Time with the Grandkids- August 18, 2012

We have had a 2 week period of Grandkids.  We started out the first week with 12 year old Maddi and Parker who turned 3 years old that week.  Finding things to do with kids of these 2 ages can be somewhat challenging.  Aside from being around the house we did have a couple of days of hopping in the car and venturing out.  We went to Hanover, Pa. for a hot dog lunch and then a visit to the Utz potato chip factory for a tour.  Maddi had taken this tour before but she still enjoyed a repeat and Parker was really exciting seeing the "tractors" moving the stacks of boxed potato chips into the warehouse.  Codorus State Park was another days adventure with a packed picnic lunch.  The problem that day was Parker walking in the "dog poop" which actually was not from dogs but from the geese.  And then there was the day at the zoo that Tom posted about.

As that week was ending we had another grandchild added to the group, Gabi, 9 months old on a Friday.  Then on Saturday we packed the 3 grandkids in the car and drove to Strasburg, Pa. where we met up with our son, Todd, and his wife, Beth.  Parker is a big fan of Thomas, the train, and goes wild for any trains.  Tom and I had wanted to take him to Strasburg so he could ride the train there so we arranged for all of us to do just that.  We first went through the train museum and then took the 45 minute train ride  from Strasburg to Paradise, Pa.  What an exciting time for Parker and for us seeing his excitement.




We spent the night in a motel in Elizabethtown, Pa.  and the next day we all went to Hershey Park. 



Leaving Hershey park Todd, Beth, Parker and Gabi went home to Virginia.  Tom and I along with Maddi headed for our home.  Maddi was with us until Thursday evening when we met Todd in Leesburg, Va. for Maddi's return to Virginia.  It was a fun 2 weeks but we both said we were feeling our ages.