New Hampshire Vacation: Day 3

We got our things packed up quickly, checked out of the cabin, and then went out to breakfast at Flapjack's Pancake House. The other mornings we had bagels, eggs, and bacon that Kevin cooked at our cabin, so it was fun to go out for pancakes! We love going out for breakfast. We planned on leaving for home after lunch (aka naptime), so we just did simple stuff after breakfast. We went on the Cannon Tram to see an aerial view of the beautiful mountains.

From here we headed up the road a bit to a town called Littleton, also home of the world's largest candy counter. Surprisingly, we didn't buy anything, just looked. Then we found this covered bridge. And boy was this heaven for any toddler! It was looong and we were pretty much the only people on it so Eli could just RUN! This flour mill was right on thr river there too.

We were going to go to lunch after this at a Pizza and Greek restaurant but both kids fell asleep in the car and we were still full from pancakes anyway that we decided to just head back home. Finally, around 3 we stopped and ate before our final arrival at 5:30. It was a great trip. The kids did soooo well with everything! And New Hampshire is a beautiful state!

New Hampshire Vacation: Day 2 p.m.

After naps we went to The Flume to see a covered bridge, slide, gorge, waterfall, and pool all in one! The trail was only a 2-mile loop (compared to 3 miles the day before) and it was more like a walking path than real hiking. It was a nice change. The next picture is the slide. It just went on for about .25 mile of water just flowing horizontally across the rock.

The gorge. The greens were so bright and beautiful but hard to capture.

The pool is at the bottom of this picture. It's 40 feet deep. No swimming allowed here.

After this hike we went back to campground for hot dogs, corn on the cob, and chips. Our cabin had a kitchenette so we could eat there sometimes instead of having to always go out. We had a mini fridge, 2 gas burners, a microwave, complete with pots, pans, and dishes. For right now in our lives this was the perfect way to camp. =)

New Hampshire Vacation: Day 2 a.m.

The morning of Day 2 was for Eli. We went to Clark's Trading Post where there was a train ride, bear show, playground, and boats. I hadn't seen about this when I was planning, but when we got to Lincoln and saw this, we knew we had to go.We saw a bear show where they played basketball, walked around on two legs, ate ice cream cones and more. It was cute!

Eli went off and climbed a rock wall while Eli, Hannah, and I were at the slide.

Kevin steered the boat thingy while Eli sprayed the water. Eli didn't like being sprayed so they kind of stayed in a corner away from the others. But oh, he had so much fun!

An old car Eli could sit in.

After this we picked up lunch to take the cabin, and then naps again. While everyone, including Kevin, was napping I went down to the stream at the campground to chill. I was a little bummed the water was too cold to wade through, but it was definitely still a nice way to relax for a few minutes.After naps we went on another trail to see a covered bridge, gorge, waterfall, and pool. But I'll start another post for those pictures. Stay tuned!

New Hampshire Vacation: Day 1

We're baaack! We just spent 3 nights up in Lincoln, NH (about 4 hours away from home) and really did have a pretty great time! We left Monday after lunch so the kids would nap for half the ride and worked well. We arrived at our cabin around 5:30, unloaded, and then headed out for dinner at a restaurant my friend Kristen and her husband recommended: The Common Man. We got some delicious prime rib there, but it was a loooong dinner (almost an hour and half from drinks to check) so the kids were way antsy and we couldn't stay for our free dessert. They did VERY good considering, and I was quite proud of them. We got back to our cabin and got the kids ready for bed before starting our campfire. Eli slept on a the hide-a-bed which was the "living room" part of the cabin so in order for him to get to sleep, Kevin and I had to either stay out on the small porch or sit at the campfire for sleep times like bed and nap. It twas nice to have that quiet time. It stormed pretty good the first night but the kids slept just fine through it.

