Cleveland

From Columbus we drove to Cleveland to visit Andrew's brother Rob, Kate and the girls. I can't tell you how much Connor and Leyla love playing with their cousins. It's so sad that we don't live closer- the kids play so well together and always have such a great time. Connor is always devastated when its time to go :( As usual- it was such a fun visit! We're so excited for Rob and Kate's baby number 4- due to arrive in just a few short weeks. Can't wait for another cousin!

Cousins at the dinner table. Leyla thought this was way cool!

 Just before bed. Natalie, Connor, Noelle, Vivian and Leyla.

 Playing in the snow the next morning. Vivian on top of the snow mountain.

 Snowball fight!

 Connor taking Noelle for a ride. As usual they were two peas in a pod. They're only 3 days apart!

 Leyla and Vivian.

Vivian, Noelle and Connor building towers. This is Connor's current smile/snarl- used for when he really doesn't want to stop what he's doing to take a freaking picture already.

 Leyla on the trampoline. They just might have the most fun house ever!

Like I said, so sad we don't live closer. Thanks for the great visit!

Columbus, OH

Continuing on with our road trip... I didn't take very many pictures while at the Schirner's. Probably because we were having too much fun just hanging out. Jessica, Matt and Henry were the most gracious of hosts, we are so appreciative! On Friday we all went to COSI (Center of Science and Industry- rated the #1 science center in the country by Parents magazine). It was awesome and the kids had a blast! Friday night Matt's sister Maggie babysat for the kids while we all went out for dinner. Andrew and Matt's best friend Mike also joined us. It was so fun hearing them reminisce about their college days- I don't think there are four people on earth who had more fun in college than their group of friends. My goodness did we laugh so much! Afterwards Matt and Mike indulged Andrew with a little karaoke pit stop before heading home. All Night Long as usual ;) Saturday Andrew met up with a high school friend for lunch, we bowled and then the whole gang hung in for dinner and Hangover 2 (the movie)! A perfect weekend!

Connor at COSI

The gang heading out on Friday night.

Karaoke!

Henry, Connor and Leyla. The kids had so much fun playing together.

Bowling Saturday afternoon.

Thank you to the Schirners for their awesome hospitality!

Seven Springs, PA

We picked Connor up from school at 12 on a Wednesday and hit the road. Our first destination was Columbus, Ohio - to visit our friends (and Leyla's Godparents) the ever awesome Schirners. It was a 10 hour drive so we wanted to find a place somewhat half way to stop for the night and spend the next day. We decided on a ski resort (why not?) in Seven Springs, PA. The place had skiing, tubing, mini golf, bowling, an arcade- basically a perfect place to let the kids blow off some steam for a day before hitting the road again. It took us about 6.5 hours to get there. The place was just so much fun. Can't say enough about it! Our pics:

View from our balcony. Cool right?

Not sure what he was saying to her here but I thought this was such a cute picture.

 Happy guy.

 Morning sun.

 Heading to the slopes! Stuffed to the gills ;)

 So excited!!

We put Connor in ski school, which he loved. This just might be my favorite picture of him ever. How proud is he??

His (very nice) instructor was named "Doug," who Connor referred to as "Dog." Here are he and Dog headed down the (big!) mountain. He was a natural! This one is a framer too.

The little miss.

 

Again, an absolutely perfect place to spend the day. We were on the road around 2pm (the kids fast asleep immediately!) and arrived at the Schirners in Columbus by 5!

Changes Heading our Way... and our ROAD TRIP!

