Western New York--Part I

I bought a new laptop (yeah!), but with trying to get files transferred to this computer and downloading software, etc., it took me longer to post about the rest of my trip than I thought it would.

On a side note, I am posting from El Cajon, CA with a beautiful mountaintop view and cool breeze coming in through the patio doors, but more about that later.

Back to NY:

The Trip--Dad and I left Thursday morning to make the trip to Canisteo, about a 10-hour drive.  We decided to make a stop just east of Cleveland to see some of the newer Kirtland Historical Sites.  They have purchased more land and rerouted some of the streets so that it is a nicer, quieter place.  We didn't get to see everything because we were pressed for time, but it was nice to see some of the sites again.  We arrived just after 8:30 pm.  Jenny had kept Nina up so she could say hello.  Nina excitedly greeted us at the door and she looked just like a "little Jenny."  At times, she seems identical to the young pictures of Jenny.  At other times, not so much.

Day 1--We took a picnic up to Stoneybrook State Park.   It started to sprinkle a little as we ate, but cleared up again.  We spent some time playing with Nina at the playground.

And then began the hike to the falls.  The path was undergoing renovations and at times was slick due to the recent rainfall, so we thought about turning back a few times.  I'm glad we didn't though as they were really pretty.  I even convinced Jenny to climb the steps to the top of the falls.

Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures of the falls themselves, so you'll have to use your imagination. 

A few more notes about Nina for the benefit of those who don't get to interact with her:

She loves to role play and pretend she's the one in charge.  You'll often here her telling her dolls--"That was very naughty!"  or "Have a good weekend, Honey!"

She'll also tell her mom to say some word.  When Jenny does, "Very good job!"

On the trip back from Palmyra, my favorite conversational tidbit from Nina was "I'll be the mom and you be the honey."

As we were driving north, she asked Grandpa and I "Do you want to see where I work?"  She then had fun pointing out her daycare to us.

Jenny is trying to potty train her, which always seems to be a difficult task for both the parents and the child when it's  the first child.  I never hear about it with second children and beyond.  Anyway, Jenny was always encouraging Nina to go to the bathroom before we left anywhere or when we were about to start something new.  Nina's response was always "I just already went!"  She doesn't want to believe that you have to go more than once a day.

When she responds in the affirmative, it's always "Oh, yeah!" 

Me:  "Do you want to go play outside?"

Nina:  "Oh, yeah!"

Grandpa:  "Do you like green beans?"

Nina: "Oh, yeah!"

Jenny: "Are you ready to go?"

Nina: "Oh, yeah!"

To be continued...