Weekend Update - Christmas Take Two

We arrived in Maryland late on Saturday (technically, it was Sunday already). On Sunday, we went skiing then all came home bruised and sore (but in a good way). Husband saw his football team win. So, all in all, a good day.

The next day, it snowed and wouldn't stop. We ended up having to stay an extra day to wait for the roads to clear out. The kids loved playing in the snow (as did the rest of us). This is the first time Little Miss really got to play in a significant amount of snow. Last year, she wasn't quite walking.

It was nice to see Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins. We hadn't seen them in awhile,and I don't even know if Little Miss remembers them. She did latch onto the youngest cousin. He's like the Child Whisperer. Both kids really gravitated towards him. Little Miss talked his ear off for quite awhile. Plus, she'll see them all again in February so she'll still remember them. She also loved seeing my parents' cat. She loves that cat. She gets so excited and just screams, "KITTY! KITTY!" Though Little Miss doesn't speak in sentences yet, she seems to add more and more words a day.

Little Miss was spoiled and received tons of presents from dress up shoes, boks, clothes, a whole baby play set with playpen, high chair, and stroller, a purse, vacuum, and art supplies. She loved them all.

Husband has the rest of the week off which he is spending with Little Miss, but it was back to work for me. It's a short week at least!

Weekend Update - Christmas

I got Christmas Eve off of work which was nice. Somehow we lost all day cleaning even though I was so good and did a lot of cleaning before. I can't even account for all the lost hours. Then, we went to Christmas Eve Mass and had all the In-Laws over for dinner. We had all the Polish food we cooked as well as pastries the boys all cooked the day before. Little Miss got all her presents from the In-Laws. She loved them. The above photo is the family photo taken at our place. I swear I'm fatter than I am in real life. I leaned back and wore plaid which was a bad mix. Ugh. Everyone else looked good and smiled though. The chances of a good retake were next to nothing.

On Christmas, we opened the family presents. Husband and I bought a mattress recently so that was our real gift, but we did small stocking stuffers for each other. We bought many gifts for Little Miss, and she seemed to love them all - especially her Minnie golf club set. Christmas night, we went to Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's apartment to celebrate. We had a great dinner there, and Little Miss got another present. The below photo is of Little Miss in the giant chair Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law have. She always sleeps in this chair, ever since she was an infant. I'll have to find photos of her in the chair from last year to show how much she's grown.

The day after Christmas, we were supposed to wake up in the morning and go to Maryland where my parents have a place, but Little Miss had a stomach bug. So, we ended up leaving in the evening after dinner. More on that in a separate email.

Christmas

The day before Christmas Eve, we went to visit Santa. It went poorly from Little Miss kicking Santa in his jingle bells to screaming bloody murder.

I'll post more Christmas photos later, but Christmas Eve went well. This year, it was the In-Laws turn for us to celebrate with them. (We alternate holidays.) There was only a minor moment at Mass where Little Miss needed some bribery chocolate. She was very happy with her Christmas presents (Minnie golf clubs, Choo-Choo Express movie, Micky Mouse Clubhouse figurines, 2 pairs of Minnie pajamas, Minnie outfit, Minnie ornament, and a 3-piece New York Jets outfit. She got a train, an ornament, an animal that turns into a blanket, and a Fisher Price Santa set from the In-Laws and a really adorable outfit from Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law.

This morning, we were to drive to my parents' place to see the entire extended family and ski. However, Little Miss woke up and has been throwing up ever since. So, we hope it passes soon. For now, we're just having family cuddle time on the couch. Poor thing can't keep anything down.

Little Miss also receive this bib from the In-Laws which, surprisingly, she wore for a short time Christmas Eve night.

Weekend Update - Where Did the Time Go?

Last weekend was a fast one! First, the photo is from this morning as I didn't take any photos last weekend. It shows how much Little Miss loves her juice and juice cup. She actually takes her cup (and it's really any cup not the purple one in particular) to bed and has it in a death grip until she falls asleep.

On Friday, we mostly caught up on some television. I went to bed early. On Saturday, I woke up early with Little Miss. Husband ran errands. Then, in the evening, I went to Movie Club. I brought my Baked Macaroni and Cheese. We watched White Christmas and had lots of yummy things to eat. On Sunday, I had bookclub where we discussed The Help by Kathryn Stockett. We had many yummy things to eat. I made Mixed Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette. It was better than I expected. Little Miss is teething. So, she was kind of miserable all weekend. She chewed and was generally miserable. She seemed in good spirits today at least. Later that night, we finished the Christmas tree and relaxed. OK, here is the photo album of our tree and special ornaments including Disney, a few of many pig ornaments (as Little Miss was born in the Year of the Pig so the poor thing has a big pig collection), ornaments to represent DC, among others. The photo caption will tell you why the ornaments are special. The link should work now.

