Our Canadian Adventure

Eight day vacation. Seven passports. Six little cousins. Five days of travel. Four months of planning. Three different airports. Two countries. One fabulous Adventure!

That's the quick summary of our big family excursion to Canada this summer. A month ago, we were driving through Alberta and British Columbia, Canada to visit Adrian's older brother Jeremy and his family. On June 30 our children met their Uncle Jeremy, Aunt Jessica and three cousins - Girls age 6, 12, 13 - for the first time!

We were also thrilled to have Adrian's parents along with us to be a part of this special occasion as well as provide GREAT assistance in traveling with three young ones.

Selfie with my man on the Skywalk in Jasper National Park

Day 1: Let me just tell you, juggling passports and boarding passes through international security for a family of five is not for the faint of heart! We flew from Philadelphia, PA to Toronto, Ontario to Edmondton, Alberta. I was pretty impressed with AirCanada - all flights were on time and we had individual screens for movie watching in-flight. The only hiccup was confusion over passports for my husband Adrian and my daughter Adria, due to their similar names...we were last to board the plane in Philly because of it!

Checking in with Air Canada - Expedia had failed to note that Judah was traveling with us (Infant in Lap)!

We got it resolved but we think that contributed to confusion with passports at the boarding gate in Philly.

Judah looking out the window uncertain on his first flight. He snuggled in with Mommy and did well.

We gained 2 hours due to the time zones, and that night Adrian took us to a destination he'd visited years before - the West Edmonton Mall. This is not your average shopping mall. It is HUGE, boasting 5.3 MILLION square feet, 800+ stores, plus attractions like the world's largest in-door amusement park and a water park with a massive wave pool. We were only able to walk around for little while after a day of travel, but the girls were impressed and loved being able to enjoy some rides at the amusement park.

Our party of 7 outside Galaxyland amusement park inside the West Ed Mall.

Spinning on the teacups with my girls!

Day 2: Our party of 7 hopped in our rental, a white Toyota Sienna minivan (like we have at home), and drove through beautiful Jasper National Park in Alberta. You should add this place to your bucket list. Hours of gorgeous scenery and impressive snow capped mountains. Adrian and I had driven through this park nine years ago, so it was a special treat to bring our children with us this time.

I tried to take a panorama view of the stunning blue water in the glacier fed lakes.

Plus, we tried out the Glacier Skywalk - a popular new tourist attraction that enables you to walk along a mountain side and out onto a solid glass walkway with a ravine far below! I was impressed that Adria braved it, but not for long.

See that crazy looking thing sticking off the side of the mountain?

That's the glass skywalk on the far right with the ravine far below!

The kids were a little nervous, but they did go out on the walk for a short time - this is just before going on the glass.

Day 3: We drove 5 hours through quiet Canadian country from Jasper to a town in the heart British Columbia where Jeremy's family lives. After years of dreaming and saving, they recently built a new home on a lot that provides a peaceful view of the valley. It sounds like construction has been quite challenging and there is still work to be done, but it's a charming home that provided a lovely retreat for us.

Brothers chatting in Jeremy and Jessica's living room, with large windows showing off the great view.

Jessica has a beautiful garden from which we enjoyed fresh vegetables for the many delicious meals that she prepared for us. The oldest daughter cares for their 3 cows and milks one every day. All three girls are active speed skaters during the winter and are now getting into running, along with their parents.

Meeting the cousin's cows

COUSINS MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Day 4: July 1 was Canada Day - often celebrated much like America's July 4th. The young cousins spent hours giggling and playing together, including time in the pool and on the trampoline. Judah practiced his recently acquired skill of walking everywhere and was deeply fascinated by the staircase. Good conversation was shared among the adults. Granny and Grandad treasured taking it all in and babysat in the evening, so we parents could have double date night.

Enjoying Pool time on the only really hot day while we were there.

The girls enjoyed their Russian Matryoska doll collection.

Day 5: We all drove to a nearby mountain called Sinkhut, that has a fire watch tower. Some of us hiked to the top. It would have been too much for our little ones, so they were able to take a ride up a rough dirt road. The view was STUNNING from the top. You could see countless miles of mountains and countryside. The wind and mosquitoes were also rather impressive - ha!

