On The Road Again

So, this morning I woke up pretty early and decided to go out for a walk. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the waves were crashing, and people were setting up their beach chairs for the day. I strolled around and found it amazing that in a resort/vacation area, the stores don’t open up until 10 or 11 AM!! Crazy!! I grabbed a couple of bagels for Doug and I and went back to the room.

We headed out after sleepy Magoo woke up. Destination Unknown. We just started driving south. We went through Dewey Beach, Bethany Beach and on to Ocean City. Ocean City was pretty cool. Boardwalk, honky tonk, you know the drill. The kids were hot, they were tired, their leeeggggssss hurt, so it was almost a no go. But they rallied and we walked and had fun. Liam took another ice cream bath before we headed out of there, so he ended up being diaper boy for the ride. We left OC and headed toward Virginia. Not a bad ride…but lots of farms. And trailers. So not a lot of great scenery.

Liam fell asleep by the time we reached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Nolan and Meghan loved it and had all sorts of questions. How did they build it? When did they build it? What if we were in this tunnel alone? What if a mouse was in this tunnel alone? Can you turn on a movie again? (Okay, so they weren’t fascinated the whole way across.)

We arrived in Virginia Beach a short time later and searched for a hotel. Amazing what a range of prices there were. So we found a place to stay and hit the strip (that really is what it resembles). We walked a bit. Fed the kids. Fed ourselves. Checked out the shops, the amusements, the fish pier. On our way back, we got to see a variety of street performers which was pretty cool. I guess they are paid for by the city. I took a picture of the No Cussin’ sign which I thought was pretty funny. Now we are back in our room, trying to get kids to sleep and get some sleep ourselves. Tomorrow we head on to our destination…Corolla! Lookin’ forward to this vacation!

The Griswold Family Vacation

Well, we have made it through day one of our trip. We decided that driving through the night would be the best things in terms of the kids traveling a looooong time in the car. So, we left around 10 at night from Weymouth and headed south. The kids were more excited about watching movies in the car than anything else. We had a pretty easy time of it driving down. It was a bit misty rainy on the way down, but Doug handled it well. I slept off and on on the way down. We went from Massachusetts, to Rhode Island...then the long trek through Connecticut. Into NYC, New Jersey and then we saw the lights of the Delaware Memorial bridge in the wee hours of the morning. He tried to take a rest around 4 AM, but the kids wanted no part of that!! So, we got back on the road. We arrived in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware at around 8:30 or 9 AM. We drove around a bit, checked some room rates and then decided to stop for a bite.

We went to Sammy's for some pancakes and waffles. Then for a little walk around the boardwalk and the shops before we decided where we would stay the night. We checked into the Admiral Hotel at around 10 am and as luck would have it, we could get into our room. I was excited to wash the road trip off me and then we were on our way. We are on the floor that has the pool and the sign there just cracked me up. We went off in the hot weather to explore. We played some arcade games and the kids won some prizes. We checked out some of the shops,then the crankies set in. We headed back to the hotel at around 1 for some R&R. We all fell asleep for a bit and then Meghan was off the wall again. Doug took her out for a walk, an ice cream, a lemonade...does she have her Daddy wrapped around that pinky finger or what?? Liam and I woke up close to 4 and then Nolan did shortly thereafter.

We headed out for a bite to eat and then off to Funland for the rides. It was really the kids first experience with amusement park rides. They loved them! Daddy even took his turn on the dragon ship, I guess you really are never to old to enjoy the rides!! There was the one ride that scared the bejeesus out of Nolan. It brought them up into the air and then dropped them. They did go on that with Daddy, so I guess it made it a little easier. Meghan, of course, loved it!!!

After the rides, we went off in search of an ice cream for Mommy and Liam and some cotton candy for Meghan. Pink, of course. Then a little stroll on the boardwalk and back home to bed. Tomorrow is another day of adventure for us!

Vacation, All I ever Wanted!!

Well, today is the day we embark on yet another new adventure for the Connolly kids. A family trip in the car!! We are heading out this evening with our van, our bathing suits, our clothes and our kids to drive to the Outer Banks!

This is the vacation we've been planning for a while. Celebrating BA and Jackie's Fifty Years Together. I am really looking forward to spending this time with the family and for the kids to get to spend a vacation with all their cousins. Let's see how it goes!!

It's almost over!

The kids and I have successfully made it to 5 weeks living here in the camper. I think we've done well!!! Especially given the weather that has hit Cape Cod over the last five weeks. Many, many days of wind, rain, mist, clouds and what have you. It's been crazy. I'm sure that starting Monday, the sun will shine daily on this little bit of the world.

