NY Trip - Baby Shower & Lilac Festival

I'm back! It's always a treat to go back "home" to NY and spend time with family and friends, but it's also great to come back home, to the familiar routine. I get frustrated because it's the same thing every day, no change. Then when I go back to NY every day is filled with events and being surrounded by people. So, it's nice to come back to our peaceful life in Virginia.....the familiar quiet and being able to control my day the way I want it. Sometimes you have to step out of your daily surroundings to appreciate it more.

We were in New York for almost a week and it definitely felt like a vacation. Not the peaceful one though. It was a lot of fun but also hectic. I've only attended showers and have been the guest of honor for my own; I've never been behind the scenes in helping plan one. I helped my MIL (mother-in-law) with lots of ideas and decorated her house for the shower. It was so much fun! I loved being in charge! I also helped make the favors and the layout of the party and where things should go. The shower was on Saturday and it went great! It was actually supposed to rain but it never did. Thank goodness! It was held outside and the weather was sunny and hot! We had BBQ style food....very laid back and homey.....corn on the cob, beef ribs and salt potatoes. Jason, my BIL (brother-in-law) and Carolyn, my SIL (sister in law) got some wonderful gifts. There were about 35 people who came and 40 were invited, so it was a great turnout!

          Me and Carolyn at her Baby Shower

Our family at the Baby Shower -from left to right--Renee (my mom), Eric (my husband), me, Becca (my daughter), Jason (my BIL), Carolyn (my SIL), Kim (my MIL), Chris (my FIL) and Cathy (Carolyn's mom)

We went to the Lilac Festival the next day. It was a lot of fun. I used to go every year when I was younger. It is a big deal for Rochester, it is famous for its Lilac Festival. It's been cold there lately and most of the flowers weren't in bloom which was unfortunate. Of course, we did go on the last day so maybe they were nicer in the beginning of the week-long festival. It brought back memories though. :) We walked through the park and enjoyed the few lilacs that were in bloom. They are just beautiful and give off such a wonderful smell. Then we walked through the vendors....rows and rows of original paintings, jewelry, signs, artwork, they do caricatures, there are sculptures...there is always so much to see and do there. It was very hot that day as well, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to go.

          Me and Becca at the Lilac Festival

Every time we go back to Rochester we like to stop at our favorite eateries. Dibella's for the best subs and sandwiches! Shaeller's for the best hamburgers! We also went to the Erie Canal which runs through the town. We took Becca to feed the ducks and she loved it! It's also great to take walks...people ride bikes and rollerblade and walk their dogs. There are boat rides and you can get ice cream. I spent a lot of time there growing up.

    Becca and my mom (Nana) feeding the ducks at the canal

While we were in town I was able to visit with some of my side of the family. Two of my aunts and two of my cousins came over as well as Shannon, who is like my little sister. My mom used to do daycare in her house and she watched Shannon since she was 4 years old and now she's 18, so she's part of our family. It was great to catch up with them. It's hard living so far away from all the people you love, and then when you finally see each other after months apart, that connection instantly resurfaces. I'm appreciative and thankful that they made the time to see us while we were there.

         My brother Joey, my mom, and me

       Family-from left to right---cousin Meg, me, my mom, Shannon, and cousin Jenna

Packing for our Trip

Our family is leaving Thursday for a trip "home" to New York. It is where both Eric and I are from and grew up. Most of our family and friends still live there, so it's a great escape to go back and reconnect :) Eric's brother and his wife are expecting their first child this summer and we are eager with anticipation to meet our little niece or nephew. They have decided to wait until the baby's birth to find out the sex, so that adds another element of excitement to it all. We are headed to New York because their baby shower is being held at my mother and father-in-law's house on Saturday. The shower is a co-ed shower. I've never been to one before, so it should be interesting :) We are hoping for good weather that day so we can have the shower outside, but you never know with Rochester weather. There's no place more unpredictable in my mind. I'm really looking forward to it and seeing everyone and being together with people I love and care about :) Carolyn, my sister-in-law, just means so much to me and she is so sweet. I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister growing up, and she is just the best sister I could ever hope for. I am so happy for her and her husband, they are going to be wonderful parents. I'm also really happy that Becca will have a little cousin that is close in age to grow up with. I've always been close with my cousins and I wished for Becca to have the same thing.
Eric and I know how much stuff a baby requires and it definitely puts a damper on your wallet. To help them out, we are loaning them a bunch of our baby stuff for them to use. We don't use them anymore so at least someone else can get some good use for it, while also saving them some money as well, or at least some extra room on their baby registry. Some of these things are....a baby jumperoo, baby bouncer, baby bjorn carrier, and a breast pump. I also threw in a few extra things because I want to help them any way I can. I only wish I could do more, but I couldn't possibly afford everything I would want to get for them. I think baby shopping is the most fun type of shopping there is!
Anyway, I had put all of Becca's newborn and infant stuff away in the back of the downstairs closet, so today I had to take everything out to get back there and sort through bins and bags. I sat there, lost in the moment, as I continued to look through all of her tiny belongings. Little booties....bonnets.....bottles.....rattles. It took me back to that place in time that seems so long ago, yet I can remember it like it was yesterday. I picked up a tiny bottle and thought back to when I cradled her in my arms and rocked her to sleep in the rocker we have in her bedroom. I would just watch her sleep and smell her "baby smell" wafting from her head for long after she fell asleep. She was just angelic. I miss those times. She was so tiny and delicate and fragile. She still is and always will be my treasured jewel, but there is something so innocent and magical about a newborn infant baby. Ahh, memories.
Well, there's not a whole lot of time to reflect on these memories right now, there is much to do. I need to finish the laundry so all the clothes are clean and ready to be packed. I have a list of things to do before we leave. I have to clean the house because I hate coming home from a trip to a mess. Yet, even though I sound organized, I always manage to forget something every time I take a trip.
We are leaving Thursday after Eric gets out of work, so everything needs to be packed Wednesday night. I have to start packing days in advance because I approach things very slowly. I over analyze everything. Plus, I pack three extra sets of clothes in case I don't feel like wearing the ones I already picked out. Then of course if the weather changes, then you have to start all over again. So, that's about all for now about that. Becca will be waking up from her nap in about an hour and then I have to feed her and then get ready to take Max to the vet to get his latest vaccine. Bye for now. :)