This morning on the way I to school I was talking to Alex about packing for our trip to Vermont. I told her that she was going to need to decide what she wanted to bring. I mentioned this to her because she is so fussy about her clothes right now. She then said, “I think I should bring my blankie.”
Well, it’s about time I write about our trip to Vermont since we’ve been back for 10 days already 
Our train trips were the best we’ve had with Alex. She was really well behaved and amused herself pretty well - she didn’t take a nap on the way up but she did have one on the way back. The train was also really quiet on both trips, which made the trip a lot more pleasant.
Alex was really happy to see Grammy - she was a little shy around Uncle Johnny at first but before long she was bossing him around just like she does with everyone else.
When Alex would get up in the morning the first thing she wanted to do was go outside and play. It was strange to be ourside with her at 6:30 in the morning in our pajamas She loved being able to get up and go right outside since Grammy has a big yard.
On our first full day we played outside and in the afternoon we went to the beach. The weather was unusually hot for Vermont in June so I didn’t want to be in the sun but Alex had so much fun playing in the sand and the water. I wish she could go to the beach here.
On Sunday we tried to take Alex to an amusement park for children called Santa’s Village but when we got there she got really upset and started crying that she wanted to go home. So, we left. She has been funny about new places and situations lately. We went to a town in NH called Lancaster and went shopping and out to lunch instead - Alex had a great time doing that.
The last full day we were there I went to Dylan’s high school graduation. We were all going to go but we decided that it would be too long and boring for Alex so she stayed home with Marc. Overall it was a nice ceremony.
The worst part of the trip was coming home - when we left the weather was really nice and we came back to horrible hot and humid weather - yuck.
Last Saturday(21st) and Sunday(22nd) the three of us took a trip to visit Natalie, John, David and Sarah in New York City. Alex was so excited and couldn’t wait to go as she remembered having a lot of fun when Natalie and David came to visit a couple of months ago. When Alex gets excited she is actually a bit of a pest because she says the same thing over and over and over - “we go now”, “we go now”, “we go see Natalie and David now”. Alex was great on the train ride and enjoyed looking out of the window. We got to their house about 12:45, hung out for a little while and then Alex and David took naps. Alex didn’t want to take a nap - she wanted to play with David’s toys - but she was so tired that she fell right asleep. After the nap John and Marc took David and Alex to the huge Toys R Us in Times Square and then to the playground. Apparently Alex was scared of the life-size dinosaur and of a man in a girafe costume. Natalie and I had a great time just hanging out and talking. The baby is so good that you barely notice she is there - she just eats and sleeps. She does get bad tummy aches from gas so that is the only time that she cries. Nat and I also went out for a walk and to a cafe. After we headed home to make dinner.
We had a wonderful dinner, the kids played, took baths and then went to bed. Alex and David slept in the same room together! It was a bit of a struggle to get them to sleep but then they were fine. I knew, however, that if Alex woke up she would be upset because she wouldn’t know where she was. And she did - she woke up crying in the middle of the night so she slept with us for the rest of the night. I didn’t sleep very good because my new allergy medicine is causing me to wake up all night long (I’m only taking it in the morning now) and the kids woke up really early and were ready to go and start playing. Alex was so just so excited - the kids played, Nat made yummy blueberry muffins and the Dads took Alex and David out again for the morning. They went to the playground and then were going to the Natural History museum but again Alex got scared of something and didn’t want to go so they went to a huge playground at Central Park instead. Nat and I went out for coffee, talked and went for a walk with the baby. It was so nice to spend so much time with Natalie and for both of us to have a break from the 2 and 3 year olds And now Alex knows John really well and likes him - she didn’t know him that well before.
Alex only had a short nap because we wanted to catch the 2:15 train so we woke her up to go. She was great on the train ride home - she rested on the first train and played I Spy with Marc on the second. I only took pictures of the baby so hopefully Natalie and John will send me some of the ones that they took. Overall we had a great weekend and I got to spend a lot of time with Natalie.
Soon we will be on our next big trip to Vermont!
Last Friday, the 8th, I went to New York for the day to visit Natalie and baby Sarah. I couldn’t believe how tiny and cute Sarah was. John spent most of the day with David so Natalie and I had a chance to talk and hang out with the newborn. It was great to see them. I think all of us are going up for a visit in the middle of May. There are picture on April 2005 .
On the 3rd day of our trip to Vermont (August 12th) we took Alex to Storyland in Jefferson, NH. The drive there was beautiful: we were in the White Mountains driving down these windy mountain roads with breathtaking views. Marc, being a city boy, was expecially impressed. Before we went to Storyland we stopped at a restaurant nearby and had breakfast: Alex loved her blueberry pancakes. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant: I wish I could. It was packed with kids and had a train motif - something Junction maybe. Anyway, on to Storyland …
Storyland is a theme park for young children and is 50 years old (it is even older than me) and I went there when I was a kid. They have attractions and rides based on children’s storys such as The Three Little Pigs, Baa Baa Black Sheep, Cinderella’s castle, and Alice in Wonderland. Alex LOVED it and the rest of us had a really good time too. Alex was so excited and wanted to see everything. She was hesitant to go on any rides but ended up enjoying the carousel and the train ride. Johhny, Dylan, Marc and I also had a lot of funs on rides like the tilt-a-whirl and the roller coaster - I hadn’t been to an amusement park for a really long time. Storyland is such a fun place for small children and I’m so glad that we took Alex there.
On the second day of our Vermont trip we played outside in the morning and then went to the beach again in the afternoon after Alex’s nap. Alex loves playing in the sand and the water so much!! Alex also went out for ice cream and had corn and green beans for dinner - her favorite.
I have added the rest of the photos from our trip to Vermont. They are on August 2004 and on Storyland under Events.
Our train ride up was peaceful and uneventful. Alex was really good, took a great nap and the train wasn’t crowded at all. She even did great on the car ride to Grandma’s house afterward. On the way, we stopped for ice cream and Alex learned to day - “Ice Cream, Ice Cream, Ice Cream” while banging her hands on the table. And now she asks me for ice cream almost every day. The first day we were there we slept in, played outside, Alex worked in the garden, and in the afternoon after Alex’s nap we went to the beach at Lake Willoughby. Here are some great photos of the lake. Alex has so much fun playing in the sand, digging, and making sand castles with Marc and Johnny. She was like - this is great, they never want me to play in the dirt at home. At first, she was very hesitant about the water but once she went in she had such a good time. She was playing and splashing - it was so wonderful to see her out on the fresh air having so much fun.
Grandma arrived last night! Unfortunately her train was very delayed and Alex was already in bed by the time she got here. The train didn’t even leave Vermont on time so she was behind the entire trip. What’s great is that the heat wave broke and it is so nice and cool today and is supposed to be really nice all weekend. We should have a really good visit and a great birthday party.
