Heading Home

Yesterday was spent going to the beach, splashing in the pool and walking along the boardwalk. It is hard to determine the highlight for each cousin with the exception of my Hamlet.  For him, yesterday was all about the beach choo choo.  He loved the tram on the boardwalk and probably would have ridden the loop all day had he been provided the opportunity.

We had a fantastic Aunt Peggy Adventure, but today we are packing up and heading home.  I think the kiddos have memories to last a lifetime, and I have definitely elevated the bar. 

Although I had a great time, I'll be happy to be home. Between the WWII weekend and the beach, the boys and I have been gone for over a week.  It will be nice to return to normal for awhile.  After all, the Summer of Fun has just begun.

Beach

Greetings from Aunt Peggy's epic beach adventure. 

It is chilly but that isn't impacting our fun.  The kids swear the ocean water is comfortable, although the fact that they emerge shivering tells me otherwise. They are having a blast!

Adventure Time!

The kiddos are up and the house is buzzing with excitement. Timmy is the only cousin to know our destination, but thankfully nobody really understands what he is saying when they ask him. I am so excited to be taking everybody to the beach for a few days!

Robby had been wanting to go to the beach and to experience the boardwalk with his cousins since last summer. I told him that he would have to forgo his birthday party if he wanted to make this a reality, a deal which he thoughtfully accepted. He seems to have forgotten our deal from last summer because he doesn't seem to know where we are headed. 

Unlike other adventures, my Mom will be joining us. I have secured her a separate room at the hotel (thanks Groupon) so she can truly relax. Her only "responsibility" is to watch Timmy at night (when he is sleeping) so I can go on the boardwalk with the Crew.  

The weather is supposed to be lousy, but that is out of my control. Despite the cool temperatures, I'm sure that they will have a blast. Weather is less significant when you are younger, and they will simply be excited to be at the beach and to be together.

Photos to follow!

Turkey Hill Experience

With an upcoming adventure scheduled but not revealed for Wednesday, Robby asked if he could stay at his Nana's house to play with his cousins. Since I was only planning on being away for a weekend we are woefully underpacked, but  he doesn't seem to find wearing the same clothes on a loop.  He and his cousins are having a blast and have picked up seamlessly from last summer. Again her house is filled with peals of laughter, chaos and toys. 

Yesterday my niece went to Hershey Park with a friend, so I took advantage of a smaller Crew by taking them to the Turkey Hill Experience. (I won tickets last month and it was the perfect opportunity to use them before they became lost in the abyss of my glove compartment.) Timmy was ecstatic to come along with "the big kids" on the adventure.  The Cousin Crew were equally excited about the unlimited ice cream touted in the commercials.

In spite of the limited activities and broken exhibits, the kids had a fun. The Cousins challenged themselves to see who could eat the most ice cream. (The winner downed a whopping 14 cups!) With a ball pit and slide, the destination is definitely tailored more towards little kids. Timmy seemed to enjoy it, but in all fairness he loves just about everything. If you are considering going to the Turkey Hill Experience, make sure you go with a coupon. It is most definitely not worth the full price of admission.

After we came home from gorging on ice cream the boys played outside for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. Timmy tried to keep up with them for awhile, but eventually his fatigue got the best of him and he needed to go to bed. By 10 pm, which is early by the Cousin Crew standards, everybody was exhausted and called it a day.

Today we don't have anything grand planned. I have to work, and get everything finalized for our adventure tomorrow. I'm so excited about it but I can't reveal the destination right now. The kids are becoming savvy and now search this blog for clues. 

More to come tomorrow...

WWII Weekend

Another WWII weekend is over, but we created memories that will last a lifetime. On Friday Robby's cousins were able to attend for their first time. After years of listening to him talk about it, they were thrilled with the opportunity to experience it first hand. Even though they had been treated to numerous tales and descriptions, I think they were in awe of the sheer scope of the event. Their little jaws dropped when they saw the fields of massive tanks and planes.  

Friday night his cousins had to leave and Robby and I headed to our hotel for the evening. We were hot and tired, but that didn't stop him from hitting the pool and researching the next day's activities.  I wish I had his energy! We had a great time and logged 22,000+ steps in the process.

