Troy and Melanie (dot com)

It’s hard to believe that our trip is coming to an end. The time flew by so quickly. The only thing on our agenda today was a party at our friend Alison’s house. We did get to swing by Grandma and Opa’s house to say hi to them before heading over to the party (Opa was feeling a little better today). Cole had a good time at the party and then conked out. Once we got back to Nonni and Pappy’s house they bathed him before he crashed for the night. Tomorrow we travel… wish us luck.

Today’s photos
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Whew! Even though it wasn’t our normal amount of travel, it was a lot… and we managed to make it without incident. Cole got to meet many of his Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins on both sides of the family and boy were they all excited to see him. He even got to meet one of his Great Grandpas. It’s amazing how a new baby can unite a family Hopefully Opa will be feeling better tomorrow so we can see him.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Today’s photos
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Twas the night before Christmas and baby Cole slept while his parents and grandparents got the Christmas tree prepped…

We had a pretty good day. The only real downer of the day was that we didn’t get to spend time with Grandma and Opa because Opa is sick. Hopefully it will pass quickly and we can see them again before the end of our trip. We spent the early part of the day hanging out at Nonni and Pappi’s where Cole got to read with Pappi, play on his new play mat, and do some tummy time with Nonni. This evening we had our traditional dinner with family in Hershey. Cole got to meet his Great Great Aunts Laura, Thalia, and Betty as well as his Great Great Uncle Paul. It was very cool seeing all of the generations together

Tomorrow should be a great day… Cole will get to meet lots of family and should enjoy all of the attention. Merry Christmas everyone!

Today’s Photos
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Today was quite a busy day and Cole did pretty well overall. The next 3 days are going to be busy as well as we visit with family and friends. Melanie and I spent the night at the Marriott again last night while Cole spent the night at Nonni and Pappi’s. We picked him up this morning and then went to Alison’s for lunch where Megan swung by and visited us. Then we headed over to Grandma and Opa’s to visit with them for a bit (Cole was being a cranky pants there). We ended our day at Ommie and Jodie’s visiting with a bunch of friends. It’s always nice seeing everyone and it’s great having them meet Cole . Surprisingly Cole was a champ and made it to near 10pm before calling it a night. We’ll see how the next few days go.

Today’s photos
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So last night Melanie and I stayed at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Lancaster… without Cole *sniffle*. Aside from a quick trip to Grandma and Opa’s place around 11:30 to calm him down the night away was a success. Fingers crossed that tonight he does well too (Nonni and Pappi have him).

Today’s photos
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Today’s high temperature: a balmy 34 degrees though the majority of the day was spent below 30 (currently it’s 29 and feels like 23). We spent the day going between the grandparents’ houses… and not much else. Bundle, carry, drive, unbundle, eat, play, bundle, carry, drive, unbundle, play, eat, bundle, carry, drive, unbundle, play… yeah, you get the idea. Cole is definitely getting the hang of this traveling thing, but he’s not yet warmed up to the idea of constantly being strapped into his car seat.

In other news we’re in the path of a nice winter storm. Predictions have us getting somewhere in the area of 10 inches of snow tomorrow. This should make for some nasty traveling, but some lovely photos.

Today’s photos
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We made it! The flight to PA went very smoothly and Cole was a champ. We nearly had a calamity as I forgot to bring Cole’s birth certificate with me (luckily we had a nice lady at the Southwest desk who used the effective date on my insurance card as proof of Cole’s birthdate… fingers crossed we have the same luck flying back). Getting through security at the Austin airport wasn’t as stressful as we thought thanks, in part, to the fact that not many people were flying today. Cole nursed on the way up and the way down with no ear popping problems, slept some in between, and was otherwise a happy little baby. His co-passengers on the plane were happy to have his cuteness around them.