Since returning from Tokyo Andrew's work schedule was less than ideal. He had to revert back to his 1.5 hour each way commute to the city, only to return home to lots and lots of night calls (sometimes until midnight or later) with Tokyo. Not to mention the many trips back and forth to Tokyo-- he went nine times between April and December- for 1-2 weeks at a time. I was still somewhat shell shocked from the earthquake and our uprooting just after, and had anxiety whenever he'd have to go back there. All in all, the whole situation was like I said, less than ideal. And so the job search began. Fast forward several months, and a new job, a perfect new job has been accepted. He'll be a CFO (dream position!) at a company in... wait for it... wait for it... NEW CANAAN (dream location!) We feel like we've won the lottery (the life lottery that is). Andrew gave notice to his company in early January. They completely understood, they knew his current work/travel situation wasn't a long term solution. Andrew's last day was just over two weeks ago and we've been basking in the glow of a non-Aetos life ever since ;) His new commute is 5 minutes from our house, roughly half the distance Andrew previously drove just to get to the train station-- which is just going to be awesome. He begins in mid March. Until then, we're enjoying the heck out of having him around so much!

Our first order of business during Andrew's time off ... ROAD TRIP! We packed up our little family and hit the open roads. We were gone for 2 whole weeks but because of Connor's winter break and the president's day holiday he only missed two days of school. The goal of the trip was to visit with friends and family we don't often get to visit, given Andrew's previously crazy work schedule and lack of personal time off.

Our trip took us coast to coast. On the way out we made stops in Seven Springs, PA, Columbus, Cleveland, and Michigan. Andrew and I then hopped a plane by ourselves (to meet more friends!) to California.

On the way home we drove 14 hours straight from Michigan to Connecticut (with only brief stops for lunch, dinner and bathroom breaks). We couldn't believe how great the kids were for the whole trip. We packed lots of snacks, toys, games, etc. We also had our ipad in case we got desperate but surprisingly we only had to bust that out for 45 mins or so max. They both were seriously rockstars!

Couple iphone pics from the drive itself:

Connor is like me, falls asleep so easily in the car. He spent a lot of our driving time snoozing.

Leyla on the other hand didn't sleep a whole lot, but was a perfectly content little passenger! Side note - no matter how long we are in the car for, or how cold it is outside, Leyla takes her shoes and socks off immediately. I don't get it, and its quite annoying, but I've given up on fighting her about it. And look how happy it makes her...

It made me laugh because whenever they would fall asleep at the same time, their heads would always be leaning the same way. Love those two little birds!

Pictures from each of our stops to come...

Connor's Bowling Birthday Party

 With the craziness of December and the holidays, etc. we decided to delay Connor's "friend" birthday party until the new year. This way he got to have his own celebration, not to mention something really fun to look forward to after the holidays were over! And so we had his party today, at his favorite place- the bowling alley of course! Connor is at a different pre-school this year than last. When we unexpectedly returned from Tokyo his old school didn't have a spot for us for the fall (you apply and are admitted by January here). Luckily a spot opened up at another preschool and that's where we are now. We think it worked out as it should have, because we are so so so happy at his new school. At first we were bummed that he'd have to make all new friends (yet again) but really it's just meant two sets of friends! We've kept in touch with his friends from his previous school and continue to get together with them regularly. This all made for a good sized party today-- with friends from both his old and new schools, not to mention his friend Brendan from Tokyo too! It makes us realize how good Connor is at making (and keeping!) new friends everywhere life takes him. We're so proud of him!

Just before we left for the party.

Celebrating his 4th birthday!

Pre-party scene.

Connor and Cole.

I love Connor's bowling form ;)

Video game break.

Pizza time!

Chatting with Drew.

This is so typical Connor. The rest of the party has finished their lunch and is back to bowling but Connor is still eating.

Love his smile here. He was so happy!

He got to take home a real bowling pin, signed by all his friends!

Such a fun way to celebrate the most fun boy I know! We could not possibly love him more!!

Random Recent Iphone Pics Part 2

Scootin!

On Saturday morning Andrew took the kids to the batting cage/arcade while I went to the gym. I met them there afterwards. Connor is a seriously good air hockey player!

Leyla trying on Claire's hot pink cowboy boots. I must find a pair of these for Leyla! Those boots are made for walking!

Leyla had a freakish obsession with this little mouse at Homegoods. No we did not buy it.

Coming home at night.

Riding bikes at Waveny park.

My grocery helper.

Blurry- but got a much needed haircut today. Handsome boy!