Family Vacation - Part 1

The first stop on our grand East Coast tour was Jersey.

We visited my sis Danielle, her hubby Owen and their amazing new addition:



JOSEPH...my devastatingly handsome nephew!

He stole my heart right away. I suppose I look like (and sound like) his mom, so he took to me. And my bosom. He's a boob man. I like a guy who respects a woman's curves.

He's a smart baby with wise eyes. He barely complained and when he did, it was the tiniest "wha, wha, wha," as if to say, "um, hey, guys, I don't mean to be a bother or anything but there seems to be some pee in my pants and, not to rock the boat, but I'd really appreciate a dipe change. No super rush. When you get a moment. M'kay? Thank you ever so much."



My sis, being a teacher, researched "the best toddler activities in the greater New York area." The Liberty Park Science Center had a hands-on exhibit for ages 2-5. PERFECTO!



Cooper was glued to the Wondrous Ball Thingy! It was a Dr. Suess-esque contraption where you hurled balls into a basket, turned cranks, pulled levers and pushed buttons to watch your ball whiz about inside the gigantic moving machine.

There was an area with parts to build your own miniature wooden car and watch it careen down a series of hills. Cooper liked it so much that he went and grabbed the balls from the Wondrous Ball Thingy and started placing them on the series of hills to watch them roll with the cars. My friend Jessica pointed out that he was the only kid who thought to join the two experiments. Cross-pollinate...a forward thinker!



Did I mention that seeing Jessica Trimble in her hospital scrubs and white nursing clogs filled me with joy to the point of tears because I am so proud of her? It's true.



There was a long troth filled with rice. Cooper started counting rice at one point and I thought to myself, "Well, this could probably occupy him for...well, forever."



Not so. We moved on to a coloring corner with a block building station.



Then mirrors and body mechanics...oh my!



Then, the Sound Experience Podium where you push buttons to hear a heart beat or a nature sound or your own voice echoing over the speakers. At one point, a four-year-old blonde girl sang into the microphone. She was softly treating everyone to the sweetest rendition of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Then my boy ran at her, with all his might, and TACKLED her to the ground. I think he had a crush on her. He likes pretty blondes who sing. We might have to work on his communication skills with the opposite sex.



Oh, and then there was the Oversized Xylophones! Would Coop be into smacking things with sticks?



You betchya!



I kept the crazy red eyes in this pic because they really capture his xylophone mania.







My sister is an excellent mother. In fact, she seems happier and calmer. Parenthood suits her. She shines when Joseph is in her arms.



I wish we did not live so far apart. But I can see these two cousins becoming friends despite the distance. And when they are pre-teens embarking on mischievous adventures together, I'll show them this video so they can witness the first time they hung out:



Still to come...Part 2 of Family Vacation: Maine!