One thing we did learn is that no matter how well you prepare, plan, and execute said plan things will inevitably go slower than you expect once you have kids (when traveling). Getting off the plane… slow. Getting down to get our luggage… slow. Finding a restroom to change the baby… slow. Getting the rental car and prepping it for travel… slow. Even the traffic was heavier and slower now that we have Cole in the car. We landed in Philly around 5… got the car around 6:15, but didn’t make it into Lancaster until 9 (it’s typically a 2 hour drive with a dinner stop included).

Today’s photos (Cole makes the family happy)
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Just to wrap up our Lancaster trip, Friday held more family time, including a Bujung-Schneider dinner at Friendly’s.  Yum!  Saturday held surprises…for me, at least.  The mommas, B and S, threw me a surprise baby shower, with the help of Troy (successfully confusing me and keeping me off track) and Aunt Jo (offering up her house for the shower).  I thought we were just going down to Aunt Jo’s for lunch with the Schneider clan, but once I walked into the house, I was greeted with a “surprise” as I entered the dining area and a room full of family and friends…and mini Winnie the Pooh and friends goodies.    It was one of those “wait, wha?” moments and I’m pretty sure I hugged 40+ people in the span of seven minutes.  It was such a nice surprise.  Furthermore, I was surprised to see some in attendance.  My Aunt Georgia was to the best of my knowledge in NY, but she had delayed leaving for that trip to come to the shower.  And, speaking of NY, my friend Fran made the trip down to l’il ole Lancaster to be at the shower.  So, that was a lovely surprise too.  The whole afternoon was full of smiles, conversation, catching up, and being wowed by the adorable and useful presents coming our way for the Peanut.  How blessed are we to have such great family and friends!  Thanks to everyone!

That evening, we had dinner at the Schneider abode and worked to pack up all of our stuff.  Then, we hung out at the Bujung abode for a few hours, finally saying goodbye…always bittersweet.  We left the Schneider house Sunday morning and drove to the Philly airport.  Luckily, we didn’t have delays on the way back to Austin like we did on the way up to PA.  We picked up our happy pup and headed home to see to unpacking, laundry, and some general vegging and reflection on the week.  It was a great week. 

So, Troy promises Lancaster posts and then doesn’t do any…tsk tsk!    Just kidding…I’m not much better.  We have been having a good week here so far, keeping busy and visiting with family and friends.  We have today and tomorrow and then we’ll be flying back to the heat (100s, 100s, 100s) of TX on Sunday.  Let’s see…here’s what we’ve done so far (some highlights):

>  Lunch down at Aunt Georgia’s last Sunday

>  Rita’s Italian Ice for a short visit with Hien Sunday afternoon

>  Father’s Day dinner out at Chili’s with both families Sunday evening

>  The Science Factory with Mom and Dad S. Monday afternoon

>  Oregon Dairy dinner with Ang Monday evening

>  Mel going to Central Market with Mom B. on Tuesday for lunch

>  Ang’s tennis match in Harrisburg on Tuesday evening

>  Mel having lunch with Alison at S. Clyde Weaver Wednesday at noon

>  Early dinner with Mom and Dad B. at Ruby Tuesday on Wednesday late afternoon

>  Troy playing tennis at McCaskey with Ang, Leigh, Brandon, and Kevin (Dad S. and I watched) on Wednesday evening

>  Photo session with The Wiebners Thursday morning (with us actually the “subjects”).  Thanks guys…looking forward to seeing them!

>  Mel seeing “The Proposal” with Mom B. and Aunt G. Thursday afternoon

>  Dinner and catching up with Ommie, Jodie, Ollie, JJ, Chrissy, Brett, Derek, Annie, and Ivy (at Ommie and Jodie’s house) Thursday evening

…which brings us to today.  Troy and Kevin went out riding Kev’s bike.  Beyond that, the day is just getting going, so not sure what it holds.  We’ll try to do a wrap up post once we’re back in TX Sunday.  On some general notes, the weather here in Lancaster has been beautiful…sunny and highs in the low 80s for the most part.  We have definitely been enjoying that!  Also, Peanut seems to be enjoying hearing the sounds of family and friends’ voices.  He’s building up a bit of a fan club already.    Okay…that’s all for now.  Toodles!