On the Road Again....

October 7, 2010

This morning we packed up and headed North to find a recommended hike in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After which we would drive over to Vermont to spend the second half of our trip.



These are some pictures from various spots along our drive through NH and ME.

We finally arrived at Crawford Depot and here we are starting our hike up to the overlook of Crawford Notch. Our timing was impecable, as it began to sprinkle as we started up the trail. We continued on undaunted.

The kids had a blast hiking. Dallin is a machine. They informed us that they are both expert hikers, and expert hikers carry sticks to help them hike. Expert hikers also carry water and snacks. Half way up they asked about the snack. After being informed that we had not brought a snack Dallin told us we had to go back and get a snack, then we could keep hiking. They were quite nimble little hikers, especially since they had to hike on the slanted sides of the trail in certain spots to avoid the rain run-off.

We reached the top, a little wetter than we started, but none the worse for wear. The view at the top was great, the trees in this area had hit their peak foliage prior to our hike so the colors weren't super spectacular, but still worth the wet shoes and clothes. It took us 1 hr. 10 min. to hike the 1.5 miles up. Right as we turned around to hike down, the temperature dropped and it started to hail so we took off for the trees. It turned back into rain and all the care that we had taken to keep the shoes as dry as possible went out the window. It took us around 45 minutes to get down. Dallin especially loved the "throw caution to the wind" approach on the way back he was gunning for every puddle he could find.

The faces summarize Jonah's hiking experience. 1. What the heck are they dragging me around in the rain and cold for? 2. Deer caught in the headlights. 3. I give up. Might as well sleep.

Despite the faces, Jonah was the driest and warmest of everyone. When took him out of the backpack and he was completely dry and happy.

After changing into dry clothes, off we went in search of food. We found this country store/pizza restaurant in Twin Mountain, NH a few miles down the road from our hike and headed in straight away. First thing on the order was 4 hot chocolates. Lauren got hers first and before anyone could warn her she took a huge swig. Needless to say tears directly followed. Poor girl. We then tasted the "home brew." It reminded me of the homemade root beer that we used to have at family BBQ's when I was younger. The bottle is classic and will be making the trip home with us. All in all a good day.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today it rained and rained and rained. We can't complain too much though because we have dodged the bullet several days in a row now. It was forcast to rain the past few days and today was really the only day it did. So what did we do you ask? SWIM! Of course, if you know Dallin and Lauren that was the first item on the agenda. Next we realized that our kids have never really bowled. Wii bowling doesn't count. So, we decided to take them bowling. It was kind of funny because Dallin came up to me and said, "Mom, we're bowling with a ball?" Yes son, that's how it's really done.

Off to "Stuckey Bowl" we went. (That was a reference to the show "Ed" that used to be on T.V.)We basically had the place to ourselves, except for the two retired gentlemen who I'm sure play every Wednesday at the same time together. The ones who gave Todd a few not so pleasant looks for wearing his NY Yankees hat in Boston Red Sox territory. They were clearly Sox fans. We tried to compensate with the kids and their Boston hats, but what can ya do?

Jonah was excited. "Okay guys, now what is this all about? Oh, there are a lot of brightly colored balls and lights around here!"

Dallin got the hang of it pretty quick after trying the little ramp, and also trying to kick the ball. (He realized that it would really hurt if you kept kicking it.)

Here we see Todd using his best form :-) I think he just did the foot thing for the photo--at least that's what he accused me of doing. (It was true, I did.)

We'll give Dallin some style points for his follow-through.

I couldn't resist this picture.

The little munchkin took a nap during our second game and woke up happy. It's a good thing that he did sleep because we had a serious team competition going on. Dallin and Mom vs. Lauren and Dad. It was neck in neck until the last frame when Dallin and I went down by 4 points. It's a little hard to concentrate when people are in the background chanting "gutterball." Not mentioning any names (Todd and Lauren). In then end there were plenty of high-5's to go around.

After bowling it was still raining so we went for a drive. We drove down the N.H. coast through a few little towns. They were pretty much shut down for the season, it seems like they rely on the summer crowd for revenue. Some of them are fishing towns though. In one there was a cool statue on the main beach of a lady holding a wreath of leaves and looking out to sea (waiting for the fishing boats to return). It was too rainy to get a picture but the statue was worth a thousand words. It made us think of "The Perfect Storm" especially since we weren't far from Glouster, Mass. Along our journey we stopped for a Dunkin' Doughnut. Apparently you can't visit the East Coast and not have at least one Dunkin' Doughnut. They are on every corner, like Subways in CA.

For dinner we went to Gandolfo's Deli. A little throwback to Todd and Andrea's college days in Provo. They serve up good, NY style subs.

"Okay, if I just reach a little farther I've got it. Just a little more, almost......"

We are off to Vermont tomorrow. Bring on the fall colors and activities!

Taking it Easy

Today we decided to just take it easy. We swam after waking up late and having breakfast. Then we ate lunch, found local toy shop to buy a kite, and headed to Ogunquit Beach in Maine.

The kids enjoyed learning how to fly their cool Pteradactyl kite.

There was also plenty of the usual beach activities. Races in the water, shell collecting, etc. It was in the high 50's but felt colder due to the wind. The water was surprisingly warm, unless you got completely drenched as only Dallin is prone to do in such conditions. That boy is never happier than at the beach.