Our Canadian Seely family!

Everyone enjoying the top of the mountain

Day 6: It was a quiet, rainy Sunday. We relaxed inside, trying to treasure our final day with family that we may not see again for years to come...

The kids watch with interest while their older cousins practice French horn and clarinet.

Day 7: The 4th of July. We packed up the rental mini-van, said our goodbyes early, and drive 9 hours across Canadian countryside back to a hotel by Edmonton airport. We never saw moose on the trip, but we did spot some good-looking caribou that day. Thankfully, the children traveled fairly well with the girls snuggled in on either side of Granny while Grandad and I took turns driving. Needless to say, we did not see any fireworks or Red, White and Blue flying around us that day.

Caribou on the road

Day 8: Head to airport at 5 a.m. Fly AirCanada back across the continent and two time zones to safely arrive in Philadelphia after 4 p.m. And yes, the worst part of the trip was getting stuck in rush hour traffic on this final leg of the trip home. But we did finally make it home close to 8 p.m.  I was back in the office the next morning and worked 6 days straight...

Johanna relaxing on the plane. The girls enjoyed flying.

It was all worth it. Priceless memories made. Wonderful conversation shared. Adria is already asking me when we can go back to Canada!!!

A special time...who knows how many years may pass before we all get together again.

A Look Back at 2015

As we start a new year, I always like to reflect on the highlights of the year past...the new experiences, changes, and lessons learned.

For 2015 there is one moment, one hour really, that stands out above all the rest. 

Meeting our son, Judah. 

Just after I delivered him, they gave him a quick wipe over and handed him to me. He was perfectly adorable and for the next hour he laid on my chest - skin to skin - in that special bonding time I had heard about but never experienced like this with my daughters. I didn't know how much he weighed or how long he was, but it didn't matter yet. He was in my arms.

Yep, that was definitely the highlight of my year! But there were many other moments to remember for each of us.

Our Family of 5 Photo - November 2015

Judah

Our baby boy joined the family in late April, now 8 months old. He has been a happy, healthy boy bringing great joy to everyone in our family. He's totally Daddy's boy...they hang out all day most days. His sisters adore him and are ridiculous with the smothering of kisses. He's mostly tolerant. And Mommy thinks he's the most handsome little guy in the universe!

He's becoming a hefty dude, weighing about 20 pounds now. In just the past two weeks, he's finally mastered sitting without toppling over and has been rolling, but just today he CRAWLED for the first time! And just this week, he pulled himself up to stand in his crib. He sleeps fairly well but still likes to wake me up through the night...Yawn! His two-tooth grin and big brown eyes will melt you.

My Two Handsome Men

Johanna

Ever the spice in our family, Johanna just turned four years old in December. She has as much energy and vitality as ever. Sometimes we love it, sometimes we....well, let's just say she can get into some messes. Judah is her biggest fan; he laughs at her dancing and jumping all the time. It's pretty hilarious!

After attending preschool 2 mornings a week earlier in the year, she started going to the same school as Adria this fall 4 mornings a week. She is just one of 2 girls in a class with 12 boys (yikes), but she holds her own fine and is making friends. Her best buddy is still a girl from church who is just one day younger. Her favorite things are playing "dress-ups", play-do, going to the beach and visiting people. I often hear her saying "You're the best sister ever!" when she and Adria are playing together, then a few minutes later they're arguing...Ha! Jo-Jo is so much fun and oozes personality.

Sweet and Spunky Johanna - 4 years old

Adria

Our oldest turned seven just a week after starting first grade this fall. She struggled the first couple weeks because she missed her Kindergarten friends and routine, and all the math and reading was "so must harder." But she has excelled, made new friends and loves her teachers (we do too!) It's been a joy listening to her improve as she reads.

A couple big events from her year were playing soccer in the spring and participating in the Little Miss Apple Scrapple Pageant in October. Then, she and Johanna both did a Kids Run in Pennsylvania where she met Deena Kastor, a famous marathon Olympian.

