Nicholson

While Joe was away at a confrence in NY, the children and I took a road trip to Northeastern Pennsylvania to visit with my parents and brother.


We took our time getting there on Wednesday, witnessing two car fires along the way, hitting snow in the Poconos, and not stopping til Nicholson! It was a little after four p.m. when we finally got in and my brother, Nick, took the girls outside to play in the snow as soon as we finished saying hello. They got to go sledding-even our timid Carmellina went down the hill! That night we ate a dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese around the coffee table in the living room, with everyone, including grandparents, squished together on the couch. It was very cozy.


Thursday was a day at home away from home. The girls and Joey and I just did our usual routine, but at my parents' house instead. Rosemary observed that it was strange to have our regular day somewhere else. Somehow it was relaxing for me. I even enjoyed cooking dinner that night with Nick...we took turns holding the baby so we could cook. He even found time to take Carmellina outside to play again.


Dad took off on Friday and shared his love for skiing with us by taking us for a trip up to Elk Mountain. We went just to take a look and to get the girls thinking about it a bit. The most exciting thing to them was not watching people ski, but watching them sit down on the chair lift! For me it's been over ten years since I went skiing, but I felt the same thrill over the sport that I felt when I was little, standing at the base of the mountain with my dad. We hope to go next year- all of us, except the baby, I guess. :)


That night we went to Chuck E Cheese for dinner and play. I think we grown ups were a bit put off by the change in their choice of game systems. It seemed that many of the games were bent on gambling, like primers for children to become gamblers. Thankfully Rosie and Carmellina were only interested in climbing through the aerial tunnels, but I think we won't be going back for a long while...if ever. :(


On the way back to my parents' house a snow storm began, which ended Saturday morning leaving four more inches of snow on top of what was already there! Once again my bro took his nieces outside and played away the morning, with Rosie stopping to help Dad shovel.


It was hard to leave, but we finally pulled out around 2:30. The drive would not have gone well if it hadn't been for Rosemary! Baby Joey was awake for the first fourty-five minutes and started to get very unhappy. I was able to pull over and move Rosemary's seat up next to the baby so she could take care of him as we drove. She did great! And when Carmellina woke up, she helped too, peek-a-booing around the seat. What great sisters! What a relief to have little helpers like them!

Can you believe the trip wasn't over? We stopped at my cousin's house on the way home to meet her new baby Brianna Lynn. What a sweet baby! The girls played with their other cousin, Hailey, and baby Joey ate a whole container of bananas...uh-oh. Not long after we were on our way home, eager to be in our own beds.

The girls went to sleep cheerfully, snuggled in and sleepy. I waited up for Joe and felt, at his homecoming, home when I heard his voice in our house. For all the fun of traveling, it was good to be together at the end of the journey.