New York

What a week! This past week went by so quickly for us. My little brother, Steve and I flew with McKenzie to New York to see our grandparents. It is very fun to go back "home" for us because we really do go "home." Our grandparents moved into the house that we grew up in after we moved to GA. Steve slept in his old room and McKenzie and I slept in mine! Very fun! It was a whirlwind of a trip and before we knew it we were back home this afternoon. We landed on Wed. the 19th and went to our favorite restaurant for lunch followed by ice cream at Dairy Queen! Thursday we hung out at the house. Bom and Boppa (our grandparents!) live next door to a farm. They have all kinds of animals so McKenzie and I went to see them. There was this little black kitten that followed us back home and stayed all day around the house waiting for McKenzie to come and play with it. That night we had to walk it back up the barn with the other kittens. McKenzie loved this little kitten! No, we are not getting one!! Friday Steve and I took McKenzie to the Erie County Fair! You need to google that. It is in Hamburg, NY. Very awesome. We went every year as kids and I really wanted McKenzie to see it. She was too little for the rides but there was plenty there for her to do. We went all through the cattle barns, sheep barns, goat barns, and even watched a pig judging. There was also pig races that we saw and a seal water show. This year the fair even had live tigers and a petting zoo. She loved it all and especially the fair food! McKenzie could not figure out why she did not have to chew her cotton candy. It was everywhere on her, even on her bare feet. Yes, she took her shoes off in the stroller and rode all over the fair barefoot! After lunch we left the fair and headed to W. D. Henry farms. We got to see some old friends there and at the time we were there they were packaging green peppers. McKenzie loved to watch the line pack the boxes. It was very amazing how fast they could work. Of course, if you are from the north you know about a Friday night fish fry. I don't like fish but everyone else in the family does so off we went for the fish fry. Saturday we hung out at the house in the morning and after McKenzie's nap we went to see the Amish. We saw were they live, work, go to school, and we even got to stop at a stand and by bread and cinnamon rolls. Amish bake the very best! However, Amish do not like to have their pictures taken so I did not take any of them. It was a very fun day! Saturday night we had Buffalo famous pizza and wings for dinner. That is a real treat for Steve and I because we grew up on that and it is just simply the best! Sunday was visit day. I got to take McKenzie by to see my best friend Cookie's parents and her sister. McKenzie loved being entertained by Cookie's dad! Then it was off to the Nellis house! A family friend who I grew up with. It is very fun to see people that you grew up with. For lunch on Sunday we had another special treat. We had B-B-Q Chicken halves. That is chicken cooked over a charcoal fire and basted in an oil and vinegar sauce. No red sauce! Sunday night Steve and I took McKenzie to the Howels' house. They are also a family friend. It was so fun to take McKenzie to all these different places because they have never met her. Monday McKenzie and I went to Rochester to visit our cousins! (We left Steve at the house painting the trim work!) It was so amazing. We were there only a short time but we got to see all the girls and their houses. We got to play the longest at Laura's house with her two little ones, Rudy and Hanna. McKenzie was so excited to play with toys and kids, I think that she could have stayed there for days. Aunt Diane was so nice to take us all the way there and big us all the way back late Monday night. Tuesday we got up and flew home! Flying with a 16 month old was an experience. McKenzie is a very busy girl and she had a very hard time sitting for an hour and a half flight. Even though it was a very short flight it felt like it was much longer. She had a few good cries and screams. But, all in all she did really well. I could not have done it without Steve though. He carried McKenzie's car seat all through the airport. (It has to be checked at the gate!) He helped to entertain her on the plane and was someone else to hold her when I could not any longer. It was also really fun to hang out with Steve for a week. I really miss him and we had a great time just hanging around together. We never really get time to just hang out anymore. It was a wonderful trip and I am so grateful I had the chance to do it.

When we got to baggage claim today Jason was waiting for us. He was so excited to see us and we were so excited to see him! I am so thankful that most of the time there are two of us to take care of McKenzie. It is exhausting being a single parent! When we got home the house was clean, the grocery shopping was done,there were flowers on the table, and he made us chicken parm for dinner. It was so sweet! I was so excited! I really appreciated coming home to that. It was such a nice surprise. Thanks honey, great job!

Boppa, Bom, McKenzie, and Megan

Steve, Boppa, and Bom


Bom and McKenzie...she wanted down!

The cousins! Cody, Rudy, Alison, Laura, Megan,

McKenzie, and Hanna

The cousins and Aunt Diane

Hanna and McKenzie-sweet girls!

Rudy, Hanna, and McKenzie

Playtime...with toys!

Dairy Queen anyone? McKenzie loves it! She

knows just how to eat her cone!

McKenzie loves cookies! Steve was slipping her cookies the

entire trip. If you look carefully, Steve has a pile of

cookies on the side of the lamp. He has just told McKenzie she

can't have a cookie!!! Look at him laugh...do you think she go one?

Of course she did!

A cookie, is how Boppa got McKenzie to sit in his lap!

Sweet Boppa and McKenzie

On the way to see the Amish we went by the house that

Bom grew up in. Someone has just bought it and is

fixing it up to make it look like it did back then. Very cool!

The front

This house was my Nana's house. This is where I

spent lots of summers after I moved to GA.

However, it is very sad looking now, the people who

own it do not keep it up.

McKenzie eating cotton candy!

The pig races! They race for an Oreo cookie!

McKenzie loves corn on the cob!

McKenzie's first corn on the cob!

Oh yes, dirt in NY is black. No red clay there...

McKenzie needed to try some!

Oh yummy dirt!

Sweet! Sweet! McKenzie and her little kitten!

Again!

Another trip to the Dairy Queen!

She loves ice cream!

McKenzie with her ice cream face...

She loves Bom's lamb planter.