Weekend Update - Baker's Joy

OK, maybe not so much joy, but there was a lot of cooking and baking. As we did last year, this year, Father-in-Law, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law and our friends came over to cook and bake. We made pierogi (over 200 sauerkraut and around 300 potato and cheese), 4 loaves of nut bread, loaves of babka, and hundreds of chrusciki. Little Miss spent the weekend with Mother-in-Law because she's still a little too young to help, and we didn't have the room to have her underfoot. Unlike last year, I took photos of the actual final product. On Friday, we stayed up late working on the tree and then preparing for the weekend. On Saturday, we did the cooking of the pierogi. Sunday, we did the baking. Unfortunately, the only downpart is that we lost about 55 potato and cheese pierogi due to some freezing issues. We made more than our freezer could handle so, because of the humidity, they stuck together and couldn't be separated. Still, we have more than enough. Can't wait to start eating!

Weekend Update - O Christmas Tree

Let's see. On Friday, we woke up and had our annual breakfast at IHOP. Little Miss had a great breakfast. Then, while waiting for Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law, we stopped in at Babies 'R' Us to pick up a few things. It was a little colder than we expected so we picked up Little Miss a new hat and mittens. Then, of course, we picked up a bunch of things we didn't really need. After, we headed to the tree farm. While we waited for Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law, we crossed the street to see the horses. They were very friendly and came right up to the fence to say hello to us. Little Miss wasn't too happy when one snuck in a kiss. We made quick work of choosing a tree and head back home. The tree was bigger than we expected when we got home so it takes up most of the corner and we had to shift things around, but it is a nice tree.

On Saturday, we went to the mall to Macy's for the big mattress sale. We ended up treating ourselves to a new mattress (that arrives on Thursday and I'm sure it will inspire a new blog post on Friday). We then had lunch at Bailey's Pub & Grill and took a walk to a couple of grocery stores to find what we needed for dinner. Slim pickings right after Thanksgiving!

On Sunday, I mostly slept all day. There was football on, but I only really remember sleeping, waking up to eat and then sleeping again.

Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Ours was nice. We made a lot of food early - Cranberry Sauce with Orange Liqueur, roasted potatoes, and crab dip. We were in pretty good shape going into Thanksgiving. I fell a little behind with my cleaning and didn't dust, but everything was presentable. My table setting is the first photo. My new tablecloth and napkins looked nice and autumnal. I always love an excuse to drag out the china (holidays, birthdays, a Tuesday). I used a lot of pieces and serving utensils from my grandma which made me feel really nice.

We hosted my parents this year and had a nice relaxing day. We started with early appetizers of shrimp cocktail, crab dip and scallops wrapped with bacon. Then, we put the turkey in and hung out and chatted. After a little while, I made the creamed corn while Husband made the stuffing. Husband miscalculated the amount of stuffing and made enough for like 12 people. We have enough stuffing for weeks. Right before the turkey was supposed to be done, I stuck the potatoes in the oven to heat and rolls. Then, the turkey was... still cooking. The turkey took about an hour longer to cook than expected. Around 7PM, dinner was ready! It wasn't late, just later than expected. Little Miss, at that point, had crawled onto the couch, put her head down with her piggy and fell asleep. This only concerned us because she hadn't eaten much all day, but she also hadn't napped all day so she was beat. After all the playing at the table, it was sad she couldn't sit with us. On the other hand, we had a nice dinner with no food on the floor.

After dinner, we were stuffed. So, we split up the pie to eat later (later meaning I may have a piece for breakfast). We chatted for a little while longer and cleaned up. Little Miss finally woke up and wouldn't eat any of the Thanksgiving dinner. So, she just had her weight in dry cereal. It wasn't a battle I wanted to have and, if she had a full belly with something somewhat healthy, I was fine with that. A little after her makeshift dinner, Little Miss led Husband to her room and asked to be put to bed. We said goodnight to my parents and just relaxed. I moved things to make room for our Christmas tree and read a bit of my book while Husband watched the football game. Then, I went to bed so I would be ready to get our tree.

