Our FIRST family vacation

Justin had two weeks off so we decided to make a little vacation out of it.  I have ALWAYS wanted to go see Niagara Falls so we decided to make a little trip and stop in Palmyra on the way.  Since the kids are still so little we opted out of doing the Pageant and went a week later.  The first night it was a little rainy, but it held off long enough for us to visit the Hill Cumorah and walk around.  Such a BEAUTIFUL place.  The kids enjoyed running around and touring the Visitor Center.

We saved the Smith Farm for the next day.  We went first thing in the morning and the weather was perfect.  The kids thought it was neat to see where Joseph Smith grew up and the room Angel Moroni appeared in.  Taija and Luke were kind of funny about the poison ivy the sister missionary mentioned.  They kept pointing around asking if it was there, or there.  It was such an AMAZING experience as a family, one where the spirit was so STRONG.  I am in awe of the beauty and simplicity of the Sacred Grove and am so grateful I was able to share that experience with my children.

Next up was the Print Shop where the Book of Mormon was first printed.  The preservation of the entire building is quite impressive.  I mean it has the ORIGINAL flooring still there!!  Funny story...so those of us who know and love my little boy KNOW that he is a VERY touchy, huggy, hands-on kind of guy.  There was a sweet sister missionary taking us through the tour and Luke was, well being Luke, and pretty much grabbed her bottom and the poor sister kind of shrieked in alarm.  We then had to have a discussion with Luke that 'we don't TOUCH sister missionaries.'  Oh the joys of raising a little boy!

I am so glad we were able to visit some of the Church's historical sites.  You read about these places and picture them in your mind, but to actually be there in person was such a neat experience.  

Next up was Niagara Falls, but first we had to make a stop at our family's favorite place to eat - McDonalds!  And since this was a photo op we couldn't pass up...

All of my research prior to actually making the trip pointed to the fact that the 'Maid of the Mist' was a MUST do adventure.  Once we got on the boat Taija was terrified of being on the TOP so I stayed down below with her as the other three ventured to the top.  It was pretty intense even on the bottom!  The USA side wasn't too bad, but once we got into the 'horseshoe' falls the wind/water picked up considerably.  Luke of course LOVED it!

We wandered around for a bit more looking at the Falls, but that was pretty much it.  We opted out of the historical museum and aquarium figuring the kids were done walking around and wouldn't really appreciate the historical facts of the Falls.  We ended up doing dinner at a mall nearby and hanging out at the hotel swimming and relaxing.

The last day of our road trip was spent on the road.  Literally!  It took quite a bit longer to get home, but the kids were troopers...I only whined a little bit. :)

All in all a very successful vacation/road trip.  We have been very fortunate in the fact that we have been able to live in different parts of the country and experience all the unique aspects of each place.  The Northeast has so much history and I can't wait to explore/experience some of it.  Niagara Falls - check!  Palmyra - check!

Just KEEP Swimming, Swimming Swimming

Taija had her FIRST Swim MEET!  And being the completely unbiased proud mom that I am she did AWESOME!  I was a little worried given that at her swim practice that morning I had to bribe convince her to jump off the racing platform just ONCE.  Taija was so excited when we got to the pool that afternoon that ALL the girls had on the SAME swim team swimsuit.  She was so HAPPY to be a part of the group!  Not knowing what to expect I had pretty much packed our entire house so as to be prepared.  Taija was READY!

This is a video of her 1st event - Girls 6&U freestyle.  She did AWESOME!  I think she was really scared and just kept  her head down and swam as fast as she possibly could to the other end.  Taija was able to 'compete' in a total of 6 swim meets.  She clocked her fastest time at her 2nd meet - since then I think the fear kind of ran out and she would take her time getting to the other side, simply enjoying the fact that she was getting to race.