Her health has been good overall with the Peristeen bowel program allowing her to be mostly "diaper free" for the past year. She's had some accidents at school, but the nurse takes very good care of her. We are so thankful. And her big progress in her weekly physical therapy has been that she can now hop on one foot! Amazing!!! Her latest interest is in making cooking videos. Though she sometimes laments that she is different because of her need for leg braces and catheters, she does not let spina bifida hold her back. We are so proud of her!

Bubbly and friendly Adria - 7 years old

Daddy

Adrian's year has been an interesting one. He has excelled to a new level in the sport he loves - Disc Golf. He participated in many weekend tournaments, some affiliated with the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA), and even WON in his division a couple times last year! 

This sport and the camaraderie with other guys has provided a great outlet from his daily duties of full-time Dad. I am always amazed at what he accomplishes in and around our home, and how he often realizes the needs of our children better than I. Adrian also assisted family members with home improvement projects, including flying down to Texas to visit his sister Angie and install flooring in her newly purchase home last fall.

Unfortunately, in 2015 Daddy's seizures returned with dramatic flare during vacation. It was craziness and upsetting, but it brought us to a new place of trying to be better prepared and more accepting of this bizarre condition we have battled for the last six years. That's right, Dec. 26 was the six year anniversary of his first seizure...it's now been a battle for half of our 12 years of marriage. We have great days and down-right terrible days, but you know, we always get up again.

Mommy

Aside from the amazing gift of carrying and delivering a child, I had some other big events this year. Work has been very busy, and I'm so thankful for that. It was a strong year for new home sales with the local Builder where I've now been for 2.5 years. Our company won a few big local awards, including being voted Best Southern Delaware Home Builder by a regional magazine! I got my 15 seconds of fame with some air time in our TV commercial, and the outlook for 2016 is good. 

From a fitness perspective, I had big ambitions to run a half marathon in October - but my body was not quite ready for that. Instead, I ran a 10K (6.2 miles) race at the Runner's World festival in Bethlehem, PA and had a great time doing it. I really love running events, but man is it hard to make time to run with 3 little ones in the house!

Our Family

We did not take a big week-long vacation in 2015, but we enjoyed several family excursions:

• The Pocono Mountains, PA in February (a trip with my company) - the girls love hotels with indoor pools and Snow
• The Shenandoah Valley, VA in June where we camped in KOA cabin - but this was the trip where Daddy had a seizure
• Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, PA - it was a hot summer day for our first visit with the kids to this family-fun amusement park, but baby Judah was not too impressed
• Runner's World event in October in Bethlehem, PA - we girls successfully ran races, then I took the children to the Crayola museum while Daddy went disc golfing
• Christmas Lights at Longwood Gardens in December - a day trip with Granny and Grandad for one of the best light displays on the east coast

It was a year filled with great blessings yet sprinkled with challenging moments. We are ever thankful for our family and the opportunity to continue on this journey together!

Hoping you and yours have a blessed 2016.

The Pageant Experience...in the news

Adria is in the news again! 

She had a wonderful experience at the Little Miss Apple Scrapple pageant last Friday. Though she did not win, Adria's confidence and performance on the stage made her parents and many fans proud.

The Seaford Star was kind enough to publish this little article I typed up late one night after Adria's pageant. I have to use my journalism degree and experience as a free-lance writer for this local paper once in a while ;)  

The article in the Seaford Star

Apple Scrapple Contestant leads a Beautiful Life with Spina Bifida

It took her a little longer to climb up the steps than the other eight girls, but when Adria Seely walked across that stage in front of a couple hundred spectators, she was full of confidence and smiles.

Friday night was the 10^th annual Little Miss Apple Scrapple Pageant at Bridgeville’s annual fall festival. Local girls ranging in age from 5 to 8 years old participated in the event, showcasing talent routines that included singing, dancing, hula hoop swinging and stand-up comedy.

Adria poses for me just before going on stage...after I saw that,
I knew she would be ok up there in front of the hundreds of spectators.

They announced each contestant and her hobbies and interests.

One of the shortest contestants was seven year old Adria Seely, who attends Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center. This was the first time Adria has participated in an event like this, and it was quite an accomplishment for her to be able to get up on that stage and perform.