Our post-Thanksgiving tradition is to have brunch and get our Christmas tree so we have a long weekend to decorate.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and gave thanks!

Christmas Photos

Both Sister and I and my mother tried to have a Christmas photo with Nephew and Little Miss. Both of us succeeded in having a professional photographer snap a photo with both kids in the frame. However, I swear the kids are allergic to the photography studio. There was crying, begging, pleading - and that was all done by the adults. Bribery didn't work. So, here are the finished products (above is the photo when Sister and I went and below is my mother's attempt). Both are photos of the photos so the color is a little off or dull, but you can get the gist of them. The one above is growing on me. At least the kids don't look miserable.

Weekend Update - The Big Screen

Last Friday, Little Miss and I hung out at home while Husband worked. She had a bath and tried to stay up to see Husband but did not make it. She had her Minnie ears and Minnie Mouse and watched Choo Choo Express.

On Saturday, we had a good day. Husband woke up early to work again. Little Miss and I ate breakfast. Then, we took a walk to the mall to pick up some Christmas items and grab lunch. She took a good nap. Then, she went with the In-Laws to church and to spend the night. Husband came home from work, and I went to Movie Night. We watched Casablanca and ate Moroccan food (more on that in a later post).

On Sunday, we had a lazy morning. Then, I picked up Little Miss and went out to my Parents' house. We met with Sister and Nephew. Then, Mom and Sister and I saw The Blind Side while Dad babysat the kids. We fed the kids, and then I went back home. Little Miss slept very well last night as she always does after spending the day with her cousin.

Weekend Update - Warm Front

On Friday, it was just a quiet night at home. Husband had a night out with his work friends. So, Little Miss and I hung out. I gave her a bath. Then, I ate a pot pie and watched a movie. I went to bed early because I knew I had to get up with Little Miss on Saturday.

On Saturday, Little Miss slept in a little. When she woke up, we hung out. Then, we had breakfast. She got dressed and ate lunch. We all went grocery shopping and then Little Miss took a nice, long nap (as did I). In the evening, she went to church with the In-Laws while Husband and I went to Alexandria to celebrate Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law's 30th birthdays. We had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant and then went to their apartment to hang out. Sadly, we went straight to bed as soon as we got home (before midnight).

On Sunday, Husband woke up to start his football routine. I slept but still not sleeping as late as I wanted. I went to pick up Little Miss at the In-Laws and headed out to the mall to attempt holiday photos with Nephew and Little Miss. It was an adventure, but we got one shot each of them and one mediocre shot of them together. Both kids were great as soon as we left the photo studio. They ran, rode bikes and ran some more. Little Miss went all day without a nap but was in relatively good spirits. My grandmother and grandfather were at my parents' house and spent some time with us all. Then, my parents came home. Sister and I picked up Husband at the Metro, and we all had dinner for Nephew's Gotcha Day. Nephew was adopted 4 years ago even though it seems like yesterday! So, he had cupcakes and received presents. After dessert, we headed for home. Little Miss fell asleep on the way home.

That concluded a busy weekend. The last photo is from Monday. Obviously, Mondays do not have the same effect on Little Miss as they do on the rest of us.

Weekend Update - Where did the weekend go?

This past weekend was fairly quiet. Little Miss spent Friday night with the In-Laws. So, on Friday, Husband and I caught up on all of our recorded television. It was quite a bit. Then, we went to bed early. We're a wild and crazy bunch.

On Saturday, Husband left to golf, and I went to bookclub. We met at Cafe Deluxe and had a yummy lunch. Then, as it is attached, I had to visit Crate and Barrel and bought a tablecloth for Thanksgiving dinner. I hit Target on the way home to begin my Christmas shopping and pick up a bunch of other items. Then, I met Little Miss and Husband came home. We had a friend as well as Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law over for dinner during which time Little Miss wanted some potty time. She didn't actually go, but she likes to just sit and hang out.

On Sunday, Husband woke up very early to golf. Little Miss and I hung out at home and then went to the mall. We mostly went to Macy's where she really wanted the promotional Mickey Mouse, but I said no (which is not to say she won't get it eventually). I broke down and bought a Crockpot, my first. Then, we picked up some treats (lunch and ice cream) and headed home. I would have walked the mall more, but someone needed a nap (ok, two someones). Little Miss took a very long nap and then woke up, had dinner, a bath and went back to bed. We had dinner and then watched the season finale of Mad Men. All in all a good weekend.

