Trip to West Virginia

It took a few days for the kids (and us!) to recover from the long trip, as well as the time change. One night, Benjamin decided he wanted to sleep in one of the suitcases in the closet. This could certainly save us a lot of money on airfare!

One day, we went for a walk on the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach. The kids loved this statue.

Finally, we took a long road trip to go visit my grandmother in West Virginia. On the way, we stopped at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, which the kids loved. Above, we're looking in the dolphin tank just as a dolphin dives down.

Jellyfish!

The kids loved the dolphin show, especially when they came around and splashed us.

Here we are with my grandmother at a great local restaurant, owned by a distant cousin of mine.

And here are the kids playing on my grandmother's bed. Of course, it was the first time they met her.

Aunts and Uncles

One day, my parents gave the kids outfits -- a princess outfit for Phoebe and pirate outfits for the boys.

Here they are checking out their new outfits in the mirror.

We visited lots of my family on the East Coast. Above, we visited my uncle and aunt, who had a granddaughter about Phoebe's age. They hit it off right away.

We visited another aunt and uncle in Maryland. My uncle let the boys hold an officer's sword from the American Revolutionary War, part of his collection.

They have a playground across the street from their house. Above, my cousin Kim pushed Phoebe and Paul on the swing.

This is a great toy -- the first time we had ever seen one.

Next to the playground was a firehouse. They saw the kids and let us come in. They even let the kids play in the truck and turn on the lights.



For more photos from the East Coast, click here.

Trip to the Zoo in Cape May, NJ

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One day while visiting my parents, we took a day trip to Cape May, NJ, to visit their zoo, which is quite good and free.

First, we got on the ferry in Lewes, Delaware, and made the 17-mile trip over to Cape May.

Here's the ferry just before we got on in Lewes.

The kids had fun running around the boat. One of the boat's employees gave the kids coloring books and crayons.

Paul was wearing his superhero cape.

Here they are running on the benches.

At the zoo, we saw a lion, who even roared for us.



Here are Paul and Benjamin on a break in a gazebo.

Here we are with the giraffes.



Afterwards, we went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch and sat at the hibachi table. The kids, especially Paul, loved the chef's performance.

For more photos from the East Coast, click here.

Edwards on the East Coast

Because I finished my studies, we needed a new kind of visa to continue to live in Greece, which involved -- as strange as it may seem -- coming back to the US to visit the Greek Embassy, and then returning to Greece. 

So the kids got their first plane ride, their first trip out of Greece, and their first visit to the US. The trip was long -- 11 hours from Athens to Philadelphia -- but the kids were pretty good. Above, you can see them watching a movie on the iPad.

My parents were waiting at the airport to pick us up.

The kids enjoyed the huge playland inside the McDonalds near my parents' house.

My parents got out many of my old toys, including this little red wagon. They drove around my parents' neighborhood.

They also got a spin in Granddad's pick-up truck.

Of course, no visit to the grandparents could be complete without lots of ice cream, including visits to this nearby dairy farm that makes its own ice cream.

Here in the US, even the strollers have parking! I wish there was this much organized parking in Greece for cars!

Here we are visiting a replica of an old ship in Wilmington, Delaware. You can see the city in the background to the left.

Here the kids are playing in the grass near the ship. It is amazing how many well-kept, green public places there are!

For many more photos, click here.