US Holiday- Part 2

For the second part of our trip to the State, we visited Ethan's parents and brother in upstate New York.

Here are a few highlights from our time with them:

• Fireworks on the 4th of July! (It was fun, although Tim scraped his cheek playing tag, and Maddie and I had to sit in the car because she was afraid of the noise!)
• A beautiful hike at Robert Treman State Park.
• Finding the house that I lived in when I was very young.
• A wonderful time at a local Science Center. It was hard to drag the kids (and Ethan) away.
• A quick swim in Cayuga Lake.
• A short visit to Taughannock Falls. Believe it or not, it is the highest free-falling waterfall in the northeastern United States... even taller than Niagara Falls.
• A trip to the Museum of the Earth, where the kids enjoyed digging for dinosaur eggs!
• Dinner and time with Great-Grandma Phelps.
  

I also enjoyed some "mommy time" while I was there. I went shopping at Kohl's and Walmart, and bought a lot of everyday needed items that are more expensive in the UK. I also got my hair done, which I've been putting off because of UK prices, too.

We left there last Thursday, and returned to my parents' house again. We enjoyed that afternoon in the pool, and had another gorgeous day at the ocean on Friday. My mom sent us off well that night with a kitchen clambake, containing lobster, clams, mussels, etc.

Saturday was departure day. But before we headed to the airport, we were able to stop by at a birthday party for my cousin's son, and see my aunt, uncle, and cousins from my Mom's side of the family. We try to get together every summer, so it meant so much to see them before I left.

We flew out of JFK that night, and besides a little delay in taking off (one hour on the runway with a very tired, hungry, and restless Maddie), everything else went off without a hitch.

It feels weird being back, to tell you the truth. We just spent 2 1/2 weeks with our families, in places that are so familiar to us, and all that time, England felt so far away. I can't say that I'm glad to be back, but I guess that's how everyone is supposed to feel after a vacation. I suppose that being back also reminds me of how much I miss my family. I was especially sad to leave my sister. She is due in about a month with her first baby... my first niece or nephew, and I'm going to miss it! As my baby is due just a month and a half after that, it's hard to know when we'll see each other or when the cousins will meet. Tim and Maddie will have a week off next February, so I'm hoping that we can go visit my parents and sister in Florida then. We'll see...