Our First Family Getaway!

In July we went on our first mini-vacation. We took the twins on a road trip to Pennsylvania. They behaved surprisingly well in the car mostly due to the DVD players and unlimited viewing of Elmo and Barney. We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites and for their first time in a hotel, the twins did better than we expected. Ryan loved the "ele-bator" and of course they both loved playing in the closet (slamming the door open and shut to be exact). We enjoyed the hotel pool and Katie, who is usually not a big fan of the pool, even sat on one of the steps and splashed around.

Day # 1

On our way to the hotel we made our first stop at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. What a fun place! It was the one place Mommy didn't have to say, "Don't touch that" 100x a day! There are several different exhibit zones where children can play and explore. Some of the exhibits included a Water Room, Lights and Sounds, City Capers (grocery store, medical buildings, shoe store) and an Alice in Wonderland Zone (mazes, mirrors zone, tea party). Katie and Ryan had so much fun exploring.

Night #1

Ry was so exhausted he had no problem falling asleep in the "big boy bed" but not before cuddling with his daddy, leaning over and saying "I love you".

Katie, on the other hand, decided she wanted to stay up till midnight and party like rock star. After 3 attempts to get her to sleep, she went down in the pack-n-play, but was up a mere 7 hours later.

Day #2

We spent the entire day at Hershey Park. Ryan loved all the rides. He went on all the kiddie rides over and over again. Katie would not go on any rides with the exception of one, unless we went with her. Ryan had no fear of the characters, Katie screamed at the sight of them. Ryan, took a nice nap at the park, Katie was like the energizer bunny. It was so much fun to watch the both you play and enjoy the park. Both of you loved seeing the animals and of course all the goodies you got to eat throughout the day. Oh, and the little piece of chocolate we let you have seemed to be a hit!

These pictures make me laugh every time I look at them. It is the only ride Katie went on with Ryan. In the first picture she is crying. Each time she came around she would look at us and laugh (the second picture).

(You can view the pictures larger by clicking on them)

Ryan's absolute favorite ride was the frog hopper. I know I look ridiculous on the ride but mommy nerves set in so I went on with him. If I could have bottled his laugh on the ride I would have. He loved this ride and was hysterically laughing. Every time it went up and down he would say "Whoa!". I love how he is looking at the boy next to him "Hey, isn't this fun!"

Night #2

Ry decided he was going to be the night owl. He just wanted to lay in bed and chit-chat. "Mommy...Daddy" was all we heard for 3 hours until he willingly went to sleep in the pack- n-play. Katie was so exhausted from a fun-filled day she fell asleep quickly holding her Daddy in one hand and her dolly in the other. Her new "Bubble Yum Bear' she picked out at Chocolate World has not left her side since we left there. Day #3

On our way back to Long Island we stopped at Dutch Wonderland. An amusement park just for kids! Ry went on the whip, a ride which mommy can't stomach, and he loved it. You can watch the video below. This time around we let Ryan go on the frog hopper alone. I wasn't sure if it was because I trusted it or because I saw a picture of myself on it with him! It rained on and off during the day and we had to take cover for a few minutes but then decided to go to the children's water park area. We were already wet right?!

We went on our first family log flume ride. The above picture is the water raft ride Matt took Ryan on. I won't even get in to mommy's anxiety over that one! We loved this park because we were able to enjoy a lot of rides together as a family. Katie was happy about that!

Our 3 days were filled with nothing but fun. I know it is not a trip the twins will remember but our memories of their faces and fun will last Matt and I forever. We are not quite ready for Disney World yet but are looking forward to our next adventure away.