Family Fun Holiday Weekend

This was my last weekend before I return to work full time starting Wednesday.  We have gone out of town for the 4th weekend every year since I can remember.  This year however, mostly due to my return to work immediately after the holiday weekend, we decided to stay home.  I think in the long run it was a good idea because we were able to catch up on stuff around the house and get things ready for this week.  But we wanted to still do some fun family activities, mostly for Teagan's sake.  Saturday was spent running what felt like a million errands and having lunch with Grandpa C.  Sunday we planned a day trip to Robert Treman State Park in Ithaca.  It was a nice drive down along Cayuga lake (with Teagan asking every 5 minutes of the 2 hour drive "are we at the waterfall yet?").  The park has a waterfall, and the stream is dammed to create a nice, natural swimming pool at the bottom.  The surrounding landscape is gorgeous and although the water is chilly, the swimming is nice.  We brought a picnic lunch, which we ended up plowing through because someone was anxious to swim.  Then we changed and Teagan was finally able to swim.  I didn't end up swimming because Declan was super tired so I put him in the carrier and wore him while I watched Teagan and Matt swim.  Teagan didn't last too long in the water, because at 62* it was a bit chilly!  She was in and out a few times, and enjoyed jumping off the ledge and having Matt catch her.  Her blue lips chattered every time she came over to say hi to me.  She did love the waterfall so we watched that for a while, and watched the people jumping off the diving board down 10 feet into the water.

After everyone dried off and changed we had one last stop at the park - the stream actually flows across the road so Teagan got to splash in that for a few minutes.  This was really just for my benefit because when we went camping as kids we played in the same stream.  After we left the park we made a quick stop at Jillian's Drawers, which is a cloth diaper (and children's) store in downtown Ithaca.  They are one of the most well known internet sites for ordering diaper supplies, but it was cool to see the store in person.  Since we paid the state park fee for the day, we drove into Taughannock Falls SP for a quick drive to the falls overlook.  Then it was on to Cayuga Lake Creamery for some ice cream.  They make all of their ice cream so we enjoyed a delicious treat (that was almost free, since we all used our birthday coupons!).  Then we headed the rest of the way home in time for baths and bedtime!  Teagan seemed to have a really great day, and Matt, Declan and I had fun too.

Today we stayed in town, but crossed some more things off our "fun things to do" list.  Teagan and I made ice cream in the morning with the ice cream machine (it was technically frozen yogurt).  Then we got ready and went to the splash park in town.  We had a quick lunch and Teagan took a nap.  After nap, we made driveway paint using cornstarch, water, and food coloring and Teagan painted away while D enjoyed kicking away on a blanket in the grass.  Matt and I just enjoyed the warm weather and watching our kids enjoy themselves!  We grilled dinner and ate on the deck.  Teagan had some playtime with Matt and I and then was off to bed!  It was such a great weekend.  In a way it feels like the "end" but really summer is just beginning so I am sure there is a lot more fun to come!!!

I have photos from real cameras and also video to share, but for now, some iPhone collages to go with the weekend recap!!!