My Beamish Brood: June 2014

Second stop on our tour around the United States... Niagara Falls!

There was something different about this overnight at the Falls than any other trip we've done so far. Always before, I have thought the idea of doing "touristy" stuff without the aid of extra adults (grandparents, aunts or uncles) was a really overwhelming idea. Three young kids, one of whom has a tendency to forget where he is and who he's with (more on that later), one who gets tired and refuses to take another step at the least convenient times, and one who is almost two (enough said), made me nervous about trying to do this without at least one adult per kid. But amazingly, I think we have reached the stage where we can do it! Just us as a family, no major mishaps! Now the world is our oyster... look out, here we come!

Based on advice from friends and the internet, we decided to stay on the Canadian side of the falls. For anyone thinking of making the trip, I'd give the same advice: Go to Canada. The drive wasn't any longer, and the view was better. With passports and birth certificates in hand, we crossed through customs no problem- and now the kids can say they've been to Canada! It was after dark when we reached Niagara Falls, Ontario... and since we were still officially in the off-season, the falls were not yet lit up at night. We drove down to see if we could get a glimpse, but all we got was fog and mist. On the way up to our hotel, the kids spotted a gigantic ferris wheel. "Wo-o-o-www... I would be so happy if I got to ride on that. It would be amazing!" We filed that information away til morning, checked into our hotel, and eventually managed to settle everyone down to go to sleep.

First thing in the morning, Paul and I woke up to pouring rain and thunder. My heart sank. So much for a nice walk down to the falls... we'll be lucky if we can even see them at all in this weather! Determined not to let it get us down, we woke up the boys for breakfast, got our swimsuits on and took a dip in the hotel pool. At least the day wouldn't be a total bust, they got to go swimming.

But by the time we checked out and packed up our car, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out of the clouds. "Do we risk the walk? What if it starts pouring again?" we asked each other. Adventurers that we are, we threw caution to the wind and hiked down the hill to the walking path above the river. With every step, the weather warmed and the sky cleared until I began to regret dressing everyone in long sleeves!

We stopped first at the ferris wheel. When the boys realized we were actually going to go for a ride, they started jumping up and down! We were the only people in line, so we got right on. Up, up and away we went! If you ask him, Lucian will be quick to tell you that "We were only supposed to go around three times, but we went around FOUR times!!" He is convinced we somehow beat the system, although I'm pretty sure we got an extra turn because there was absolutely no one else around. The top of the ferris wheel gave a great aerial view of the falls, but I couldn't wait to get closer.

This is SO COOL!

After the ride, we went down to the river and walked along the path until we reached Horseshoe Falls, the famous curved waterfall that all those barrel-riders have attempted to conquer. Max, of course, is now convinced he will be next, regardless of the $25,000 fine now imposed on those who make an attempt. As we got closer, the wind picked up and we were cooled off by the spray from the falls. We watched seagulls fly below us and saw tour boats float right to the base of the waterfall. Max's assessment was that it was "Way cooler than I thought it would be!"

Thoroughly exhausted from the long walk, we grabbed some cold drinks and sat in the shade at the visitor's center. My amazing superhero husband made the long hike back up to the hotel to get the car while I sat with the kids and their chocolate milk. Pretty soon he pulled up, we hopped in, and we were off! The drive through New York seemed to take forever, but we were so excited for the next leg of the trip: Kelley and Tim's house!

We left home on Friday after work and made it all the way to Chicago, rolling into town after bedtime with some tired kids... who finally fell asleep about ten minutes from Monica and Glenn's house. Our bedroom was all set up with an air mattress for the boys, which they thought (and continue to think) was pretty much the coolest thing ever. We had a lazy morning on Saturday until the men kicked the women out of the house to have some time off in honor of Mother's Day and Monica's birthday! It was a beautiful day for window shopping, conversation, and yummy treats (that we didn't have to share with little ones!) I loved the chance to catch up with Monica and discuss life... I think we could have talked all day and all night. The boys and Audrey had a fun day at the park, and we all met up in time for Mass and dinner in the evening.

Sunday began with brunch- Paul's famous German Pancakes (something like this) with blueberry sauce. Then we took a trip to Chicago's free zoo where we visited the gorillas and camels and flamingos (oh my!), the kids played in a really neat play area, and I thoroughly exhausted myself. Baby's not getting any smaller, and I realized my feet don't take me as far as they used to. But the kids had a great time, and afterward we all went out for pizza- can't go wrong there.

Audrey had a thing for Nathaniel from the moment we arrived at the house. She followed him and talked about him, and pretty much thought he was the cutest thing ever. "'Taniel" didn't mind her too much either. I can't wait to see them grow up together!

We packed up and got on the road Monday morning, heading toward our next destination... Niagara Falls!