NY Day 3 - Our 7th Anniversary!!

We started out our last day in NY by packing up some snacks and heading to a nearby beach. Brett loved playing in the sand (which was more like dirt, but he didn't care!) - making tunnels, little lakes, and sandcastles. My favorite part was being able to relax and soak up some sun, and than cool off in the beautiful lake! Kyle enjoyed playing with Brett in the sand and later swimming out to the dock and jumping off the diving board! I wish I had gotten a picture because it was priceless :-)

After playing at the lake for a few hours we came back to our cabin to take naps and freshen up before heading out to celebrate our 7th anniversary!!

Our handsome boy all ready to go :-)

Before going to dinner we stopped downtown to check out some shops. It was a pretty hot day so we didn't last long since there was no water to jump into! 

Brett didn't seem to mind though....because there was a toy store where he got to pick out a little surprise! It was so cute to watch him carry his bag all around :-)

Happy Reading at the Restaurant!

Happy Anniversary, my love!

After dinner we walked on the dock outside the restaurant to look at the boats. Brett instantly spotted some ducks and was off!

After a fabulous anniversary dinner surrounded by the beautiful lake, we went home to enjoy our last night at the cabin. Usually when I go on vacations I am ready to go home by the time the trip is over..but not this time! All 3 of us wanted to stay longer and were sad to leave. It was the perfect vacation for our family and the good memories will stay with us forever.

NY Day 2 - Waterfalls!

Since we spent most of the first day at the cabin, we decided we would do some exploring the second day. We started off stopping at a Zingerman's type bakery for breakfast. If we lived in Ithaca this would definitely be a favorite spot to eat at! Fresh bread, good cheese, any type of breakfast food or sandwhich you could ever want! My mouth is watering just thinking about all that good food! After we filled our tummies we drove a very short distance to one of the State Parks. One of the best parts about Ithaca is that the state parks are in town, and the you can basically drive right up to the beautiful waterfalls! There are also trails to hike on if you don't have a 4 year old with you and want more scenic views. We'll try those when Brett is older :-)

Brett was all smiles when we got out of the car, ready to explore!

We walked a very short distance from our car to find this.

And then we followed the "Gorge Trail"  to the first look out area to see some more beautiful views! Brett really enjoyed the small hike and did a great job!

I wanted to walk out there too, but held back because Brett was with us. Next time for sure!!

Our view from the look out area. How awesome is that?!

Once we finished our little hike it was time for a swim in the cold, refreshing water at the bottom of the waterfall. Life doesn't get much better that this!

Brett preferred to sit on the edge and enjoy the splashes from daddy :-)

After our refreshing swim we drove back to the cabin for some quiet time before checking out another state park with another beautiful waterfall! It was picture perfect :-)

We then went out to dinner at a local seafood restaurant. Another amazing meal -and a great way to end the wonderful day that we had! :-)

I already want to go back!!

New York - Day One

We started out our first day in Ithaca with a trip to the Farmer's Market. It was much bigger and more popular than we expected....we sat in traffic for almost a half hour just to get there! It was well worth it though and we had a blast! There was so much to look at and it reminded us so much of the markets and Art Fairs in Ann Arbor. We bought some snap peas and potatoes for dinner that night as well as home made Cinnamon rolls that we had for a late breakfast - yum! I also found a cute little hot pad with birds on it....yep, just my style :-) After venturing through the market we went outside to watch the boats, listen to live music, and eat some more snacks.

After the Farmers Market we headed back to the cabin to spend the rest of the day on the lake! 

As you can see, the beach was pretty rocky. I was bummed at first and thought Brett would be disappointed - but nope, he found ways to dig and play in the rocks and mud...no sand needed :-) Kyle even taught him how to skip rocks!

That evening Kyle made us an amazing dinner...grilled Pork Tenderloin, oven roasted potatoes and snap peas (from the market of course). And guess who found out he loves snap peas?! Cooked vegetables are a new favorite for our little picky eater :-) Finally, something healthy!

After dinner we went for another swim and enjoyed the nature we were surrounded by. True bliss :-) When we finally got Brett to bed around 10pm Kyle and I had a couple drinks together and played a game of checkers. A perfect way to end a perfect day.