Our Big Trip...

So, my friends, I slacked off again and now we have a lot to catch up on. (Get ready for the longest post ever!) At least I have the excuse that we were out of town for a week. It also doesn't help that our camera is broken, so we are unable to take any pictures and have to rely on our wonderful friends to send us copies. (btw...we are now accepting donations for the new camera fund ;) )

Anyway, about our trip...

Day 1- Saturday, October 18

Activity 1- Ava's b-day party

We left home early on Saturday morning in the pouring rain to drive up to Herndon for Ava's second birthday. The rain stopped after the tunnel, there was no traffic, and we made it to Frying Pan Farm in plenty of time. The P had a great time at the party. She made crafts, ate lots of snacks (and tomatoes), took a wagon ride, and got to see the animals. However, I think the highlight for her was when she blew out the candles on Ava's b-day cupcake-- oops!

Activity 2- Visit with the Tyrell Hardy's

After the b-day party we drove to Ashburn to visit our friends Lindsay, Tim, Jake and baby Abby. The P was exhausted and fell asleep in the car on the way over. We went ahead and pulled the car into the garage and let her sleep there for a little while (oh I'm so jealous of their garage!). It actually worked out great because we had about 20-30 minutes to catch up with Lindsay and Tim while all of the kids were sleeping. Once they all woke up Jake and The P had a great time playing with all of his toys. Jake decided to call her "Maya Pizza Pie-ya" all afternoon, which was so cute and so smart. She called him Pizza Pie-ya right back. We had a nice dinner with them and then headed to Arlington to check into our hotel.

Activity 3- Hotel!

The P was so excited to stay at a hotel. When Adam travels for work we talk about how "Daddy went bye-bye to work at the hotel". For all she knew, The P was staying at the same hotel where Daddy does all of his best work. When we got in the room, she climbed up to the desk, grabbed the pen and paper, and said "I'm busy working, don't talk to me". --watch out! We set up her pack n' play and she went right to sleep for the night.

Day 2- Sunday, October 19

Activity 1- The Dresner's

Sunday morning we woke up, got ready, and headed downstairs for the hotel breakfast. It was crowded, but that didn't slow The P down. She ate everything in sight, and was so excited because I let her have little apple juice from the machine (mixed with water). After breakfast we drove into DC to visit with Meredith, Jeremy, and Eden at their new house. It was great to see them back in DC and to check out their new place. The girls had fun playing together, and Eden put her hair up in pig tails, just like The P's. The P remembered and loved their labradoodle, Cooper. She wasn't as fond of Meredith's parent's standard poodle, Oscar. As she told me, "I'm scary of Oscar the Grouch". After the girls played for a while, and the men got organized for the projects for the day, we went to lunch in Georgetown and then headed back to the hotel for a nap.

Activity 2- PwC Fall Family Festival

After The P took a giant nap in the afternoon, we headed into National's Stadium in DC. PwC rented the stadium for an alumni (that's me) and client family event. They had lots of games and entertainment down on the field. They even had the bull pen, batting cages, and locker room open for everyone. We hung out for a while, caught up with some friends, and then headed out. We grabbed some dinner and then went back to the hotel for bed.

Day 3- Monday, October 20

Activity 1- Stroller Strides and Playground

Monday morning started out COLD, but not cold enough to bring Stroller Strides inside, so we went to Fairlington for class. It was so fun to go back and see everyone. As soon as we pulled up in the morning The P was asking if PJ would be there. (Sorry P, PJ moved far away too L ) After class we stayed to play at the playground. The Islas’ came to visit with new baby Myles, and so did Baby Elliot and her Mama. It was definitely fun to be back!

After everyone played we headed out with Jen and Olivia to pick up Morgan from school. The P thought that was pretty cool and was so excited to see her friend Morgie! Next we headed back to the Kamber’s for lunch, naps, a trip to the park, dinner, and bed. The P had a lot of fun catching up with Morgan and Olivia and remembered the last time she got to sleep at Morgan’s house before we moved and how fun that was. We had a great time!

Activity 2- Mom’s night out!

After the girls were in bed, Jen and I headed out to Carlyle to meet up with other Stroller Strides “mom friends”. Seven of us all made it out (on a school night) for appetizers and drinks. It was so nice to catch up with everyone J

Day 4- Tuesday, October 21

Activity 1- Stroller Strides and Lunch

Tuesday morning we had breakfast, loaded up the car, and said goodbye to the hotel. The P and I went to Stroller Strides at Cameron Station to take one of Jennifer’s fabulous classes and catch up with other friends.

