A few weeks ago, we took our first big trip as a family of four. I can't lie, I was a little worried about getting on a plane with these rugrats...but they surpassed my expectations in so many ways! They were awesome on the plan and sweet MP2 was a delight to see as an adventuresome traveler.
We left Nashville fairly early in the day and arrived in NYC midday on Wednesday. See how fresh and happy we all look upon our departure?
After arrival at LGA and an amazingly simple bus, subway, bus trip, we arrived at Teesa's apartment to hang with her, Isla and Ashley. After a bit inside, we decided to take a walk over to Chelsea Piers and try to get some wiggles out. Isla and Max were adorable. They just picked up where they last left off and were playing together so well.
We rounded out day one in the city with a walk to Chelsea Market, then home along the highline, and dinner at the half king. It was a great afternoon!
Thursday morning, we met up at Washington Square Park for some playtime. It was a delightful day.
Afterwards, we headed up to Central Park for some lunch and then a trip to the Museum of Natural History. Despite not exactly knowing what a dinosaur is, Max seemed to enjoy himself.
Then it was back to Central Park for more walking around and enjoying the day. MP took the big kids rock climbing all over the park and also nice and close to the pond to see all the little turtles sunning on some rocks.
Finally, dinner at the Banana Leaf - a delicious Sri Lankan restaurant. Next time, we really hope Grandpa is able to join us!
Overnight on Thursday, I seemed to come down with a little bug that had me feeling pretty under the weather, but that wasn't going to stop me from one last subway trip up to Grand Central, and the Metro North to head out to Ama & Grandpa's house! We had a fun and easy train ride and enjoyed taking in the sights along the way.
Not surprisingly, we arrived in CT to find lots of fun toys - trains, trucks, a scooter!! We had a great time playing in the basement.
On Saturday, we all headed out to a children's museum nearby and while Max was making a huge mess at a giant water feature, I hung out in the much quieter baby area with the Kit...a fun time was had by all. Ama and Grandpa got some QT with both kids and we had a lovely day.
On Sunday, we headed out to Long Beach for a visit with the cousins. It was great. The food was amazing, and the hosts (Aunt Fran, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Paul) so very gracious. There were seven kids under four there, and seeing them play together was among our favorite parts of the whole trip. Again, the weather was lovely, and we were able to take a walk out to the newly renovated boardwalk. The only hard part was trying to explain to Max why we couldn't play on the beach! Thankfully, there was a playground along our walk and the kids had a great time there.
On our last short day in CT, we headed over to the mall. It was a little cold outside, and the mall had some great kids areas - a carousel to ride and a little indoor playground. We enjoyed getting out and about for a bit before our drive to LGA and flight back home.
All in all, it was (not surprisingly) a great trip! We loved getting to sight-see, spend time with family, have kid-adventures, and show Max the city and CT. We can't wait to go back up there again soon! Next time, we will try to avoid leaving a nasty stomach bug in our wake :)
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