Our trip to New York

We had a great time in New York visiting our family this past week. It's always amazing how long you wait in anticipation for a trip, and how quickly it flies by once its actually here. The plane ride was challenging at first, but we were able to keep Caden occupied with country music videos I downloaded on my Ipod. Gotta love the hair!

He got a kick out of all the random buttons on the plane. I also put together a picture book of all his favorite family photos. This kept him occupied for quite a while. We had a short layover in Cincinnati and then introduced the Dramamine for the second leg. Don't think I'm a bad mom, but this stuff is miraculous. For those of you who know Caden, he is not a calm child. I didn't realize how curious and busy he is until I met some other children his age. Needless to say, 5 hours of sitting still was alot to ask. But the Dramamine helped settle him down and actually fall asleep! Dallin did a great job and slept most of the time. The change in elevation bothered his ears a bit, but he was a trooper! Finally we arrived in New York and how happy we were!


Here is Dallin on his very first plane ride!

And we're off!

Caden and Dallin loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. We spent most of our days just sitting around visiting, enjoying a break from the Arizona heat. The weather was so nice! My grandparents have an RV that they park in my parents' driveway for the summer months. So we spent time outside under their canopy just enjoying the warm days and cool evenings. Caden particularly enjoyed playing basketball and legos with Grandma and riding the lawnmower with Grandpa.

Here is Caden and Grandma shootin some hoops!

Thanks for the new Legos, Grandma!

Caden and Grandpa, ready to go!

This is great!

Caden also enjoyed going to the horse races. I grew up in a small town in Western New York called Batavia. When I was young, I remember 'Batavia Downs' as a happening kind of place. The horses would race every night and attract people from all over. The track shut down for quite a few years and re-opened after I moved to Arizona in 2001. So it was neat to go there with my family after all this time. You can see Caden sitting on the fence watching the horses race by. We also watched from inside the restaurant, where we had a yummy buffet dinner. Dallin enjoyed sleeping at every restaurant we went to. He is such a good baby. Sometimes he slept on the floor at our feet, other times he opted for a quiet corner. A couple times he fell asleep right on the table where we ate!

Here is Dallin camped out on our table!

Caden enjoying some "bones" with Grandma and Grandpa!
Caden was brave enough to try his first lemon. We've given him tastes of a lemon before for mere entertainment, but this time he ate a big bite. It was hysterical to watch his face change as the taste got more and more sour! You could almost read his little mind wondering if it would ever end. Finally mommy spoiled the fun and let him spit it out. We did get it on video and as soon as I figure out how, I'll put it online. We laughed so hard, we were crying. Here are a few pictures, which of course don't do it justice!

We also got to see Uncle Ryan and Uncle Cory before they headed off to college. Ryan starts his sophomore year at SUNY Delhi and Cory will be a freshman at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). I loved this shot of Cory and Dallin talking to eachother. Dallin was just smiling and cooing like it was the greatest conversation ever...

Justin got to enjoy 3 straight days of golf with my Dad and brothers, bless his heart. We also got to play lots of Euchre with my aunts and cousins. This is a popular card game in Western New York, but I don't find too many Arizonians who have heard of it. My family is always playing some sort of game, mostly cards, and the competition is brutal!

Caden and Grandma playing their own little card game!
With the weather as beautiful as it was, we took Caden to the park down the street as often as possible. He enjoyed the slides, the swings, and all the great new things to climb. He just loved being outdoors and getting dirty!

Here is a view of the beautiful greenery and the leaves starting to change. But don't let it fool you.. the snow will be here SOON!!

Caden and Daddy taking a "guy" break...

Caden really loved these swings because he could sit by himself and go "high" (as he kept saying!)...

Okay, so Dallin wasn't so crazy about the whole park experience. His little expression says it all!
One night, at a loss for what else to do to occupy Caden, my Dad took him outside to play catch. Caden got a kick out of Grandpa throwing the ball up on the roof and trying to catch it as it rolled back down. These shots are priceless!




We are so grateful to have been able to make it home and see so much of our family. We miss everyone so much already.

Brothers forever!

Now we need a vacation from our vacation! Oh the laundry!