Day #2: Lake Placid (Updated)

We woke up on Sunday morning to beautiful sunny, mild weather. Look at that bright blue sky and those puffy white clouds.

We had so many choices of things to do for the day and after browsing a few brochures, we decided on the WILD Center in Tupper Lake. We definitely made the right decision!

The WILD Center Natural History Museum - Tupper Lake, NY

There were plenty of hands-on exhibits for the girls and live animals like fish, fowl, turtles and an otter.

There was also a large kids' room filled with books, puzzles, animal puppets and lots of other educational things to play with. There were floor to ceiling windows, which butted up against the pond filled with fish, so it was like looking into an aquarium. We probably could have spent an hour in that room alone.

Stacking animal blocks

In the theater, we watched a slideshow featuring life in the Adirondacks which was entertaining for all of us. Later in the afternoon, we returned to the theater for a documentary about glaciers.

At lunchtime, we headed to the tented area for a picnic lunch. We had stopped that morning at a local deli, and Dave ordered a very unique triple decker egg salad BLT sandwich. It was enough for two meals! I stuck with the more ordinary smoked turkey and swiss sub and split it with the girls. Delicious!

A tasty picnic lunch: Smoked turkey subs and a triple decker egg salad BLT

After lunch, we took a short walk on the Pond Loop outside of the museum and then finished up with a few more exhibits inside before heading back to the hotel.

Walking the Pond Loop

The girls napped on the car ride back, so they were refreshed and ready for a swim in the pool once we got back to the hotel. Amanda was happy to practice her swimming skills but Eva wanted nothing to do with the water. She was content to play with the provided pool toys, safely on the deck, and I don't think she ever got wet past her knees!

Swimming at the hotel pool

After the pool, we made our way outside to the lake-fed pool and its sandy beach and playground. Amanda and Eva busied themselves making sandcastles and would have been happy to stay there for hours.

Building sand castles at the lake

After showers and clean clothes, we let Eva open her birthday gifts and then we went out in search of a decent restaurant.

Opening birthday gifts in the hotel room

We ended up at an Italian place and the food was OUTSTANDING. I have never had such fantastic meatballs in my entire life!! We tried to figure out what the mystery ingredients were, which I thought might have been sage while Dave thought it was turkey stuffing. (He attempted to replicate the recipe last night, and while they didn't taste like the restaurant's, they were still pretty good.) The waitress even provided us with two birthday candles along with the carryout chocolate cake we ordered for Eva's birthday.

All in all, a great day!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Little Miss Eva!

We celebrated Eva's birthday this past Thursday night, since we knew would be "on the road" for her actual birthday on Sunday.

It is so hard to believe that as of today, our baby is now 2 years old!

She has transformed into a very independent little girl now; anything but a baby! She is changing daily and making giant leaps in her development. For example, the art of of manipulation: The other day, Amanda was getting frustrated with something Eva was doing, and Eva stood up to her and boldly said,"Dop, Amanda! I'm just a BABY!"

When I look back at pictures of Eva, I realize just how much she has grown and changed over the weeks, months and years.

Eva at birth

I still remember that full head of black, spiky hair that she was born with. It is now fading to a dark blonde and is stick straight. (I guess all of the curls went to Amanda!)

Eva as a newborn

As a newborn, Eva was quiet and serious. I remember saying,"Maybe Eva will be the quiet one..." Now, that observation couldn't be further from the truth. Eva is a little clown, constantly making funny faces and she really gets a kick out of being the center of attention. Her smile can positively melt your heart.

Eva at age 1

Lately Eva has become Little Miss Independent. She prefers to dress herself, even though the clothes are often on backward and the shoes are on the wrong feet, but she is determined to get it right. She is also developing her own sense of own fashion and more often than not, she will reject the outfit I have laid out for her, instead choosing something else. Sometimes she will very sweetly say,"Can you help me?" and the next minute when you try to help, she will say,"Me do it!" or "Lemme do it a-self!"

Potty training is another example of her independent ways and strong-mindedness. Several months ago, Eva decided on her own that she was going to use the potty like Amanda. I followed her cues, not expecting her to grasp or embrace the concept at such an early age. Now, she refuses to wear diapers, except at night, and is wearing Pull-Ups full time with only 1-2 accidents per day. She calls them her "underwear" and is very proud of them. On the first day of wearing a Disney Princess Pull-Up, she showed them off to the babysitter, proudly lifting her dress up and saying,"Ta-DAH!!!"

