Travel: To Vermont - Thursday the 12th

Woo Hoo it's my birthday! And on your birthday you get to pick what we do for the day. So we started the day at the Skinny Pancake for breakfast. I have a Noah's Ark with Vegan crepe, Daddy had the Deja Vu with a sweet crepe and Mini had the Breakfast Monster with bacon! Mini really liked the bathrooms there because one had a shower in it!!!

Then we headed over to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory because Mini wanted to make me a bear for my birthday. We got a short but cool tour of the factory and then Mini made me a red bear all by himself. Her name is Mommy!

I had really wanted to take pictures at the Von Trapp Family Lodge so we headed there while the kids slept. They were still sleeping when we arrived so Potsy generously agreed to stay in the car while I got a good 45 minutes to shoot!!! When the little munchkins woke up they all came to find me in the flower garden and we had a fun picnic on our picnic blanket!



After our picnic we went to Stowe Mountain again to use up our tickets so Mini and Daddy did another alpine slide and Mini got to do the bungee trampoline!

We went back to Burlington to the Three Tomatoes for dinner where we started with an antipasto appetizer. Daddy had their pizza special, I had homemade italian sausages with penne in sauce, and Mini had three cheese tortellini. Yummy deliciousness all around.

We headed back to the Skinny Pancake for Dessert but didn't like them nearly as much as we had the breakfast options. Plus the restaurant had turned into full service but the service was ridiculously slow! So we ended up taking the crepes to go and went back to the drive in where Daddy and I watched The Other Guys while Mini watched Despicable Me.

What a super birthday!!!

Travel: To Vermont - Wednesday the 11th

Wednesday was our "up and out early" day so we were up and out early and on our way east!

First stop was the Cabot Cheese Factory. Very cool tour where you got to actually walk through the halls in the factory and see them making the cheese. Plus as an added bonus for Daddy and Mini there were TONS of cheese samples.

Back on the road to New Hampshire we went, headed to Santa's Village. Grandma Laurie had won some tickets at an auction for us and we wanted to fully enjoy them. We got there just in time for an early lunch at a picnic table in the parking lot and then inside we went! From almost the moment we got in all Mini could talk about was this sleigh monorail ride. We started off at their little water park and then hit up as many rides as we could! We also waited in line so Mini and Princess could sit on Santa's lap. Princess and I stayed entertained by finding elves A-Z hidden throughout the park (we missed V but they still gave us a prize) and she was loving all the sights to be seen. We finished up the trip by being one of the last people to ride that sleigh monorail but unfortunately Mini was very disappointed, still not sure exactly what he was actually expecting. Mini proclaimed "all the rides" his favorite but especially the slide outside the front gate. It was a great time!!


We had some snacks/dinner for the kids back at our picnic table in the parking lot. We had stayed 'til Santa's Village closed and it was a long drive home. So we got both kids into their pjs for the drive and they slept pretty much the whole way. Daddy and I heated up eggplant parmasean and pasta when we got back to the hotel and Mini roused himself enough to decide he needed some too. Yet another fun day on vacation!!

Travel: To Vermont - Tuesday the 10th

Tuesday started off with First and Second Breakfasts, seems to be starting to be a tradition. Then we headed off to the Children's Farmyard at Shelburne Farm. It was such a total blast!

We got to see goats and cows be milked (Mini milked the goat), play with farm toys,

pet all the animals, eat homemade cheese,

ride on a ride-on tractor,

pretend to be farm animals,

do a little hiking, collect fresh eggs from the chickens,

climb the clock tower, and more!

Mini even got to pick up a chicken!!! Then we did lunch on the road followed by naps on the road. We took a quick trip off road for some more blueberries. And we were headed to try to find more cheese making but got sidetracked by a sign for a county fair.
And what a fair it was.

There were cow barns with all the kids competing for 4-H ribbons. A "corn box" to drive trucks in. A kids barn with tons of different things

And PIG RACES!

And all the traditional fair food... Fried Dough or Doughboys depending on who you're talking to, fresh squeezed lemonade, maple cotton candy, and for Mini and Daddy a maple milkshake!

