Our Weekend Play-by-Play

What a wonderfully refreshing weekend we had! Where to begin!?

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We left early Friday morning, deciding to take the "scenic route" (read: long way) to Connecticut, but it was so worth it. We drove through Newport, RI - our first time in that area - and made plans to explore it more once the weather warms up. Going over the series of big bridges was beautiful!

Newport, Rhode IslandLighthouse at Point Judith, Rhode Island

After having a mediocre lunch at a family restaurant equipped with a children's play area, we continued on our way, eager to see our friends Jen and Andre. After arriving at their house and taking a few minutes to unpack and settle in, the men took Amanda/Eva to the playground while Jen and I took a walk and chatted. Following that, the women took Amanda/Eva to the library while the guys chatted over beer and wings at a local resturant. (It's so nice to be able to take turns with kid duty!)

Bedtime Stories with Jen

That evening we ordered Chinese takeout, and I was very content to have gotten my trademark Walnut Prawns. (I wish I knew what was in that sauce so I could attempt making this at home!) Getting the girls to settle down for bed that first night was utterly frustrating, partially due to their excitement at being with Andre and Jen... and partially to being overtired.

Ready for bed?

The next morning, Jen went all out and made banana chocolate chip pancakes and bacon, which the girls devoured. Then I tagged along with Jen for a much needed trip to the gym. After an exhilarating stint on the treadmill, I realized how much I missed my daily workouts. For the rest of the day, I enjoyed my "runner's high." (I then spent the rest of the weekend trying to persuade Dave that we should join a gym once we were back at home. And I'm happy to report that I joined this morning, and have already gotten one workout under my belt!) While Jen and I worked out, the guys took the kids to the mall to burn off some steam of their own and then on to Costco, the only place Dave can buy his favorite potstickers.

After a lunchtime leftover buffet, we headed to Norwalk to visit the Children's Museum. If you ask the girls, I think they would say this was the highlight of the trip. And actually, it was probably one of mine as well! That place was awesome!!

Watching Amanda and Eva in the waterplay area was especially fun and I guess I should have packed an extra set of clothes. They were both soaked to the bone, but neither one of them complained. After a million attempts to get some good photos there, they outwitted me. Neither one of them stayed in one spot long enough.. but I guess that's the whole point. Here are a few I managed to capture while in other areas of the museum.

Eva was fascinated by the ball maze contraption and was happy to have Andre as her museum companion.

In true Eva form, she spent most of her time doing some type of craft... either in the paint bottle area or the construction paper/glue stick/scissors area. Her attention span astounds me! I think she must spent close to 30 minutes in each of those areas.

Eva, our budding artist.

Amanda, on the other hand, bounced from thing to another, not wanting to miss anything. She really had fun in the dress up area, especially in her adorable skunk costume.

Amanda's ferocious skunk imtitationEva loved her bike helmet.We got crafty and made Valentines.

After arriving back at Andre and Jen's place, we exchanged Valentine's gifts and cards... and then headed out for an early dinner. We ended up at a Mexican restaurant right on the coast, and enjoyed some wonderful enchiladas, fajitas and margaritas. Boy, after that meal, I was glad I had brought my comfy pants. My waistline is not used to so much good food in one weekend.

Andre and Jen at our Valentine's Day dinner

The next morning, we got up early and drove about an hour to visit Scott and Kym.

After a quick lunch, Scott, Dave and I went for a somewhat dangerous hike in the woods. We fought to keep our balance on the icy, steep slopes that led to the chilly stream below. (Thank goodness for the walking stick I found, which I used it as an ice pick. Without it, I probably would have broken a leg at some point during the hike!)

It was so peaceful listening to the bubbling of the stream and the gushing of the waterfalls. Scott took us to a little sandy beach where the water is surprisingly over 6 feet deep. It reminded me of a special spot Dave and I once discovered when camping in California, in the Trinity Alps. Simply breathtaking. Nature at its finest. We felt like we were a million miles from civilization.

Hiking along the Nonnewaug River in Connecticut

Scott and Dave take a break to admire the view.

While we were off exploring nature, Amanda and Eva played with Kym's children - 13 year old Kali and 15 year old Cameron. After being gone for nearly 2 hours, we returned from our hike to find Eva asleep, nestled securely under Cameron's arm. I was absolutely amazed! Eva is not one of those children who can just fall asleep anywhere. Who would have thought a 15 year old boy would be able to get her to sleep!? Apparently Cameron has the magic touch.

Amanda kept Cali busy, requesting story after story and Cali was happy to oblige. I think Cali wanted a little sister just as much as Amanda wants an older sister!

Cali reading to Amanda from the "Mother Goose" storybook.

We planned to hit the road around 4:00 pm, stop for dinner in Mystic, and be home by the girls' bedtime. But that plan fell by the wayside. We were having so much fun and time slipped away from us. We finally said our goodbyes at 7:00 pm... at which time Kali gave Eva a pink poodle. (She has barely let it out of her sight of since arriving home.)

After an extremely refreshing weekend, we were home, safe and sound, by 10:15 last night.

And now, daily life resumes with mountains of laundry, grocery shopping, making meals and lesson planning. But I can't complain. It was awfully nice to abandon those mundane tasks for three straight days. I haven't yet gone through my weekend videos, but if I find anything worth sharing, I'll create a separate blog posting with those.

Thanks, Jen and Andre, for letting us disrupt your normal weekend routine by hosting us! As usual, it was just perfect. The girls absolutely adore the two of you, and had so much fun painting with you, reading with you, and just spending quality time with you. It is so good for them to have you in their lives.

And thanks also to Scott and Kym, who fed us well and kept us all entertained. I only wish I had taken a few more pictures. (I think I was too tired after that hike!)

We hope to see you all again soon, once the weather warms up!