Niagara Falls

For four days in August, Annalise took her first vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada. Anna's Grammy, Aunt Lisa, Uncle Dave, Aunt Michelle, Uncle Rich and cousins Jen, Samantha and Hannah all went on the trip too! It was great to be able to spend so much time with them since we rarely do but I have to say I had three small worries about traveling with an 8 month old before we left. I am glad to say that it went well. The first thing I was worried about was where on earth I was going to breastfeed her throughout the day, but with some creativity it was not a problem. I do have to say though that being in a bathroom stall sitting in Anna's stroller is by no means ideal and is pretty hard on the hips, but like I said it all worked out. The second thing I was worried about was the cleanliness of the hotel. Since none of us had been there before I was worried that the carpet was going to old and yucky and that Anna was not going to be able to crawl around at all (which would have made her pretty cranky). Luckily, when we got to the hotel, it looked like it had just recently been redone, and the carpet was not gross at all! What luck! The third thing I was a little worried about was the amount of time that Anna was going to have to be sitting in something (the car, her stroller etc....). Since she can crawl, she is usually most interested in being on the floor to do her thing and tends to get a little on edge if she is not able to. She had some moments of fussiness over the sitting thing, but really did well over all!
I am probably going to have to do this as a series of posts since we actually took quite a few pictures. Here are some pictures of our first evening:

A lunch stop on the way there.

Playing with Daddy and stretching out after a 5 hour car ride.

A rainbow created by the mist of the falls.
I am actually in this picture. Can you find me?

The top of the Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side.

A smiley Anna getting soaked by the "mist" created by the falls.
Seriously, the mist completely soaked us that first night. For those of you who have been there, you know what it is like. A umbrella is recommended if you mind getting wet!

A view of the American Falls on the left and the Rainbow Bridge that crosses into Canada.

The Horseshoe Falls.
Not a great picture because of the mist but these falls were honestly one of the most beautiful bits of nature I have ever seen.

The Horseshoe Falls.

The Maid of the Mist which takes you right up to the falls.
We rode this the following day.

Jen and Anna waiting to go in "Niagara's Fury".
This was a movie that shows the natural creation of the falls. It was really cool because you got the actual experience of being there...with the earth movement, the water, the storms etc... It was REALLY LOUD when they did the thunderstorm and guess what.....Miss Annalise FELL ASLEEP!!! By the time we went on this it was past 9:00pm which is way past her bedtime and she was so pooped she actually fell asleep during all the noise of the movie the water spraying, floor moving and cousin Hannah screaming =).

Stan, Grammy, Me and Anna waiting to go in Niagara's Fury.