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. 

Ithaca, New York - Our First Night

Usually for our summer vacation we head to Wisconsin to hang out with family, but this year we decided we wanted to do something different - a special vacation with just the three of us :-) Our first thought was that we would go up north and stay on a lake there. When I was a child we went up north every summer and the wonderful memories still stick with me today. I love it there!! We knew we couldn't go wrong with that choice. But then Kyle started exploring the Finger Lakes in New York, an area he has always wanted to go to, and came upon a beautiful cabin in Ithaca on Cayuga Lake. Both of us love exploring new places so as soon as he mentioned this idea to me I was in! And then when he showed me the cabin, I was even more excited. I love nature and trees and lakes and the freedom that comes with having your own special spot away from everyone to just breath and take it all in. This cabin had it all and looked...perfect :-)

We were all so excited for this trip and eager with anticipation in the days leading up to our journey. Brett has looked forward to vacations in the past, but nothing like the joy and eagerness he showed this year. As he gets older the excitement becomes more and more real. He gets what a vacation means: a new adventure away from home, a chance to see new things and explore new places, and above all, have FUN :-) The morning of our excursion Brett woke up bright and early, and the first thing out of his mouth was "I'm ready to go!" We quickly got ready, packed up the car and were off. It was a long drive....longer than I thought it would be...but so worth it (around 8 hours or so). Brett could not have been any better in the car. He just went with the flow and enjoyed watching movies on the DVD player, listening to music, snacking, and playing games like Bingo. When we finally arrived we were more than ready to get out of the car and explore the cabin that we would call home for the next four days.

We came down a steep driveway and parked our car, and then walked down a path and went over a little bridge to find this. Just like I thought...perfection. 

After unpacking all of our things it was time to explore! Off we went down the path to the LAKE :-)

There is just something magical about an evening on a lake. So quiet. So peaceful. Just what we needed after a long day of driving.

It doesn't get much better than this :-) Stay tuned for the fun we had the rest of the trip!

A Special Day for Brett and Molly

Something crazy happened about a year and a half ago on December 24th, Brett's birthday....my best friend in the whole wide world gave birth to her daughter, Molly!!! Now really, what are the chances of THAT?! I guess it was just another sign from the universe that are friendship is meant to be, and having our children on the same date is just another bond we will share forever :-) Because the holidays are usually so crazy and busy, we decided we should start a tradition where we we get together on their half birthdays to exchange birthday gifts and enjoy a special treat together :-) Even though we've made a point to never let Brett's December 24th birthday get forgotten or jipped of specific b-day presents, it's still nice for him him and Molly to have a designated day to look forward to, a day that is all theirs with no holiday gatherings getting in the way.

For our first annual half birthday celebration Rachel and I took the kids to get cupcakes. Brett was super excited and had been looking forward to this day for awhile! After that we stopped at Berry Bagel's to get lunch and headed to Gallop park to eat, play, and open presents :-)

Of course Brett picked out the confetti cupcake :-) He knows a birthday cupcake when he sees one!

Little Molly had the same kind....and I think she liked it :-)

There was a long line at Berry's so I took the kids outside to play while Rachel waited in line. Brett loved how Molly wanted to do everything he did :-)

Present time was Brett's favorite part! Thanks for the Legos, Rachel!!

I think Molly liked her Music Box too...she stared at for a long time trying to figure the whole thing out! :-)

Once Molly saw Brett holding her new bracelet she realized it must be something fun :-)

And, of course, a half birthday hug was in order after all that fun! They may not realize it now, but they are destined to be friends for life :-)

Unfortunately our day took a turn for the worst soon after this picture was taken. Brett was off feeding the ducks and Molly was sitting so nicely on the bench....so Rachel and I started talking away. Then, all the sudden...CRASH....Molly fell face first on to the ground, splitting open her lip. Rachel quickly went into mom mode, scooping her up and trying to console her sobs. Poor little Molly was bleeding pretty bad and bruising up fast, so we both knew what had to happen. It was time for our time to end so Rachel could take Molly home to clean her up and put ice on her lip. The good news is that after a few fussy days due to pain, Molly was fine...the bad news is that our celebration was cut short. Well, that's just another excuse to get together with our cuties later this summer :-) And make some better memories next year!!!

Gallup Park!

A couple days ago some friends and I decided to take our kids to Gallup Park for the first time this summer. As always, we all had so much fun! The highlights were exploring the trails, running over the bridges, and feeding the ducks and geese who were so tame they would take bread out of my hand! Brett LOVED the wildlife and pointed out every animal he saw (birds, chipmunks, ducks, geese, swans, butterfly's, etc). He is definitely a nature lover like his mommy :-)

Since we slept in, we were the last of our friends to arrive...so here is Brett leading the way over the bridge to go find them :-)

Once we found them the kids all ran off together through the tunnel of trees. Pure freedom :-)

After running around for a little bit it was time for the best part....feeding the ducks!

It was a good day :-)