Adria was born with Spina bifida, a severe type called myelomeningocele, which involves the incomplete closure of the spinal cord early in pregnancy and leads to life-long challenges. Many children and individuals living with spina bifida are never able to walk, requiring a wheel chair for mobility. Adria was not able to walk until she was age two and then she required a walker to get around until age three. Now, she walks independently with only the support of Ankle Foot Orthotics (leg braces). She owns a wheelchair but only uses it rarely for longer distances.

Adria was both nervous and excited about the idea of being in the pageant but ultimately decided it was something she wanted to do. She began practicing a dance routine at home and on the night of the pageant, she danced to the song “It’s a Beautiful Life” by Ace of Base. Her performance ended with a spin and a bow, resulting in loud cheers.

Adria dances to "It's a Beautiful Life" - she remembered all her practiced moves and even finished with a twirl and a bow.

Most of the audience did not know there was anything unique about Adria’s beautiful life. But her presence on that stage was a testament to a life of perseverance and overcoming daily challenges.
October is Spina Bifida Awareness month. It is the most common permanently disabling birth defect and impacts individuals in many different ways beyond mobility. Most face issues with incontinence, learning delays, fluid on the brain, and a shorter stature due to under-developed leg muscles. They may require dozens of surgeries throughout their lifetime.

Adria has been fortunate in many ways, but she realizes that she does have differences from her school friends. And even though she did not win a crown or any roses at the pageant Friday night, her positive attitude and confidence on that stage made an impression and should serve as encouragement to differently abled families. Life may be tough but it still can be beautiful.

My parents were among the many family and friends who came out to support Adria

The winners announced! A sweet bubbly blond girl who boldly sang alone won the pageant.
Two of Adria's friends won the Talent Competition and Interview segment

Adria poses in her Party Dress after the pageant.
Mommy did not have time to curl and style her hair, since I got off work at 4:30 that day and she had to be there by 5:15! 

Proud mommy with her amazing girl.

I am too Busy

I think I have a problem. I cannot stay home.

It's been more than two weeks since I last wrote, but it's not for lack of ideas. There have been multiple topics running through my head. I just haven't made time to write them.

Because I can't seem to stop going. It's all in the name of "fun" and family time, but in truth I'm getting worn out. And my family is too.

The girls enjoy our outings and even ask every morning, "What are we doing today, Mom?" Actually, they ask it so much it's kind of annoying. Especially now that most days the answer is, "Staying home because Mommy has to go to work."

They moan about this. Staying home is boring. And I know it's my fault they feel this way. I've trained them to Go. Go. Go! To always seek adventure. And fun. To the point that it's detrimental to all of us.

The truth is, I don't think I've stayed home a single day since I returned to work a month ago. Sure, I'll stay and clean for a few hours some days, but I end up leaving most of it for my husband.

Even when I was on maternity leave, it was a rare day that I stayed home all day. I'd pack up newborn baby Judah and take him all over the place with me. Poor guy ended up nursing in our van more times than I can count.

And now, he's having trouble establishing a good sleep, eat, play schedule because I don't keep him home enough when I'm off work. Generally, our babies get into a good, predictable rhythm of when they eat and sleep, which is critical for them and Daddy's well-being.

This is my confession I share in the early morning hours, before the sun rises above the treeline: I AM TOO BUSY.

I need to spend more time just sitting down and coloring or making puzzles with my girls and listening to their ideas, instead of hauling them off to every event or festival I can find. I need to spend more time staring into my three month old son's eyes and trying to get his adorable baby giggle to escape from his mouth. I need to sit and snuggle with my husband and talk of dreams and days gone by. 

I need to be still and know He is God, the One who is the Author of my days.

Why I am so busy? Why do I have this insatiable need to go?

It does come from my Dad's side of the family. My sister got a good dose of it too. But the truth is, I think I am this way largely because it keeps me from stopping and thinking too much. Maybe, I'm afraid that if I stop and sit still too long I will be overcome by the difficulties. Maybe, it's my way of dealing with the unique challenges my family faces. Maybe, I've been pushing myself and going so hard, so long...that I just don't know how to sit still.

