summer vacation

We have some wonderful friends that we have been vacationing with for 6 years now. This was our fourth time to get together. We've been there (CT), they've been here, and we even had a jaunt to her parents house in Florida. This time, we decided to venture up North again. They are wonderful hosts and tour guides. And, all our kids get along great! Might I say "never a dull moment"?

They have lots to do at their house (you just gotta when you have 4 boys and a home daycare!). The kids spent quite a bit of time in the pool. It is a heated pool, but the girls were still a little shocked at the temperature (it was actually the air that was quite a bit cooler). Notice the gorgeous trees in the background! Rumor is, there's a bear out there...


Her parents have a lakehouse up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. They were gracious enough to share their space with us (again) for a few days. The weather was perfect. Unfortunately, sweet little Anna wasn't feeling well (she ended up being down for a few days).


Did I mention we travelled across the multi-state area in a 30+ foot RV? It worked out great for us... all 11 of us! We all got to be in one vehicle (all 11 of us!), the kids had a little freedom to move around (yes, the little ones were in car seats), we had a potty (hence, we had fewer stops), we had a kitchen at our fingertips (have you ever seen the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball?), AND when we were driving through the mountains, everyone had an awesome view (all the kids in the back room - to get the bestest view!)...


How can you pass through Freeport and not stop at the L.L. Bean Flagship Store (and the outlet, of course).


We spent another night at campsite along the coast of Maine. Wouldn't it figure that is when the rains would come. Everybody was filthy, but we had fun anyway. The boys even survived a night in the tent!


One of our favorite books is One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey. It was very surreal to be standing on the same beaches where the story took place. No lost teeth though. More muck and mud... we'll call it a science lesson!


more bars in more places...
(okay, I know it's too many bars, but isn't it too cute?)


Last but not least, we visited the Mark Twain house in Hartford. While we were waiting for our tour guide, we came upon this life-size lego statue. Pretty cool. We weren't allowed to take any pictures in the house, but you can take a virtual tour.


We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. It's amazing to me too, that even though we only see each other every other year, the kids come back together like they hadn't missed a beat.

Looking forward to 2011!