Road Trip!

We took a road trip to Connecticut, New York , and Niagra Falls.  We mostly went to visit family in CT, but we figured we would do a few side trips while we were at it.  It is a really long drive!  About 27 hours I think.  We really talked it up, so Eli was excited and I tried to be super prepared with entertainment and snacks.  The kids did great!  After the first day of driving, we asked Eli if he wanted to have another road trip tomorrow and, to our surprise, he said yes.  Toward the end of the second day though, he said, “I want to be done with the road trip today.”  And thankfully, we were.

Here are some pics with the fam in CT:

Aunt Susie made us lots of good food as usual.  It is always good to see her because she reminds me so much of my grandma (Noni).  We stayed with Uncle Fernando and Aunt Carmen.  They were very sweet and patient with our rowdy kiddos.

We made gnochi and had dinner with the Cusano’s & Carey’s, which was lots of fun.  This is Cori trying to feed Tony, who she loved.  There was also hula hooping, limbo, and kissin’ cousins Luke and Cori.

We spent Sunday afternoon by the pool at Uncle Fernando & Aunt Carmen’s visiting and playing with cousins.

I think Eli & Cori could sense that Aunt Linda is good with kids, cause they just loved her.

These pics are from Uncle Joe’s Memorial Day cookout.  There were lots of cousins, lots of food, and lots of fun!

Cori loved all the pasta (she takes after her mother).  Of course she insists on feeding herself these days.

Eli had a blast with the Festa boys.  He had his first ever wrestling match with Pepe.  Cutest thing ever!

New York pics:

Derek and I spent a day in New York.  After seeing Grand Central Station and the whispering walls (thanks Paul), we took the subway to the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty.

We had a slice of pizza in Central Park, used the bathroom at Trump Tower, saw Rockefeller Center, and walked through Time Square.

After we left CT, we went through Palmyra on our way to Niagra falls.  The first pic is of Derek and Eli in the Smith family farm house.  The second pic is Dad and Eli walking into the sacred grove.  It was really neat to see where the restoration of Christ’s church began. 

Niagra Falls

We went on that boat!  Amazing.  Eli didn’t like the boat ride though.

We all wore our Maiden of the Mist ponchos for the boat ride, but Cori was by far the cutest.

Outdoor Oasis :)

We have been working hard in our back yard this spring.  Now we are having lots of fun playing outside.

We planted our first garden, which I am super excited about.  Everything seems to be growing pretty well so far.  Eli loves to check on the plants and help me water.

Derek built this swing set for the kids and they love it!  He did a great job.  I take credit for the free slide and discount swings.  Eli goes down the slide over and over and both kids love climbing up the slide.  Cori can climb up all by herself.  She looks like a little monkey.

A teacher named Lynn comes and does activities with the kids every few weeks and the other day she helped them do finger paintings for me for Mother’s Day.

Cori thought the easel was great for peek-a-boo.

Easter

We did lots of fun things for Easter this year.  I took the kids to a community event where they made crafts, decorated cookies, and of course hunted eggs.  It was lots of fun.  Eli and I colored and dyed eggs at home, which we both enjoy.  I tried to let Cori help, but she kept eating the crayons.  Also, each day we talked about what the Savior did that day.  Then on Saturday we made resurrection rolls (they have a marshmallow inside, representing Christ, that isn’t there when you open them up).  It was a great visual for Eli and they were yummy, so we will definitely make that a tradition.  We spent the weekend at Grandma and Papa’s house and had lots of fun even though it rained a lot.

The Easter bunny said that, if Eli stopped using a paci to sleep with, he would bring him a Rescue Hero.  As you can see, no more paci.  This is Jake Justice parked by Eli while he ate one of his eggs for breakfast.  He pretty much hasn’t left his side since.

It was really hard to get a pic of the two kids together.  Here are a few of the funny attempts.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the farm with the Hardgrave’s, Warden’s, and Aunt Perina.  Aunt Mary made this beautiful, traditional Italian Easter bread.  Cori and Cole had fun playing together.

Since it was pouring rain, the kids just hunted for eggs in the house.  It wasn’t the same as an outside egg hunt, but the rain was good for our garden.  Cori just found one egg and then was perfectly happy to open it and sit and eat all the Raisinets inside.  She loves them!

Cori’s 1st Birthday!

Cori ate her whole cupcake and loved it!

We did a cupcake theme, so I made meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato “frosting” and a dollop of ketchup on top.  My Mom made corn meal & veggie cupcakes with cream cheese & cheese whiz “frosting” and jello fruit cupcakes with whipped cream frosting.  And of course I made regular cupcakes too.

I had lots of help in the kitchen.

Eli loved the cupcakes too.

The house was full of family and friends we love!

Mazee helping Cori put on a pair of her new shades.  Cori got lots of nice gifts including tons of cute clothes, but once we opened her two new cell phones, she was too interested in those to help me open anything else.

We got Cori a swing and she loves it.

Cole loved it too.

It was a pretty nice day, so the boys played outside.

Nana & Pappy sent Cori lots of cute clothes and Crunchies for all of us too.  She thought she was big stuff with her new cozy PJs and bag of Crunchies to crinkle.

My Kiddos

Eli and Cori both just had birthdays, so I wanted to record a few things about them.

Eli is smart as a whip.  He loves to read books, play pretend, help his dad with projects, and have me tell him stories (usually he wants super hero stories lately).  He also loves all kinds of “vehicles”.  He is a master negotiator and remembers everything.  He is very friendly to everyone and loves his friends and family.  His favorite color is still green.  His favorite foods are pb&j, mac & cheese, grilled cheese with tomato soup, spaghetti, salami, fruit, and ice cream.  He knows the first six articles of faith.  He can also write his name, draw an animal, and ride his bike very well (with training wheels).  He is learning his letters, which he loves, and so far he knows Ee, Aa, D, O, and X. 

Cori is my little stinker.  I say little because she is a year old now and weighs just over 15 lbs (in the 2nd %).  I say stinker because she likes to be ornery and she poops 5 times a day.  She is also a sweetie though.  She has a beautiful smile and likes to cuddle when she’s tired.  She is constantly on the move and loves to climb.  She can stand by herself, walk with help, and drink from a sippy cup.  She can say Mama, Dada, Bubu, Papa, no, and me.  She loves to play peekaboo and catch, cook in her play kitchen, and help me unload the dishwasher.  Her favorite foods are vegetables (especially avocados & broccoli), fruit, and sweets. 

I love both of them to pieces and bits!