Niagara Falls Day 2

Sunday in Niagara Falls, NY we woke up to temps in the 30's and snow on the ground. Still I wanted to see the Niagara Falls from the US side so we ventured out to the Niagara Falls Observation Tower. Unfortunately Google told me it opened at 8:30 and Google lied to me. We got there at 9:45 only to find out it didn't open until 10. We walked around the souvenir shop and then headed out figuring we'd get there when it opened up. Well because of the snow they didn't open up at 10. We waited around for awhile figuring they would open up soon. I took pictures, the kids had a snowball fight with their dad. Grams and I discovered an open bathroom that we kept going into to warm up. Hand dryers are such wonders.

But after a bit Grams gave up on waiting and went back to the warmth of the Welcome Center. And I thought we could venture out to Goat Island for another vantage point of the falls while we waited. Unfortunately the kids had other ideas. They stopped frequently to throw snowballs into the river and watch them go down the falls, they stopped frequently to throw snowballs at each other and Penny kept stopping so she could make snowmen. Well it was freezing and I really just wanted to troop over there and troop back and that was not happening so by the time we crossed the bridge to the island I was DONE. I was cold, cranky and irritable. And Grams informed me that the Observation Tower was open so I decided we would go back to the Tower and give up on the island viewpoint.

So here are the views from the Niagara Falls Observation Tower. It is definitely a different perspective. From the Canadian side you can see the falls head on but from the American side you get more of a side view. I think each views are equally beautiful and worth seeing.

When I finished observing the falls we went back into the Welcome Center to warm up before heading back to our car. At this point I was a super cranky lady (the combination of cold and starting my period is not good) so we decided to go back to our airbnb and regroup. We had some lunch, rotted our brains with TV and made new plans. We had previously thought about going to Palmyra to see the Sacred Grove but that involved a lot of driving and more being out in the cold so we decided to go to the Bird Kingdom in Canada instead. Let's be honest, I decided on this plan. I really love birds and had been wanting to go there.

It was a good choice. The Bird Kingdom started off with a random Old Timey Museum with a dinosaur, a mummy and other random things.

Apparently people used to think it was a good idea to go over the Niagara Falls in a barrel. They had an exhibit about this at the Ripley Museum as well but they didn't have as cool of a photo op as the Bird Kingdom did. Even my mom wanted to participate.

The next part of the Bird Kingdom had some turtles. Grams and Benny took a picture with a turtle for Poppy.

Then was one of my favorite parts- the parrots. We got the opportunity to take pictures with them (all but Penny and Grams did it) but they wouldn't let you take personal photos so we had to spend $25 just to buy the photos- they really nickle and dime you in Canada. We also got to watch them do some tricks like spin around, play peek-a-boo and we even heard Shyla say her name. I could've stayed in that room forever, so fun.

 Fun fact about CJ- he is an older bird who doesn't like bright colors or stripes so Ben and I had to roll up our sleeves for a picture with this guy.

The next room was a small aviary with lot of pretty little birds just flying around. Super fun to sit down and just bird watch. The kids lasted for a good while before moving on.

Next up we saw some fun nocturnal animals like owls, tarantulas, bats, and a skunk. Then the last room was giant aviary with lots of big birds out and about. We had a good time spotting all sorts of birds and then the kids also got the opportunity to feed some Lorikeets. They held out some bowls of what I guessed to be sugar water and the birds came a flocking. I felt bad for these birds, they looked pretty rough with feathers missing and their cage area was pretty gross. But the kids enjoyed feeding them and even Penny got brave and let them perch on her.

 A selfie with a Scarlet Ibis on our way out.

I really enjoyed the Bird Kingdom and I think the kids liked it too. The only damper was the end when I went to purchase the pictures of us with the birds. It took FOREVER. The employee was having technical problems and the kids got super restless. Grams did spoil them and buy them some bird stuffies but all that happened and I was still there ordering pictures. But since I am bird obsessed I am glad I bought the pictures.

As we crossed the border back into the US I snapped one last picture of the Niagara Falls.

Afterwards we decided to grab some dinner. I figured we should go to Anchor Bar- the birthplace of Buffalo Wings since Tyler is a Buffalo Wing fanatic. This was not the best choice. He was not impressed with their Buffalo Wings. I guess maybe the original is not the best? I decided to try a Roast Beef on Weck- this is also a Buffalo, NY thing. I was equally unimpressed. The "Weck" roll was a little to onion-y for me.

