New Haven and Home

While we were in Connecticutt we had Grace, David, Charlotte and Heather as our tourguides. We did actually see Danny for a little while at home and then went to the hospital to see where he is the chief. Is it possible that our younger brother is now a chief resident of oral surgery? I was pretty excited to see his picture on the wall and where he spends most of his time until next June.

After the hospital tour we headed to Yale. Tyler was convinced he wants to go to school there and Megan just said there was no way. I like that in the library the kids had no idea why there would be so many little drawers. I had forgotten that that is how we used to look up books before the computer. It did look very daunting compared to pushing a few buttons now.

The buildings and library are beautiful at Yale. Too bad the rest of the city is a little scary.

The one thing we noticed about the East Coast is the sheer numbers of people. After a bar-b-que at Danny's we headed to a fireworks show at a local park. We were crammed in there like sardines, but enjoyed a great show. The music was fun and it made the little Weber duck pond fireworks seem tame---both in fireworks and people.

We also got to roast marshmallows and light sparklers after the big show back at the house.

It was a fun way to kick off the holiday weekend and spend some time with cousins.

We had a great time up north.

In hindsight we should have flown out of New York, but had to drive back to Virginia for our trek home. I will say that I think I broke records coming from Danny's to Natalie's in 5 1/2 hours. We hit the interstate and only stopped once for gas. I think this picture of Emily on the plane says it all. We had a great time, but came home exhausted---it could also be we had to fly out at 6:00 am. Thanks to Natalie and Danny for their houses and letting us bombard for a few days.

The Big Apple for a Day!

It's a funny thing to take 6 kids into New York for the day and let them choose what they would like to see. First on their lists of "must-sees" was Central Park. They just wanted to climb on all the giant rocks that are all over the park. For some reason this was their favorite part of the giant park.

We found rocks and let them climb away.

We then wandered through the park to look at all the different people and things that only exist in a big city.

There's nothing like a street show and lots of people.

After playing hard in the park, we headed for real "New York" style pizza and pasta. We ate at this restaurant last time we came and liked it so well we came back---or should I say it was the only place we knew for sure.

Heather did a great job of navigating us to the next "must see" of Dylan's Candy Shop. Three floors of sugar and bright colors. This is every kid's dream.

So much sugar, so little time.

Bins and bins of brightly flavored candy and some chocolate.

I think the best part of the store is upstair where the cupcakes are sold.

Another "must see" for the kids was finding a cab and getting to ride inside. They thought it was so fun to try and hail a driver. It took a lot of doing to finally get a driver to stop for so many kids.

And what trip to the city would be complete without seeing Times Square and visiting the Toys R Us Store.

I love their anticipation.

Tyler's favorite part of the giant toy store is the Lego section. I think he was trying to convince David it really was the best part.

The girls loved the giant Barbie area. Emily doesn't really love Barbies, but how can you resist looking when everything is so pink and big? After the toy store and looking around Times Square for a little bit we loaded all the kids on the train for the ride back to Hamden. Heather and I got many strange looks during the day, but I was quite impressed we did so well with only 2 adults and 6 kids and millions of strangers. Let's just say we were exhausted by the time we got back to the house, but it was time well spent.

NYC Here We Come!

With only one detour through the city of Philadelphia (don't ask how we wound up in Pennsylvania on our way from Virginia to Connecticutt), we made it to Grace, David, and Charlotte's house. Our detour made the 5 or 6 hour trip up more like 8---thank heavens for Red Box and portable DVD players and GPS and cell phones and.... With New York City only an hour train ride from Danny's house, Heather and I loaded 6 kids on the train and headed for the Big Apple. The train ride was fun for them to play and climb all over each other. I'm just glad I didn't have to drive for a little while. The best part was getting off the train at Grand Central Station. One man just looked at us with a stroller and what appeared to be a gaggle of kids and asked us right off where we were headed and how to get to the subway. We definitely looked foreign in New York City.

Leaving Virginia!

Aft er a long drive back to Natalie's house with 6 kids, we arrived just in time to celebrate James' birthday before we headed north to see Grace, David and Charlotte. What is a birthday and a vacation without one visit to Chuck E. Cheese? On Wednesday we stopped to let the kids get full and get their energy out before I drove to Connecticutt with Megan, Tyler and Emily. Emily just loved having her shadow Faith with her or is it the other way around? Emily was Faith's shadow. And so with lollipops, pop rocks and other treasures of trash we were ready to make our drive through 5 states to see the great city of Hamden.

More Beach!

Sadly, as soon as the competition was over, Wendell and Mammy had to fly back. The kids and I stayed longer and made our way back to Natalie's house. Of course, we had to stop at the beach one more time. (Never mind that the tunnel to get us out of Virginia Beach was blocked so we had to stop).

The kids just loved the fact that the water was so warm and the sand was so soft. They also loved that they could see dolphins jumping out in the distance. A great time at the beach!

I think we finally wore out the kids. Emily crashed in her swimming suit before we had even been in the car more than 15 minutes.

Tumbling Competition!

Besides seeing the Fields and Virginia, the other main reason for this vacation was the National tumbling competition Megan qualified for.

These are her fans that came to watch her flip and fly through the air. Megan remained very calm and composed and definitely did her best.

There were 21 girls her age that competed. After her flight of 8, she received 3rd place. We then just had to wait to see where she place overall. Only the top 8 got to stand on the podium and get another ribbon.

Megan and her team waiting for the results of the rest of the competitors. This was the most nerve-racking part.

When all was said and done Megan landed on the podium at 7th place. We were so proud of her. Many of the girls from other gyms around the country practice every day and Megan only goes 2 days a week. She was so excited when the final tally came in. We had really tried to downplay her chances, but cheered wildly when she pulled up to the top 8.

This was the culmination of a great vacation. Megan handled herself very well and showed great sportsmanship and poise. There were other girls who came away angry and mad, but Megan knew it was all about the experience of being in the junior olympics. Her hard word and dedication paid off for her. Way to go Megan!

Virginia Beach

After all the old buildings, town, and history we finally made it to Virginia Beach. The kids absolutely loved the Atlantic Ocean. The water was warm---compared to the Pacific---and the temperature was scorching. The perfect time to hit the beach.

There were sand crabs to dig up and castles to build and shells to find.

Emily chased the sand crabs all over the sand. They even started to collect them at one point.

This is the "house" for the crabs. Luckily for the crabs, the tide came in and washed them back out to sea.

Megan couldn't get enough of the waves. She even found a crab she thought was a large rock. The pinchers got her and she dropped it before we could see how big it really was.

We loved Virginia Beach. The sand was clean and white, the waves were big, and there was so much beachfront the kids had plenty of space to play. Great times in the sun and sand!