She is athletic and likes to run, kick balls around, and attempt somersaults. When she demonstrates her Zumba moves ("I'm doin' Zumba!"), it is absolutely hysterical. I should note that she has never seen or participated in a Zumba class; she has merely watched me practice a few of the dance patterns, which makes me wonder how silly I must look!)

Sisters

Eva is very analytical, and enjoys doing puzzles, stacking blocks, and constructing train track configurations. Dave and I like to watch her figure things out and we're often astounded at her patience level! Like Amanda, she is a complete bookworm... and will sit for story after story as long as you continue to read. She also loves to color, draw and do any other type of crafty activity. She also loves music, and she will go to the bathroom to get the stool just so she can crawl up onto the piano bench. She will then look for just the right music book to play out of, and begin to play the keys and sing along.

Eva is such a joy, such a funny little character, and oh so lovable. She can be very affectionate and cuddly, and it's the best when she puts her face in front of yours and says,"Nuzzle noses?"

She makes me laugh countless times in a day and it puts a smile on my face just to remember some of her past antics. And I should add that the combination of Eva and Amanda together never fails to provide endless entertainment for me.

Here is an example from earlier this month, where the girls try out their new "clown car."



And a short while later...




I am definitely excited to see what the upcoming year brings.

Eva at age 2, looking so grown up!

Happy Birthday, Peanut. We love you to the moon...

Day #1 Recap: Lake Placid

Entering Lake Placid, NY

We arrived at our hotel in Lake Placid this afternoon at 4:00 pm, and it is absolutely GORGEOUS here!

The drive up was very easy and we were sure to make frequent stops. Thank goodness we brought the little portable potty with us, because the girls always announced their need to go after we had already passed the Welcome Centers! So that was a lifesaver... and a timesaver as well.

We made a scenic stop in Shelburne Falls, MA and walked over the beautiful Bridge of Flowers. The Bridge of Flowers was originally an old trolley railway, but when that was abandoned in 1929, it was transformed into a 400 foot arched pathway of flowers. There were so many different varieties and colors!

Then we stopped into a little coffee shop for iced coffee (and another potty break!) and walked to see Salmon Falls and Ancient Glacial Potholes. These potholes, ranging from 6 inches to 39 feet in diameter, were created after the whirlpool action of water and gyrating stones bore through the granite. I had never heard of these before and it was pretty impressive to see.

Glacial Potholes

In Bennington, VT, they were celebrating Moose Fest 2009 and the storefronts each had colorfully painted moose standing majestically on the sidewalks. Appropriately enough, this is also where we started seeing Moose Crossing signs. These warnings continued through most of the way all the way into Lake Placid.

As we entered the state of New York, we saw two semi trailers transporting giant windmill blades. You don't realize how big one of those blades is until you see it hanging over the edge of a trailer. In the same place, we spotted a sign advertising an Ox Roast at the Methodist Church. Dave and I both questioned that... do people eat ox? Apparently they do in New York!

The scenery through New York was breathtaking, very similar to Lake Tahoe. Tall pine trees, mountains in the distance, their peaks covered by clouds, and streams/rivers running parallel to the road. It was a long day of driving but because the ride was so scenic, it didn't seem as long as it really was.

Throughout the ride, the girls were very well behaved and were content with the books and activities that I had packed. Of course, having plenty of fairy tales and audio books playing through the iPod helped immensely, as did the laptop for playing movies during the last hour of the trip.

The room here is very nice and our balcony overlooks very peaceful lake. It is so serene and relaxing. When we stepped out through the patio door this afternoon, we could hear ducks and watch people out paddling their canoes.

The panoramic view from our balcony

I commented to Dave that it would be so relaxing to sit out on the balcony at dusk, sipping a glass of wine, reading a book, and listening to the waterfowl. It was reminiscent of the place we stayed at in Cape Breton on our Nova Scotia trip. (This trip seems to be a culmination of many past vacations!)

We had dinner at a very good Greek restaurant up the road and we were extremely satisfied with our Greek salads and Moussaka. I think the last time we've eaten Greek food was on our Germany trip in 2003, so we were definitely craving it.