We went back to our airbnb and after a brief rest decided to go try out this dessert place that sounded amazing- Hertel Avenue Poutine and Cream. This was an excellent choice. Though it was crowded and the wait was so so long it was worth it. I got a creamy bun which was ice cream wrapped up in a doughnut- my 2 favorite things! It was amazing and I am still dreaming about it. Grams got one too and loved it. Tyler got a Freak Shake which was a masterpiece to look at. I wish I had taken pictures so I could properly dream of the dessert. The kids all got ice cream and liked it just fine. There's came fast and was eaten fast so while we were still waiting for ours and eating ours, they drew on the wall at the store. They loved actually having permission to draw on the walls.

Then it was back to our airbnb and bedtime for all the kids.

Niagara Falls Day 1

Saturday, March 30th we headed to Niagara Falls. It was a rainy drive through Canada and the only excitement was eating at McDonald's where the cashier was surprised to find out that we were Americans. Our give away was when my mom tried to use a McDonald's gift card and when I asked for a yogurt parfait- apparently Canada doesn't believe in those. We also had the fun of Google Maps not cooperating (even after I agreed to pay $5/day for the foreign country data). Thankfully it was a straight shot there so we made it despite Google Maps failings.

When we finally arrive in Niagara Falls on the Canadian side it was still raining so we decided we would visit the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum first. We encountered a fun dinosaur themed miniature golf on our short walk to the museum. Once at the Museum the kids had a blast with all the fun facts and hands on exhibits. I honestly think the kids liked the Museum more than Niagara Falls.

Steven with the wax figure of the tallest man on record. They had a video playing of this man on a TV show interview which was really cool to see. Below is Lucy with the wax replica of the shortest recorded man. She was taller than him!

Tyler enjoyed looking like a fat man and the he had to pose with the replica of the man with the longest nose because he thought it looked like a Villager from Minecraft.

Above the kids were posing in the eye of a needle. This exhibit showed tiny things that a man made. Below you have Ben with a dog made from old toys. It was fun to see the different toys on him up close- I thought it was really cool.

Above there was a giant Lite-Brite and Lucy had fun making her name on it. Below Steven and Ben trick you into thinking Ben is a giant and Steven has grown tiny.

When we got out of the Museum the rain had abated so we decided to walk down to the falls. The weather was in the 50's and was supposed to drop that night so it seemed like the best time to see the falls. It wasn't too bad of a walk- 15/20 minutes. Part of the walk involved going over a sign that told us not to walk on the trail because it isn't maintained in the winter. Since there was no snow we figured we'd take our chances and walk on the trail. The kids felt like we were doing something extremely unlawful and were sure we'd get arrested. Lucy still talks about how we walked where we weren't supposed to. Pretty sure she'll share that one with everyone.

The Niagara Falls were amazing. And going off season paid off because it wasn't crowded at all. We saw the American Falls first and it was cool to see the chunks of ice in front of the falls and still see them flowing behind. With lack of crowds we were able to take lots of pictures.

Next up were the Horseshoe Falls. They seemed to have such a pretty blueish color to them. 

There are not a lot of things open off season in Niagara. Too icy for boat rides and for the Cave of the Winds Tour. Too cold for the zipline. But Journey Behind the Falls was open so we decided we should do it. Journey Behind the Falls took us down an elevator and into some tunnels where we could "journey behind the falls." It was neat to hear the rushing of the water- almost like an open car window on the freeway. This picture is of Ben with the falls rushing behind him.

There was also a great side view of the Horseshoe Falls.

When we finished journey behind the falls we did a little Souvenir shopping. Everyone but Steven got a stuffie. They all chose Canadian bears. Afterwards we made the journey back to our car- this time walking around the sign so we didn't have to look rebellious going over it. When we got back to our car we decided to walk to a nearby Burger King for dinner. This was a pretty cool looking Burger King.

Once our bellies were full we headed to our AirBNB in Niagara Falls, NY. As we crossed the Canadian border we got confused and thought we were paying the bridge tolls instead of proving citizenship so Tyler gave Border Officer a twenty dollar bill by accident. The Officer was real confused and then real suspicious of us but thankfully he ended up letting us through.