Weekend Update - Trick or Treat!

On Friday, I have no idea what we did, but it probably involved dinner, television and bed.

On Saturday, I finished my bookclub book (a week early which is an all-new accomplishment for me). I also started reading my next book. I also took a nap on Saturday which was glorious but responsible for putting us back a little in terms of our Halloween schedule. So, we got to the mall to go Trick or Treating and met up with Sister, Brother-in-Law, and Nephew (also, FYI, Santa shows up in 4 days). It was a mad house as usual. Both kids were super cranky. The three of us stayed later. Little Miss kind of thought her ideal Halloween was going into the stores and picking out clothes as her treat. She did not get any though she almost did. Then, Husband, Little Miss and I went to Champps for dinner. Little Miss ate well and seemed to have a good time. She had a good time at my parents' house as well - probably because it was a small group of people and she got candy. We went late-night grocery shopping on the way home (Little Miss slept in the car while Husband actually went in to grab food) and then got home. Little Miss woke up and wouldn't go back to bed. She was very clingy. I think she was just glad to have some time alone with us.

On Sunday, we adjusted to the end of Daylight Savings Time and were pretty lazy. Little Miss took some time to play and color a little. Also, Little Miss and I did leave the apartment to go shoe shopping (she needed some holiday shoes, and I needed shoes because I've had my eye on this red plaid pair for awhile) and to pick up a few things at the grocery store. We had a relaxing evening and geared up for the work week.

Weekend Update - I Hear it's Your Birthday!

Last Friday, we relaxed at home. Then, before bed, I made a salad and cubed some cheese for the big party on Saturday.

On Saturday, I woke up with Little Miss. We had breakfast and then we decorated the apartment for her party. Little Miss took a quick nap while we showered and did minor cleaning. Then, we just had to put together some last minute things. Everything was just finishing up as the guests arrived. It was nice to have family and friends there to celebrate. Little Miss was a little overwhelmed and, at one point, tried to leave the apartment all together. She was uninterested in gifts (though she did play with many of them after people left and on Sunday). Halway through the part, I changed her into her Halloween costume so people could see it, but I won't post any of those pictures. You'll all have to wait until next week for the pictures of the real day. Little Miss only ate a little cake and mostly spent the time feeding me cake. Around 5PM, Little Miss took the longest nap in history, but she woke up many many hours later ready to party.

On Sunday, it was a lazy day. We cleaned up, put the loot away and mostly hung out. Little Miss ate like there was no tomorrow. Because the weekend threw her off schedule, she stayed up late. Next week, Daylight Savings Time is going to kill us all. In the meantime, there will be a couple of more birthday posts on or around Wednesday, the big day!

Weekend Update - Sleeping In

On Friday, we celebrated out 10th anniversary. In-Laws watched Little Miss so we had dinner at Peking Gourmet Inn which was super yummy. Then, we stopped home briefly to put our leftovers in the fridge before heading out to see Couples Retreat. I see it was #1 last weekend so I guess we weren't the only ones. It was a cute movie. That said, there wasn't much else out. Also, the above photo is from the lamest fortune ever. Seriously, I had to take a picture. Who gets that as a fortune?!

On Saturday, we slept late, rolled over and slept some more. It was glorious. I slept so much, I had a sleep hangover. It was worth it. Then, we pretty much ate leftovers, went grocery shopping and welcomed Little Miss back home.

On Sunday, we all had breakfast together. Then, Little Miss took a quick nap. When she woke up, we took a walk to CVS to pick up a couple of things we forgot at the grocery store. On the way home, I gave Little Miss some frozen yogurt at TCBY. She loved it. Then, she took another nap (and I did, too) and then we played and had dinner. She, as is routine on Sunday, did not go to bed. Usually, she goes to bed and wakes up between 10PM and 11:30PM, but last night, she just didn't go to sleep until 10:30PM. It's only Sundays. After dinner last night, she ran around the apartment laughing and screaming. She'd go from the front door all the way to her back bedroom then back to the front door and then around to the balcony door. I have 3 video clips, but I'll only show one. They're all basically the same. This is actually the third one so she had been running and laughing for maybe 3-5 minutes and this was the tail end of the craziness. You can see she's running out of steam (sort of).

Weekend Update - All Family All the Time

On Friday night, we had a quiet evening at home. We were 80% finished cleaning. I was going to get a start on the last bit, but we decided to watch television instead and catch up with the recorded shows from the week.

