Turkey Trot

This will probably be my last post for a while--we're leaving tomorrow to spend Thanksgiving with my family in Alabama. We're leaving Tuesday, hoping to get a jump start on the holiday traffic and the nightmare that is the Newark airport. I don't have high expectations . . . so I'm pretty sure I won't be disappointed. And before you chastise me for leaving Lily all alone on Thanksgiving, don't. She will be spending the holiday with a very nice family, most likely watching the Macy's Day Parade on the couch with their son. I've even arranged for her to have her own turkey on Thanksgiving so she won't be left out. 

Then, Mark and I are leaving Finn with my parents and heading off to Mexico. Five full days with nary a dirty diaper . . . Finn who? Have fun Mom and Dad.

Who Needs Mt. Everest When You Have a Staircase

Yes, we already have gates for the top and bottom of the stairs to prevent this very thing from happening. No, we haven't installed them yet. Guess what we (Mark) will be doing this weekend?

I lost track of him for probably 30 seconds and he was already half way up the stairs

What was that? Is someone telling me to stop? Nahh 

I'm so cute when I'm being disobedient

Cue "Rocky" theme song

Adventure Aquarium

Continuing our visit to the City of Brotherly Love . . . was a trip to Adventure Aquarium. Mark had to speak at a lunch meeting so we went a little early to take in the sights. Finn was very impressed with the fish . . . especially the glow-in-the-dark jellyfish. 

I'll apologize in advance for the quality of these photos. It's kind of hard taking decent pictures when the flash gets reflected back to you in EVERY picture. Oh well, you get the idea. Fish+Finn=Fun

Yo, Adrian!

Mark had a conference in Philadelphia last week so Finn and I decided we would crash his party. We stayed two nights in a hotel (all three of us) which was a first for everyone. Finn did really well in his roll-away crib and entertained himself by throwing the remote control around and playing in the bathtub (empty). If fact, the super-annoying college students next door were much louder than Finn. Although it rained the whole time were were there, we had a great time visiting Reading Terminal Market, the Please Touch Museum and the Adventure Aquarium. Mark even managed to get a little work done.

On a side note, if you have little ones and live anywhere near us, I highly recommend a trip to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. It just opened and offers an entire 2 floors of exhibits for kids. Finn was a little young to fully appreciate the experience, but still it was worth the trip. He loved the carousel so much we had to get back in line for another trip. As you can see, he was all smiles.

Valerie's Bridesmaid Luncheon

Susan, one of Val's bridesmaids, and her mother hosted a fabulous bridesmaid brunch for everyone on Friday before the wedding. It was great to get to sit down and have a nice brunch and visit with everyone before the wedding chaos began. Susan came up with this really creative idea to make a recipe book for Valerie. Everyone submitted family recipes, favorite recipes or recipes swiped from Martha Stewart (guess who), along with pictures and a note to Valerie and Brian. The finished product was beautiful and I know Val will cherish it for many years to come.  Here are a few pictures from the morning.