Vacation-a-Go-Go

What a fantstic vacation.  I was very nervous about Cheeks in the car for so long, but he did amazing.  I'll break it down by day:

Friday 7/8
Doc and I couldn't sleep.  We decided to load up the car, and head out at 11:15pm.  We wake up the Cheek-meister and get on the road.  We had hoped he'd fall straight back to sleep, but nope - he was WIIIIIDE awake.  This was us at 3:30am at a random gas station in SC:

Saturday 7/9
We continued our drive and made it up to Alexandria, VA.  The drive really was nice - and we saw deer on the side of the road!!  We got a pet friendly hotel and Sophie and Harley did fantastic.  Cheeks was SO SO SO excited to be free of the car seat.  He was running around the room like a mad man.  At 6:00pm, all three of us konked out.

Sunday 7/10
We woke up bright and early (around 5 or 6ish) and grabbed some free continental breakfast downstairs.  We sedated the animals (they were so much less stressed this way) and we got on the road around 7:30 or so.  We decided we were SOOO close to Washington D.C., we needed to stop and visit the White House.  So we did!! 

We then continued our drive stopping for lunch in NJ where Cheeks learned how to use a straw (finally)!

After a long drive, we made it to Upstate NY!  Cheeks was so excited to see his Grandma and Grandpa and his Great Aunt and Great Uncle!!

Monday 7/11
Monday was a relaxing day.  We went down to Water Street Market and Downtown New Paltz.  It's such a quaint little town.  We enjoyed looking in the shops and had some lunch at a local restaurant. 

Tuesday 7/12
Of course the week that we go up to NY, it has to be in the midst of a heat wave!!!  We decided it was probably too hot to take Cheeks into the city, so he spent the day with Grandma and his Great Aunt.  Doc, my dad, and me went into NYC.  We had such a good time.  And we met Twist from the Frest Beat Band (those of you with kids probably know who I'm talking about!)  We were just walking down the street and Doc recognized him (out of costume).  He was SO nice.  Stopped and chatted for a few minutes and took his pic with us (this one was a pic of the pic on my dad's camera):

We had a pastrami sandwich at the Carnegie Deli, went to FAO Schwarz, the Apple Store, and to the top of the Empire State Building:

By the end of the day we were exhausted and missing Cheeks.  We went back to my Aunt and Uncle's, enjoyed some great Italian food, and crashed!

Wednesday 7/13
Wednesday was Catskills day.  We went up into the mountains to a little town called Phonecia.  There was a super cute store called the Eggs Nest where Cheeks got a drum - he loves to bang on it!  We walked around, let cheeks walk out of his stroller, and enjoyed lunch on a river in Kingston on the way home.  That night, Cheeks enjoyed a HUGE NY cookie while sitting in his cousin's coon skin cap watching the Fresh Beat Band:

Thursday 7/14
We just stayed around the house on Thursday.  We played outside, got some great pics, and Cheeks played with his new cousin!  It was a perfect day.

That night, we met my cousin for dinner.  We got this fun pic of the four of us:

Friday 7/15
We took Cheeks to a petting farm this day!  He loved looking at and petting the animals.  He was particularly smitten with the pigs:

Saturday and Sunday 7/16 and 7/17
These two days took up the drive back to FL.  We stopped overnight in Florence, South Carolina.  Cheeks had a ball running up and down the corridor in the motel back and forth between grandma and grandpas and our room.  He had a ball.  After a goodnight's sleep, we drove back home the next day and our vacation was over.

We had a really nice, good, relaxing time.  I am glad to be home, but wish we were still on vacation!  Next trip is coming up in about a month - a weekend at Universal Studios.  This should be an easier trip on us as it's only about 25 minutes away from home :)

Much needed vacation...coming right up!

Doc and I are gearing up to take our first *major* road trip with Cheeks (and together as a matter of fact).  We are driving from Central FL to Upstate NY!  We are very excited - and slightly nervous.  We are going to have a carful:  Doc, Cheeks, me, Harley (our dog), and Sophia (our cat - or soon to be ex-cat).  We were going to leave Harley here with a friend - but once she went and busted up her knee, we decided it's best she come along with us so we can keep an eye on her activity levels.  I don't want to - but because of the amount of space we have, and the lack of attention they have gotten lately - we have decided to find new homes for a couple of our kitties.  Sophia is going to a fantastic home - a friend of my Aunt and Uncles.  They love cats and are very excited to have her.  I hope we are making the right decision - I believe Sophie will be happier.

So we leave at 3:00am tomorrow.  I am nervous about Cheeks being in the car for so long.  We are breaking up the trip into two days - so hopefully it won't be too bad for him.  Between all the Fresh Beat Band episodes we downloaded to the iPad, the toy cars, the coloring books/paper, and books for him to look through, we SHOULD be good - fingers crossed!!

I cannot wait to get away and enjoy nature for a bit.  Upstate New York is beautiful - and this time of year is so much more pleasant up there than it is down here.  I'm excited for Cheeks to experience soft grass instead of the "cut your skin" blades of grass we have in FL.  Chasing lightening bugs is definitely on the agenda - as is a trip into the city with our family. 

Now - if the work day would just be over, vacation can START :) :)

Happy and Sad Notes

I know I haven't posted in awhile. We have had a hectic few days celebrating mama's birthday and traveling to visit with family in S. Florida. We had a fantastic time. Cheeks had a ball with our family over the weekend. We went swimming, out to dinner a few times, had a BBQ, and went to that bounce house place. Cheeks and his cousin Sammi had a BLAST. Let's just say I now know why adults don't have bounce house parties...I am way too old and out of shape for those things! But it's a good work out let me tell you!! So it was a great weekend had by all - we wish it didn't have to end.

I've been checking in on everyone's blogs - enjoying the updates. There is one blog in particular that I have become a dedicated reader to. I'm not sure if anyone else in the gay/lesbian parent blog circle reads this one, but it's heartbreaking. Mel at Three Times the Fun started a blog awhile back about her family - her, her husband, their 4 year old son, and their 6-month old TRIPLETS!! What a handful, huh? Well, last week, one of the triplets was found in his crib not breathing. A few days later, he passed away. She has been chronicling the week so amazingly well for a mom that must be going through hell. I don't know this woman (she is actually a friend of a friend), but being a mom, I feel her pain. I cannot imagine what she is going through. I think I would cease to function if anything happened to Cheeks. It's a beautifully written, sometimes heart wrenching read. Please keep this family in your thoughts as they go through this hard time. She noted in her blog that Owen's color was orange (they color coded the triplets) - tomorrow is Owen's funeral - she asked that everyone wear orange. While I don't know this family - her blog has touched me deeply - I will be wearing orange tomorrow to show my support as a fellow mom.

Cheeks' Fussiness and Upcoming Trip

Cheeks has been quite fussy the past few days. I'm hoping that it's just a phase and maybe his top teeth are coming through. I hope it is short-lived because we are going on our first plane ride with him on Thursday evening up to Ohio to visit Doc's family. Words cannot express how nervous I am about how this plane thing is going to play out - especially if Cheeks is cranky.

I'm trying to plan it as much as possible - but I don't even know where to begin planning. I guess it is more hoping than anything. I am hoping he isn't cranky. I am hoping he sleeps on the plane. I am hoping it's not ridiculously cramped on the plane. I am hoping that TSA doesn't molest me. I am hoping that we can pack everything in as little bags as possible. And I am hoping that TSA doesn't give us any issues with the formula! I need to research to see if the airport has a children's play area - that would tire him out to crawl around in there. But it could also get him sick. OY. I just need to get my lists together and go with the flow.