When we left the restaurant, it was pouring! After we had gotten the girls into their pajamas and ready for bed, Dave walked onto the balcony only to discover that there was a large rainbow hovering over the lake. The way it was reflecting in the water was so pretty. And now, everything is calm again. We drove in and out of these little passing showers all day long, and they never lasted more than a few short minutes before the sky turned blue again.

Tomorrow we're thinking about visiting the Olympic Center and having a little picnic for Eva's birthday. There is no shortage of things to do here; it's just a matter of how much we can fit in.

Wisconsin, here we come!

The bags are packed, the car is loaded, and sleep awaits.

We leave bright and early tomorrow morning for our much anticipated Road Trip 2009, final destination: Wisconsin.

We hope to be on the road by 7:00 am and our destination for the day will be Lake Placid. We have reserved a lakeside hotel room right and according to the abundance of positive reviews, we should be in for a nice, relaxing time. I just hope the weather cooperates so we can make use of the free canoes and paddleboats.

On Monday, we will leave Lake Placid and head to London, Ontario. I even found my stash of foreign money and was pleased to find that I had $17.00 in Canadian money left from our honeymoon five years ago. I'm not exactly sure how strong the dollar is in Canada, but that should at least get us some coffee and donuts!

On Tuesday, we will venture west through Canada and enter back into the US. We'll board a car ferry in Muskegon, Michigan and cruise across Lake Michigan, finally getting off in Milwaukee. From there, it's about an hour and a half drive to my mom's house, which will be our homebase for the duration of our stay.

I am feeling confident that we have remembered everything, except for making the car ferry reservation, but we can do that on our long drive tomorrow. As for the girls, Eva seems very excited about the trip, continually asking if we can stay in a hotel. Amanda is excited about seeing her relatives, but is exhibiting some anxiety and reluctance to "leave her babies" behind. She has a tendency to act this way when something unknown is ahead, but I think once we're on our way, she will be okay.

I will have my laptop with me on the trip and hope to blog or send updates via computer or phone. I'm looking forward to seeing all of my WI friends and family very soon!

Wedded Bliss

We spent a wonderful weekend in Connecticut, celebrating the wedding of our great friends, Andre and Jen.

It was a beautiful, cozy wedding held in the backyard of their brand new house. It was just perfect, exactly the way they wanted it. Although it threatened to rain, the Brazilian superstition of placing an egg in a tree to bring sunshine seemed to have worked. The heavy rain held off until evening!

The best part of the day was seeing how happy both Andre and Jen were. They appeared to be blissfully in love and truly enjoying their special day.

Unfortunately I didn't get a single shot of the bride and groom, other than the few which included the kids. (Amanda wanted to be in every single posed picture with Andre and Jen! As it always seems to go, Amanda was glued to Jen while Eva was inseparable from Andre.)

It was a really relaxing weekend. Jen and Andre did such a great job of hosting not only the wedding, but also the "pre-wedding cookout" the night before, as well as a "post-wedding cookout" in the evening.

Now that the guests have gone home, I hope they will be able to kick back, relax and savor every moment of this newlywed stage.

We wish you the best as you begin your life together!

Dads...

Here's a very special Happy Father's Day greeting to:

Dave, aka "Daddy"...


And to my own Dad, aka "Grandpa Clint."


You are both wonderful fathers and great role models.

Hope you both know how much you are loved.

A Rainy Day Picnic

It is another dreary day here in Marshfield. We seem to be having a severe shortage of sunshine this month and it feels more like April than June!

This morning after we had finished our breakfast, Eva went into the playroom and started setting up a picnic. Once Amanda saw this, she rushed to join in.

What better way to brighten an otherwise dark and gloomy day!?

Since they were occupied, I figured it was the perfect time for me to jump in the shower.

When I was finished, I peeked into the room again and saw that they had set up an elaborate picnic and were happily enjoying their feast.

Of course, I had to grab the camera.



After I turned the camera off, Amanda told me they were "practicing being on their best behavior for Andre and Jen's cookout."

We are heading to Connecticut today to witness and celebrate Andre and Jen's wedding. They have an informal cookout planned for this evening, followed by a garden wedding ceremony tomorrow afternoon.

Unfortunately it is raining heavily and looks like it will continue through tomorrow. I am hoping for a miracle so they can have sunshine on their special day.

