Niagara Falls Day 1

Our neighbors found a deal on the internet for a hotel and some extras in Niagara Falls, and they invited us to come along for a few days of spring break. We headed up Monday morning, and after some shopping in the outlets outside of Buffalo, we crossed the border to check out nature's handiwork.

First we saw the American falls,

then the famous horseshoe falls.

Becky and I pushing the kiddos while we walked along the Niagara River.

Enjoying our first bonafide family vacation.

Do you see the rainbow?

We lucked out with such nice weather in March. It was about 55 degrees, but got progressively colder as we neared the falls.

Macie really enjoyed picture time.

Sydney was such a champion in her car seat, but I think she probably appreciated being held for a little while!

Love that smirk on Sydney's face :)

We stayed at the Hilton, scoring a king-sized bed, a jacuzzi tub, a $50 dinner voucher to their fancy schmancy (aka brutally overpriced) restaurant, free breakfast buffet, and free tickets to the Bird Kingdom.

Becky and Geoff read that this was one of the top 10 most romantic places in Canada.

As you can probably imagine, our dinner voucher wasn't enough to cover two entrees, so we kept the price low by opting for soup and salad. I think we were all a little jealous at Macie's kid menu chicken tenders and fries. What's up with the kid's menu having the best options? Plus, they were a heck of a lot cheaper. Do I sound like the cheapest person on the earth or what?

I'm baffled at how this change of angle somehow made the falls look 5 times closer to us... or maybe Geoff was just magic???

After dinner we suited up for a swim. Sorry about the blurriness of these pictures, but I just had to document Sydney's first pool experience.

At first she didn't quite know what to make of it.

Then it looked like she was kind of enjoying herself.

But things started to take a turn for the worse.

Crying ensued,

Followed by a massive breakdown.

I rescued her shortly after this and snuggled her on the sidelines to calm her down. The water was kind of chilly, so I think that's why she didn't last very long. Since I didn't ever get to take a dip in the pool, I filled up the jacuzzi in our room with some nice warm water, and she and I hopped in with our swimsuits on. She did just fine, and even got her hair washed :)