The next morning was pretty cool and cloudy, as I had anticipated when I checked the weather prior to our trip. So we had a slow morning and let Hannah get her morning nap in before heading out. Eli and I went down to the pond to feed the ducks.
We wanted nicer weather for our hiking trips, so we decided to just take a drive first along the Kancamancus Highway that goes through New Hampshire. We just drove along, stopping to take pictures along the way. Most of the time it was just either Kevin or me hopping out quick and then getting back in the van, instead of getting the whole gang out. On our way back to town we picked up some lunch (Bill & Bob's Roast Beef sandwiches) to take back to the cabin. Then naps.
The afternoon weather was much better so we decided to head out on trail #1 to see some waterfalls. We didn't leave the cabin until 4:00, so we packed trail mixes and beef jerky in the backpack for dinner. It was a pretty tough trail. A lot of rock work through streams and steep hills. But Kevin and I helped each other out quite a bit. It was hard in the first place, then to add the weight of children strapped to us. We had to be very careful because if we fell, then the children would fall with us! Kevin did have one slip where he almost fell flat on his back (aka flat on Eli!) but he caught himself just in time. I don't think Eli even touched the ground, but it sure scared him to tears, and we were more careful after that!

There were three waterfalls along this trail:
Alright, and it's bedtime, sooo I'll leave you with the Day 1 recap and we'll be back tomorrow with more of the rest of our trip!

Off and away!

I'm packing this morning and later today we'll be off on our 3-night vacation to New Hampshire! We're staying in a small, furnished cabin and hopefully doing some small hikes to see some waterfalls. I'm very excited! Not very often do we get to take REAL family vacations, but this was important for me to do before we moved from here. So off we go! See you later this week!

Photo comparison

My Happy Boy

Eli at 7 months old

Eli now at 2 years old

Fun weekend.

With our days winding down before we move, we're realizing all that we want to do still before we move. So we're keeping busy with lots of fun! This was last weekend...

FRIDAY--a trip to the local aquarium. Eli loves dolphins right now and is always asking us to find the pages of them in his books. And as far as he's concerned, he saw lots of dolphins at the aquarium, though there were none. Closest thing were beluga whales. Anyhoo, here are some pictures...SATURDAY-- We did a babysitting swap with my friend Kristen and her husband Scott. They came over and we watched their 1-yr old son Colby so they could go out for a couple hours, and then when they got back, they watched the kids and Kevin and I got out for a couple hours. Kristen and Scott have a jet ski they went out on and then offered to us. So we got to go jet skiing for the first time! And wow, it was so much fun! I've always wanted to go! I was pretty nervous about it having a roller coaster effect on me though. My tummy flips even when I swing in the park! So I thought we were going to have to drive it really slow in order for me to feel comfortable. But to my surprise I was just fine and we could cruise around 25-30 mph! We went out on the river and it was nice to just keep going and going. Then we turned around and went out toward the ocean. It was fun to see the towns from river side, a different perspective from road side! I wanted a picture but it wasn't too easy for that. Thank you, Kristen, for such a good idea and for letting us use your jet ski! That was awesome!

SUNDAY-- cookout with church friends. At church we were invited to a cookout afterwards at our friends' house. We went home to change, feed, pack the diaper bag, and get mapquest directions, and we were off again! Took us a bit of time and frustration before we finally found the house, but we made it! I didn't know how the kids would do, but somehow they were amazing, considering Hannah was only half fed and they were both running on no naps! We just hung out, ate good food, and then played a game of volleyball. Friends had offered to hold/watch the kids so Kevin and I were able to join in the fun too! That was soooo nice! I love a good game of volleyball, so I was especially grateful I could actually play for once! We were there for about 3.5 hours before we finally got in the car to go home. Eli was a crank and fussing really bad. He was so tired he didn't know what he wanted! And Hannah, though hungry I imagine, conked out in 2 seconds flat, literally! Another fun day!

So that was our weekend! And next week we're headed up to New Hampshire for a little family vacation! Can't wait!!!