We've spent hours upon hours at the park, riding bikes, at the beach and let's not forget those many trips to the candy store! I will admit to having some tough nights trying to get the kids to sleep. It's just so different down here than when we are at home. I will also admit to finding one, two and even three children in bed with me in the morning. I will admit to mornings without showers because "I wanna go outside, I wanna go outside, I wanna go outside". I will admit to one lost flip flop. Buried perhaps, or perhaps sent out to sea at the hands of a two year old or a four year old boy. I will admit to enjoying my time in the laundry room, yes time alone, waiting for that final spin cycle on the washer. I will admit to really enjoying the sight of my husband's car coming down the street on Friday evening. I will admit to the pleasure of opening that first bottle of beer for the weekend. I will admit to really looking forward to the visits of family and friends, if only to have an adult with whom I could sit and chat and have a cocktail. I will admit that the first time my husband brought me here, I was a little apprehensive (We're going to a trailer?!?). I will admit that I look forward to many more summers here with my children. I think this experience is something that they will always look back on with happiness.

A Friendly Visit

Well, the day that my kids had been waiting anxiously for arrived! Friday morning, their best friends Michael and Katherine climbed into their minivan and headed down to the Cape. When the kids woke up in the morning, they asked their usual "What're we doing today?" and I told them we would have some visitors. They immediately started with "Is it Michael and Katherine? When are they coming? Are they sleeping over? Can we show them the beach? Can we show them the Candy Store? etc, etc" They were just so excited. When the kids saw each other, it was the usual screaming match!!

We headed to the beach for a bit where Meghan and Katherine immediately headed for the water. They had so much fun playing in there. Michael and Nolan joined them, but Nolan was doing a lot of hanging back. Liam, was just running around in the water and yelling to the kids. We had lunch at the beach and headed back mid afternoon to go to Lollipop Bingo. The kids all won a prize and they also had face painting (or arm painting in our instance). The kids rode bikes, scooters, took a ride on the beach shuttle and went to the playground. Our friends stayed for dinner which was so exciting to the kids and then we all went and got an ice cream. A very fun day indeed! They can't wait for their friends to come back.

Summer is Flying By!

Well, I have now successfully made it through three weeks on the Cape with the kids! Doug's been coming down on the weekends to join us. We are having such a great time and I am soooo glad that I can do this for my kids!

We've had so much going on! And lots of WEATHER! Rain, sun, wind, you name it...we lucked out of the hailstorm, though. 4th of July weekend was fun. Lesley, Jay and the kids arrived on the 2nd and the weekend was quite a celebration. We had a visit from Jeff and Lauren on the 3rd which the kids thought was great! J&L ended up running into a lot of friends from Braintree and had a fun night out. The kids marched in another Pots and Pans parade. Then they had games and music at the beach. The night of the 4th, there was a party in the pavilion and then we watched some fireworks on the beach. Doug and Jay cooked up some breakfast for everyone on Sunday morning and then more time at the beach. Boy, was it windy on the beach that weekend!! It drove us off the beach on Sunday and the kids and Doug headed to the playground. Jay had to leave on Monday AM to head back to Texas and Doug went back to work.

We hung out with the cousins a lot their first week here. Monday was a great beach day, although somehow one of the boys lost one of my flip flops. It's either gone out to sea or is buried somewhere in the sand of the Campers Haven beach. I was not a happy mother when I had to chase Liam off the beach with a beach cart and no shoes!! That kid can run!!

Tuesday was nice because we had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa. The day dawned bright and sunny, but the clouds came in just before G&G arrived. We had lunch with them, walked around the park, and of course, took them to the Candy Store! It was a nice visit until Nolan decided to act like a 4 year old boy. He was trying to wake his brother, but was unsuccessful. When we got back to the trailer, he was sent to sit on the couch and then he fell asleep!! Meghan, of course, did not. I swear that girl just goes and goes and goes.

Wednesday, we made our visit to see Grandma Noreen. The kids hadn't seen her since their birthday, so it was a nice visit to get reacquainted. We then went out to lunch at A&W and then over to the trampolines, which was F-U-N. It was Liam's first time and boy did he enjoy it.

Thursday was just an ordinary day. The kids hung out with Jessica and Taylor for a bit while I did some shopping and then we just hung out, riding bikes, etc. Liam is now riding the kids bikes up, down and all around. He loves it!!

The Sun arrived and so did the Riellys!!

So, Wednesday morning dawned brightly here. Finally, a sunny day!!

The other thing that came with the new day, were the questions. When is Tricia coming? When are my cousins going to be here? Are they sleeping over? Where are they going to sleep? What are we going to do? and so on, and so on, and so on.

So they arrived around lunch time and the fun ensued. The boys brought their bikes with them so we pretty much spent the afternoon judging the races, letting the kids go up to the park, etc. We went mini golfing late in the afternoon. (And I really have a problem with mini golf charging $8 for a 2 year old to play!!!!!! He doesn't play!!) Anyway, the kids loved it, but Liam started to get a bit antsy after 10 holes! Then we were off to go out for pizza and the kids were great there!!

The kids headed off to the playground and we met them down there before bedtime. Back home and hanging out with Trish and Sue, having a couple of beers. A late night game of UNO with the boys and bed.

Big News of the Night: No Connollys ended up climbing into their mother's bed!!!