And yet with this conviction weighing on my heart this morning, I find myself looking at the clock and saying...I better wrap this up, I still have time to go for a run this morning!

Our Soccer Star

Today is Adria's last Soccer game. That's right, our little six year old daughter with spina bifida is on a SOCCER team!

When the sign-up sheet came home from school with soccer balls pictured all over it, Adria enthusiastically shouted that she wanted to play SOCCER!

This was a couple months ago. As you know, soccer requires a great deal of running and for a little girl who could not walk on her own until age three and now requires leg braces for walking...this is not an ideal sport to pursue.

However, she REALLY wanted to play soccer. We were hesitant, knowing the certain challenges she would face, but ultimately decided that she should be able to try it.

Adria's team is made up of six players and the games for the 6 and Under league are just 3 against 3 on the cutest little soccer field. They don't officially keep score of the games, since it's really just for fun and learning at this stage, but of course the children love to score goals and the parents cheer them on excitedly.

The Bobcats - Adria's soccer team!

Adria has given it a valiant effort. She is excited for the practices twice a week and got upset when she missed them. She plays in every game and chases the ball around the field as best she can. Though she cannot match the other players in speed, she stays active on the field.

Look at her confident pose!

Mommy and Daddy with the Soccer Star after her first game.

Adria gets into the game.

Her games have been every Sunday afternoon since mid-April, which has worked out well for Mommy to be able to cheer her on. If I was not on maternity leave, I would have missed half of them since I usually work every other Sunday.

Her baby brother Judah even attended one of her games 5 days after he was born.

Adria doing her modified jumping jacks during warm-up. They are so cute!

It was a couple weeks ago when we were getting Adria ready for a game on a hot Sunday that we noticed for the first time she was NOT enthusiastic about going to her game. In fact, she was rather mopey and fussy about the fact that she had to go play.

I asked her what was the matter and didn't she like soccer? She said yes, but she had not scored any goals and she was too tired to run. Adria was pretty upset about it. She's had the chance to assist with some goals, but she's rarely close enough to the goal when the ball is there to be able to kick it in.

She has a decent kick when she gets ahold of the ball, but she's also hesitant to take it away when other people are kicking it. The coach often has her kick the ball in after it goes out of bounds to make sure she has opportunity to kick it several times during a game.

Adria kicks the ball to her teammate during last week's game.

Also, Adria does get very hot and tired during the games - that only last 24 minutes. The warmth of the afternoon spring sun coupled with the fact that she has to wear socks, leg braces, shin guards and socks over those with cleats lead to very flushed little cheeks. It's hard work for her, but she has not quit during a game.

I must admit that I sometimes get a bit emotional watching the games, wanting so badly for her to get in there and make a goal like her teammates. But she does try and there are other young players who don't get engaged in the games much at all.

We are so proud of Adria and the effort she has made!!! Even with her disappointment over not yet scoring a goal in a game, she was very upset when I told her that today is the last soccer game of the season. Remember, she wanted to do this. It was completely her idea to go to "Soccer School" as she called it.

So maybe you can say a little prayer with me today, that Adria would get the opportunity to score her FIRST SOCCER GOAL! 

Her game is at 1:00 p.m. at the nearby high school (and is held on Saturday this week because the graduation is tomorrow). She often has a good size fan club to cheer her on, with her grandparents attending the games and sometimes aunts, uncles and cousins in addition to us.

But even if she does not score that Goal today, she is still our little SOCCER STAR! It's simply incredible to see her out there "running" around and kicking a ball without falling down too often.

GO ADRIA GO!

(side note: Adria just woke up and saw me typing. I told her that I was writing about her playing soccer, she sighed and said, "Why does it always have to be about Me?" Hahaha! I said, "Because you're awesome!")



Here is a video I took of her during the very first practice.

Due Date - 2 Months from Today

"Ugh...I've been waiting thousands of days!" Adria lamented tonight as I told her that Baby Brother should be joining us in about two months. "But that's so long, Mom!"

Haha! It has definitely not been thousands of days, in fact it feels like time has passed rather quickly since we first told her that Mommy had a surprise in her belly. And here we are continuing the 10 week countdown to Baby's due date that I started last week.