On Saturday, I woke up with Little Miss. She was very good and giggly on Saturday morning. We shared a 3-egg scramble with cheese. She ate most of it. Then, we hung out. When Husband woke up, we all went grocery shopping, picked out a cake for Little Miss's birthday party, and snacked our way through the store. When we got home, Little Miss went down for a nap. Husband and I started the last bit of major cleaning - our bedroom. We were nowhere near done when Little Miss woke up. She briefly got into all sorts of things before being picked up by the In-Laws to go to church. Little Miss stayed with her grandparents while we met Brother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law at Arlington Cinema 'n' Drafthouse. We ate at Lost Dog Cafe first and then went to the theater to see The Hangover. The theater is fun because it shows half-price movies with the option of food and alcohol. So, I had 2 vodka drinks and ice cream. Super yummy. After the movie, we picked up Little Miss and head home to finish cleaning. We finished around 1:30AM, and I slept very well.

On Sunday, Husband woke up with Little Miss. I lounged in bed and got up mid-morning. I watched as Little Miss pretty much ate my whole breakfast (pancakes) and then got ready to face the day. Little Miss and I went out to my parents' house again. She gave the kitty big kisses and got to play with Sister and Nephew. We went to run errands and stayed for dinner. Little Miss was exhausted after not having an afternoon nap, but she was a trooper. She fell asleep on the way home and went back to sleep shortly after we got home. As with every Sunday, she woke up around 11:30PM. She usually gets very upset and, after some quick cuddling, she'll go right back to sleep, but it happens almost every Sunday.

And with that, we're back to another week. I only have the bathroom and 3 cabinets to tidy now. Then, I get to do the actual cleaning, but it shouldn't be too bad now that the place is tidied up. It was a lot of work, but it needed to be done and made such a difference.

Weekend Update - You Could Be Happy

On Friday, I met a friend in the city. We had dinner at Founding Farmers which was yummy. Then, we went to DAR Constitution Hall to see Snow Patrol with opening guest The Plain White T's. They were fantastic. When I got home, I discovered Little Miss spent the night with the In-Laws. So, on Saturday, Husband and I slept late before beginning our day of cleaning. I'm glad we decided to take 2 full weekends to clean.

We tackled Little Miss's room and the front hall closets. I packaged up all of Little Miss's old toys and outgrown clothes. I saved the kitchen, my books and my bathroom for during the week. Next weekend, we'll tackle the bedroom which scares me. We've obviously cleaned periodically, but we haven't really picked through and purged since before Little Miss was born.

So, on Sunday, I drove out to my parents' house to drop off some items to store as well as drop off many bags to donate. Lupus Foundation picks up donated items. I'll be making a similar trip next weekend. While there, we took some newly-baked cookies. Sister and Nephew were there, and the kids enjoyed playing together. Little Miss gave the tricycle a shot. She's still little, but I think she liked the concept. Because Little Miss didn't nap all day and then played hard, she fell asleep as soon as she got into the car to head home. I carried her upstairs and she took a 2 hour nap (as did I). After, she ate dinner and played some more. Then, she went to bed.

We were about to eat dinner when Husband looked at the video monitor and said, "uh oh". That's never good. Because we cleaned, all Little Miss's clothes were put away so her basket was where it normally is (near her crib) and filled with dirty clothes versus having her dirty clothes just on the floor in a pile. It's our fault really. We knew this is what she does when the clothes pile gets too big. The photo on the right will show what we discovered. We cleaned the crib out, moved the laundry basket and tried bedtime all over again.

Weekend Update - Lazy Weekend

It was a busy weekend of nothing. Let's see. On Friday, I don't think we did anything. I was really tired. Little Miss had trouble staying in bed. Then, on Saturday, Husband woke up with her before he went golfing. He did leave for golf early so I still had to wake up earlier than I would have liked. Little Miss and I shared a scrambled egg with cheese. Then, she took an extremely brief nap before we went out. We went to Panera and shared the Asian Chicken Salad. She had a little bit of my Baked Potato soup and a fruit cup. Then, we walked around for a little bit. The highlight of the trip, for her, was going to Payless. As soon as we walked in, she took off her sandals and lifted her feet so I could put on as many pairs of shoes as possible. She chose a favorite, and I purchased them. She asked to put them on before we left the store. So, I had the salesclerk clip the tags and the shoes haven't left her feet since. She even wears them during naps. The girl loves shoes. On the way home, we walked by some nearby condos where there is a fountain. The fountain varies so the spray changes every so often. You can also run through it. Some kids were soaking wet, but I knew Little Miss would just get close enough that she wouldn't get wet. Saturday was another rough night. At one point, we were sleeping on the couch. Plus, for some reason, she looked like such a big girl on Saturday. Both photos from this post were from that afternoon.

