East Coast Travels

We recently returned from a trip back east that took us through 4 states (okay so we only drove through Delaware), but we spent time enjoying activities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. The reason for the trip was to watch cousin Cassie become a Bat Mitzvah. She did a wonderful job and we were honored to be a part of her special day. Other activites during the week included: a trip to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden followed by visiting with cousins; a trip to the Crayola Factory; and lots of time outdoors enjoying the fall weather and collecting fall treasures (acorns, pinecones, leaves, walnuts) for some crafts we're going to do. We had a really great time seeing lots of family and introducing Chloe to those that didn't make it out to AZ.

The girls riding bikes at cousin Chase and Tanner's house.

The 5 cousins at Cassie's Bat Mitzvah - from left to right: Michelle, Cassie, Gabrielle, Mara, Andrea
Grandpa Pollack started taking pictures of his granddaughters when Gab (who is now a pediatrician practicing in Maine) was just a baby and Michelle used to hold her in the pictures. We always make a point to take a picture of the girls when we're all together.

4 of the 5 cousins (soon to be 6!) at the Adventure Aquarium. Sophie's favorite was the sharks, which she got to touch. Zoe's favorite was seeing all the different fish, and my favorite was "petting" the rays. From front to back: Tanner (4), Zoe (3), Sophie (4), Chase (6)

Zoe at the Crayola Factory. This has to be one of the most family friendly places I have ever been. They even sold pacifiers in the vending machines and opened a special room for Andy to sit in while Chloe slept. This isn't the actual factory where they make the crayons. It's more like a hands-on musuem where the kids can try out every Crayola product you can think of. When you get your tickets, they give each person a bag for holding art projects, and boy did we make lots! We got to paint, make puppets, make leaf rubbings use their model magic clay and more. I would definitely go there again.

We really enjoyed the true fall weather while we were away. The girls had lots of fun playing with the crunchy leaves and looking at the beautiful colors. We took lots of walks, went to the playground and just took in all that fresh air. And of course we returned to temperatures in the upper 90's back in Tucson, where Zoe promptly reminded me how much she doesn't like living in the desert.