Last month (March) was an exciting one around the northernmost Watkins homestead, especially for our newest member. Molly visited all of her grandparents, and experienced some memorable firsts:

1. FIRST LONG CAR TRIP

At nearly 5 hours, it was a long ride for all of us. We were all very eager to settle into our hotel room that evening.

2. FIRST OVERNIGHT STAY

The next morning, we met Gammy and Pappou for breakfast at one of their favorite spots, Kings Valley Diner and Pancake House (Whew- what a name! It used to be just Texas Diner.) Molly and Pappou met for the first time, and got along quite well.

After breakfast, we stopped off briefly to visit with Uncle Frank (my former boss and friend) at Alice in Videoland. Then we were off to Gammy and Pappou’s cute apartment in West Hurley. It was charming and comfy, with a country feel (maybe it was the chickens in the kitchen!)

We finished the visit with a meal at Mountain Brauhaus, a German and Austrian restaurant in Gardiner, NY.

For dessert, we briefly met with Nanny and Poppy in their home, and chatted while Molly napped.

After a somewhat restful evening (Molly only woke up once, but was up for a while. Jeff had problems with the comfort of the hotel bed.) we were back at Nanny and Poppy’s house for breakfast, where Poppy entertained us with his mighty spatula.

It was a mostly pleasant visit, although Molly did have one of her meltdowns, which lasted for quite a while before she finally zonked out. Nanny and Poppy still managed to remain as cheerful and wacky as ever.

Then, all too quickly, our visit to my hometown and the grandparents was over. Molly slept on and off on the way home, but seemed extra cranky and extra hungry, even for her. Maybe she was just eager to get back to familiar surroundings and her comfy crib.

If only she could always be this peaceful:

MORE TO COME IN THE NEXT POST!