After each event/race we would make sure she was having fun and sure enough she ALWAYS enjoyed herself.  At her very last swim meet Taija clocked her fasted time in the backstroke.  When we started swim team at the beginning of June Taija had no idea what the backstroke even was - they showed her a few times and everyday she was practicing it.  In each race she would always pause to look forward to see how close she was to the end, but the very last race she made it the entire way without flipping back over!  LOVE my little swimmer.

I am so proud of Taija for working so hard and trying something NEW.  At the end of the year picnic ALL of the 6&Us received a trophy for all of their hard work and a nice little swim bag.  Each swimmer also received a 'funny' award that was written on a paper plate.  Taija's was FROZEN.  At every swim practice she would (not always willingly) get into the cold water, but usually wouldn't last more than 4 or 5 laps before she was begging to get out because it was TOO COLD.  She would even have blue lips to prove it!  Thank you to all of the Ashbourne Swim Team coaches who made Taija's 1st swim team experience a SUCCESS!

Taija's DREAM

When Taija was not quite 3 Pa and Grammy took us to New York for my DREAM vacation.  While we were there Pa would walk down to Toys R Us with Taija and take her on the GIANT ferris wheel.  She LOVED it and will still ask when Pa is going to take her back to New York to go on the ferris wheel.  We decided since we live so close we would make a DAY adventure out of it.  Originally we had planned to go see the Empire State Building, but once we found out it would be close to $100 for us to just go to the top we figured we could do without that adventure for now.  We decided to drive up to Staten Island and take the ferry across.  The kids LOVED going on the BIG boat.  Taija was a little leery of the subway, but once we explained that it was the ONLY way to get to her beloved ferris wheel she was willing to test it out.  Aside from the usual crazy person on board asking for money we made it safely to time square.  We made the mistake (only once) of stopping to get our picture taken with Elmo and Mickey Mouse.

AND finally Taija was once again able to ride the GIANT ferris wheel!

We had decided beforehand to walk up to central park.  It was a pretty far walk and the kids were troopers.  We found the playground and ran around for a bit - it had changed since we had last been there and was now predominantly a water park.  Since I had no desire to cart around 3 wet kids the playground was short lived.  On to LUNCH!  And where does my children and husband choose to go, although we were surrounded by cute little cafe's and restaurants...McDonalds!  Oh well.  I did insist on stopping at one of the little bakeries to buy some cheesecake and goodies for the ride home.  Although I must say it was very disappointing.  I will have to do some research on a GOOD New York bakery before paying those prices again.

All in All it was  a great day in New York City!

BEACH Vacation - Tower Hill Beach

Justin had 2 weeks of vacation so we made the most of it!!  First day of vacation and we headed to the beach!  I had been asking all of our friends around here what beach they liked to visit and it seemed everyone spoke of Tower Hill Beach.  It's right inside the Delaware Seashore State Park.  The best thing about it is that it has AWESOME restroom/shower facilities.  The kids were so EXCITED, mostly because we had been telling them that we would be staying at a hotel for the night.  I was a little worried about the night, but figured it wouldn't be too bad since I would get to nap on the way home.  I'm not going to lie - the night was LONG!  Sharing a 'double' bed with Mika and Taija was not a good idea.  We would definitely be bringing the pack n play for all future hotel stays.

The beach was great - a little overcast, but that kept the crowds away.  Justin was teasing me because the 2nd day we were there the lifeguards were doing some practice drills - the male lifeguards that is!  They would race each other into the ocean to a marked off distance then race back to the lifeguard stand.  We were sitting right next to them so I couldn't help being intrigued by their skills...

Love my beach babes!

Delaware Children's Museum

Our great friends the Itris invited us along to join them at the Delaware Children's Museum for an awesome playdate.  We had never been before (Taija had gone for a school field trip) and the kids were excited.  We even got an amazing discount since we have a membership at the Philly Please Touch Museum - we LOVE discounts!

Luke LOVED the train area!

 My little construction workers!

 There was an awesome craft area where you could paint, play with playdoh, or do a tape/crayon activity.

Thanks to our friends the Itris for taking such great pics, but also getting us out of the house and out for an adventure!