On Sunday, Husband woke up with Little Miss and I got to sleep blissfully late and then watch Supernatural in relative peace and quiet. It was nice. Sunday afternoon, Little Miss and I had to run another errand, but we mostly hung out at home. Then, my parents came over for dinner. Little Miss put on a big shy act, but she was performing by the end of the night and ate like a big girl at dinner. She fed herself very well and had good table manners (excluding the hugging and kissing of the grated cheese container). Sometimes, she's not very patient at the table, but she was good especially with an audience. Bedtime went well last night and she slept beautifully and late. I'll take the Friday and Saturday spotty sleeping if it means she sleeps on work nights.

Last but by no means least, on Sunday, a group of friends and I received news that we lost one of the members of our online community to breast cancer. I feel fortunate to have met her in person and gotten to know her while she lived in this area. She touched us all in some way and will be missed. Because these things come in threes traditionally, I'm living with a slight sense of dread as she was the second of my friends in as many weeks to lose a battle to cancer.

Weekend Update - Football Sunday

Sorry this is late. I had to have the time to write this and have the camera cable to upload photos, and those two things never happened at the same time. Last Friday, the In-Laws, Brother-in-Law, Sister-in-Law, Husband, Little Miss and I got together for dinner for Brother-in-Law's birthday. We went to Hana Tokyo. Little Miss (and Husband actually) had the first experience with hibachi. She was mesmerized but didn't care for the shock of the fire. She wouldn't eat anything while at the restaurant, but she enjoyed the leftovers for days. I've never seen her eat dinner with that much enthusiasm except for her favorite pasta dishes. She even ate the mushrooms and zucchini and bean sprouts. I didn't give her the onion but only because I didn't want a smelly Little Miss. She probably would have eaten it.

On Saturday, she was home with Husband as I went out with friends for book club.

On Sunday, Sister and Nephew came over for football snacks and, as soon as Husband's team started its game, we all were ushered out of the apartment. Sister, the kids and I went to a big playground nearby. The kids had a lot of fun. Little Miss declined a nap so she was exhausted and, towards the end, super cranky. We only stayed maybe an hour. Then, on the way back, both kids fell asleep. I took Little Miss home and she slept for 2 more hours. She woke up, ate dinner, and pretty much went back to sleep. Maybe I should go to the playground more often with her!

Little Miss Meets the Atlantic Ocean

Here is the last vacation post. I have video of Little Miss and her first steps into the ocean this year. Strangely, this is very similar to her first steps into the ocean last year. Admittedly, the water was a lot colder in Maine than it was on the Jersey shore. The water still confuses her and she'd prefer to be carried in than walk in on her own accord. That'll change in the upcoming years though.

Vacation Update - Family

It was a family vacation last week. It was nice for Husband, Little Miss and I to have time together, but it was extra special to have Husband's family there as well.
Little Miss had a blast being spoiled by her uncle and aunt. She's always been happy with her aunt, but she was wary in the beginning with her uncle. During the last month, however, she's spent a lot of time with both of them and goes to both easily. On the boardwalk, she led her uncle all over the place. They watched the Go-Karts and ran all over. She also shared her uncle's ice cream and definitely stuck to him like glue (until the ice cream was gone at least). She also learned, during the course of the trip, to say her uncle and aunt's names which was a big victory. She was very pleased with herself (but not as pleased as her uncle and aunt were with her).Of course, Little Miss also loves her grandparents. She calls them "A-Pa" and "A-Ma". It'll be interesting to see if she has nicknames for them or this is just a phase. She led her grandparents all over (which helped because I think all three of them slept well during the trip). Because Mother-in-Law watches Little Miss during the day while we work, Little Miss is super comfortable with her (though she is very good with all of the members of the family at this point which is nice). She had a great time playing in the sand and trying new foods and, all in all, being a big girl.
The last photo is the whole family on the Boardwalk. Little Miss was moments away from napping so she's a little dazed and confused, but she was very patient with all the photos.