Timmy stayed in his Level 1 class this week but I am glad because there is only 2 kids in Level 1 and about 9 kids in Level 2, so it is almost like he is getting private lessons. I still haven’t been able to get any good pictures of Timmy in class because his class meets right in front of me. Here are some more pictures of Josh and Samantha at swim lessons.
Once we got here and were settled Nathan decided it was time for the RV to get a good wash and wax. The boys decided they would help put the soap on the RV.
I am sure you can see that this was just the help Nathan needed in the 90+ degree heat. :) SO…. it soon ended up in a water fight with Nathan manning the hose….
After everyone was completely drenched anyway we all went to the pool to cool off and play. The kids are taking swim classes as long as we are sitting for awhile. The classes started on July 1st so they missed the first week but they are doing good in their classes. Samantha was in level 3 but chose to go back to level 2 because she felt more comfortable. Timmy is the smallest (and youngest) in his level 1 class but he is doing better than most of the big kids. Josh is in a Preschool class this year so I get to watch from the sidelines instead of having to go in with him. Here are pictures of all 3 in their classes.
Misty is enjoying being lazy inside the air conditioned RV….
The kids have lessons on Tuesday and Thursday for the next two weeks. I will try to get better pictures of them in the pool. Samantha and Timmy have started school again. Samantha has finished her first week of fourth grade and Timmy has finished his second week of Kindergarten. So far both mom and I like Calvert better than the Abeka from last year. Samantha and Timmy are enjoying Calvert as well. Samantha even has Art each week and it goes with something else we learn. This week we were reading about cave people in History and the art lesson was for her to make cave drawings. :)
We decided to go into the city on Saturday because Nathan could come with us. I am glad he did because I don’t think I could have waved down a cab to save my life. :)
The campground we stayed at was a five block walk to a PATH train that takes you into the city. Here is Nathan and the kids sitting waiting for the train.
Our first stop was Build-A-Bear. I promised the kids lunch at the Eat With Your Paws Cafe. We started out trying to walk and apparently I remembered the address wrong because we walked about 5 blocks and finally called and found out we were about 20 blocks away from the store so Nathan waved over a cab and we had the cab drive us. Here are the kids sitting at lunch. The straws are bear faces.
The kids all got to choose a new animal to be stuffed. Samantha chose a beagle, mostly because it had a matching puppy that grandma bought her. Here is her beagle being stuffed.
Timmy chose a Pteranodon (sp?). It is a flying bird dinosaur. Grandma also bought him a baby version. :) Here is Timmy’s being stuffed.
Joshua chose a Cheetah. This is his first Build-A-Bear animal. He thinks it is baby Jaguar from Diego. Here is his Cheetah being stuffed.
After lunch and shopping, Nathan waved over another cab and asked to be taken to FAO but the cab driver didn’t understand or didn’t know where it was so the next stop was the 4 story Toys R Us in Times Square. Here is a picture of the Ferris wheel that is inside the store and a picture of Nathan and the boys in their car.
After spending more money at Toys R Us the kids were starting to get tired so we decided to skip FAO. Nathan decided to take one more stop at American Girl. He figured it would be fun for Samantha to go to all of the American Girl stores. While there I bought the boys Bitty Twin boys. Timmy got a blond boy and Josh a brunette. Timmy was upset that he doesn’t have pajamas to change his into so I guess I will have to get him some while we are in Atlanta. :)
The next two days we hung out at the RV while Nathan worked. We had a visit from one of the “Garnet Moms” while we were there. Joy lives in New Jersey about an hour or so away from where we were staying. She has five kids. She brought her two daughters, Katie and baby Emma as well as her Garnet Caleb (same age as Josh). Here is a picture of all of us together.
Unfortunately my health was getting worse so we decided not to go back to upstate New York and just go home so I could get in with my doctors in GA. I met with the allergist and he agrees that I need shots but is worried I will have a hard time finding doctors to give them to me. In college I had two vials of serum, I am now up to 4!! So for the first year I will have to get 4 shots once a week and then it decreases over the next four years. He says that at the end of five years I will not need any allergy medications. We will see.
I am also waiting to meet with an endocrinologist because although my thyroid levels are within normal range they are at the low end and I found lab results from 10 years ago that show my level was twice as much as it is now then, so we will see if that can get settled as well. Mom meets with her doctor on Friday to find out if he feels like she needs surgery or not. Misty is still having diarrhea although she has been on medicines since we have been home. I am hoping we all feel better soon.
Tuesday we left New York and headed for Hershey. Wednesday was spent at Chocolate World. Here are the kids as we were going in.
The first thing we did was go to the 3-D show that they have. It was very cute with all of the chocolate characters dancing around. Next we went on the tour which is a ride that takes you through a simulated factory that shows how chocolate goes from bean to candy. Here are the singing cows that perform throughout the ride.
After the ride we went to a section where the kids can have a factory experience. They get to fill a container with kisses that come off a belt. Then they put the container together, do a dance and put them on a belt that takes them to the back. At the other end a container comes out with their names on them that are wrapped up in plastic. Here is mom and the kids in line.
And Samantha, Timmy and Josh filling their containers….
After we purchased their containers and badges, Nathan and I decided it would be fun to go to a chocolate tasting. Mom decided she would probably not be able to eat what they were tasting (I think she thought some would have nuts) so she stayed with Josh. Here is a picture of Nathan, Samantha and Timmy at our table and a picture of our tasting mats.
We started out tasting the nibs before they are processed and then went from milk chocolate (either 30% or 35% cacao) to a specialty dark chocolate that s 70% cacao. Nathan and the kids preferred the lighter chocolates but I enjoyed the darker ones. After our tastings we went to lunch and then took a trolley ride around town that gave the history of Hershey and the town. We had a lot of fun.
Thursday mom and I went to the Chocolate Spa for the afternoon. You check in and they give you slippers and a robe and this is what you stay in until you leave. We had lunch in our robes, tried out the aromatherapy room and the steam room. We were then bored (guess I’m not good at the lounge around thing) and we went into the quiet room and looked for magazines to read while we waited to be called. I went back first and mom was called about 15 minutes later. We had a Chocolate Immersion experience. We first had a Chocolate Sugar scrub and then they rinsed that off and followed it with a Chocolate Fondue wrap. After being coated, they wrap you in plastic and blankets and leave you to rest for 20 minutes. This is followed by another rinsing and then a coating of cocoa moisturizer. I got back to the quiet room first and ate some fresh baked goodies that are in the room while drinking a bottle of cold water and finishing a magazine. Mom came back in about 15 minutes later and we went back to the locker room to change and go back to the real world. :)
Everything felt great but since my allergies are in over sensitive mode a few hours later I was covered in hives. Today we are doing laundry while Nathan visits customers. Tomorrow we drive to New York City and we will be there until Tuesday morning when we will head back to upstate New York.
The stew and mashed potatoes were delicious. Mom’s new diet does not include pineapple so instead of the pineapple upside down cake she chose a Boston Creme cake. Here is a picture of mom getting her cake delivered to her.
Everyone enjoyed the day. We spent most of the rest of the week watching the kids at the playground. They were sorry to say goodbye to their cousin Alex but we will be back in NY with her for the first week of July. Unfortunately, because of my allergies going crazy we will be going back to GA after that for a couple of months so I can get my health sorted out. Mom will still have her appointment with the surgeon in NY to have another opinion and to get her records but she will follow up with her doctor in Savannah and if they decide she needs surgery (every doctor has a different opinion on this) than she will have the surgery in Savannah.