.  There were slides for the older kids, but Daniel was able to walk around in the water.  He loves the water, so it was perfect for him.

Cool dude on a hot day

Nicholas could have stayed in there all day, but we decided to go check out the other rides.  Nicholas did some climbing on the nets.  Daniel and I were able to look up and see him climbing above us.  Then, we got our picture taken with Big Bird and Elmo.  Daniel really loves Elmo, but the excitement must have been too much for him.  He ended up falling asleep while we were in line.  I didn't want him to miss out on the picture, so I held him while he was sleeping.  I knew that we would be having lunch with Elmo and Friends the next day, so he would get to see Elmo then.

After about three hours in the hot sun, we decided to leave.  We were coming back the next day, so we could hit the other rides then.   We headed back to change before heading to New Jersey!  New Jersey was only minutes away from our hotel.  My family lived in New Jersey when I was younger and I got the opportunity to show Evan and the boys my old house.  After being away for 21 years,  a lot had changed.  But, the closer we got to my old neighborhood, I started to recognize a little bit more.  I was able to take a quick picture of the old house as we drove by. 

My old NJ house

After getting lost a few times, we check out a local mall by my old house.  Then, we headed to dinner.  It was a very full day.  The next day would be my birthday.  Plenty of pictures to come.

How I Spent My Vacation Part 1

Evan and I have never really taken a vacation since we were married.  There was always some reason:  school, no time off, adoption, etc.  Going to Russia together were the only trips we've really taken and that wasn't much of a vacation.  So, we decided to do something fun this year with the boys.  When I was younger I lived out East.  There is an amusement park there called Sesame Place.  It is both a dry and wet amusement park.  I have really good memories of it, so I thought it would be great to take Nicholas and Daniel. 

With Nicholas at camp all last week, I had to split my time between packing and moving things out of the downstairs.  We arranged for my mom to let in a painter while we were gone, so we could come back to a nicely painted downstairs.  While I had a lot to do, I enjoy lists, so I was getting it done.  I just didn't account for Daniel throwing in a surprise.  He had cold symptoms all week.  We weren't sure if it was because he was getting another tooth or even seasonal allergies.  By the end of the week, he had developed a dry cough and by Saturday he sounded like he had croup.

We decided to try some home remedies instead of heading to the doctor right away.  He had the cough, but he was still running around and playing.  Then nighttime hit!  He would sleep very loudly for about 20-40 minutes and then cry.  I would have to hold him and get him back to sleep, or go in the bathroom and sit in the steam with him.  We ended up doing that three times on Saturday night.  My pores had never been so open. ;)  But, Daniel wasn't getting better.  It wasn't so much the cough anymore, but his breathing.  He kept saying in a raspy little voice, “Mama, mama, mama.”  I felt so bad that I couldn't help him.

Since were leaving in a few hours, Evan got dressed and took him to the local urgicare/emergency room.  I could not fall back to sleep, so I took a shower.  After 3 sauna sessions with Daniel, I was feeling pretty gross.  Less than an hour later, Evan texted me that Daniel had an ear infection and possibly croup or an upper respiratory infection.  So, it was plenty of medicine for our boy.  I wished that wasn't the case, but I hoped it would make him feel better.

We left later that morning before 8:00.  Both boys did wonderful.  I learned from my mom how to keep kids entertained during a long trip.  Nicholas had books, coloring books, a game, his DS, and finally, a portable DVD player.  We stopped twice to use the bathroom, gas up the car, and eat lunch.  Daniel took probably 3-4 naps.  I think this trip was a blessing in disguise for his illness.  He rested a lot.  He only cried a few times before he fell asleep, but that’s nothing new.  When he was awake he looked at books, ate snacks or drank from his sippy cup.  Honestly, it was the easiest ride.  The worst part was that Evan and I were running on no sleep.  Once we reached the hotel room, I had my own little rest time.

As good as the ride was, the time in the hotel had some rough beginnings.  We were so tired that we didn't want to go anywhere that evening.  Daniel wanted to hang out in the bathroom and didn't like when we shut the door.  Nicholas received a logical consequence by touching Evan’s razor in his toiletries.  Let’s just say we wondered if we’d have to go to another emergency room.  

But, thankfully, lights were out by 8:45.  Daniel slept so well compared to the night before.  He only had one big wake up and I gave him a sippy cup of water to help his dry throat.  He woke us all up at 5:30, but I was able to get everyone to sleep in until a “late” 6:30.  We were hoping for a better day ahead.

This was Daniel the day before we left.

This is Daniel at 7:00 in the morning after a trip to the ER.

Close to my old PA home.

Daniel is happy to be out of the car!

To Be Continued . . .

Camp

Nicholas had a great time at his day camp all week.  I thought it would result in a tired, worn out boy, but he has woken up bright and early every day.  He learned silly songs, watched skits, played games, and even got to climb a rock wall.  When I came to his closing ceremony yesterday, he had paint on his face and was performing a version of Gangnam Style with the rest of his campers. 