We wore ourselves out with all the fun stuff and then headed back to the hotel once again for burgers and veggies for dinner along with the free cheese and crackers in the lobby of the hotel! And phew what another long and fun day!!!

Travel: To Vermont - Monday the 9th

On Monday Mini and I had a first breakfast and then he went back down with Daddy for Second Breakfast as well, this let Princess sleep in a little. After breakfast we headed over to the famous Ben and Jerry Factory for a tour and some samples.

Princess had her first "ice cream" a flavor you can only get at the factory called Berry Berry Explosion sorbet! She was loving it.

And Mini and Daddy had as many samples as they could get their hands on.

Then we headed on a little journey to Stow Mountain to take a turn on their alpine slide, obstacle course, and bungee trampoline before having lunch! Then off to take some more jumps on the bungee trampoline, Mini's favorite by far!!!!

Since it was threatening rain they closed up all the fun stuff at Stowe so we headed back towards our "vacation home" with a stop to use the bathroom at the Von Trapp Family Lodge. We went on a wild adventure for berries (more on that at a later date) which culminated in another bathroom stop back at the Ben and Jerry's factory. And since we were there we decided to have more ice cream, I mean wouldn't you?

And due to the torrential downpour while we were there we stayed for a little while before making a mad dash to the car. Back at our vacation home we all settled down for naps and I found that my pillowcase had disappeared (I love my pillow at home and brought it with me) so we got a new one! We finished up the day with free chicken sandwiches in the eating area of the hotel!

Travel: To Vermont - Sunday the 8th

Poor Daddy was sick now too! Mini was up early as usual so he and I went to breakfast and to the grocery store so that Daddy and Princess could sleep. After everyone was up, showered, and dressed we headed over to the Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival where a bunch of dragon boats race on the lake to raise money for a kids camp for kids with cancer. We won a great piece of art from a local artist and Daddy made friends with a lady who makes goat cheese and he learned all about it. Mini was lovin' the dragon boats and Princess was being her usual cheerful self.

We then took a walk up Church Street to The Red Onion Cafe that came highly recommended by a couple of people. Mini ordered a rueben but after one bite he asked to trade with his dad. His face was priceless when he got a mouthful of sauerkraut but he gamely chewed and swallowed the bite before digging into the cafe's namesake "Red Onion" sandwich which he then proceeded to devour. I tried the Moroccan Soup which was delicious. And after lunch we headed back to our room so that everyone could have naps.

The kids woke up from their naps before Daddy so we took a trip to Toys R Us up the road to start making our Christmas lists for Santa. It was great fun and Mini found lots of things for Santa to pick from for him this year. We finished up the day eating steak and broccoli at our little kitchen table and then went to bed pretty early.

Travel: To Vermont - Saturday the 7th

On Saturday we drove up to Vermont with just a quick stop for bathrooms and a run around the grassy area on the edge of the parking lot. We made good time and got up there with plenty of time to get settled into our room at the Residence Inn just outside of Burlington.

We left the hotel to go to the drive in movie theater with a couple of sniffly and tired kids but we were all looking forward to a little fun. The Sunset Drive In had a special where they ran THREE movies in a row. So with four screens to choose from we settled in for a long night. Packed up the kids pjs and stuff to make a nest for Mini in the back of the car.

We got there right when it opened to get a prime parking space and Daddy and Mini played at the playground and a round of mini golf while Princess and I went for a walk to the local grocery store for batteries. We all finished up in time for a trip to the snack bar before the movies started. Mini was going to watch Despicable Me but was out before the opening credits were over. So we tucked him in while we watched Inception, Salt, and Eclipse.

Back to the hotel at 3:30am and straight to bed!!

Weather: Rain Outside and In

One rainy morning....

Princess decided that her brother was having too much fun in the shower without her so I watched as she pushed the curtain aside and crawled right in with him. She climbed up to get a couple of toys then sat down to play. Her brother soon joined her on the floor of the shower and the two of them played in the water until it got cold!