We're Back! (And We're Tired...)

What a wonderful trip we had! The car rides to Bergen and back were uneventful (thankfully), Abby had a great time playing with whomever was willing to play with her (which was pretty much everyone!), and we were just able to enjoy our family time and our last trip as a family of three. (The doctor has officially said that "no more road trips" are allowed for this expectant momma...)

A few photos from our trip:

Playing with sidewalk chalk at Grandma Jadwiga's house. Boy oh boy, was Grandma's driveway pretty!

Grandma pushing Abby on the swings. Higher, Grandma, higher!

Playing in the children's play area at Marketplace Mall with Daddy while Mommy and Grandma went shopping.

Some of the Kowalczyk grandchildren. From left to right: cousin Stephanie, cousin Emily, Tim (Laura's boyfriend), cousin Laura, Andy (Mary's husband), cousin Mary, me and Zachary, Abigail, and Carey.

The Kowalczyk clan. Seated, left to right: Aunt Eesh (Elizabeth), Aunt Cheech (Krystyna), Paul (Aunt Cheech's husband), my cute little Grammy, and Doug (my mom's boyfriend). Standing: Aunt Teresa, Aunt Anna, Kim (Uncle Stas's girlfriend), Uncle Henry, my mom, and Uncle Stas (Stanley).

In case you hadn't guessed from the photo, the Kowalczyks are a rather big lot, with 7 children in the family. With a visit from Aunt Anna, who lives in Georgia, all 7 siblings were together (as were 5 of the 9 Kowalczyk grandchildren). We had a great time seeing everyone and, as the neighbors could probably attest, there was lots of laughter and happiness at my Grammy's house that day. :-)

Unfortunately, this forgetful pregnant woman did not take any photos of our first evening upstate, which we spent with Grandpa Al (on his birthday!) and Grandma Dee. Abby had a great time playing in the park with Grandpa and eating a delicious picnic dinner thanks to Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate Grandpa's 61st birthday. Happy birthday to my wonderful father!

So, what are we up to now? Resting up after such an exciting trip and trying to finish our last minute preparations for Zachary's arrival. My mom said I made my debut about 9 days earlier than expected, so she's guessing that Zachary will join us the first week of August. Knowing better than to doubt the wisdom of my mom, Carey and I have decided to make sure that we're completely ready to go by the end of this month, just in case the little guy is impatient like his mommy. ;-)