But if not, we know from firsthand experience that a little bit of rain cannot take away from the happiness of a wedding day! I'm sure we'll all make the most of it!

How We Told the Girls...

We sat the girls down and told me them that we had something special and exciting to tell them. We then told them that Mama was going to be having another baby. There was silence at first, followed by Amanda saying,"I don't WANT a new baby!"

I wasn't sure how they would react, specifically Amanda.

But we all talked, and within a minute, Amanda had come around and I could see a sparkle in her eye. She decided that she wants a baby brother... but not a baby sister.

After we spilled the beans, we snapped a family photo.

As you can see, we are all happy about the news... except for Amanda.
She took a little longer to process and accept the news.

Later that night, we all sat down to a family dinner, Amanda said,"Is it time for me to tell our secret now?" So we let her break it to Dave's family.

 I think she said something like,"There's going to be a new baby." No one reacted. Then Amanda said a little more,"In OUR family!" Still, it took a second for that to register with everyone.

And then we toasted... some with wine, some with milk, and some (me!) with sparkling grape juice.

This morning, Amanda has been talking about "the new baby" a lot. I have noticed that she always says "he" however, never "she." I reminded her that we don't know if it will be a boy or a girl, to which she responded,"I know that... I just WANT it to be a brother."

Time will tell whether or not she gets her wish...

I'm still feeling great, just tired. No morning sickness whatsoever, so I can't complain. I go to my first midwife appointment on Friday, and then we will leave for our weekend in Connecticut for Andre and Jen's wedding.

The Last Day of Preschool

Today was Amanda's last day of Preschool.

For most children, and maybe even most teachers, the last day of school is a happy and exciting thing that one looks forward to.

This was not the case with Amanda. In the weeks leading up to "The Last Day", Amanda repeatedly told us she did not want to have vacation... that she didn't want Preschool to be over.

To help her with the transition to summer, we created special gift bags for her teacher, Mrs. McCarthy, and the assistant, Mrs. Moore. Amanda also made a card and wrote a letter to Mrs. McCarthy. She also insisted that we pick a bouquet of fresh flowers from the yard.

Making a card for Mrs. McCarthy

Amanda's finished card: (Click to make it bigger if you want to read it.)

Before we left for school, I snapped a quick photo of Amanda in the same place that we took her First Day of School photo.

Amanda posing with her gift and bouquet

As I picked Amanda up from school, I watched the children come out of the classroom, one by one, as Mrs. McCarthy gave each child a hug and a final goodbye. As I peered into the classroom, I could see Amanda sitting cross-legged on the floor waiting for her turn to be dismissed... with tears already in her eyes.

By the time Mrs. McCarthy called Amanda's name, it had escalated to more tears and a quivering lip. Mrs. McCarthy presented each parent with a book, documenting the entire school year through photos. I had no idea we were going to be getting this and it was so special. It will undoubtedly be a keepsake and I am grateful for it.

Amanda's tearful goodbye to Mrs. McCarthy

The first page of Amanda's Preschool book

By the time we got to the sidewalk, Amanda was all out sobbing. Some of her classmates who were also on the way to their cars gave hugs to Amanda, asking if she was all right. It is so neat to see the bond that the eight classmates have created. Their teacher had commented that it is rare to witness such close companionship in a 3 year old classroom.

After a solid 15 minutes of trying to console Amanda, she had calmed down enough for us to cuddle and look through her homemade yearbook. Amanda kept saying in the saddest voice,"I really miss Mrs. McCarthy."

Shortly after we finished, I happened to look out the window and saw a strange car in the parking lot. As if by some miracle, Mrs. McCarthy was walking up the brick path holding a Ziploc bag of Amanda's spare clothes. Apparently she had forgotten to send them home with Amanda and made a special trip to our house to return them.

It was exactly what Amanda needed because she was able to give Mrs. McCarthy a few more hugs on her home turf.

That surprise visit made all the difference in the world, and it just goes to show how lucky we are to have found such a special Preschool... and such a special teacher.

It's no wonder that if you ask Amanda what she wants to be when she grows up, she replies with,"A teacher and a Mama."

And it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that's exactly what she grows up to be.

First Dentist Appt.

Amanda displaying all of the goodies from the dentist's office.

Yesterday Amanda visited the dentist for the very first time.

