CHOCOLATE DAYS 2011

 We went to PA for CHOCOLATE DAYS!!! Most people aren't aware that this is a national holiday, but my family treats this more importantly than Christmas sometimes. What is chocolate days? A period of about a week where my family and friends from VA get together and do nothing but make and dip chocolates to give out during the holidays. While the women dip, the hubbies and dads are in charge of playing and wearing out the kiddos. It makes for a great time.

My mom usually ends of making some sort of crafty thing for Chocolate Days. This year: aprons and PJ bottoms for the kiddos.

We tried and tried to get a good picture showing off their jammies.

this is what we got :-)

Shawn decided to stay back and work. He was originally planning on coming with us because he thought he would lose his vacation time at the end of the year. Once he found out he could carry it over, he decided he'd much rather have more time for next year. Oakley and I still enjoyed it there, though, and we got to talk to Shawn daily

While the girls stayed busy unwrapping their Hershey kisses,

My monster ate them all without them even noticing!!

Oakley loved rebuilding old friendships with his buddies he gets to see once a year.

PopPop took Oakley to the Crayola factory for the first time. He was a bit too young for the Crayola part, but he absolutely loved the exhibits at the Canal Museum because he could play in water and watch trains.

Watching them make crayons and markers

Stuck in the tunnel-Oh, no!

Dancing away to make laser art on the wall

The best part of this entire trip was the time we got to spend with family. Oakley has met his cousin Gwenyth (Gigi or Gwen for short) once before, but this trip they really got to know and love one another.

PopPop sure had his work cut out for him.

We like to train them in the art of chocolate making when it can really sink in to their developing minds.

Oakley absolutely loves his Gigi and still talks and asks about her.

Reading stories with PopPop

Blackmail...what else can I say.  Is she not the cutest little chunk?!?

Shawn spent some time working on the basement while we were gone, so Ian now has a bedroom downstairs WITH a closet. ;-)  It's nice for us and for Ian to have his own space. 

The flight home was quite interesting because of our 20 minute layover in MN, but we made it. Once we landed in SLC, Oakley asked if we were going to PopPop and Bopshi's house. I explained to him that, "No, Daddy's here to pick us up and take us to our house." To which he replied, "No, Daddy just has to come ride on the airplane with us!" He was quite upset that he wasn't going to get to ride any more planes that day. I, on the other hand, was quite glad to be home. Oakley adjusted so easily to the time change because we had several parties night after night when we got home. So instead of being able to fall asleep at 7:30pm like he wanted to, he stayed awake and ran himself ragged playing with kids and would sleep in for us. It was a nice transition.

 Our goal for this week now is to get the driveway cleared. We have 2 cars that need selling and a boat that needs to go in the garage after we make room ;-)