Visiting Family

     After 4 long years, my family finally got to take a trip back to my home town.  I grew up and lived in the same house in Rhode Island, my whole life, until I got married.  The last time we went, Ashley was still a baby, just learning how to walk.  There was no way she was going to be able to remember that trip, so everything and everyone was new to her this time.  We've had a few family members come visit us here and there, and my mom usually comes out twice a year, but there was a lot of family who have never met Lilly, and have not seen Ashley in a long time.

     We were really dreading the 15 and a half hour car ride it would take to get there.  It turned out, it actually wasn't that bad.  We left at 830 at night so we could get the most sleep out of the girls while driving.  The drive on the way back was broken up, which made it a lot easier to handle during the day. We visited family in New York, and then got a hotel after 8 hours the next day.  Mix all the hours in with lots of toys, books, and frozen on the dvd player, we were good to go!

     Anyways, the trip was a lot of fun.  We got to be with family a lot, which was fantastic.  Ashley got to play with her cousins.  Although it made me really sad to think how good of friends they would be if we were able to live closer, I was really glad that she got the experiences with them that she did.   She was so excited to play with them, as was Lilly.  Watching the joy on their faces, was awesome.  I didn't care if we were just sitting in the backyard, or out to eat, or wherever.  I didn't care if it wasn't a big crazy day, seeing my girls play with their cousins, while we got to be with family, was perfect.

     We did have some great "fun" days too though.  The girls got to go to the beach for the first time.  First time!!!  I feel so bad that my oldest, now 6, had never been to a beach.  I grew up on the beach.  I spent my whole summers on the beach practically.  Anyways, they loved it!  They had smiles the whole time we were there.  It didn't matter that the water was freezing cold.  It was hot out, the waves were slowly coming in, the sand was beautiful, and the kids were happy.  It made me smile to see Ashley smiling and giggling so much.  It was amazing.

     Another day, we went with my brother and his family to the Boston Science Museum.  All four kids, ages 2-9, had a blast.  Pushing buttons, running around, and letting their mind explore everything they saw.  We were there about 6 hours but the time flew by, and we were basically kicked out when it closed.  We then took the kids to the Rainforest Cafe, which none of them had been too before.  Talk about kids enjoying dinner.  The elephants and monkeys moving and making noise, and the "thunderstorm" every 30 minutes, were a big hit.

     On one of the last days that we were there, we took the kids on a sailboat tour.  We lucked out because we payed for group, not private, yet the other people didn't show up.  It was just us and the guide.  We went out in Newport and it was beautiful.  The guide was fantastic, showing us lots of places that I didn't even know about.  The girls had looks of amazement the whole time.  It was a beautiful day, so when we got misted by the water, it felt great!

     Unfortunately the time came when we had to head back home.  A quick phone call was made to Grandma, when 30 minutes into the drive Ashley started crying because she was so sad that we left.  Like I said earlier, we split up the return trip, so it was an easy transition back home.  I asked Ashley her favorite part of the trip and she couldn't think of one.  She enjoyed the museum day where we probably spent $200, just as much as the beach day, which only cost $10 to park.  They were both new experiences, and it made for a great trip for the whole family!