Summer Vacay

I keep hearing people talk about their summer vacation plans, but we took ours a bit early to avoid buying 4 plane tickets instead of just 3 (the cut off for lap children is 2 years old). We'll find some other fun things to do this summer, but they just won't involve getting on a plane.

Anyway, we spent 5 days in Goshen and Chicago catching up with family. We landed in Chicago at 5:30pm on Friday, hopped in a rental car and drove 2 1/2 hours to Goshen. Grandma and Grandpa Kauffman greeted us with open arms and big smiles.

Over the next 3 days we saw lots of family and friends (including Deana Landis and her kids, though we failed to get any pictures), enjoyed the slower pace of Goshen (and being on vacation), and got in on some very cool weather. I'm talking down to the 40's at night. Brrr! But we weren't complaining...we knew what we would come back to. As usual, grandma read a lot of bedtime stories, and grandpa frequently suggested outdoor play. 

On Tuesday morning we drove back to Chicago to see Mimi and Papa. After a relaxing afternoon we hit a local favorite for $5 burgers and fries. As if that wasn't enough we then walked a few blocks down the street to top it off with some ice cream from a local shop. We hung out the next morning before flying out that afternoon.

Norah and Macy adjusted really well to different sleeping arrangements. They shared a room in Goshen, and though they woke each other up bright and early, it was okay as long as we all went to bed early enough. After the first day we quickly realized that napping together wouldn't work. 

The girls also proved to be awesome travelers. Both flights were during nap time, but we didn't expect either to nap and they didn't. Macy did start falling asleep at one point with a bite of food and her fingers in her mouth, but as soon as Seth flipped her around to lay on his shoulder she perked up again. For the most part they occupied themselves with a backpack of activities and snacks, and when it seemed like they were on the verge of losing it I pulled out a small wrapped toy. My back up to the back up to the back up plan was suckers, but luckily I didn't have to resort to them.

Overall we had a great trip and it was nice to spend time together away from home and in a different environment, especially since the girls did such a great job. 

And now for pictures...

"Horsie' rides with great grandpa Garber.

Playing Uno with Greta and Katie. 

We flew back Wednesday afternoon and were pulling out of the parking lot at the airport at 4:30. The girls were chattering away in the back seat when all of a sudden I realized it was really quiet. This is what I found when I turned around. Finally tuckered out! 

And just like that...it's over

We’re back! I feel like I spent so much time planning for our vacation, and now it's all of a sudden over. Despite the fact that the time really flew by, we had a great trip to Chicago and Goshen visiting family. Unfortunately I was sick with a fever for several days, but we made the best of it.

I was a little worried about the plane ride with Norah, but based on the fact that the 3rd person in our row on both flights fell asleep, I’d say she did pretty well. I definitely suggest snacks and new toys from the Dollar store for anyone attempting a flight with a two year old anytime soon. 

We both worked today and we’re slowly getting back into the swing of things on the home front. Here are a few pictures ("few" is relative - get ready to scroll). 

Mom and dad dug this gem of a tricycle out of the trash. A few replacement parts and it is in mint condition!

After dropping Norah off with my parents, Seth and I spent a few days downtown. Seth enjoyed some good photo ops.

We got to spend some time with great grandma and great grandpa (grandpa's brother Robert happened to get in on the action as well). Norah wasn't sure about grandpa's "horsie" but really took to grandma. 

We also got to see Seth's grandma several times, as well as his aunt Faith and uncle Rod who were in town from Colorado after a trip to Turkey with Seth's parents.

We enjoyed "showing" Norah the GC campus. Always brings back a lot of memories...

Whoopsie daisy. 

Class of 2027? 

Aunt Faith and uncle Rod with Seth's parents.

Back in Chicago with Mimi and Papa.

Coloring with aunt Greta.

Enjoying the fresh air...eating breakfast with Papa on the balcony.

P.S. I'm thinking there may be a haircut in Norah's future this weekend. She's partying just a little too hard in the back for our liking...

Finally...Pictures

It's been a while since I've done a slide show of pictures, as evidenced by the size of this one (which dates back to Thanksgiving).

Snow, Snow and More Snow

The theme of the week was snow. And family. And fun. Okay, we had three themes, and that's just off the top.

I'll warn you up front that there will be no pictures in this post. We are currently in Chicago at my parent's place (they are in Houston), on our way home. We decided to come here to stay overnight to get the drive from Goshen over with so we could be more relaxed getting to the airport tomorrow.

Anyway, there are no pictures in this post because we're not home yet. They will come in the near future, I promise.

Back to our week - it was fantastic. We really enjoyed being together with the whole Kauffman family since we hadn't all been together in so long. With the exception of Thursday when the high was in the low 40's, most days were more like in the high 20's. Brrrrr. I would have frozen my little patutie off if it weren't for the fabulous car warming and scraping service that my hubby provided. I think it was a little more for Norah than me, but I'll take it.

Just a few of the things we enjoyed this week:

- Many wonderful meals prepared by Seth's mom, and the time around the table with the family
- Lunch with Greta and Katie at great Grandma Alderfer's (particulary the caramel apple "stuff" for dessert and not being introduced to anyone since Norah was apparently all that matters)
- Late night domino games, and Ned's hilarious drama
- Norah's constant eating and lion roaring
- More of Ann's good cooking (orange rolls for breakfast, a traditional Christmas meal, yummie cranberry salad)
- A day at great Grandma and Grandpa Garber's with great aunt Von and uncle Dave--watching Norah get horsie rides, eating lunch and playing dominos
- Running into familiar faces at the Goshen College rec fitness center
- Breakfast with Annie and Pletch (in separate "boy" and "girl" booths) at Olympia Candy Kitchen
- Taking Norah out for a ride in the sled with Katie and Greta
- Gettting Norah bundled for a walk with grandpa Ned in the toddler pack
- Did I mention Ann's food? Baked oatmeal, french toast, warm soups
- Christmas with the extended Kauffman family

I could go on, but Seth will be home any minute with carry out Thai. Yum...

Happy Holidays!

Fun in the Snow

The high in Goshen today was 28 degrees but we decided to brave it anyway. Greta and Katie found a pair of used snow pants for Norah, so we bundled her up and took her out in the sled, which was equiped with a special box for her to sit in that grandpa Ned made for Seth when he was a little boy. She liked it. We tried taking her out at one point to have her play in the snow and she started crying so we put her back in. Aunt Greta pulled her around for a while and she seemed to enjoy it even though her nose was bright red from the cold. She was so bundled she could hardly move. Here are a few pictures:

More to come about our other Goshen adventures...

Some Recent Pictures

After a frantic hour in the kitchen I was able to get two meals made for Norah for the next few weeks and had a little time left to get this album up.