Cape Cod, MA

Later in the day we drove to Cape Cod, and although we only spent a few hours exploring, it was definitely the most memorable part of our entire vacation (for me). I can't describe the feeling watching the sunset on the beach with my little family- our tummies were full with a delicious meal, the weather was a little chilly, and the view was simply magical. Being there with the ones I love the most was one of those precious memories I will always treasure. It was one of those sweet times where your heart overflows with praise for God and all the beauty and joy in your life.     

 Here's a view from nearby our restaurant... Living across the street from the beach I would think that seeing the ocean wouldn't be that big of a deal. But let me tell you, it was completely different from California beaches.

The water was so clear and clean- the sand was so white and soft. There were gentle rolling sand dunes with wispy grass and those cute fences, just as I pictured in my imagination or in a movie about the Cape.

 Lindsay eating her first bowl of clam "chowda" actually in New England... Yummy!

So being the pregnant Mama I am, I had to post a picture of my fabulous meal: a lobster roll with baked potato (loaded of course). Imagine this: a fresh roll toasted with AT LEAST a cup of lobster cooked to perfection, dripping in clarified butter and lemon. Simply to die for. This is the stuff my dreams have been made of lately...LOL.

 Playing on the beach... Run Lindsay, Run!! Daddy's going to get you!!

My two loves chasing some seagulls... thankfully none of us got pooped on... would have made for a much different evening.

 Here's my shot at photography... it helps having a cute kid.

Me and my sweet girl and a half :)

 Our family picture to remember our special day...

Had to sneak a shot in of our sweet mini-van... I think I would take one of these beach houses any day over one in Malibu!!

"I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:2

Plymouth, MA

On the next leg of our trip we flew from Washington DC to Boston. It was a great flight (1.5 hrs) and we got all our luggage!! When we picked up our reserved rental car (some economy car), they told us they had a sweet VW mini-van that was available and would give it to us for the same price. Now, I NEVER thought I would EVER be excited about a mini-van, but this ride had a DVD player, leather and seat warmers! As we pulled out of the parking lot, we knew we made the right decision when we heard Lindsay clapping to "Elmo's Potty Time" video. Let me just say, I am still trying to get those songs out of my head. After a restful night's sleep, we got on the road for what turned out to be my personal favorite day of the trip... Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock & Cape Cod.

On a walk to the Indian Village at Plimoth Plantation... Can you see the resemblance? Jarrett & his "Mini-Me".

History lesson from Daddy... Funny Story: There were actual Native Americans that were re-enacting life in a colonial village. One of the structures contained huge piles of furs, and when Lindsay saw them, she pointed and loudly said, "Pup-Pups!! Daddy, Pup-Pups!" We got some out-of-character laughs from the actors :)

 This was one of the better dwellings of the Pilgrims... doesn't it look comfy? LOL

 Lindsay got a kick out of feeding the goats some grass- she giggled and wanted to touch them.

 The village and a sweet Daddy & his girl

We drove a few minutes from the plantation to the harbor to visit a replica of the Mayflower. It was so cool! It really makes you appreciate all that our ancestors lived through, and the incredible odds they beat to make it here. It was truly by the grace of God that they survived and were able to make the country we live in today.

Daddy & Lindsay checking out Plymouth Rock... Check out the date...1620!

 Had to take a picture of a dream house overlooking the bay... So quaint!! Perfect New England charmer!

Annapolis, MD

The next day of our trip was spent in Annapolis, MD, a 45 minute drive from DC. Annapolis is a quaint fishing village located on Chesapeake Bay which is also home to the US Naval Academy and the capitol of Maryland. We toured the State House, and did some window shopping in the cute downtown square. We drove across the Bay Bridge and checked out Dover, DE. Why visit DE? Because it was only an hour away! Where else can you visit 3 states in 1 day? Nowhere but the East Coast! We had a yummy BBQ lunch in Dover, where we were scared silly by the volunteer fire department siren that rings all over town when they are called. It sounds eerily like a hurricane siren. The locals looked at us tourists like we were crazy as we ran into the restaurant like it was the beginning of WWIII! I am sure the look on our faces was pretty funny. We discovered a gorgeous park in Dover where we let Lindsay stretch her legs and play. We drove through farmlands where there were REAL pumpkin patches and it reminded us of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

 Jarrett & Lindsay in front of the capitol of MD...

 Loved the cobblestone streets of this beautiful little town...

 Inside the capitol... It once served as our nation's capitol from 1783-84...

 Taking a stroll through the gardens

 "Look Mama!!"  There were ducks in the water...

 Where we had lunch in Dover, DE... and where we ran inside from the 'hurricane' siren.

 The adorable park we visited after lunch...

 Mama (23 weeks) and Lindsay Diane

Lindsay was not ready to leave the park, but we had to venture back to DC so we could move onto the next part of our trip: Boston!!

Washington D.C. 2011

Jarrett, Lindsay and I just got back from a lovely trip to Washington DC and Boston this past week. Jarrett had a conference to attend in DC, and Lindsay and I, once again, snuck into his suitcase to tour the nation's capital. Last year she was 9 months, and this time around she is 19 months... oh how time flies! We took TONS of pictures, so I am dividing it up by the places we visited. We had a few firsts on our trip: the airline loosing our luggage, driving a mini-van with a DVD player, and trying Dunkin Doughnut's Pumpkin Coffee (yum!). When we got to LAX for our flight back east, we discovered our flight was delayed, and as a result, made us miss our connection to DC. The airline was really great offering us a non-stop flight to DC that would get us there 3 hours earlier than our previous flight, except it was going to Dulles, not Reagan. This would have been ideal, accept we had already reserved and paid for (darn hotwire) a rental car at Reagan. We did the 4.5 hour flight non-stop, and were delighted when Lindsay slept for an hour, colored and watched Elmo on Jarrett's laptop the rest of the time. It a perfect flight!! We got to the airport and our luggage was put on a later flight to Dulles, so we were given the option of either coming back later to pick it up or having it delivered to our hotel, which sounded pretty good right about then. To make a long story short, our bags were delivered at 5:30am to our hotel, and poor Jarrett didn't get much sleep from calling the airline every 2 hours to check on the status. After sleeping in a bit, we got late start in checking out the parts of DC we missed last year, namely seeing the Constitution and Jefferson Memorial.

 Here's a hot, humid & sleep deprived family pic... wish we would've gotten more, but hey, it's one of the only ones, so I decided to post it, yucky in all :)

 Daddy & Lindsay, 9 months 

Daddy and Lindsay, 19 months

On our walk to the Jefferson Memorial

Doing her 'parade' wave to anyone passing by...

 Mama & Lindsay in front of the Jefferson Monument

Playing peek-a-boo with Daddy in the columns

View from the monument looking towards  the White House and Washington Monument... We couldn't take photos of the Constitution... something about the it fading...LOL.  Next up... Annapolis! FYI.. I am SO behind in blogging, so it is my goal to be caught up by the end of this week! Warning: Lot's of posts with pictures from the Fishers!