All ready for his first day

"You have some silly poses, Nicholas."

It is blurry, but they're dancing here.

Each camper was given a character award by their counselor.  Nicholas’ was for being determined and agreeable.  It said: "Nicholas - you're strong and don't let anything get in your way, but you're willing to agree to solutions."  I’m going to pretend that it can also be translated as “strong-willed”.  I also heard from someone else that he was the first one to volunteer to pray at lunch on the first day of camp.  He has a really good heart and he loves to pray. 

Standing under the bell the campers can ring when they accept Christ.

Daniel and I had a good week together.  We made sure we got out at least one time each day.  On Wednesday we even went to lunch with my sister.  Daniel was great at the restaurant and ate like a champ.  I didn't plan on it, but I also found that it was time to start training Daniel more intentionally.  He knows what he is not allowed to touch and often likes to disobey with a smile.  So, I did some re-direction and a little timeout or two in his pack-n-play. 

"Look what I can do, Mom!"

Daniel is also quite fond of touching the cats.  We taught him how to pet them nicely, but he does seem to have a fascination with their ears.  Gabby was in the recliner trying to sleep when he began to play with her ear.  I told him “no” and redirected him a few times.  He seemed to find something else to play with, so I used the opportunity to grab something in the other room really quickly.  When I came back he was over by the recliner with a huge grin on his face.  I looked down and each hand was holding onto one of Gabby’s ears.  The cat didn't know what to do and I had to look away because it was so funny. 

It is hard to believe that June is almost over.  This month has flown by.  We’re looking forward to some fun times ahead, including my birthday!  

They must have missed each other.

13 Months Old!

We’re done with the rocking chair pictures (Thank goodness!), but I thought I would update on Daniel’s development.  He’s a rock star when it comes to motor skills.  I don’t want to say he’s running, but he is moving a lot faster.  When he’s really happy, he throws his hands up in the air, moves about the room yelling some sort of battle cry. 

He will carry around anything he can get his hands on.  He loves to climb on things, including people.  Daniel is still our little daredevil!

He also continues to stack his books vertically.

Standing in front of his masterpiece

Close-up

He still growls and grunts a lot.  We do hear sounds and syllables.  He can communicate very clearly when he wants food.  The boy that didn't like to eat is a lot hungrier.  I’m not sure if he’s had much of a weight gain though since he’s always so active.

Nicholas plays pretty well with him.  He just needs a couple of reminders that Daniel is a lot younger and that Nicholas is not his parent.  I've heard two funny quotes from Nicholas speaking to Daniel in the past week.

Daniel was crying because he wanted me, but I was cooking dinner.  Nicholas says to him, “Get a hold of your life, Daniel!” 

Then, later in the week I was putting the groceries away and Daniel wanted me (common theme).  Nicholas says to him, “The world does not revolve around you, Daniel!” 

I just had to laugh.  He’s probably heard these things from us, but he has some funny variations like in the first quote.  They do love each other a lot though.  And, Nicholas can still get Daniel laughing those belly laughs.

Both boys got haircuts last week too.  This is the fourth or fifth time Daniel has had his hair cut since he was born.  This time I asked her if she could give him a cute cut.  He came away looking older. 

At the hairdresser's

Side view

Finally, Daniel's newest trick involves climbing on Nicholas’ wooden chair.  He did this for the first time when no one was looking.  Talk about a shock!

So proud!

Well, Daniel and I had our first day all alone while Nicholas was at camp.  It definitely was different around here.  I did see Daniel put a huge smile on his face the moment he saw Nicholas this afternoon.  I can’t wait to see how the rest of the week goes.

4th Family Day (One Day Early)!

Nicholas' Family Day is actually June 18^th, but because of his day camp, we celebrated it today!  It feels like he’s always been here though.  Four years just doesn't sound long enough.  Both boys now have Family Days and whoever’s day it is gets to pick where we go out to eat.  Nicholas had been thinking about his choice for weeks.  He finally picked Ste@k-n-Sh@ke.  It is one of his favorites.  I’m sure it is because they have a variety of milkshakes to choose from.

Waiting patiently for his meal

Nicholas told us it was the best meal he’s ever had (apparently, we don’t get out much).  Daniel must have agreed.  We tried to order something that Daniel could share with us.  I was shocked when he ate almost an entire mini slider hamburger.  He also ate a few fries and some cottage cheese.  This boy has started to have a real appetite in the last few weeks.  Nicholas and Evan were the only ones to have milkshakes though.

In honor of Nicholas being home four years, I thought I would interview him and ask him four questions.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

                A policeman

What is your favorite thing about being a big brother?

                That I can play with my brother.

If you could spend the day doing one thing, what would it be?

                Definitely playing my Wii with my dad

What are you looking forward to about our family vacation?

                Definitely wanting to go on the water slides

New water shoes for our vacation

We’re so happy to have Nicholas as our son.  Happy 4^th Family Day, Nicholas!

Four years ago this month (I still love the pants!)