Tuesday, April 22, 2008

And they're off...

On vacation, again!! Those two kids of ours are away again! Seems like yesterday I posted about their trip to Mystic and Newport. Now they left this morning for Strasburg, PA. It's spring break week in the Port Chester school system, which means Francesca spends her days with my parents, unless me or Scott is able to take a day off. So, my mom and dad decided it was time to take the kids back to Vermont. The kids have been talking about this for 2 weeks or so.

Yesterday, I called my mom to see if she made reservations and she sighed "Big problems, Dineen. The hotel pool is under renovation. I don't know where we are going to go." Big problems is right. Scott and I were all set to have 2 blissful, uninterrupted nights of sleep, with no Francesca coming in our room at 2 AM and no Gavin crawling in between us, "because his sheets were cold". This would not do. Plus, if the kids didn't get to go anywhere I would have 2 very grumpy children on my hands. So I got to work. I tried to give my mom ideas - different parts of Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania. Finally they agreed that Strasburg, PA might be fun. Strasburg is home to the Strasburg Railroad, the National Toy Train Museum and close to many, many other things. My mom was able to make reservations at a hotel with an indoor pool and they were all set. Phew!!

Francesca and Gavin set off this morning with packed suitcases, backpacks filled with their Leapsters and small toys, and 2 Webkinz each. Plus I believe Happy, Francesca's stuffed unicorn, snuck into her suitcase. And 2 Thomas the Tank Engine trains in Gavin's. Of course. Can't go to the National Train Museum and not bring one of your own!!!

As much as I wish Scott and I were there with them, it is nice for our kids to make memories with their family outside of memories shared with us. Someday, they will be older and look back on times with their Ma, Pa, Grammy, and other assorted aunts, uncles and cousins and smile. I know that when I think of things that I did when I was younger I smile too.

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