Thursday dawned bright again. We did some bike riding and then played at the beach for a couple of hours. What a great day. The kids had a blast playing in the sand and the waves. Thanks to our cousins for making our days so fun!!!

Cape Cod...where's the sun?

So, we started our summer adventure this past weekend. We headed down with a full van on Friday with the expectation of several weeks of beach fun. Mother Nature had a little something else in mind.

Doug and the kids did get a chance to get to the beach on Saturday for a bit. That was the day that I had to go shopping, get the kids unpacked, make sure that Liam stayed down for a nap...and so on, and so on. So I didn't make it down there at all. I think that the sun is angry with me for that! It hasn't shown itself since. On Sunday, we started the day with breakfast and wishing Daddy a Happy Father's Day. He enjoyed his gifts and Nolan proved that kids listen and repeat EVERYTHING!! We got him a Red Sox garden gnome and Nolan said "Hey you can put it out front of the trailer, once you pull those bushes out!!" Oh well! We did get to spend a lot of time outside playing, biking, etc. Until the winter wind blew in off the ocean and sent us indoors, for two days!!!

Monday dawned wet and dreary. The wind was whipping this way and that and I was sure that any moment we would be flying through the sky and would end our journey by landing on a witch and following that yellow brick road. We stayed inside most of the morning. I never knew how happy I (and therefore my kids) would be with the somewhat modern convenience of a working VCR!! The rain cleared a bit in the afternoon which allowed us a couple of hours outside. Then dinner and the boredom overtook the kids. They decided to play tiger and apparently their imaginations were not quite enough for that game. A few swipes of the marker and they had been transformed into tigers!! Nothing a little scrub-a-dub wouldn't fix! Baths and bedtime soon followed.

Today, the day dawned wet and wild again. I found Liam's little bike across the street next to a swim tube and the American flag was not doing well either!! We spent the morning inside, watching movies and playing. After lunch, we headed out to Christmas Tree Shop, which the twins found to be a fascinating store. A couple more errands and it was back to the campground for the Connolly family. We decided to take a drive around the park, just on the chance that some people had decided to brave the weather and arrive today. We found Sue and the girls and decided to tag along on their bowling trip. The kids had a blast, even though they don't quite get that everybody gets a turn. They'll learn eventually, right? We ended the night with dinner and a visit to Sue and company.

We are expecting visitors tomorrow! Trish and the boys should be arriving sometime in the afternoon.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

So, last Wednesday the sun came out. Really, it did. Which made it a great day for a trip into Fenway. Nolan had been before and was happy to let Meghan and I know that he would show us around. It was very cute. So, around 4 PM, the kids and I got into the van to head in to meet Daddy. Meghan was upset because we weren't taking the train, she had been looking forward to a train ride. As we were driving in, she asked if we were playing the "Hankees" that night. So cute!

So, we picked up Daddy at the train station and headed over to the park. We found a spot not far away and started the trek over to Yawkey Way. The kids were skipping, running, anything they could think of to just get there faster. What an adventure they had ahead of them. As we approached the gate, I handed them each their ticket. They passed them to the gentleman manning the gate, each with a shy smile on their face. We walked up the ramp to and entered Fenway in all it's glory. We stood by the Marlins bullpen and watched the pitchers warming up. Then we moved over to the Red Sox bullpen. We saw some warm-ups and watched one of the relief pitchers putting out his good luck charm, a stuffed bird holding a baseball. Then we headed on up to our seats. The kids were so excited and looking around everywhere. They had so many questions and we had almost as many answers for them. The big treat of the night was daddy buying them a soda and some candy. Watching Meghan go along with the "Let's Go Red Sox!" cheer, seeing Nolan curious about "The Wave" are things to store away in my memories. They made it through eight innings before we decided we should head out to beat the crowd. As we were leaving, the staff was handing out commemorative baseballs to celebrate the 500th consecutive sellout at Fenway. I think that was the best surprise they had that evening.

Nolan and Meghan have plans to attend another game at Fenway, they don't know when. And they would like to enjoy the experience with their little brother at some point in the future.

Wow, the months go by too fast!!

I can't believe it's been this long since I posted!! We've gone through Christmas, New Year's, and Birthdays and I haven't done a thing!!! Well, I gotta start somewhere right?

The kid are getting so, so big. We've been trying to enjoy ourselves now that school is out and summer is approaching. Last week we went to Katherine M's house for her birthday play date. We went for a picnic in the park at the library. We went to a story time at Ginger Betty's and had some wonderful cookies!! And we met our friends Katherine and Michael at Ward's Berry Farm for some fun and a picnic.

The weekend brought some nice weather and some good times, too.

Mom and Dad renewed their vows at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. It was so nice and what a beautiful church. We then went over Michael's house to celebrate that and also Mom's birthday. The kids had fun playing with their cousins as usual!

This week has been a bit less exciting as we are getting ready for a five week stay at the Cape. We went shopping and played outside on Monday. Took Grandma to the store on Tuesday and today has been a stay at home day. We did get to go out to eat at Bugaboo last night. The kids loved it as we sat right under the talking Buffalo!!