Monday marked 31 weeks pregnant, and my due date is officially just 2 months from today - May 4. It's getting real! Baby should weigh more than 3 lbs. and be about 16 inches long.

It was a pretty busy week for us in Baby World.

Hello Baby Class

On Thursday night, I rushed home from work and packed up the girls to head to a special class in Dover at 6:00 p.m. The Hello Baby class is offered by Bayhealth, where I plan to deliver, and is a special program for young children ages 3 to 6 awaiting the arrival of a new sibling. Since the girls are so excited about baby, I thought they might enjoy it. It was actually the first birthing or pregnancy class I ever attended.

Just an hour long, the interactive program involved practice diapering and feeding of a baby doll along with "big sister/big brother" stories and baby safety games. The four of us families in attendance were amused by our children's responses to some of the questions from the instructor. It was a good experience, but I dare say, the girls may have enjoyed our special stop to Chic-fil-A afterward even more :) It had a play place and ice cream after all.

Adria in the van with the baby she brought to class.

Doctor Appointment

Friday morning I had my last monthly OB check-up. Now, we go to every other week. My belly has seriously grown in the last couple weeks, and comments from people along with scale definitely confirm that. All the sudden, people aren't bashful to ask if I'm expecting...they are quite confident in this fact. According to the midwife who saw me Friday, my belly is measuring just right for 31 weeks.

I am also thankful to report that my pregnancy glucose test came back fine, and baby's heartbeat is good and strong. Everything looks healthy and normal! I do not take this for granted. The only downside of good news, is that it means no more ultrasounds...so the one I had in December may be the only sneak peak I get of Baby Boy. So much different from 6 years ago, when I was seeing level 2 ultrasound images of baby Adria in my tummy often because of her spina bifida.

Friend's Baby Shower

Saturday I had the opportunity to stop into a Baby Shower for my friend Heidi and see her pregnant belly for the first time. She's due just a couple weeks before I am with a baby girl and looking forward to motherhood.

Heidi and I expecting to meet our babies within a couple months.

Pregnant Blessings at Work

Saturday also marked the end of a very cold, icy and snowy February. Yet somehow, it ended up being one of my best months of sales at work. I ended the month with deposits from clients for 6 New Homes to be built! That's a great month in custom new home sales and I give a lot of credit to the Baby belly, now that it's more obvious. I think pregnant women just appear more trustworthy...it's been a trend with all three babies that I sell really well close to their due dates!

Mommy in her work uniform and Adria in her matching school uniform this week.
Love the mini-me :)

Icy Shores

And just to get a unique experience brought on by the February chill in Delaware, we headed down to the coast early on Sunday morning. The shoreline of the Altantic Ocean in Rehoboth Beach was unlike anything I've seen before... large ice chunks and slush extending back more than 30 feet from the crashing waves, which had just been loosed from the ice slush. It was quite incredible, and worth the early morning outing which was kept brief since I had to be to work by 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Daddy and the girls enjoying the ice slush on the Rehoboth Beach shore Sunday morning.

Not so Easy Times

Yet even as I recount our baby joys and experiences this week, I think of several others who have had very difficult and dramatic week. A dear friend from college had her fourth miscarriage, a family in the community lost their four year old son, a lady I used to babysit for is dealing with news of cancer, a young family anxiously awaits the day they get to bring their premature son home from the hospital, and I know there are many more.

Precious moments and joys in life can be fleeting. I try to treasure the experiences and remember to pray for those whose hearts are filled with sorrow and grief instead of hope and anticipation.

Day Trips for Delaware Families

FUN! To me it's a critical part of life and maintaining sanity. Random fun around the house is always good, but sometimes we need to take it up a notch and plan a day trip or weekend away to experience new adventures. Of course, my definition of FUN can vary dramatically from my husband's, but that's another topic completely ;)

We recently enjoyed a WEEKEND in the POCONOS with our girls, and on the return trip home I was inspired to make a list of FUN places to visit with our children over the coming years. Now, I'm pretty excited about trying to fit in a few of these little trips a year if we can! Maybe it will inspire you too.