Jonah enjoyed testing out the backpack for the first time. He wandered around on Mom's back and was happy as a clam. He eventually threw in the towel and took a little siesta so Mom unloaded him and ran around with the other yahoos.

As the end of October approaches there is a local scarecrow festival where people display all kinds of scarecrows in their yards and businesses. We found a few that were out today and had to get pictures with them.

Dallin had a great day. Swimming and the beach, what more could a boy ask for. We ended the day with another round of swimming and then it was off to bed for the kiddies.

The "Maine" Event

Welcome to Kennebunkport, ME. I love this picture. I've decided that it is classic Maine in the fall. Fall decor in the background, kiddos in Adirondak chairs, fall clothes, etc. Good times.


Oh my goodness! I have found the Whoopie Pie. A layer of frosting goodness sandwiched by two soft chocolate creations (Cookies? Cake? Not sure.). This is day two of my Whoopie experience. That didn't sound right. My Whoopie Pie experience. Yesterday was W.P. ice cream and today an actual W.P. I'm shameless I admit it. I did share a bite or two with my kids, because I love them and if I don't eat the entire thing myself then the calories don't count right?


We ate lunch in this little country store H.B. Provisions. It was so cool. They had the little eating area, a lunch counter, home baked goods, a general store area and so much charm. An older guy congratulated us on our family as he was leaving after having his daily cuppa. He told us that we were great and proceeded to identify who looked like which parent and then advised us that it is a lot of work but worth it. I love the people here, they are so genuine.

We had to do it. The Bush Family retreat is in Kennebunkport, so we did a totally tourist thing and went to find the compound. The awesome thing is that Todd commented that since we were driving a shiny Black Suburban people might think we were part of the Secret Service detail. Sure enough we got a few looks from the people parked on the road opposite the house. And sure enough, there were a couple of black suburbans parked inside the compound. It was kind of fun to pretend that we were Jack Bauer and his latest female companion in our pimped out vehicle. I know, we're lame, but we have fun being that way.

The old churches in New England are beautiful. These are two examples, the white church is in the center of Kennebunkport. The other is an Episcopal church along the coast outside of Kennebunkport. The Episcopal church had the pastor's residence on the grounds, talk about a set of diggs. What a view!

Dallin QUITS!! Dallin decided that Todd could have 3 more pictures and that's it!!! Need I say more?

Lauren loves all things girly. Of course she loved this little scarecrow and then there's the pink house. When we lived in AZ we would regularly pass a pink house out on the reservation in our travels. She took to asking if we could paint our house pink, to which we responded that when she was big and had her own house she could paint it pink. Well needless to say she knows what house she wants when she's big.

Jonah, Jonah. Of course we didn't bring any changes of clothing with us today and Jonah decided to make us pay for it. I know what the kid eats, but my goodness child! Needless to say we had to find some clothes so we were driving toward York, Maine and passed a sweats outlet. I ran in and got the only option available, but hey, beggars can't be choosers and it was only $10. So here is Jonah in his old man leisure suit. He actually kind of looks cute in it but he'll be the butt of a joke or two over the next few days. Here he is swinging for the first time by himself at a beachside park in York. He is also seen posing in front of Cape Neddick Lighthouse.

Cape Neddick Lighthouse. This is the most famous lighthouse in the US, also the most photographed. It was really pretty there.

First Days of our Fall Trip

OCTOBER 2, 2010

This is a glimpse into the future. She totally looks like a teenager doing her thing, listening to her tunes. She was singing out loud and not realizing we could all hear her. It was pretty funny.

Trying to entertain Bubba Gump on the plane. The poor baby just wanted to get down and crawl around. He made lots of friends on the plane. The cutest was this older man who wanted to hold and play with him. Jonah loved the guy and his wife, he cried when I took him back.

We are up waaaay past our bedtime! Sweet!! Nothing like eating pizza at 10:30 at night. It was nice to be off the plane, out of a shuttle, not in the car and just sitting at a table with something to eat other than pretzels and peanuts.

OCTOBER 3, 2010

JONAH AND THE WHALE.

The Fam at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.

Jonah was so happy to get down on the ground and play. Meanwhile Todd had a good time snapping some pics of him.

That face is full of mischief. Which one you ask? I'll let you decide. They do make a cute pair though.

Dallin is in perpetual motion. He jumped from cement block to cement block at Fort McClary in Maine. There are quite a few old colonial forts along the coast. They are pretty neat and in their day were pretty strong structures.

We found a park in Maine that was right on the water amid some old colonial fort ruins. After wandering around we played on the teeter totters. I have to say it was one of the funnest parts of the day. Dallin, Lauren and I piled onto one side and actually out-weighed Todd. Then Todd and I went on one and he kept letting his feet up so that he crashed to the ground and I would fly up on my end, I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. We ended up playing on them for quite a while in different configurations. There is something to be said about playing like a kid.....

A beautiful house like this? Yes, please. This house was gorgeous and the photo doesn't even show all of it. There is an additional guest house behind the main house. It is on waterfront property and had a huge yard off to either side. Yes, I'll admit it, lust was in my heart.