Their own vacation

Over Memorial Day Weekend, Emmalee and Micah got to have their own vacation at Andrea and Michael's house. Micah was especially excited since this was to be his first time away from us. I had started telling him about it about a week early, because I worried he might have a hard time. So for the whole week before we went, he asked me every day, every time we got into the car, "Is it my own vacation yet?". On the drive up to Syracuse last Friday, every time we stopped (to get gas, to go shopping at the outlets in Lee, to feed Lily, to get lunch) he would say "Is this it?". Yes, he was a bit excited. Needless to say, when we finally arrived, he was beside himself. He and Emmalee both jumped right into playing with Rafe, Maggie & Sam, screaming like little banshees the way they always do when they're together. Steve, Lily and I stayed the night on Friday and left for Rochester on Saturday morning. We always go to Rochester for Memorial Day Weekend, to stay at our friends Courtney and Rick's house. For 6 years, we and 5 other couples (friends from college/MA) have been going up there to invade Courtney and Rick's house and yard for 3 days. Always a great time. We usually bring all the kids, but this year decided we needed a break. Micah is just too wacky and all over the place and it would have been exhausting trying to keep up with him all weekend, making sure he wasn't getting himself hurt or into trouble or playing with the 3 foot long black snake Courtney's son found in their yard near the field which is behind their yard. Let me just pause and say I am SO GLAD I did not see that snake. Hearing about it was bad enough.
So - back to the kids' vacation... it sounds like it went very well. Micah stayed safe for the most part, aside from falling off the swing and pinching his finger, and riding the tricycle down the driveway and tipping it and Michael catching him just before his face met the pavement... Steve and I came back Monday afternoon to two very happy children. On the way home when I asked Emmalee what her favorite part of her vacation was, she asked "can I have more than one favorite?" "Sure", I said. And she went on to list EVERYTHING they had done:
"Playing with Rafey, Playing on the new playscape, playing on the old swingset, having a picnic outside, finding an inchworm, going to McDonalds with Grampa, making and eating cookies, going in the hot tub in the morning with Grampa, babysitting the little kids (Andrea paid she and Rafe a dollar each to keep an eye on the younger kids one evening while she helped put together the new playscape outside), running in the sprinkler... all of it!"
So a great time was had by all. Thank you, Mike, Andrea, & Dad for taking care of Micah and Emmalee and allowing Steve and I to have a semi-relaxing weekend with our friends! Micah has already asked when he can do it again!