With baby #3 preparing to join us in May, I'm not sure how many we'll be able to get in this year but maybe we'll be brave and try a few outings with a baby, 3 year old and 6 year old! (I know many a mother who has handled more.)

Children's Fun Places to visit:

All of the places on this list can be visited with just a day or weekend trip from southern Delaware. Many I have been to at some point in my life, but we have yet to take our girls to any of these destinations.

Of course these "Day Trips" require three things that can be hard to come by: Time, Money and Patience. But I figure if we make a list and make a plan, maybe we'll get to experience them at some point in the coming years while our children are still young. I've even provided direct web links to aid in trip planning!

• Dutch Wonderland - Lancaster, PA (about 2.5 hours)
• My friends who have been there say that this is a must visit for young children.
• www.dutchwonderland.com
• Hershey Park & Hershey's Chocolate World - Hershey, PA (3 hours)
• I still remember the aroma when we visited their chocolate factory as young children, and the nearby theme park is great for all ages.
• www.hersheypark.com
• www.hersheys.com/chocolateworld
• Great Wolf Lodge - Williamsburg, VA or Poconos, PA (3+ hours)
• Just down the road from our Poconos hotel was one of the dozen national locations for this popular Family Indoor Waterpark resort.
• www.greatwolf.com
• Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom - Allentown, PA (2.5 hours)
• We passed this amusement park on the way home too, reminding me of when I went there as a Girl Scout...many years ago.
• www.dorneypark.com
• Delaware Children's Museum - Wilmington, DE (1.5 hours)
• This museum is just down the road from Adria's children's hospital, but we still haven't made it there for a visit. Need to do that soon!
• www.delawarechildrensmuseum.org
• Valley Forge National Historical Park - King of Prussia, PA (2 hours)
• Both Adrian and I have childhood memories of visiting this and other historical sites, and we'd like to share that with our little ones too.
• www.valleyforge.org
• Adventure Aquarium - Camden, NJ (2 hours)
• We love aquariums and some friends have raved about this one, but I've never been there.
• www.adventureaquarium.com
• Francis Scott Key Family Resort - Ocean City, MD (50 minutes)
• I just found this fun-looking place that's close to home and looks like it would make for an active weekend by the boardwalk and beach.
• www.fskfamily.com 
• The Franklin Institute - Philadelphia, PA (2 hours)
• One of my all-time favorite museums with a strong emphasis on science. I went there on school field trips and fell in love; I hope my children do as well. 
• www.fi.edu
• Assateague Island-State Park - Berlin, MD (1 hour)
• Wild horses on the beach and ocean front camping...need I say more? Oh yes, insect repellent is a must.
• dnr2.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/assateague.aspx
• Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and Air & Space Museum - Washington DC (2 hours)
• Two different destinations along the Mall in our nation's capital that offer so much to see and learn.
• www.mnh.si.edu
• www.airandspace.si.edu
• National Aquarium - Baltimore, MD (1.5 hours)
• In our early years together, Adrian and I went on a special date here, now it's time to share this underwater adventure with our children.
• www.aqua.org
• Sesame Place - Langhorne, PA (2+ hours)
• This amusement park is for the Big Bird and Cookie Monster lover in all of us.
• www.sesameplace.com
• Kings Dominion - Doswell, VA (3 hours)
• We went to this family amusement park with Adrian's siblings a few years ago, but never made it back during our time living in Richmond.
• www.kingsdominion.com
• The Zoo - Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; and Washington, DC (2 hours)
• There are so many interesting, exotic animals waiting to be seen in the area. During our time in Indianapolis, we spent countless hours at the zoo with the girls. 
• www.philadelphiazoo.org
• www.marylandzoo.org
• www.nationalzoo.si.edu

Sometimes I complain about how little there is to do in rural southern Delaware, but the truth is, there are countless adventures waiting for us around the corner!

