Summer Vacation: New York and Grandma Boston's

Okay, it's mid-September and I still haven't posted about our awesome summer vacation. The last week of summer, before school started, we took the week off and road-tripped.

So where did we go? We started off driving to New York to go to the New York State Fair. Eric and I have always wanted to go because we'd heard great things about it, and what better time than now!?! On the way there, we stopped at Colgate so I could show everyone where Erin, Tim, and I met (P&F are obsessed with visiting Erin, Tim, and the kids).

Colgate was just as beautiful as I remembered it. After stretching our legs there for about an hour, we drove to our hotel in Liverpool (Staybridge Suites--two thumbs up. it was really nice.). We headed that night to Carousel Mall for dinner, and let me just say that that mall has gone down hill. It was not as nice as I remembered it.

On Tuesday morning, it was Piper and Fletch's actual birthday. We decorated the hotel room to celebrate, and then headed to the New York State Fair. It was so much fun! We had beautiful weather for eating delicious fair food, going on rides, and petting farm animals. 

 

If you ask me the best part was the ice cream, hard cider slush that I enjoyed at 11am, and milk bar. 

If you ask Eric, he'd say it was seeing Survivor singing Eye of the Tiger.

I'm so glad we make the trek to the fair. It was worth the drive, especially to cross it off our bucket list. After spending most of the day there, we went back to the hotel, where I took the kids swimming while Eric got us takeout from the Limp Lizard. It may not have been Dinosaur BBQ, but it was still SO good. I'm still thinking about the brisket and the desserts.

On Wednesday, we got up early and drove to Woburn, getting there in about 6 hours, which was really good time considering Deacon needed to stop for the bathroom about every 30 minutes for the first 3 hours. That's what you get when you take a newly potty trained kid on a road trip, I guess.

We didn't really have a plan for Thursday, but Fletch had been begging to go back to the Legoland Discovery Center. It's an easy activity, and the weather was cloudy anyway, so we went there. And, once again, we were there for about 5 hours, and the kids could have stayed even longer. I wish we had one near us.

On Thursday night, mom threw a little birthday party for Piper and Fletch. Auntie Corinne and Fred came over, and we had cake and introduced the kids to hoodsies. They were just as yummy as when I was 8 years old. 

Friday was the last full day of our road trip. With the weather being so good, we wanted to do something outdoors, but that also was easy because we'd been so busy lately. Given all that, we went back to Rockport, where we had a great day by the water. The kids loved going to the small toy store, throwing rocks in the water, eating at our favorite seafood restaurant there, and getting fudge for dessert. It was perfect.

On Friday night, Mandy had Karen, Kerri, and I over (we missed you, Laura!), and just like last time, it was so great seeing all the kids playing together. The best part was that now the kids are old enough to play by themselves so the grown-ups can sit around talking and catching up.

The other awesome thing was that Darren surprised us girls with a birthday cake to celebrate turning 40 this year. He's so sweet.

Such a fun night! On Saturday, we said tear-filled goodbyes to Grandma Boston and made the long ride back to Alexandria. Thank goodness for Kindles and the play area at a Burger King in Connecticut because they made the ride relatively easy.

This trip was a lot of work but so fun, and a great way to end a fantastic summer. I definitely want to do a vacation at the same time next year. Nothing makes me happier and fills our family's soul better than traveling together and getting out of our normal routine. Our next trip is in November, and I can't wait.