Before I get to the weekend, I was remiss on Friday in not posting about A's elaborate AFD prank on Daddy. She planned it for days in advance and took a lot of thought. The day before we checked out of the hotel, she called Daddy on the room phone from my cell phone, and in a perfect Southern accent, impersonated "Jeanette" from "Homestead reservations", and told Daddy she was giving him a courtesy call to let him know she was going to be running his credit card for the three additional suites he had booked for the weekend. Needless to say, Daddy was not happy. He informed her that he had not booked additional suites, that our room had not been cleaned that day, and that he wanted to be upgraded to the presidential suite. When she informed him that it was unavailable, he asked to talk to her supervisor, and she said the supervisor would call back.
So that night, we called again, from the lobby, and this time she was the supervisor (I have forgotten her name). They got into it again, and A finally revealed that it was her and not someone from the hotel. April Fool's Day! I love that A planned it and rehearsed it and sent me emails with lists of possible names, like this:
Candice
Bailey
Madison
Abigail
Vivienne
Ramona
Elizabeth
Beatrice
Brittany
Shannon
Paige
Brenda
Shelby
Kristy
Jeanette
Well done, A!
Now on to the weekend. We drove to NJ yesterday to spend the night at Grandma Dina and Grandpa Ron's apartment, where Deb, Jonathan, Ben and Olivia were in for week. We got there around 4, and all of the cousins were very happy to see each other. (Jason and Darrah and Sydney and Eden were there too). We hung out with at Grandma and Grandpa's apartment for a bit and then headed out to a great dinner at PF Chang's. There was a lot of food and we all had plenty to eat! It was really fun to see all the kids interacting.
We returned for dessert at Grandma and Grandpa's - a chocolate cake to celebrate Jonathan and Sydney's birthdays, and a blueberry pie for me (thanks!). After dinner, N went to bed and the girls and Ben and Olivia swam in the indoor pool and watched some TV in the movie room, which Grandma and Grandpa had reserved. Then all the older kids slept upstairs at Grandma and Grandpa's while we stayed downstairs in the guest room. Apparently there was a very loud thunderstorm that Daddy, N and I slept through but the kids were all up for.
This morning, we got up and had breakfast (bagels and jello mold) and headed to Brooklyn and met up with Darrah and Jason and Sydney and Eden for a tour of a fancy chocolate factory in Williamsburg. Some people thought the chocolate was too bitter, but others liked it. (N was not a fan.) Then we went to lunch at a pizza restaurant across the street and then headed to a dessert place before we took off for home.
It was a fast but very fun trip, and great for everyone to see each other. The kids really enjoyed each other! So sweet. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!
Some pics:
