Adventures in Albany!

The girls had a transition week, with Elyse starting for the summer and Kristen coming one more afternoon to pinch-hit before her graduation weekend. We've been so lucky to find such amazing babysitters for the girls and are so grateful for all they've taught all of us.

On Friday after school, to cap off a busy week, the girls and I packed up the car and headed to Albany for the weekend, giving Daddy some time to himself to putter around the house and yard...We stopped in Lee, MA and did a little outlet shopping with Grandma and Grandpa Sina, Aunt Carol, Carie, John, Elsa, Marie, Erin and Jordan. The girls held up pretty well, despite it being a long afternoon and them not remembering all of their relatives since they were so little the last time. We then continued on to Albany. After checking into the hotel down the street from Carie's (Gram and Grandpa got us adjoining rooms), we headed over to have a little dinner and hang out.

Belle missed Daddy but the girls seemed to enjoy reading new books, seeing new faces and sleeping in a hotel - they sure had fun at breakfast on Saturday, trying juices, muffins and yogurt. Saturday also saw us spending time at Justin and Erin's house before enjoying some downtime and much-needed naps before a big family dinner at Carie's - lots of delicious food and wonderful company! It was so wonderful to see all the cousins hang out and play with each other. I loved watching the girls interact with each other and with the other kids, learning how to swing, play in the sandbox and explore the playhouse.

After two nights away, it was time to go home on Sunday, something we did with mixed emotions. Belle immediately asked to "come back again," so we promised to take Daddy next time and are going to try to spend more time with family. It was a wonderful experience for all of us and a great first trip away, one filled with memories that will last a lifetime.