Phew...what a trip! Aug 5-18 Long Island

We started out our trip by flying into Pittsburgh and getting in pretty late. We stayed over night right by the airport. The next morning we rented our van and were on our way to Long Island. Yep..10 hours later we made it. I didn't expect such a long drive. We drove past NYC just as the sun was going down. We were all excited to get such a great view of the city at night. We waited for an hour in traffic to cross the George Washington Bridge..once we were past that it was pretty smooth sailing.
Things started to break down kid wise in the mini van and the dvd player had blown a fuse. But, Stephen pulled a McGuyver move and got the dvd player back in working order with an aluminum gum wrapper. My jaw dropped. I love that man!

We spent 4 days on Long Island visiting Stephen's mom. Stephen took us around to all the fun places he enjoyed growing up. His old house, the harbor, favorite pizza place, high school, cute little towns, beaches. The kids loved it.

A couple of the kids stayed with grandma..but the rest of us stayed in a very nice..but very small motel. Stephen in one twin bed with Sam, me in another twin bed with Abby..and Jack in a crib. Stephen and I didn't get much sleep for a few days. But...we were having fun, darn it! :)

Just a little side note..I was so impressed with this little motel. When they found out we were coming and bringing a baby they cleaned the carpets and the drapes. They had a great breakfast every morning and the owner was always around making sure that everything was Ok. It was a great place.

Jones Beach

Jones Beach

Jones Beach

Northport Harbor
Northport

Cold Spring Harbor

Cold Spring Harbor
Coindre Hall

This is an interesting place. An old mansion from the Gold Coast era. This picture is the boathouse-located right on the bay. The mansion is now a museum-and a dog park--strange! But beautiful with sweeping lawns all the way to the ocean. I planned on getting a picture of the mansion..but it was pouring rain on our way back.

Huntington Beach
Kids waiting in the pouring rain while Stephen ran to get the car. We were all soaked!

Grandma's house
Jack had fun chasing and stabbing everyone with his stick.


My b-day party
Stephen's mom made a very delicious chocolate cake for my birthday. I'm still thinking about those left overs in the fridge.

Stephen reliving his youth at South Down Kitchen.

Monday morning we set out for NYC. Yes, we drove into the city. It really was no problem. We waited until after rush hour and everything went fine. We found our hotel..dumped our luggage..and walked around the city for about 5 hours. It was hot and humid..but the kids did really well. They were very excited to see all the sites. Pictures coming soon!