Menu Plan Monday - Aug. 11

Wow, I cannot believe it's the 11th of August already! It's now just over a month until we move back to the mid-west! I'm beginning to clean out the fridge, freezer, cupboards, and pantry! There are so many things I want to do yet, and we're running out of time! Isn't that how it goes though. You couldn't care less about what's here until you're about to leave and then you want it all! haha With that in mind, we had a very fun weekend here, so stay tuned for a post about that!

Anyhoo, let's keep moving with the day here and get to business!

Two new recipes I'm come to LOVE!
Margarita Pizza-- it's a light pizza and oh so yummy! This is going to be a new favorite! I don't even like fresh tomatoes, but I liked THIS!

Pizza Casserole-- one for the whole family to enjoy!

Now for this week...

Monday - softball finals
lunch: sandwiches
dinner: sausage pasta sauce, cauliflower

Tuesday - softball finals
lunch: leftover pasta
dinner: lasagna (from freezer), corn

Wednesday
lunch: chicken patty sandwiches (is this elementary school?)
dinner: loaded baked potatoes, broccoli, peaches

Thursday
lunch: lunch meat sandwich
dinner: breakfast nite - sausage links, eggs, toast

Friday
lunch: chicken tenders
dinner: margarita pizza (may actually try a homemade crust this time, since I have a bunch of yeast to use up. we like thin and crispy--any tips on how to achieve that??)

Saturday
lunch: ??
dinner: cheeseburger soup, peaches

Sunday- softball picnic

More meal ideas at Laura's.

Thankful Thursday

Kevin's been working 12-hr nights for two weeks (through weekends and all), leaving me to be single mom for awhile. And boy, is it about killing me! Sooo... I thought this week I'd reflect on why I AM thankful for Kevin's job with the Navy.... (only 2 months left though until we're out!!)

* I am thankful for job security. We never have to worry about Kevin losing his job.

* I am thankful for the good pay that allows me to stay home with our beautiful children.

* I am thankful for the excellent benefits--full medical coverage and housing money.

* I am thankful that being in the Navy has brought us to the good friends we have made throughout the years.

* I am thankful for the places that Kevin has gotten to see during his deployments: Italy, Portugal, Crete, United Arab of Emerites, Key West

* I am thankful how the distance has taught us the value of togetherness.

* I am thankful for Kevin's opportunity to serve our country.

So in the midst of all those blessings, two hard weeks of Kevin working long days is somehow worth it! Until we get out, that is! haha

Join us for more Thankful Thursday at Sting My Heart.

Total Money Makeover Update

Alright, we just finished month 2 of the cash budget, so I thought I'd post a quick update about how it went.... Well, it didn't. We really didn't stick to it very well at all. The beginning of the month Kevin was on 12-hour work days so the bank was closed by the time he got home, and I just can't really get there with two kids in tow, so we couldn't get our proper bills out to divvy up into our handy dandy expandable folder. We did the best we could with just $20s from the ATM. But second half of the month just didn't happen at all and we just used our credit card (that functions the same as a debit card really). BUT I did find 2 new ways I'm trying to save money:

1. Plan lunches. You might have noticed that from my recent menus. I was beginning to realize that it was quite often that we truly didn't really have anything in the house for lunch and so we'd just get something like Subway or Taco Bell. Kevin doesn't like leftovers or sandwiches, so it makes it tricky, but I do the best I can. And I HAVE found that he does like BLTs and could eat those almost every single day, so I've been good about buying tomatoes for him (even though I don't like tomatoes and bacon is already a staple at our house). So that's been helpful. I can predict when we will have leftovers and can come up with other lunch options to ensure that we'll have something so we don't have to eat out so much.

2. The other thing is to buy treats! What?! Sounds like the opposite of money saving, but for us, we might be on to something. You see, we have a VERY strong sweet tooth and little will power to fight against cravings. So if we just have a small thing or two around the house that I wouldn't normally buy, like ice cream or mints, it helps curb the desire to go out for a $10 dessert that only lasts 5 minutes.

So that's what I learned from this past month!