From Bahstun to Joisey

    From the end of May and through the middle of June, we traveled...a lot.  We saw beautiful sights, met wonderful new people and got no sleep!

Despite the headache of having to contend with
 3 strollers, 3 babies, 3 toddlers under 4, and all the bags, blankets,
toys, diaper changes, and potty breaks that come with them,
I love trips with my whole family. I think we need to
make it a tradition! 

   Our first stop was Boston, Massachusetts for some close friends' wedding. It was an amazingly beautiful event! The bride's family was wonderful enough to hire babysitters for each family who kept our children while we danced the night away. It was awesome to relax and have a great time without having to stress about bed time!

   We also got to spend a few extra days around town and get some tourism in. It wasn't the greatest weekend for sightseeing because it was in the low 50's, raining, and windy the entire time but we made the best of it. We opted to buy a 2 day trolley pass so we could be carted around the city for 'free'. We decided it was much easier than trying to find parking in a strange city over and over again. Who needs a headache like that on vacation?!

   The first stop along our trail was Paul Revere's house and the steeple of the church where he hung his famous lantern. His house was really neat! It has some of his personal furniture in it and the old cobblestone street is still out front. We also went to the New England Aquarium. Paige loved it! She kept squealing about the 'feesh'! I absolutely love to show her new things and watch the wonder on her face. It thrills this momma's heart like nothing else! 

Trying to touch a shark with her Daddy. 

   As part of our trolley pass, we were supposed to get a harbor ride but the weather just wouldn't cooperate with us. I was majorly disappointed but I didn't want to subject the girls to the cold, rainy air out on the water. We had already had to give in and buy sweatshirts. This Floridian just can't get used to packing sweatshirts to wear in June!
   Thankfully, there was no shortage of things to do on dry land. We got to see the the U.S.S Constitution, a.k.a Old Ironsides, and play around in the interactive museum. We really enjoyed riding the trolley around the city and seeing the sights while getting a history lesson out of the rain! As you can imagine, it was really hard to handle nap time while touring but our girls did great and they caught their naps on the trolley. Needless to say, this Momma and Daddy thoroughly enjoyed holding them while they slept. That doesn't happen much anymore!
   To end our trip, we really enjoyed returning the rental car, finding the correct trolley to the airport, getting checked in for our flight, making it through security, and finding our gate with 4 adults, 2 children, a double stroller, and 12 bags. We met some great people, made wonderful memories and definitely gave Boston got a thumbs up, however, the airport got a different finger.

   When our flight landed in Raleigh, it wasn't time to go home. We spent 2 nights at my parents house before packing up the car and making the wonderful drive to New Jersey so we could surprise Kyle's sister, Kelsie. It was time for her high school graduation and we'd been planning for weeks to show up a few days early and surprise her at work. We were so anxious to get down to it! We honestly had no idea if she knew about it or not so we were definitely on our toes, watching everything we said and making sure we knew where she was at all times. When we walked into the cafe, we knew that we had her! She instantly teared up and squeezed us tight. Mission accomplished!! The only bad part was that she had to finish her shift. None of us had thought of that. oh well, it was a rookie mistake.  

Love this one!

Proud big brother!

Kyle never resists an opportunity to chunk
Kel in the pool!

    We got to hang out up there for about a week and enjoyed throwing Kel in the pool at her graduation party, cheering her on at her actual graduation and soaked up as much time with Kyle's family as possible. We always run wild while we're in Jersey and this time was no different. There's always somebody else to go see! Finding a place to get the girls down for a nap can be a challenge but we always work it out. I also got to visit with a good friend from Bragg who's up there while her hubby is in Korea. I always love our girl time!
   We left home on May 30 and didn't get back until June 15. Once we made it home, sadly, there was no rest for the weary. Kyle had to head straight back to work and the girls were willing to let me sleep an extra hour the first morning home but gave me nothing else. Where's the compassion, little ladies?!