Phase 1

Ever since Jonathan and I have been married, we’ve wanted to go to New York.  Jonathan served his mission there and hasn’t been back since his mission.  I’ve never been.  So, when my friend Ashley and her husband Blair moved out there this past fall we knew it was our chance.  We tentatively planned for April 2012, just before Hannah turned 2. Then we found out I was pregnant and due April 15th – so that wasn’t going to work.  The latest I could fly was February 19th so we moved the trip up to then.  In my mind I still wanted time to plan and get excited.  I wasn’t looking forward to cold weather and even more so, traveling across the country, 7 months pregnant with Hannah (who would be 21 months) on my lap.  We checked airline prices for November, pulled the trigger, and 2 weeks later our trip began. 

I’ve broken this “trip” into 3 separate posts, seeing as it was like 3 separate trips.

Phase 1: Maryland

My sister Wendy and her family live there, so Hannah and I went to visit them.  We got there Saturday evening and in typical Wendy fashion she had plans for us.  We hurried home from the airport, ate, changed and headed off to the first Halloween activity – the ward Trunk-or-Treat.  Unfortunately, Maryland had a “HUGE STORM” (there was a slight frost that covered the grass, but you could still see grass and according to Wendy, it would have canceled school had it been a weekday) that day so the Trunk-or-Treat had been cut short.  By the time we got there (and then went home because we forgot costume pieces) and went in we had missed the activity and were catching the end of the Spanish branch’s annual piñata party.  At least we looked great.

We spent the next week

Trick-or-TreatingWard Trunk-Or-Treat

We were there over Halloween so we did a group costume.  Anderson was Gru from Despicable Me, and the rest of us were his minions.

Hosting preschool Preschool was on Halloween day, so we all dressed up in our costumes and made it an “H” is for Halloween Party!

These two cousins made preschool very difficult.  

Playing with new toys
 
Going to a Pumpkin Patch
Seeing as we did the pumpkin patch the day before Halloween, the pumpkins were a little picked over. 

Playing at the park
 

Going to the DC Zoo
This is the famous Panda Mei Xiang (or maybe it’s Tian Tian) that lives at the DC zoo. 

Having quality cousin time (my generation)
 My cousin Jill lives in the area and met us at the zoo with her 3 kids.

Having quality sister time

Wrangling 3 kids on the metro

Visiting the Pentagon

Visiting other DC sites

Washington Monument

Jefferson Monument

Martin Luther King Memorial

  Korean War Memorial

And we finished up our Monument tour with a picnic lunch on the lawn in front of Lincoln.

 Then we headed to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving.

But most importantly, the cousins were able to have lots of quality time together.

 

Unfortunately, once I left things took a turn for the worse.  They still had a good time, and did fun things like a Pirate Adventure…

 There was even a bounce house at the Pirate Adventure.

I guess Hannah never really got into bouncing – but loved watching her cousins.

And an evening at Chuck E. Cheese

But when Hannah wasn’t super distracted with an awesome activity, she was pretty miserable.  Just a couple days after I left, Hannah got a pretty bad fever for a few days.  She already had a cold and things just got worse for her.  She was over the new toys, over her cousins, and wanted her mom to come home.  She was pretty clingy towards Wendy and wanted nothing to do with Max.

 These pictures were taken the day she had a fever.  Poor kid couldn’t stay awake, she felt so miserable.

Even though Hannah was sick, she did pretty well considering her circumstances.  I’m so glad I was able to visit Wendy and her family and I’m SO GLAD Wendy was willing to watch Hannah for the next week (through sickness and all) so Jonathan and I could have a week in New York!

Continue reading for Phase 2 and Phase 3.