A vist with Nicole, Justin, and Niko.

Our friends Nicole and Justin, along with their seriously cute son, Niko, were kind enough to let us invade their wonderful home this weekend for a visit. Before that could happen though, Mercer had us stop by the side of Route 78 in Pennsylvania to relieve himself. When you gotta go, you gotta go. I doubt Mercer will be happy with us over this photo when he gets to high school, but he'll appreciate it when he's in college. We hope.

It took a little while for Mercer and Niko to get fully used to each other, but they shared a common goal of agitating their parents, so they were fine. We had an amazing BBQ feast on Friday night, complete with burgers, venison, corn on the cob, fruit salad, french fries, and hot dogs. This was promptly followed by a trip to Rita's for ices and frozen custard and then a bath.











The next day, we decided to go to Chocolate World in Hershey and then Zoo America. Photography wasn't really allowed in Chocolate World, but we got to see a cool 3D movie where we got tickled by spiders, blasted by wet spider guts, and brainwashed into thinking chocolate was appropriate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We also took the "factory" tour, where Mercer was afraid we were on our way to becoming chocolate bars.

Unfortunately, Mercer developed a slight fever in the gift shop and became exhausted. We skipped the zoo and headed back to the house after picking up some pizza.


Mercer rebounded and we all went to the very cool Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg for dinner. Pop sampled a few delicious brews and we all ate very well, despite some spotty service. Pop even hosted some foot races near the entrance after we finished up.









The next morning we lazily watched cartoons and Mercer gave Niko a nice back massage with his feet. Mercer had a few toy sharing issues, but he's always been stubborn about that. He needs work. Niko was so accommodating (and cute) about the whole thing.




All in all, a very nice trip. We can't wait to go back.

Mercer's Summer Vacation: Part 6

In this final installment, Mercer eats some ice cream at night and hangs out with Hanna at a boat show/ice cream festival the next day. Strange, but true. Mercer and Hanna got to make small toy boats and sail them in a small pool. They also sampled ice cream flavors from all over New Jersey and partook in a few carnival rides.

Mercer's Summer Vacation: Part 5

We went to Jenkinson's Beach in Point Pleasant for their aquarium, games, and rides. The aquarium surprised us in its quality and the rides never disappoint. Mercer saw sharks, seals, penguins, and a crocodile. We didn't take too many shots outside by the rides because it was just too hot to make the effort. Even by the shore, it was brutal.

Mercer's Summer Vacation: Part 4

U-pick farms, orchards, animals, and tractors.

Mercer's Summer Vacation: Part 3

Tuesday was reserved for a trip to Great Adventure but the weather did not cooperate. By the time we got near the park, we were caught in a total downpour. Instead, we went to see Despicable Me (not good, but Mercer was very well behaved) and play miniature golf. It was Mercer's first time on the links and after dodging yet another downpour, we finally got to see Mercer's game.

All hopes of keeping score were dashed when Mercer decided to pick up each ball and drop it into the cup. Mercer had a distinct sweeping technique, not unlike something you would see in a field hockey game. It wasn't very efficient, but it eventually got the job done. The course was soaked and that added a bit more interest. Speaking of which, the only thing more interesting than playing miniature golf is looking at pictures of it (we hit some balls on the driving range first).