Hoiday trip - Part 1 (NY visit)

We left for NY on Dec. 18. Besides a minor hiccup at the airport (we forgot Ava's birth certificate and a friend had to drive to our house, get it, and drive it back to the airport - then our flight was 20 minutes delayed, so it all worked out!), we had a great flight. There was an empty seat in our row, so Ava had a lot of room to move around. She took full advantage.

Feeding Dolly her bottle so her ear's won't hurt. :)

Once we arrived at my dad's, Grandpa was in full 'play slave' mode. Ryan and I got a lot of time to rest and relax! Ava and Grandpa spent a lot of time upstairs in the play room, devising a ramp with old books for toy cars.

First pre-Christmas gift: a Hess truck and jet. So cool. Ava figured out all the buttons right away. We are awaiting it's arrival in Florida (we shipped a few things home!).

Snow experience #1. Ava did NOT like the snow. She wanted to be held the entire time we were outside and didn't even want to sit on my lap in the sled. She took two trips down a small hill on the golf course - one with Grandpa and one with me - and cried the whole time.

Definitely a Florida girl.

Recovering inside with Grandpa, hats, and a good book.

You ain't cool unless you wear 3D shades upside down.

Checking out Grandpa's camera.

First trip to see Santa! As you can see, she was a bit unsure of the big man. He was wonderful (a great REAL beard) and not in a hurry at all, so he spent some time talking with her before she relented and let Ryan put her on his lap.

Still unsure, but not crying. I think that's a plus!

I got one of the best Christmas gifts EVER when I got to spend an evening with my closest childhood friends. Grandparents assumed the roles of babysitters for the evening and the men quarantined themselves safely in the other room while we reminisced, caught up, and bonded over stories of our new roles as mothers.

Anne and Erin.

What a great night, but I miss my girls already. We laughed and laughed and laughed. I hope we get to do it again!

The next day, we got our children together. All four of us have daughters and they're not too far apart in age. Gretchen invited us to her home, the girls played and made their own pizzas.

Evy, Sophia, and Ava checking out the toy box.

Ava's first ride on a rocking horse.

Making her pizza with Daddy.

I think the girls managed to play with every single toy that Sophia owns! A great time was had by all.

Lunch time!

Erin, Anne, Maddy (Anne's), Evy (Erin's), Gretchen and Sophia and baby Stella, me and Ava.

Sophia, Maddy, Evy, Ava, and baby Stella.

The NY portion of our trip was a lot of fun. We packed in sledding, a trip to Dinosaur BBQ, Lights on the Lake, visiting Santa, and some adult fun too (two whole nights out!). It went by quickly, but was a wonderful few days.

Next stop...PA!