Rhode Island!

We actually went on a planned, week long vacation.  And we sure needed it with all the moving fun.  We finally went to visit my sister Mel.  She lives in Rhode Island right now, so that's where we went.  And it was pure awesomeness.  For reals.  My kids got to go on a plane for the first time.  They loved it and were troopers.  We flew the red eye on the way out.  I was nervous about it, but my kids rocked it.

Anyway, enough about flying.  The good stuff happened when we got there.  My sister and her family are the best hosts ever.  They were so nice to give up their rooms, bathrooms, food, and time so that we could stay with them.  My kids loved playing with their cousins.  In fact, the first thing they did when we got home was to write letters to their cousins.  I love it when my kids get to play with their cousins.

Mel was super awesome as usual and watched our kids so that we could go to New York.  Jake had never been back east before, so I wanted him to experience the big city.  I forgot how big NYC is.  For Father's Day I got Jake tickets to a Yankees game.  It was awesome.  I even managed to stay the whole game.  You should be proud.  We saw Times Square, FAO Schwartz, cathedrals. Rockefeller Plaza, Central Park, the 911 Memorial, and the Statue of Liberty.  On Jake's first NYC subway ride he got to see street dancers and fake singing cowboys.  I mean, we're from Midway.  We know what real cowboys look like, and those were not real cowboys.  NYC was awesome, but a bit overwhelming to us small town hicks.  I'll take Midway any day.  But I'm glad we got to see all the sights.

The weather cooperated quite nicely for us considering it was early in the year.  We got to go kayaking in the ocean.  Super cool.  My kids cannot paddle, or do anything else in the water for that matter.  Their Navy cousins definitely showed them up in that regard.  We went to the beach a few times.  So fun.  I even braved the cold water to try my hand at the boogie board (I think that's what its called).  I didn't manage to catch a single wave because I'm awesome like that.  But I sure had fun trying.

Jake and I went to tour a couple of crazy mansions.  Crazy.  Like Downton Abbey crazy.  Jake loved it, until they said that the huge, huge house was built in two years.  Then I told him that he needs to step it up:).  We went to an awesome clam shack where I tried fried clams.  Not my favorite, but I had to try them while I was there.  Then we went to a seafood store right on the coast and bought lobster fresh out of the ocean.  They were fun to cook and the kids had lots of fun playing with them.  Poor Ethan named his.  I thought we were going to have to have a funeral, but he handled it like a man.

We even managed to fit in a day in Boston.  Despite the traffic we managed to see a record breaking number of sites.  This would be due to the Spjute's ability to maximize every minute and waste no time.  I guarantee we could make it through any museum in 30 minutes, 60 tops.  If you force us to spend longer be prepared for a meltdown.  I digress…Boston was amazing.  I loved all the historical sites.  We made it through most of the freedom trail and my kids got to go on their first ferry ride.  We also found the best hole in the wall food place ever.  So great.  Jake said his hamburger was, "the best hamburger I've eaten in my life."  And we're old, so that says a lot.

I'll stop the boring details so you can now be bored by a million pictures.  Obviously we had a super amazing time.  So great.  My favorite part?  Spending time with my sister and her family.  Doesn't happen enough.  We got to go running together which I love.  If I had one wish it would be that my siblings and I live on the same street.  In Midway of course.  How awesome would that be?!!

Tired, but ready to fly

asleep during our layover

Introduced the cousins to marbles - so fun

At the Yankee game

Times Square

NYC

Cousin fun

One of the awesome light houses

Cousins!

We even played a duet at church:)

Awesome mansion

Lobster fun

Boston

Paul Revere's house

Chocolate french toast