Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung here in Pennsylvania and we are loving it. Our windows are open 24/7 and we're able to spend our weekends outside. I actually enjoyed having a "real winter" for the first time in my adult life, but I was ready for it to end (and I'm told it was very mild). We do not have a yard since we are in an apartment, but we do have a nice park right down the street. We also have an awesome bike path that goes along the river. In the fall, Luke wasn't big enough for our bike trailer, but this spring he is. A couple of weekends ago, George pumped up the tires on our bikes and we went for a ride. About a mile into the ride, George got a flat and he had to walk the whole way home while pulling the bike trailer with both kids...I did not include pictures of that. :) The bike is all fixed now so we'll be back our on the bike path soon. Luke and Madeline loved riding in the trailer, but Luke wanted nothing to do with the helmet. Safety first, Luke!

We also recently discovered a few other parks in our area....there are super nice parks everywhere here! We went for a drive on Easter (kids were car napping) through the Valley Forge National Historic Park. My parents told me that I was also there as a kid. It is huge and beautiful and only 10 minutes from our place...who knew?! Apparently not us...we definitely should've taken our visitors there! I mean, I knew we lived near Valley Forge, but I didn't realize that there was a huge park with a visitors center, a chapel, and a monument. I guess I should start googling or something. Norristown Farm Park was also a big hit for our family two weekends ago. It's an almost 700 acre park that surrounds a working farm that has been in continuous use since colonial times (found that little fact on google). We went on a long walk (run for Madeline) and then the kids played on the playground for awhile. 

Madeline is very into holidays these days. I think her school hypes them up quite a bit so she is very in tune to them.  Her excitement makes it fun for all of us. We colored eggs last weekend, but I must say that it was sort of a fail. I didn't know that you need vinegar, and we didn't have any, so I improvised with water. The colors were not very vibrant. I blame my parents. We didn't color eggs as kids. Ok, maybe once. 

On Sunday, I did my best to get a picture of the kids in their Easter outfits. Anytime Madeline was looking at the camera, Luke wasn't and vice versa. Oh well!

We should've asked someone at church to get a picture of the four of us...

I put together little baskets for the kids for Easter morning and we did an Easter egg hunt down at the park in the afternoon. Again, Madeline was super into all of it.

Here's a little video from our egg hunt at the park. You'll notice that Luke is now walking! He took his first steps about a month ago now, but wouldn't walk unless we stood him up and encouraged him. In the last week, he has gained a lot of confidence and is now walking pretty much 100% of the time. He suddenly seems like such a little toddler. He is so happy and proud of himself for walking. So cute! 

Lucas NE Tour

Time to post about what I've been calling the "Lucas Northeast Tour".  George's folks spent 4 days in New York City, 5 days in Washington, DC, and 6 days here in Philadelphia. It was their first time to all three cities so there was a lot to see and do. We joined them for only one day in NYC and 3 days in DC. Here are some pictures and highlights.

NYC: We met them in New York the night that they arrived. We hired a babysitter using the same agency that we used in the fall (when we went to SNL) so shortly after arriving, we headed to dinner at Becco in the theater district. George and I were just a tad excited to have a night out without kids in NYC. After dinner, we got coffee and walked over to Times Square. We took the subway to/from the restaurant so they got to experience that their first night too! The second day we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was just a short walk from our hotel. Paul and Anna had received a recommendation from someone back in AZ for the boat tour that goes around the island of Manhattan. It was a 2.5 hour ride and we had a really great tour guide who pointed out different sites and facts. It was the perfect activity for our group since George's grandma isn't able to do much walking and the kids aren't always up for that either. It was a cold and windy day and the boat was enclosed so I wasn't complaining! :) That evening we got the most delicious ramen and then we hit the road. After we left, Marie and Anna got really bad food poisoning so that cut their site seeing time short. I know some highlights from the next couple of days included the MET and Wicked on Broadway!

          

Washington, DC:  I was able to get White Hour tour tickets for our first day in DC. It was super strange because we were the only group touring the White House at that particular time so were able to really take our time in each room. The secret service agents who are posted in each room have so much knowledge on the history, purpose, art, etc. of the room and are very willing to chat and answer questions. We took advantage of their willingness to do so and learned a ton of interesting facts. We hit most of the big sites in DC including Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian Air and Space, and the Lincoln Memorial. Paul and Anna booked an Airbnb for the group right in the heart of DC. It was so nice to have a house to come back to for Luke's naps and meals.

Side Note: The weather was terrible while they were here! We got that big NE snow storm and the temps were in the 30s for most of their trip.

Philadelphia: We slowed things down a bit back in Philadelphia because everyone was exhausted from long days of site seeing in NYC and DC. We spent a lot of time back at our apartment hanging out and relaxing.  Rachel stayed with us and the others stayed at a hotel right down the street from us.   We went to see the new Beauty and the Beast while they were here, which was a highlight for Madeline! :) We also went to Hershey and did the Chocolate World tour and took a trolley tour around Hershey. The trolley tour was worth every penny. We had a wonderful tour guide who knew everything about Milton Hershey and the history of the Hershey Company. He also spent a lot of time talking about the Milton Hershey School which I knew nothing about prior to the tour (very fascinating if you have time to read about it). I thought the town of Hershey and the surrounding area was beautiful. We want to make it back to Hershey this summer to spend some more time checking it out. We also braved the cold and did a bunch of the historic sites in Philadelphia including the Liberty Bell, Carpenter's Hall, and the Ben Franklin square. 

Luke had his first taste of chocolate in Hershey....

I'm so glad they made the trip out to the east coast to see us and explore the area!