This was our first experience with an AirBNB and it was a good one. They were just a short drive from the Canadian side of Niagara Falls which was super convenient but it also meant it was kind of in a rough part of town. Thankfully the house itself was well kept and it had an alarm and nest doorbell that helped us feel pretty secure (even if I still had a nightmare about someone coming into our room- so real feeling and creepy). Really though, it was so nice to have our own rooms. Grams got one, we got another and the kids got share the third one. Then there was the joy of not having to go to bed when the kids did but getting to hang out in the living room watching cable tv. I think I am pretty sold on AirBNB's for our giant family vs hotels.

When Penny went to bed that night she was complaining that her ear hurt. Thankfully I had packed Tylenol for kids and earache drops so I gave her both and she slept well. I prayed hard for her ear to be ok and miraculously come morning she complained about it no more. I am so grateful for that tender mercy.

Ben's Birthday

Last week Grams flew in town on Tuesday. Penny and I picked her up after volunteering in both Lucy and Ben's classrooms. Lucy's teacher has now put me on the volunteer rotation and I am not sure how this is going to go. Penny always tags along with me and it was a long morning for her going to both classes. But I will say I enjoyed being in Lucy's class more than Ben's. I got to do a rhyming game with small groups and that's way more fun than the constant writing editing that is done in Ben's room.

Tuesday night Grams and I went with Steven for the Talent Show Rehearsal. He is in Choir and the Choir opens the show so they had to practice their song. The Talent Show was at the High School and it was a little crazy to think my little Steven is only 3 years away from attending High School. Time is a thief. The practice for his song was quick and even so, Steven had a hard time standing still while singing. He's a wiggly one. 

Wednesday Penny had her speech class and then afterwards we did some shopping at Kohl's with Grams. We found these nice winter coats for the girls and ended up paying only $5 for each of them. A super steal and it will be so nice to not have to buy new ones next year. Winter gear can really add up.

Thursday night was Steven's actual choir performance in the Talent Show. We had to get there before the doors opened and we still ended up sitting way up in the balcony seats. It was so crowded. Steven's choir sang "Fireflies" by Owl City and they were probably the best act. We stayed for some of it and there were some acts that were real awkward to sit through because kids were super off key or making lots of stumbles in their dance moves. I guess that's to be expected at an Elementary Talent Show but I hate seeing people fail in front of a big crowd. My heart hurts for them.

Friday was Ben's real birthday so we started the day with Lucky Charms for breakfast and opening gifts. He got some pretty good loot. From Grams and Poppy Brady he got some Pokemon figures and cards. From Grams and Poppy Hatch he got a Snorlax stuffie and Pokemon cards. And from us he got a Lego set and laser tag game. I think his most played with gift has probably been the Laser Tag guns and the Pokemon figures take a strong second.

I picked him up from lunch and he got to go to McDonald's with Grams, Penny and I. He had a really good time until he almost ran into a McDonald's worker who was carrying a tray of food. It was almost a real big tragedy but thankfully no food was spilled. 

After McDonald's he came home for a bit and played with his new toys and then I took him back to school and read the book Creepy Carrots to his class. I really, really love reading fun books to kids. I need this to be my job. Then when Ben came home from school we hogged down on pizza, his friend Jacob from next door came over and played laser tag with him and then then he got to be sung to one more time and have some cake. I think it was a good 9th birthday for this sweet boy of mine.

And will end this post with some funny stories:

-This past week I discovered a bunch of petrified carrots behind the couch in our front living room. I thought it had to be Steven hiding them. Who would be smart enough to not just throw them in the garbage but hide them? We also don't let the kids leave until they clear there plates so they would have to have hid them in their pockets or somewhere. Well Steven claimed innocence so we asked the other kids and when we got to Penny she didn't confirm or deny it. But when she started crying we knew she was guilty. That girl is trouble. We also discovered a corn dog behind there further confirming it was her since all the other kids love corn dogs.

-(Our question of the day was would you rather be a Unicorn or Pegasus)

Penny: I want to be a unicorn because they have a horn.

Me: Why do you want a horn?

Penny: So I can make people die the death.

Lucy: That's really rude.

- After eating birthday cake Lucy's face was a mess so I asked her to go wash it. As she was running to the bathroom she abruptly stopped and shouted, "Oooo a crumb!" Then she leaned down and ate it.

- I was changing a CD in the car and the kids asked me why. I responded because we had already heard that song. Steven's response: "Mom you're such a sensitive person...which makes you annoying."

- The kids were for some awkward reason throwing around the word "boob." I reminded them that, that's where babies get their milk from. Lucy shouted, "No! There what makes you a mommy!"