Of course there are many local adventures we have already experienced with our girls, that I would recommend. These include:

• Please Touch Museum - Philadelphia, PA
• Cabin camping at Trap Pond State Park - Laurel, DE
• Busch Gardens Amusement Park - Williamsburg, VA (not so great for the very young though)
• Winterthur Museum and Gardens - Wilmington, DE
• Cape Henlopen State Park beaches and camping - Lewes, DE
• Boardwalk and Funland - Rehoboth Beach, DE 
• Delmarva Shorebirds Baseball game - Salisbury, MD
• Cape May-Lewes Ferry and Cape May Zoo - Lewes, DE and Cape May, NJ

Little scientists at the Please Touch Museum last spring.

Beach bum at Cape Henlopen State Park

Bikers at Funland 

Are you ready to go have some FUN ADVENTURES with your little ones? I'd love to hear about your favorite places to take your children and recommendations to add to this list...though it's quite long already!

All that said, it's about 10 degrees outside and I've got a runny nose, sore throat and a big belly that makes me more tired than normal, so the most FUN thing I want to do right now...is snuggle under my covers in bed (and pray for a more restful sleep than last night).

But it is fun to dream about activities for sunny days ahead...

A Weekend in the Poconos

Last weekend we enjoyed a fun family get-away to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The best part...our two night hotel stay was paid for by my company!

It was our annual team building get-away to go Snow-Tubing. The only trouble is, I've got a baby bump growing which makes snow tubing too risky, and it's just too involved and difficult for Daddy to try it with two little girls on his own. But we didn't want to miss out on a chance for a weekend trip...especially since it happened to be my birthday on Saturday!

Excited little girls snuggling with their toys in the hotel bed!

We joined in for the snow tubing at Camelback Mountain last year. It was pretty fun, but definitely geared toward older children. Navigating the long lines, the lifts, and double person snow tubes with a 5 and 2 year old along was rather tricky...not to mention the downhill was super fast.

So while my co-workers and their families went snow-tubing on Saturday, we went exploring to CRYSTAL CABIN FEVER in Lakeville, PA. A large red barn almost lost in the hills of the Poconos becomes a visitor destination every February with more than 100 tons of ICE meticulously sculpted into beautiful creations. This year's theme was "Under the Sea", and we were quite impressed with the display plus the girls got to play outside in the deep snow!

Checking out the "Crystal Cabin Fever" ice sculpture exhibit with an "Under the Sea" theme.

We even got to see an ice carving competition...impressive.

Daddy and Johanna made snow angels

Yeah for deep snow! The girls have been disappointed at how little snow
we've had in DE this year, so this was a special treat.

Daddy and girls exploring in the woods beside the ice festival

The Ice Throne...made my bottom COLD!
See that Nemo in the corner? They were hidden throughout the display.

We had an enjoyable weekend with the girls loving some time in the hotel pool after our outing, and they actually slept well in the hotel bed...Yeah!

That night we joined my company's crew for dinner at Red Lobster.  At the end the servers brought me dessert and sang "Happy Birthday", which reminded me of my younger years when my Aunt Bon would treat me to Red Lobster every year on my birthday. Good times!

While we were in the Poconos, I noticed several fun places and things to do that might be worth coming back with our children another time to experience. It got me thinking of all the great places to go within a few hours of our home in Southern Delaware, so I took some time on the way home Sunday to create a list of future fun trips.

Stay tuned because that list will be my next post: Great Day Trips for Delaware Families!
Maybe it'll give you some good ideas or you can help me come up with more fun adventures with children.

We did stop for one more quick activity on the way home, visiting the new Cabela's beside the Christiana Mall. I've got to say, it was surprisingly impressive and entertaining with all the animals on display and large fish tank. Adria even said it looked more like a museum than a store! And she decided she wanted to try out the dart gun, but Johanna was surprisingly too bashful to try.

Oh yeah...we totally took advantage of this parking spot :)

Sometimes adventure comes in unexpected places, like the new Cabela's by the Christiana Mall, where we stopped on our way home Sunday.

Adria even got to try something new...

It always takes some extra work to get away, needing to pack all the girl's stuff (especially with Adria's involved nightly routine) and sleep in different beds, but usually the adventure is worth it. I would say the girls loved it...they got to celebrate mommy's birthday playing in the snow, swimming in a pool, and eating shrimp!