We went for a walk the first night we were there and I managed to lose my glasses out of the stroller while I was wearing my sunglasses. I spent a lot of time online and making phone calls the next day and was able to get an eye exam scheduled at a place that could do one hour glasses. All in all it worked out well since I have been wanting new glasses and just hadn't gotten around to scheduling an appointment.
Eric and I slept in J.D.'s room while Sylvia slept on the bottom bunk in Abi's room. The first night was a pretty rough but we the kids ended up sleeping pretty well in the same room. J.D. usually fell asleep in Zach and Rachel's room and was later moved in with the girls. Sylvia enjoyed listening to Bible stories on CD each night.
The weather was wonderful while were were in Pennsylvania and we spent lots and lots of time outside. Zach and Rachel's swing set, etc. was a big hit during the week with both Sylvia and Eric. As you can tell from the following video, my little girl loves to make up songs.
I'm pretty sure that Sylvia will be asking for a scooter next summer now that she is a big girl.
I loved enjoying my morning coffee in the backyard while watching the kids play. The kids also enjoyed eating snack outside.
Our first full day there we enjoyed a visit from a couple of friends who went to college with me and Rachel in Wisconsin. We pulled out the slip 'n slide, ate lunch and snack outside and let the nine kids run wild. If only I had that much energy. The slip 'n slide was a hit throughout the week.
The kids also enjoyed dressing up quite a bit during the week. I'm not exactly sure what Sylvia is doing here but it sure is cute and funny.
We spent a day at the Philadelphia Zoo. Abi and Sylvia became quick friends during the week.
Feeding and petting the goats was a highlight of the zoo.
These two weren't so sure about posing for a picture for me.
Eric spent most of the time at the zoo in his stroller but did enjoy getting out to look at a few animals and play in a fountain. The kids got very wet but I'm sure it felt good on such a hot day.
We took a break from the heat and visited the "Tree House" which is open to guests who have a zoo membership. There were dinosaurs and dinosaur eggs for the kids to crawl in and around as well as a giant tree with stairs and a slide inside.
Eric, J.D., Abi, Lydia and Sylvia
Rachel teaches piano lessons and Kindermusik classes at a local studio. Sylvia got to join Abi and J.D. for Kindermusic and I enjoyed a little snuggle time with Eric during the class.
We were able to paint our toenails, make popsicles, and play with shaving cream which were all on our summer list.
The girls watched Dora while I painted their toenails. Sylvia said she was scared of Swipper and kept covering her eyes when he came on.
The kids enjoyed helping make and eat strawberry and banana yogurt popsicles.
It was highly entertaining watching the kids play with shaving cream in the backyard. They really got into it...maybe a little more than I expected but they had a blast.
We didn't spend much time inside but here are a few photos and videos to show that we weren't outside all week.
We got everyone arranged and used the timer for a group shot which ended up turning out pretty well considering how many kids were involved.
I learned a valuable lesson to not overpack your bags when flying. I ended up paying $90 on top of the original fee for checking luggage because they were overweight. Not much else I could do at that point since Rachel was driving around the parking lot with all five kids in the van while I checked in. We survived our flights home. Although it was naptime, Eric had trouble falling asleep on our first flight and was a little grumpy. I don't believe he had as much room on my lap on the way home! Sylvia feel asleep during take off of the second flight and Eric got some rest as well with the help of a Kipper video.
We were all very excited to see daddy when we got home. It was a wonderful two weeks of visiting friends but I was exausted and ready to have my husband back. We ate dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings before hitting the road to Iowa City. Eric was worn out ended up falling asleep on the way home.
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