Vacation

The boys and I had a great time last week with my mom and sister in Pennsylvania.  Four days was just the right amount of time to be away.  While we were gone, Evan took a few days off so he could do a few things he doesn’t normally have the time to do – golfing, movies, and just relaxing.

Our trip started last Tuesday.  We drove to Hershey to see Chocolate World.  The boys were very excited because there was chocolate involved.  They loved the ride that showed how the chocolate candy was made.  Of course, everything there leads into the all-encompassing gift shop.  Both boys filled up a mug (that lights up) with chocolate.  Nicholas also bought a hat.  It seemed like nothing would be able to top this part of the trip.

Singing Cows

Chocolate World Selfie

Enjoying the ride

Right outside Chocolate World

Back at the hotel, the boys were happy to be able to swim for a little bit in the pool.  After being in the car for several hours that day, it was a good way to release some of their excess energy.  We also had dinner at the hotel that evening before just hanging out in our rooms the rest of the night. 

Headed to the pool

That night I had to share a bed with Daniel.  This was something I was not looking forward to doing.  First, he is the most restless, acrobatic sleeper that I have ever met.  At home, he ends up in all kinds of crazy positions.  So, my sleep was limited that night.  Between holding onto him, so he didn’t roll out of bed and getting slapped and kicked while he slept, I spent much of the night on high alert.  Thankfully, we would not have to sleep in the same bed again the rest of the trip.

Before bed selfie

The next day it was back in the car for a shorter driver to our next destination in Pennsylvania – King of Prussia.  This is the city where we would spend the next couple of nights.  This is also the place where the mall is located that we used to go to when we lived in Pennsylvania almost 30 years ago.  For the next couple of days, much of what we saw was familiar, yet different at the same time.  After spending some time at the mall, we did venture out to the town we lived in years ago.  Our neighborhood still looked great.  My mom even saw an old neighbor outside.

I also learned that my perceptions as a child didn’t always match reality.  We moved away after I finished 5^th grade.  If we would have stayed, I would have walked to the middle school.  I always remembered the middle school being so far away.  In reality, it was just around the corner.  We also got to drive by my old elementary school.  I also thought this was really far away, but it was also a lot closer than I realized. 

After we spent some time going down memory lane, we headed to the store to get something healthier for dinner and then capped it off with dessert. ;)  The boys both got their ice cream in waffle cones dipped in chocolate in sprinkles.  Both boys ate the entire thing!

It must have been a long day.

A little sugar to perk him up.

That night we went back to the hotel and fell asleep a lot earlier than the night before.  Daniel was asleep on the couch (surrounded by pillows) and I was on the other side of the room in my own bed.  I slept better that night, but still sharing a room with two boys in an unfamiliar room still didn’t make for the best night’s sleep.

The next day we headed to Philadelphia.  I had not been there since I was a little girl.  We didn’t have too many plans other than trying to see the Liberty Bell.  We ended up taking a tour of the city on a horse and carriage.  We were able to see some different areas in the city that we probably wouldn’t have seen if we were just walking.

Liberty Bell

Outside of Independence Hall

Our carriage ride

Saying goodbye to Thunder the horse

But, we still did get a lot of walking in.  We walked several blocks around the city before having a quick lunch at a food court.  Then, we ended our time at one of the gift shops.  Nicholas bought a replica of the Liberty Bell, a compass, and a replica of an old historical document.  Daniel bought a small, stuffed bald eagle, which he lovingly named, “Baby Eagle”. 

After heading back to King of Prussia, the boys headed back to the pool one last time.  Then, we all took our tired and worn selves out to a nice dinner.  Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to relax and go to bed.

The next morning we were all up early, so we decided to head back home a little earlier that morning than we had planned.  Both boys did great during our car rides.  I spent most of Friday evening doing laundry to get it out of the way.  On Saturday, we just did nothing, but relax. 

Bonding at its finest - Mommy and Me Bathroom on the turnpike.

Now that we’re home, we’re back in the swing of things.  We’re looking forward to a lot of fun activities this month.