After class we were invited over to the Islas’ for lunch. The P got to play with Michaela and to see baby Myles again. We also got to see what a good big sister Michaela is to him. The girls shared baby dolls and snacks, and ate lunch together. After lunch it was time for us to hit the road.

Activity 2- Jersey and Ava’s birthday

After lunch we hopped in the car and drove up to Hoboken, NJ to visit the Zulandi’s. The P fell asleep before we were even on the highway and stayed asleep until the Delaware Memorial Bridge. She kept me company on our drive through NJ and we pointed out all of the differed kinds of trucks on the road. By about 4:30 we made it to Hoboken! The P was so excited to hang out with Ava, especially since it was her birthday. We were stuck inside for the afternoon because of the cold weather and some rain, but that was fine since Ava had tons of fun toys to share. She girls had a great time together. In the evening we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. At the end of the meal they turned down the lights and brought out a dish of ice cream with sparklers in it for Ava’s birthday. Poor Ava was not too happy about the sparklers, but we smiled and sang anyway.

Day 5- Wednesday, October 22

Build a Bear

Wednesday morning the girls woke up and started playing together right away. We pulled the little table and chairs out of Ava’s room and they sat together and ate their breakfast, all the while yelling at Myles (the dog) to stay away from their food.

The two little thumb suckers watch a little TV and relaxed while we got dressed for the day.

Then we strapped both car seats into our car and took a trip up to the mall in Paramus. The mommies tried to do some shopping for the girls. It was kind of painful- girls jumping out of their strollers and complaining- yet also successful- can anyone but Missy buy 11 items for $2.16?! (I know I can’t!) Then we took the girls to Build a Bear for a special treat. They got to make their very own teddy bears. They each picked a special bear, found a heart for it, stuffed it, bathed it, dressed it, and named it. The P’s bear is named “Jersey Bear” in honor of our trip.

On our way up to eat lunch the girls discovered the Reatrix mat at the mall and got out some energy trying to play the games. Then we ate some lunch, took some potty breaks, and headed home.

Day 6- Thursday, October 23

Activity 1- Morning in Hoboken

Thursday morning it was a little warmer so after breakfast we took the girls on a walk to the park. They played on the playground for a while until they started to complain. Like any good mom with a whiny child should do, we took them to the bakery for cupcakes ;) I got a pumpkin cupcake for The P and a chocolate one for myself. Apparently she was only interested in the icing on her cupcake and then wanted to eat the rest of my chocolate one. (Sometimes you just can’t win.) We took a stroll through Hoboken, picked up some lunch and then headed back. After lunch we packed up the car and it was time to head south to Baba and Papa’s.

Activity 2- Baba and Papa’s

We made the quick drive down to East Brunswick, and somehow The P stayed awake the whole time. When we got there she went straight to playing with her toys. Finally she went down for a nap (as did I) and once she woke up, she was greeted by Papa and more cupcakes! How fun! We took an afternoon walk around the neighborhood to check out all of the blow up Halloween decorations. She just couldn’t get over the pumpkin with the witch’s legs sticking out ;) In the evening we had dinner and then Daddy came up from DC!

Day 7- Friday, October 24

Trip to the park

After a big breakfast- The P thoroughly enjoyed Canadian bacon (does she take after me at all?)- we got dressed and took a drive with Baba and Papa to a park to see some animals. We walked around and saw lots of chickens, geese, and deer. There were also coyote, snakes, iguanas, an emu, a horse, a donkey, pigs, etc… They P enjoyed the animals and our walk outside, however it made her a little tired and grouchy, and I spent more time carrying her than I would have liked. Afterwards we headed home for lunch and nap.

Day 8- Saturday, October 25

See ya later!

After breakfast on Saturday morning, Adam and I left to drive down to Annapolis, MD for Katie and Max’s wedding. The P stayed up in NJ for the day to spend time with Baba, Papa, and Aunt Amy. They went to a Halloween festival, took a hayride, and got a press on tattoo. Later in the evening, Baba and Papa loaded The P in the car and drove down to meet us at the hotel in Annapolis. Adam and I had a great time catching up with friends at the wedding. Despite the rain, everything was beautiful and we had a really good time. We got back to the hotel just a few minutes before the crew from NJ arrived.

Day 9- Sunday, October 26

Home, sweet home!

Sunday morning we got to sleep in a little since The P slept in Baba and Papa’s room. (Woo hoo!) Once we were up we had breakfast at the hotel with the Lambiotte’s and got to see Josie. After breakfast we packed up our cars and headed home. We made it back by the early afternoon. We had a great trip! It was so fun to catch up with so many people, but it was also nice to be back home. As you can tell, we stayed pretty busy the whole time.