She was pretty nervous when I first told her we'd be going, so I checked out a few books from the library. I figured it would ease her nerves if she knew what a dentist's office looked like, what sort of tools they'd use, etc.

The night before the appointment, she actually seemed a little bit excited about going! (Maybe the books helped after all!) She picked out a "fancy dress" and laid out her outfit on the floor before she crawled into bed for the night.

On the ride to the dentist, it was very quiet in the backseat. That's rare... so I knew Amanda was probably thinking about it. I told Amanda not to worry, that I would go in with her if she wanted me to or she could go in alone. She immediately said she wanted to go in alone. She wanted to prove that she was a brave, big girl. I figured she'd change her mind when the time came.

After filling out paperwork while the girls explored all of the toys in the waiting room, the hygienist called Amanda's name. And sure enough, Amanda told me to stay in the waiting room; she would go alone. As it turned out, the hygienist needed to ask me a few questions so I did go back to the room with them... but reassured Amanda that I would leave after a few minutes.

As I left the tiny room, I couldn't believe how grown up Amanda looked, sitting there in that dentist's chair. I went back to the waiting room with Eva, where I read book after book.

Everything was going great! I didn't hear any crying or screaming, except from a child who was not my own! After about 15 minutes, the hygienist appeared and asked me to come back to the room. As we walked, she gushed about how mature Amanda was, how she was a "wise, old soul", and that was she was completely cooperative. I was very proud to hear this!

As I walked into the room, Amanda was sitting proudly in the chair wearing a colorful lei around her neck. A reward for being such a good patient, I was told. Amanda showed off her mini toy shark and blinking sparkly toothbrush, which "blinks for a minute and you keep brushing until it stops."

Of course when Eva saw all of the goodies, she wanted a turn in the chair. The hygienist was nice enough to give Eva a pink frog, so all was good.

The dentist then came in for the exam, and I was shocked at how Amanda immediately opened her mouth and let the dentist poke and prod with her tools. There was no coercing, no pleading... just 100% cooperation. Dr. Joy, was very soft spoken and patient, and spoke directly to Amanda. I could tell that Amanda trusted her right away, and I knew I had chosen the right pediatric dentist.

Dr. Joy announced that Amanda's teeth all looked good; no cavities! Although she did express concern over the crowding in Amanda's mouth, and said that she may need braces down the road.

On the way out, Amanda said,"That was so much fun! Can we come back every year?"

She was very happy when I told her we'd be back in 6 months. Now I am debating whether or not to book an appointment for Eva at the same time. I was told that 2 1/2 is the ideal age for the first visit. Oops, I guess waiting until almost age 4 was a bit late!

I'm just glad that the first appointment is out of the way and that it was a positive experience!

Eva was lucky enough to have gotten a pink frog, which was quite a treasure to her.

Cruising

Last night Dave and I had a wonderful date on Boston's Odyssey cruise ship, the last of my birthday gifts.

On board the Odyssey with the Boston Skyline in the background

We were really excited about it, and it proved to meet our expectations. Weatherwise, it was a perfect night... warm and calm, a great night to be on a ship. The particular cruise we booked was the Full Moon Dinner Cruise, but unfortunately we never saw the moon due to all of the clouds! Oh well.

Lots of clouds meant no view of the full moon.

Before we boarded the ship, we posed for the mandatory cruise photo.

Once aboard the ship, we were seated right next to the dance floor, which would have been convenient if we were dancers but alas, we are not. Being smack dab in the middle of the "dining room" didn't give us much of a view but we planned to spend a lot of time on the observation decks so it all worked out.

The Odyssey is the white ship pictured above.

It was a decent looking menu...

Click to enlarge, if you're into food like we are.

Dave ordered the Tuscan Chicken; I ordered the Seafood Ravioli. As we always do, we sampled each other's food and once again found that we preferred the other choice rather than our own, so we swapped. I had heard that the food was not the best part of the cruise, and I would have to agree with that. It was just so-so, kind of a disappointment.

After finishing our salads and entrees, we went upstairs to the observation deck. It was pretty chilly, even with my shawl wrapped around my shoulders, and Dave was gentleman enough to let me wear his wool blazer.

On the observation deck

The scenery on the cruise was not really all that "scenic" after all. I would describe it as "industrial, with a few islands sprinkled in." At one point, some type of large ship passed us and I took a picture of it to Amanda/Eva the next day.

