In the middle of July I took the girls up to NY to spend some quality time with Nahnah and Pahpah. The girls were pretty excited about the pool and spending time with them, but not very keen on the idea of me leaving for home without them. But while I was there we made the most of our visit. I was really excited to bring the girls to The Great Escape for the first time. Every other year Luli's been really freaked out by carnival rides and amusement park places. But this year at the Herndon Festival she did great, and Fiona was game for anything. So I figured it was a good time to try out the big park. Nahnah, Pahpah, the girls and I got ready early one morning and headed up to Lake George. We started out with the swan boat ride, amazingly a ride my parents both rode on when they were kids. It was really special to think of my grandparents, my parents, me and now my own children enjoying this quaint little ride.
After the boats we hit the big time...THUNDER ALLEY. So thunder alley has always been special to me because I have fond memories of riding it with my dad. Fiona rode with Pahpah (naturally) and Luli rode with me. Now I expected the steering wheel to be more ornamental than functional...um not the case, you actually need to steer these cars. Seeing both my father and I placed the girls in front of the wheel this made for a bumpy ride. (yes Fiona is in the car).
Then we were on to the Looney Toons area, where we rode a roller coaster (don't recommend that one), swings, cars, boats, and lots more. On the way out we got onto the Gondola, which goes high up over the park, the girls did great on it, and ended with the merry go-round and ice cream. It was a fabulous day and I'm looking forward to exploring the park even more next year!
Also while we were up we had my wonderful cousin-in-law Anastasia take photographs of the girls at Crandall Park. If anyone in the Upstate NY area wants family pictures done, she's really wonderful. Not only does she take lovely pictures, she's also a mom herself so she knows how to make yours kids feel comfortable and have fun during the whole experience. It's not in a studio, you can meet her where ever you want. It was a wonderful experience, and a great chance to spend more time with her!
friends Dana and Kristin came to visit us. We all met at college and bonded quickly, remaining great friends through the distance and changes of adult life.
We love having a baby in the house! Her presence was wonderful and the girls LOVED playing with her. They named their baby dolls "baby Donna" and loved gazing at the real Donna and petting her hair very gently. Fiona wanted a bit more "baby" attention for herself during the weekend and a few days afterward, which was to be expected.
The visit was lovely and we did a lot. Friday we went to tiny tots for Fiona's class, then picked up Luli and had a picnic. Luli took us all to see the "magic rocks" and take some pictures there. Saturday we went for a hike and picnic at Great Falls National Park, and Sunday before departure we enjoyed brunch at Patowmack Farm.