Our New Hampshire Advenutre

Last week we spent a few days in New Hampshire. We decided to leave a day earlier than planned so we could just wake up there and get right to the fun. Originally, both of Dave's parents were supposed to join us but his father ended up going on a last minute work trip to Japan so we only had his mom along for the fun. We packed up, got on the road and were happily greeted by a snowman when we arrived at the hotel.

The next day we headed to Story Land. It was the first time any of us had been there and we had such a blast. First stop: a visit with the "Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe".  Notice how even Library Duck got in on the action. 

There was so much to do there but I think it's safe to say that the highlight of the day was riding the swan boats. I have always wanted to ride in a swan boat like that and was so happy that we got to ride them more than once! The only way it could have been any better would have been if this swan boat took us through a tunnel of love (another thing I've always wanted to do)! The horses you see the girls riding are part of the Antique German Carousel. It's one of two in the world (the other's in Munich). They move back and forth instead of up and down. Such a beautiful carousel. 

We had plans to meet up with friends of ours for Cinderella's Tea Party.

We were ready for a tea party but had no idea we'd be getting an etiquette lesson out of the deal too!

Some more rides, a visit to the wayside chapel (like the ones found in Austria), and a visit to Butterfly Island aboard the Story Land Queen rounded out our day. We headed back to the hotel tired and blissfully happy. 

The next day brought grey skies and lots of rain. Not the ideal time to go to Santa's Village as we had planned but evidently a good time to journey up the Mount Washington Auto Road. Having never been up Mount Washington before I had no idea how tense some of the moments during our drive up (and consequently down) would be. Dave has always wanted to do this and since he supported my dream of riding swan boats I felt it was only fair to this dream of his. As a born and raised New Englander I always thought it was silly when I would see a car with a "This Car Climbed Mount Washington" bumper sticker on it. I used to think: "How hard could it be for a car to go up a mountain?" I now know how truly challenging (and bumper sticker worthy) it is!

The next day was our last one in New Hampshire. It was a chilly but lovely day and we decided that it would be fun to go to Santa's Village before we headed home. We are all so glad we did as this was indeed a magical place. 

We were sad to see our New Hampshire adventure come to an end but it was lovely to arrive home full of happiness and lots of wonderful memories!

{This Moment} And We're Off!

{This Moment} - A Soule Mama Friday ritual. A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you are inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments section for all to find and see. We wish you a marvelous weekend!

And Still More Adventures!

The next morning we:

had breakfast with our friends and poured over the program from Disney on Ice.

went swimming.

had lunch at the diner.

and then headed to the See Science Center (our final destination before heading home).

Yes, this millyard is made out of Legos!  To get the whole scoop click here.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect trip!  Thanks again Heather for inviting us to come along! We had a blast and can't wait till we see you all again!

Disney On Ice

(Photos courtesoy of Heather's iPhone)

What a magical night!  The girls were so captivated by what they were seeing that they sat there in total awe (and in the case of Emma on the edge of her seat the entire performace)!  Each time a new performer skated onto the ice they would just beam. It was incredible to watch them watching the show.  Disney magic was in full effect that night, and it is safe to say that this mama sat there just basking in the wonder of it all.  After the show ended we stayed around to see the "behind the magic" portion of the show. It was so neat to get to see all the different aspects of what it takes to put on a show like this.  One of the best parts was getting to see some of the skaters perform various leaps and tricks for us.  All of us sat there with wide eyed wonder as they effortlessley performed each one.  I am so eternally grateful to Heather for inviting us to come along (and take advantage of the discounted Girl Scout rate tickets she had access to)!  It is a night full of wonderful moments and memories that we will carry with us forever.  

Friday Night Diner Dinner and Dessert

On Friday after art class the girls and I headed to New Hampshire to meet up with our friends from Outnumbered for a fun filled weekend (or 24 hours, really) of adventures!  I hadn't told them much, just that we were going on a trip, seeing a show and staying overnight in a hotel.  I kept it really general and did not get into many specifics until right before it was time to go.  We arrived at the hotel late Friday afternoon, got settled, watched a little TV and then headed down to the diner that was attached to the hotel to get dinner.  I was thrilled to see that there was a diner right at the hotel as Grace had asked for a cheeseburger for dinner and this seemed like it should be the kind of place to have a really great cheeseburger.  And as luck would have it it totally was (and had a yummy BLT too)!

Having just gotten word that our friends were in the parking lot the girls decided to see if they could find them. 

After dinner we ordered dessert (pie, of course) to go and headed up to our room to eat it while our friends got settled.  Once they were ready, we put our dessert in the fridge and left for Disney on Ice (which needs its own seperate post).  The girls were so excited even though they had no idea what they were about to see!

And really, is there a better way to end a fabulous day than a late night snack in your jammies while watching the Food Network?  We think not! 

Mama and Papa's Weekend Away

Dave and I headed to Maine for the wedding of one of his friends this past Saturday.  It has been quite sometime since we had an (overnight) adventure just the two of us, and thanks to our dearest friends Sarah and Ben (who adopted the girls for the weekend) we were able to have some much overdue time to ourselves! 

Since there was a good chunk of time between the wedding and the reception so we headed to Stonewall Kitchen to see what their flagship store was like.

York, Maine 3:40pm

Breathtaking scenes we saw upon arriving at (and leaving)the reception. 

York, Maine 7:45pm

 

The fabulous billboard we saw on our way to our hotel room in Portsmouth New Hampshire.  Oh gosh, we love these two!  I so wish that this campaign started when Dave and I were on our journey through the Land of Infertility.  If it was we so would have dressed up as these two for Halloween!  Click here to watch one of the commercials.  Needless to say, I made him go around the rotary a good few times till we got the right picture!

Congress Street, Portsmouth New Hampshire, 8:00am

Friendly Toast.  A very yummy, yummy breakfast place (we'll have to check out the one in Cambridge soon). 

This is one of those fabulous places where when they say "mini pancakes" on the menu they don't really mean small! 

And the breakfast burrito is huge too.

Heading home after a wonderful adventure!

We had such an incredible time! What a treat to be able to go away (even if it was just for 24 hours) and just be.  Chatting, laughing, and spending time reconnecting. It was perfect!  We are so lucky to such a wonderful "family of friends" and specifically such dear friends in Sarah and Ben.  We love knowing that when we cannot be there that we have a wonderful circle of friends who will step in and take care of our girls as if they were their own!  It truly makes the journey that much sweeter!