New England Vacation

We had a whirlwind 2 1/2 weeks traveling through New England, showing the girls all the places that I used to visit growing up, and introducing them to many of our old friends and family along the way that they haven't met before.  Traveling with little ones is not for the faint of heart.  There were many moments where Chris and I looked at each other and said, "What has happened to our children???"  Getting away from routine and familiarity for too long can create some great tantrums and screaming fests.  But all in all, it was a great time for our family to get away, and we have so many wonderful memories to hold onto for years to come (because, of course, Cora will remember everything about this trip!).  OK, so it was really more for Chris and me! :)

Oh dear, there are a lot of pictures.  How to narrow down 2 1/2 weeks?  And this is only a fraction of the pictures we took!

We started out in the North Shore where we visited my cousin for supper.  Some of the best fried seafood in New England!

Our girls ordered ice cream together.

Aren't they so sweet!

We had to change Evie's clothes at least twice a day on this trip.  It was a very messy couple of weeks for us!

I love their faces!

Then Evie and I went to a bridal brunch for my good friend, Laura. 

The brunch was at a beautiful farm in Concord.

All the ladies together.

And of course, we reminisced through all the back roads of my hometown.  This was our old house.  How I miss this place!

While in MA we stayed with my old friend, Emily.  She had the sweetest dog that Evie kept bothering.  The poor dog just wanted to sleep!

Love these two together!

Em's husband has the best storytelling voice!

So, us mamas didn't get a picture together, so this will have to suffice.  I don't think we've changed much in 10 years, though! :)

Then we were off to the beautiful wedding of Laura and Scott.  This is a picture of what we did most of the time at the reception!

Laura and Scott are a fantastic couple.  I was in tears most of the day as I saw what a wonderful match the Lord made.  They are going to be a blessing to so many people through their marriage.

One day, he will have to give this girl away.  Sniff, sniff...

Evie and Hannah were in awe of Miss Laura in her beautiful white dress.  Evie still talks about Miss Laura's pretty wedding dress.

I'm pretty sure that Laura is right up there with Cinderella for these girls.

The dancing was the best!

Our wonderful Bible study girls, minus Laurie.  We missed you, Laurie!

Chris turned his back for a second, and this is what he turned around to find.  Uh-oh.  We're in trouble.

Putting her in a dress and pretty sparkly shoes can't keep her from running around.

It was a beautiful setting and the perfect day for a wedding!

After a few days in MA, we drove up to NH to stay at my parents place for a week.  It's a beautiful spot.  We are so lucky to have this place to vacation to.

In deciding what to do for the week, Sandy, Jeff, and I all vehemently agreed that we must eat ice cream every night.  We had no trouble fulfilling that desire.

Evie insisted on red ice cream most of the trip.  Not sure what gave her that idea.

Most of our plans were food-based.  My dad made the kids crabby pancakes.

James loved it!

At one ice cream place we had to wait about 30 minutes to get our ice cream.  Hannah and Jeff were clearly annoyed by this delay.

Wait, it's not red!  How did we ever get her to eat this?!

Breakfast at Ames Farm.  Our favorite tradition.

Kellerhaus.  And this time she wanted the blue ice cream.  Someday she'll learn that flavor is more important than color.

Sawyers by the water.  Delightful!

This is why I had to start her on solids while on vacation.

Wolfeboro Diner

We heard that Mitt Romney was here!

More ice cream on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad

S'mores by the water

Evie only wanted to eat the graham crackers

We couldn't keep these kids still when there was so much grass on which to run!

Evie and my dad really bonded on this trip.

Uncle Jeff and the kiddos!

The girls always wanted to sit in the bow when on the boat.  And they kept yelling for Grandpa to "Go faster!"

Evie called this the "Washy Monty Boat."  She looked for it everyday on the water and squealed whenever she saw it.

Love the quiet mornings

Evie became pretty proficient with the binoculars.

I love the differences in their bodies.  I hope Cora never loses those rolls.  Well, I guess maybe she will want to lose them someday, but only when she's old enough where she won't let me squeeze them anymore.

Evie and I went tubing.  She started out by saying, "No Mommy, I want to go in the boat.  I don't want to do this."  And she ended by laughing hysterically and saying, "Grandpa, go faster!"  It was so much fun!

I know these were recalled, but really, our nation can be ridiculous sometimes.  Someday your child will grow out of them and become too wiggly to sit still, and that is when you should stop using them.  Until then, they are amazing.

After our wonderful time at my parent's, we went to Stowe, Vermont and stayed in a little cabin. 

Evie slept in a big girl bed for the first time.  Every morning she would knock on her door to ask to come out.  It was so cute!

Our purpose of this trip was to visit many factory tours.  We loved the touring part, Evie loved the eating part.

Ben & Jerry's.  Chris said to me, "Do you realize what Half-Baked means????"  All I knew was that I loved this flavor.

It's very difficult to have a baby in the front carrier and hold up a 2 year old to the face, hence, not all of me is in this shot.

The Flavor Graveyard

I have a very distinct memory from high school of taking my parent's car out to the nearby grocery store to buy this ice cream and eating the whole pint.  I'm pretty sure this act was about a boy.

She can sit in the big stroller now!  And she loved every minute of it!

We saw lots of cows in Vermont.

In Burlington by Lake Champlain

The state Capitol building surrounded by mountains.  So beautiful!

At the Trapp Family Lodge

We found some great playgrounds

One of my favorites

Chris loved that there were solar panels everywhere surrounded by the mountains!

Yummy cheese!

And more fake cows

So there you have it.  It was a great trip, but when we got home, Evie scurried quickly around the house saying, "I love this place!"  I think she was happy to be home!