After I snapped the photo and lowered my camera, I realized that a marriage proposal had just occurred while I had been focused on the mysterious ship. It struck me as funny that such a romantic thing was happening just out of range of my viewfinder. I think I even heard the girl say,"Do you think she got a picture of it?", most likely talking about her new fiance while he was down on one knee.

I spent a lot of time looking down into the water and was surprised to see jellyfish! I had never seen live jellyfish before, other than at the aquarium, so it was kind of neat. I was also fascinated by all the different types of lobster floats, which kind of looked like discarded junk floating in the water. (Dave told me that fishermen can use any type of household device as a float, which would explain the laundry detergent bottles and empty plastic jugs that we saw scattered. I would have thought there would be strict guidelines about that, but apparently I still have a lot to learn about coastal life and such.)

After gazing out over the ocean for a while, we made our way back down to the dining room and let our waiter know that we were ready for dessert.

Because we were celebrating my birthday, our waiter presented us with a piece of New York cheesecake alongside a slice of chocolate truffle torte on a fancy, decorated plate so we could share. Lucky for me, Dave isn't fond of baked goods!


I thought it was a nice touch, and certainly a better presentation than the plain white dessert plate the other diners had.

The dance floor opened up at around 7:45 pm, with an odd mixture of 70's music and current hits (like Lady Gaga's "Just Dance" and some hip hop)...with nothing much in between. Every time something current began to play, the dance floor cleared and I began to feel sorry for the DJ and his poor choices in music.

Dave and I made the short walk to the dance floor and attempted to dance to "Endless Love" and "You Are So Beautiful." Despite feeling like people were watching and staring at us, we actually enjoyed ourselves. Yet, after just two songs, we had gotten our fill of dancing for the night.

By then, the sun had set and it was getting darker out, so we proceeded back to the Observation Deck in hopes of getting some photos. Unfortunately the zoom feature on my camera had stopped working, so the photos didn't turn out that well.

As we disembarked from the ship at 9:00 pm, we stopped by the photo booth and splurged, deciding to spend the $20 to keep the framed photo. Since it was a special occasion and also because we have so few pictures of the two of us, I didn't feel at all guilty spending that kind of money.

As we got to the end of the dock, some of the cruise workers were waiting with platters of gigantic chocolate covered strawberries, which we enjoyed on our walk back to the car.

We both agreed that it was a really fun night out and probably one of our best dates in recent history. I commented that our favorite memories always seem to involve some form of transportation. The Napa Wine Train, our cross country Jeep trip, summer motorcycle rides, long distance vacations and now the cruise.

An interesting and accurate observation...

36

Yesterday had the potential to be a depressing day: another birthday.

The transition from age 35 to age 36 meant that I was that much closer to 40... and that much further from 30!

However, it was completely painless. In fact, it was so much fun that I wish I could do it all over again today!

The day started out with the normal routine... breakfast, gym, errands, lunch, and then Preschool for Amanda/naptime for Eva.

Now, if you remember, Dave and I had been sleeping in the girls' playroom while Dave stained the floor in our bedroom and built the new bedframe. It was a complete disaster area.

Well, when I finally walked into my bedroom midday, I was completely shocked to find that all of the furniture had already been moved back in!

Not only was the bedframe completely finished and all of the dressers in place, but the bed was even made!

Complete with brand new sheets and even a bedskirt!!

Now, call me simple... but as far as I'm concerned, that was the best gift ever! I had been dreading the task of organizing and cleaning the bedroom, so to find out that it had all been taken care of was a huge relief!

And because I had also been relieved of the task of selecting and purchasing a bedskirt, Dave got major points in my book. (Decorating is just not my thing, and I have no desire to learn it. In fact, until I met Dave, I had no idea what "thread count" meant and was content to sleep on flannel sheets.)

After I picked Amanda up at Preschool, we met up with a friend at the playground for about an hour. In the early evening, we met Dave at a local restaurant for dinner. I had the best fish tacos, and saved half of it so I could enjoy it for dinner again tonight!

After we paid the bill, Dave took the girls on a "secret mission" to buy a birthday cake, and Amanda and Eva were so excited about that. They came home with a blue cake, decorated with a rainbow and colorful sprinkles. And gosh, was that good!?