Despite rain being in the forecast, Saturday was extremely hot and humid. True to form, that didn't stop my little soldier. He spent the day meticulously exploring, talking to the reenactors and examining all of the artifacts on display. After six hours we headed back to the hotel to cool off and to relax. Even Robby admitted that he was tired, although he jumped at the opportunity to return for the nighttime swing dance.

Sunday brought the surprise of his Daddy, who drove three hours to join us on the last day of the event. (He also brought me a much needed new liner, a gesture that I appreciate more than words.) Robby relished showing his Daddy around the event, introducing him to all of his new reenactor friends and carefully explaining all of the artifacts that he found interesting. 

As soon as Scott arrived I was relegated to the third wheel. Scott was his new military buddy and I followed the pair carrying the water bottles and money. At this point in the weekend I didn't mind being left behind. I know that Robby was delighted to share the experience with his Daddy, and I had reached my threshold on military memorabilia. In my experience, you can have too much of a good thing (although Robby would definitely disagree.)

WWII Weekend is HERE!

After 51 weeks of counting down, the weekend has finally arrived.  This morning we are heading back in time to the World War II weekend in Reading, PA. We (mainly Robby) refuse to allow the dreary weather to impact our weekend. World War II weekend has become a highlight of Robby's year, and there was no doubt that we would attend again this year.

After years of begging, today his cousins are able to attend. Although they aren't quite the military history fans, they are excited by proxy. Robby will have a blast showing them around his favorite stomping grounds, enlightening them with historical trivia throughout the day.  Even if it rains, it should be a fantastic day!

I reserved our hotel room back in December, planning which I appreciate because they are now sold out. I'll post more this evening, with pictures. But for now I'm logging off and heading back to the 1930's.

Walk of Shame (again)

My schedule was wonky on Tuesday. Typically I drop off Robby at school and then I drive to work with Abby. Timmy is accustomed to coming with me to work and is comfortable with our schedule. Because Abby's Mom had an appointment, our session was rescheduled for later in the afternoon. I found myself with a few hours on my hands and decided to make the best of it. 

We headed to Toddler Time at SkyZone, which is one of his favorite activities. Timmy loved bouncing and playing on the trampolines. After two hours we were both sweaty and hungry. With another hour to kill before it was time to see Abby, we headed to Chick Fil A. 

Timmy didn't miss a beat and immediately took off his shoes and headed into the playground while I ordered our food. I chose a booth next to the playground and settled in until it was time to go. Every once in awhile Timmy emerged, just long enough to grab a fry or a sip of water, before heading back into the plastic tubes and slides. He was having a blast climbing and playing with new "buddies." 

After 45 minutes it was time to go work with Abby. I provided him a warning five minutes beforehand with the hopes that our departure would be expected and easier to handle. Unfortunately my good intentions only served to provide him with advanced notice and an opportunity to hatch an escape plan. He dove deeper into the tube maze, positioning himself out of reach.

When I told him that it was time he leave, he gleefully replied, “No.” I repeated my instruction with a firmer voice only to receive squeals of laughter in response. I was not amused by his refusal!

I surveyed the situation, hoping to locate a way to grab him so that we could leave. He had chosen his location wisely and was completely out of my reach. It was going to take a herculean effort for me to climb through the structure to retrieve him, and I worried about both the weight limit of the tubes and the width of their openings. Visions of my bum becoming wedged in the tubes came flashing through my mind as I weighed my options. Imagining the headlines "One Legged Plump Woman Stuck at Chick Fil A" was enough to keep me from climbing after him.

Timmy wasn't listening and was settled into an unreachable section of the structure. A little playmate heard me demanding that Timmy come down and, unbeknownst to me, decided to bring help. Before I knew it, two police officers were standing next to me as I was yelling at plastic tubes in a Chick Fil A playground. (Apparently they were eating lunch at the same restaurant.)  

Unfortunately Timmy has limited exposure to police officers (something that we plan to remedy after this enlightening situation) and refused to listen to their directives as well. I was humiliated by his behavior!  One officer began to climb the structure when Timmy scurried to the other side of the play structure. The other officer began to climb up the slide, essentially flanking him from both sides. Realizing that he was caught, Timmy finally slid down the slide.

I was mortified by his behavior. I thanked the officers for their assistance, grabbed Timmy and headed out on the "walk of shame" through the restaurant. So much for having a fun day. My efforts resulted in my public humiliation necessitating law enforcement, and we were still late for Abby.  It is going to be a long time before we go back to any playgrounds!