One "Halupkie" of a Weekend

We got home late Tuesday evening, and I'm finally starting to catch my breath and maybe feel hungry again. I don't think we ever stopped eating.

The fun started Saturday evening when we headed to Grandmother's house outside of Annapolis and realized that our air conditioning had decided it was done. It ended up being a really LONG ride. Once we got there things got much better! Grandad had gotten the inflatable pool ready and Adam was in heaven. Thank goodness Little Man is only 19 months old, because I forgot his swim diaper. He was a bit perplexed when he was allowed to run around the yard naked as a jay bird, but soon realized the freedom he was given and loved it. The breeze coming off the water was great and we had fun roasting hot dogs and smores over the fire pit. Wil headed off to the airport to pick up our rental car and came back with a Dodge Grand Caravan. Can I just tell you how wonderful it was? I know this will strike most of you as odd, but yes, I have been dreaming of a mini-van for months now. Compared to the hassle of baby gear and a manual transmission Toyota Corolla - it was unbelievable. There was endless space, working air conditioning, and Little Man loved that he could see out of the windows - those big trucks are a little boy's dream. But I digress...

Sunday morning we headed back to the airport to pick up Mimi & Papa. They were thrilled to see the Little Man and he was happy to see them too. We got back on the road and drove up to Aunt Deb's house in York, where we spent the rest of the afternoon. Little Man was completely enthralled with the vast array of animals at Aunt Deb's house... dogs, birds, fish, turtles, frogs, and a chameleon (which he got to see being fed. It was actually pretty cool). She had also cleaned out a bunch of her kids toddler books and toys and we reaped the rewards... a big yellow tonka truck and two boxes of kids books. We were really glad for the stow & go. A bunch of other family members ended up coming over and we had a great time visiting. Not to mention the spread Deb had prepared - to die for salads and just about every grilled meat you can think of, topped off with the most heavenly blueberry crisp. WOW! I'll pass along recipes as soon as I can. We left around 9 for Tremont/Pine Grove and hit a nasty thunderstorm. By the time we dropped everybody off and got settled at the hotel it was somewhere around 11, we were exhausted.

Monday morning it was slow going. After our late night and no naps on Sunday, we were still too pooped to get up and out quickly. We started out at Grandma Scheib's, where she decided to make "Halupkies" for dinner. I have no idea if I'm spelling it right, but it's a fancy word for stuffed cabbage. We drove down to Pine Grove, picked up Grandma Becker and went to the Red Lion for lunch. It's Papa's favorite restaurant and everything I've ever had there is so yummy. They even have birch beer on tap. YUM!!! Wil was especially pleased with his chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Then we drove up into the mountains where the old strip mine used to be and Wil's great-grandma lived. A lot of his family still lives up there now. Little man got a much needed nap, we visited all kinds of cousins and we found both a nice chunk of coal and a big piece of coal shale for our fish tank. For me it's something cool to put in the tank, for Wil it's a piece of home away from home. By then it was almost dinner time and we made our way back to Grandma Scheib's house. The halupkies were cooking in the roaster and smelled so good, but weren't going to be done in time for dinner, so we started dinner number 2 - pork chops, mashed potatoes and 4 different veggies (everybody had a different favorite). After dinner Mimi and Wil took Adam in the pool and then we headed back to the hotel for an "early" night.

Tuesday morning we packed up, checked out of the hotel and met Uncle Danny, Mimi and Papa at the truck stop across the street for brunch. Little Man was happy as could be - eggs for breakfast and HUGE trucks all over the place. He even found a truck in the gift shop to bring home. We spent the next couple hours visiting with Grandma Scheib and letting Little Man get out his wiggles for the ride home. We were too stuffed from breakfast to have halupkies for lunch, so she packed up a big container and sent them home**. The drive home was quiet, Little Man was exhausted and slept the whole way. We got the van returned, visited with Grandmother and Grandad until it cooled off some and drove home in our little car.

Life up there seems to move slower and Grandma Scheib always makes us feel welcome. I only wish we could make it up there more often.

**the thought of cabbage for dinner last night, just about sent me running. So I can't give you a verdict on the halupkies, although Grandma Scheib has never made anything I didn't like. Wil took them for lunch today, so I wouldn't have to smell them.