The best part of my birthday gift is yet to come. On Sunday evening, Dave and I will be going on a "Full Moon Dinner Cruise" of the Boston harbor and islands. There will be a 4-course dinner and dancing, and I am really excited about it!

Throughout the day, I had lots of phone calls from friends and family, and it was just a fantastic birthday!

And the fun continues today because my Yanni "Voices" CD/DVD just arrived, so tonight I will be reliving that awesome concert from a month ago. With a slice of leftover birthday cake. What could be better?

Thanks to all of you for making it a truly special day!

Overheard

Here are a couple of random conversations heard over the past few days.

The other night as the kids were getting ready for bed, I let Amanda try putting the diaper on Eva followed by her pajamas.

Amanda was so proud to be helping. And Eva was actually more cooperative for Amanda than she is for me!

At one point, Eva was squirming, trying to see what Amanda was doing. Amanda said,"Please be cooperative." To which Eva responded,"Okay, Manda."

Once the diaper was secured and the pajamas were on, Eva patted Amanda on the back and said,"Good job, Manda. I proud-ah you."

So cute...Testing the new pool over Memorial Day Weekend

* *
The other morning as I laid in bed listening to the girls play in the next room I heard this:

Amanda (to Eva): "You're such a cuuuute baby. I'm glad I have a sister."


* *
Later that morning Amanda and Eva were playing 'school' with flashcards.

Amanda: "Mama, we're playing school. Eva's helping me clean up."

Me: "See? That's the good thing about having a sister. You'll always have a friend to play with."

Amanda: "Yeah. I thought I didn't like her, but now I do! My body was just a little grumpy that day."
* *

On my birthday, Amanda crawled into our bed and said,"Daddy, we should give Mama breakfast in bed." Apparently she wanted to go to Dunkin' Donuts and bring donuts and coffee back for me. I assured her that I'd rather eat breakfast at the table with the rest of the family because it gets lonely being in the bed all by myself.

Then she curled up next to me and said,"Mama, I just don't know what I'm going to get you for your birthday."

I jokingly said,"Well, you'd better come up with something fast! My birthday is today!"

And then I said,"You know what the best gift would be? If you could be a good helper and a good listener today... and be on your best behavior."

She thought about that for a second and decided she could do that.

Then she said,"Eva, you have to give Mama good behavior today."

Eva replied,"Okay..." and walked over and handed me a book of Disney Princess Tales.

A few minutes went by and then Amanda turned, looked up at me and said,"How's it going so far?"

I couldn't help but smile.

I replied,"It's going great."

Summer Road Trip

As most of you know by now, we are planning an extensive road trip to Wisconsin this summer.

I have been reluctant to post the actual dates and details because our plans have a tendency to change and we are still waiting for Dave's vacation time to be approved.

But assuming everything is okay with that, it looks like we will be leaving home on Friday, June 26th. Dave figures the driving time to be 24 hours, so we will aim to break that up into three eight hour days.

We will be heading west and then north through the Berkshires, then upstate New York through the Adirondacks. I have booked lodging for the first night in Lake Placid, NY. Dave suggested we stay for two nights since we have never been there and that was fine with me. It looks absolutely beautiful and it will be the perfect way to kick off our family vacation!

I managed to get us a lakeside room at Wildwood on the Lake, so the girls will be able to swim in the indoor pool or in the lake. The Ausable Chasm looks like a fun place to check out, with its scenic waterfalls, or maybe High Falls Gorge. The WILD Center Natural History Museum looks like a sure bet for us too. Then again, there's always the Olympic Museum. Choices, choices...

After Lake Placid, we are planning to head north through Canada and cross back into the US at Sault Saint Marie. We probably won't be doing much sightseeing once we leave Lake Placid. We'll plan to do one more night in a motel, hopefully one with a pool so the girls will get worn out, and then we'll make the push for our final destination.

Assuming everything goes as planned, we should be arriving in Wisconsin on Monday, June 29th. We will probably stay for 10-12 days, and then head back home. We haven't figured out the details of what we'll do during our time in Wisconsin, but we'll work on that once we've arrived.

I am crossing my fingers that the girls prove to be good car travelers. I have a box of activities that I'm putting together, and of course my iPod will be stocked with plenty of kids' songs and fairytale audiobooks.

I hope we'll make some great family memories... and provide me with some good blog material.