March 31, 2011...Back to Reality

All good things must come to an end, and so, as we de-boarded the train back in Rochester, real life swept back in, reminding me of the responsibilities, chores, and duties I left behind.  First on my to do list...unpacking and laundry.

March 30, 2011...Lazy Day

We awoke to a beautiful sunrise (which was apparently blinding to morning eyes!)

We didn't do much today except hang out on the train, walk to the observation or dining car, and wile away the hours, while watching the world go by. Perfect, if you ask me.

We crossed the Mississippi River a few times and I was amazed at the expanse of it.  It literally IS miles across!

The biggest thing I will bring away from this trip, besides the bonding with Tiff, Brie and the boys, is this look of awe and wonder I saw on my boys' faces every time they stared out the window at all the amazing sights whizzing by.  That is a look I will never forget!

March 29, 2011...Beautiful Montana Skies and Falling Trees

We drove through Montana and I was pleasantly surprised to see the wide open spaces offset by the most beautiful blue skies I've ever seen.  When we came through Montana on the way out West, it was blowy and snowy and all there was was white as far as the eye could see.  

I could have stared out the windows the entire trip just watching the beautiful scenery go by.  And it changed so frequently.  In ND it got so flat and then seconds later there would be rolling hills.  Then flat again.  It was captivating!

The kids did marvelously while on a train with odd schedules/routines for three days.  They played together, watched movies, read books, played with legos.  They're the most flexible and adaptable kids ever and I would take them anywhere!

The second day on the train we hit a tree (which actually hit the train outside the window we were sitting at).  It apparently fell as we passed and scared the living daylights out of us while we were sitting in the dining car.  It "derailed" us for three hours while the engineers inspected the damage and repairs were made to the train.  Yikes!  What an adventure!

March 28, 2011...Homeward Bound

We boarded the train headed East today.  But not before having a fantastic breakfast at Marc & Lindsay's fabulously cool apartment/house(?)  Just walking through the neighborhood was fun and funky, with beautiful wrought iron fences and houses painted in amazing color palettes.  Gorgeous!

Then we hit the streets to sight see around Portland as much as we could before having to be at the train station to head home.  We stopped at Pittock Mansion which overlooked the city and then hit a couple parks that allowed for great photos.

Then we were off to the train station where we were homeward bound!

March 27, 2011...Going to the Chapel

Today my cousin, Marc, married the coolest chick I know, Lindsay.  I met Lindsay at my cousin's (Marc's brother) wedding in NH two years ago.  She had such a fun and funky charm about her I couldn't help but dig her!  We soon friended each other on Facebook and I have been entertained and amazed by her ever since.  I'm so glad to welcome her into our family and was beyond honored (and blessed!) to be able to be a part of their wedding day!  What a trip/adventure it's been!  I am forever grateful that these two met and fell in love.  I wish them every happiness!  I love you both!

March 26, 2011...Washington Park, the Oregon Zoo, and MORE!

Today we toured Portland.  We woke up and hit the streets in search of breakfast which led us to Fuller's.  They had the most authentic, down-home, fantastic breakfast ever and it was cheap!  (I assume, actually since Billy stole the check to pay it!)  We then hit Pullman's Books which was fabulous (but required a couple less kids and a few more hours of free time to fully enjoy!).  From there we lost Noah and Billy (who were going to meet up with the Bride and Groom for their Pub Crawl festivities) and Tiff, the kids and I headed out in search of the Oregon Zoo.  On the way there we took a side trip of sorts through Washington Park while Alex snoozed a bit.  It was beautiful there!  Gorgeous lush green growing in every direction.  Green moss, green leaves, green brush, green grass...it was just GREEN.  Tiff was calling it the Emerald Forest and that's the best description yet!  It was breathtaking!  

Eventually the kids grew tired of Aunt Tiff (Mom) parking the car and Mommy (Aunt Shana) jumping out to snap photos but man did that feed my soul!  So eventually, we made it to the zoo.  It was an awesome zoo!  This zoo had animals our zoo at home doesn't have and the whole set up and atmosphere is gorgeous.  I had fun snapping a ton of photos there, too!  Eventually we made it to dinner and the kids crashed early (as did Tiff and I, if I recall!)  Busy day of tourist activities but totally worth it!

March 25, 2011...Washington/Oregon

We woke up in Washington today and oh, what a beautiful place this is.  We headed down to the observation car for a bit this morning to watch the mountains roll by - it was stunning!  I found myself breathless and in awe over the majestic mountains surrounding us.  I couldn't snap quickly enough and bounced from one side of the train to the other to try and capture it all.  Of course that makes it difficult to pick just one (or two, or three) photos to share for today, but I'll try.  We also met some great people on the train today and got some interesting stories from locals about the history, where to go, what to see, etc.   Finally, we pulled up to the train station in Portland, retrieved our luggage and waited inside for Tiff to take a cab to the airport to pick up our rental car.

March 24, 2011...Chuggington

After traveling through Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota yesterday/last night, we awoke this morning in North Dakota and while it was FLAT as could be, the sunrise sure was gorgeous.  

The rest of our travels today took us through the great state of Montana, and ended with a short stint through Idaho.  I was impressed with how far one could see across the lands and particularly loved the icy trees of North Dakota.  

