Hoffman's Playland

On our last full day in NY, we went to visit Dave's grandmother, whom the kids call, "Mim."  Mim's house is pretty cool in that it has a neat carport, a tennis court, and is located next door to lots of cousins!  We were lucky enough to see a few of the kids' cousins when we stopped by.  Jacob and Reilly came by with their mom and dad (Andree and Mike), and then Noah and Eli just drove on over in their jeep, followed by their mom (Michelle).  So, we had Mairead plus six Hickok boys!  It was nice to spend a little time with them- thanks, everyone, for stopping by!

We then headed to Hoffman's Playland, which is an amusement park that is perfect for kids their age.  The boys were so excited to hop into this red Mustang...

Until it started moving and all hell broke loose.  They were NOT happy. 

Ben, surprisingly, readily agreed to fly in the helicopters as long as I went with him.  He loved it and we had to ride them three times!

Mairead loved every ride.  She has loved every ride she has ever been on- she's an adrenaline junkie, I guess!  The faster and higher, the better.  She dragged Dave onto every ride that they had... even the Scrambler.  That turned out to be a very messy mistake.  But, as soon as I got her calmed down and cleaned of vomit, she turned to me and said, "Now we can go on more rides?"

Rachael and her parents were visiting family in Nebraska during much of our visit, but we did get to see them one evening.  The kids were psyched to see their big cousin... it just doesn't look it in this picture because all four of them were so exhausted from their vacations!

Grandma and Grandpa's House

In early July, we made our annual summer trip to visit our NY family.  The kids did really well in the car and it was a pretty smooth trip for a family with three kids under five.  They were so excited to get to Grandma's house and Mairead even started the, "Are we there yet?" just about half way through the trip.

When we arrived, they were excited to find that Grandma had a job for them- frosting cup cakes!  Most of the frosting ended up being eaten, but they had fun putting just a little on the cupcakes.

We really had a lot of fun.  This was probably our best visit with the kids because they slept well, ate better, were not homesick, and found lots of things to do.  Grandma helped with that part by giving the kids projects and some fun gifts.  They loved the books that Grandma gave and read to them.

We went to two different playgrounds during our visit.  The first one was very secluded and quiet and even included a pond full of fish.  Grandma packed us a picnic lunch and we spent a fun few hours there.

I think this was the first time they had ever seen a merry go round at a playground.  What ever happened to those?  I haven't seen one in forever!  Anyway, a first grade girl (who proclaimed herself to be the strongest girl in first grade) obliged Mairead by giving her constant rides.  After the little girl left, the boys teamed up to spin their sister.  Finally, Jack was left alone with the task and actually did pretty well giving Mairead and Ben a turn!

I posted pictures of s'mores in the 4th of July post, but I had to included them again because the kids had so much fun toasting marshmallows with Grandpa.

Of course, we had to visit Jumpin' Jacks, which is a very popular and very cool ice cream stand.  We never miss a chance to eat ice cream!  The kids loved it there and for the rest of our visit, kept asking me to tell them a story about when the superheroes went to Jumpin' Jacks with Grandma.

Mairead was a big help in the kitchen and had the responsibility of stirring her favorite dish- Kraft macaroni and cheese.

She also LOVED her time swimming with Grandma.  This little man-made pond is perfect for her since she can touch the bottom and swim across with no problem at all.

When it was time to head home, they were all exhausted.  They did well for the ride home, though I wish they had napped a bit!  Thanks to all of our NY family for a great visit.  The kids really enjoyed themselves!  I do have a few pictures from our visit to Hoffman's Playland, and I will post those next!