They are covered from top to bottom in the blowing snow over night and just sparkle with ice/snow in the morning.  As the sun rises, the snow melts off and the wonder is lost.  It was gorgeous!  

The kids did great and got to explore the train a little, heading down to the dining car for breakfast/lunch/dinner and staring out the window at the amazing sights whipping by.    

March 23, 2011...Chicago

Today we traveled through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana and arrived in Chicago around 10 AM.  We got first class shuttle service off the train and were escorted to the front of the line at the check in.  We had a 4-5 hour layover before catching our next train to Oregon but were set up in the specialty lounge complete with complimentary beverages and snacks.  The kids did very well and Tiff was a godsend in the lounge area, entertaining the kids and organizing activities for them!  The train station was gorgeous so I snuck away with the boys to get some photos of the grand hall and let them stretch their legs. Of course, they would have been happy to ride the escalator up and down all afternoon!  

March 22, 2011...Headin' West!

We boarded a train tonight for our cross country adventure out to Oregon!  The train was scheduled for 11:00 PM (and didn't actually arrive for nearly an hour later) so it was a late night for the kids but a screw up in our tickets landed us all in a sleeper car for the night so we got the kids to bed relatively easily.  I awoke the next morning to Nate sitting up in bed, staring out the window, and whispering "Awesome!" under his breath at all the sights roaring by!  What fun we'll have!

March 21, 2011...Birthday Boy

March 20, 2011...Celebrate!

Today we had an FDNY themed firefighter party for Nate's 5th birthday at the F-H-M fire department.  The guys (Nate's "firefighter friends") surprised us (all!) with a presentation to Nathaniel wherein he received a Citation of Community Support for his donation of many fire alarms and Carbon Monoxide detectors to the firehall.  In lieu of presents, we asked that people bring one to donate to the fire department to distribute to people in the community who don't have one and we got a lot of support!  They told a very nice story about how they came to know Nate and what a great and inspirational kid he is.  *Sigh*  So proud of my Bug.  And what a great gesture from a great bunch of people!!  Nate's photo will even be in the paper!  I'll keep you posted on that!

March 19, 2011...Fun in the Spring Sun

I took so many cute photos of the kids playing outside today but I decided to randomly pick one to share.  The rest may make a post for another day!  Sarah came with Kenny to spend the weekend so the boys got some extra special play time with their cousin - they had SO much fun!  I always love having my sister here so I was sad to see her go when the weekend ended!

March 18, 2011...Picnic

We had some beautiful weather today so the boys all got outside to do some work.  Dave came through on his promise to build the Ciravola's a picnic table for everything they've done for us this year and the boys got to blow some stink off.  Boy did they sleep well tonight!  Nothing like a little sunshine to keep your spirits up though!  

March 17, 2011...Mo-hog

The boys got their hair cut tonight and Nate insisted on getting a big boy haircut this time.  So when Janet asked him what she would be doing, he looked at her and said, "A Mo-hog, please!"  She looked at me all wide eyed and questioning and I simply nodded.  I promised him he could do something spikey this time since he's all about spiking his hair when he "gets ready" in the morning.  I explained to her that it could be less mohawk and more spike so she agreed and loudly said "let's see about that mo-hog thing" and Nate beamed proudly!  He looked like such a big boy when he was all done.

Then Alex took his turn in the seat and got all handsome-d up.  What a cute little man he was sitting there, all red faced and rashy and everything.

 When all was said and done, I took the boys to (Old) McDonald's for a happy meal and they got their first (and second, and third, and...) taste of Mommy's Shamrock Shake (yum!)

March 16, 2011...Frosty Morning

Today promised to be a nice pre-Spring day but it started out cold and frosty.  I took this picture on my way out of the driveway because I loved the imagery of Nate's fire truck waiting to be played with while the earth slowly woke up and defrosted around it.  Weird, I know.

March 15, 2011...Swimming

Since dismantling Alex's toddler bed to put up the boys' bunk beds, his crib mattress has been in the living room.  The boys decided at this point to take the mattress and turn it into a pool.  They stripped down to skivvies/diapers and "jumped in".  Alex is even doing the crawl here.

March 14, 2011...$1, a punch balloon, and a dream

I gave Nate $1 at the Dollar Store the other day to spend on something he wanted and he bought himself a mardi gras chain necklace so he "could pretend he was a ghost".  He then insisted that his brother needed this three-pack of punch balloons and that "maybe he could share them with me?"  Of course.  Regardless of his ulterior motives, Nate and Alex had hours of fun with these silly things.  It was a dollar well spent!

March 13, 2011...Bunk Beds for Big Boys

 We got the boys bunk beds tonight.  Nate was all excited at the idea so we spent some time and effort making sure he really knew what that meant.  Sharing a bedroom with his brother.  Most likely sharing his brother's bedroom and making his firefighter bedroom into a playroom.  He still agreed so our Sunday project became putting together these bunkbeds while I cleaned out the two rooms.  I put all the toys in Nate's room and all the bedroom stuff in Alex's room.  Now they are officially bunked in together.  It doesn't make bedtime any easier (yet) but hopefully it will soon.  In the meantime they're stuff seems less messy so I'm happy!