Flume Gorge

On Monday (September 14) we checked out of our resort condo and said goodbye to Grandmommy and Granddaddy Jones. We drove to the other side of the White Mountains and went on a hike through the Flume Gorge.

Even though this picture looks like both boys are happy, Zachary was actually fussing to get down off the rock. Oh well, it was the best of the dozen I took.

Mikie in the gorge.

Daddy's Boy!

This was a great life experience to show Mikie how glaciers helped form the large chasm.

On our walk back, we came across another covered bridge (aka A Kissing Bridge). Mikie took my hand and said, "I want to kiss you on the kissing bridge."

Walking in the split rock.

See how strong I am?

A rare glimpse of fall foliage.

The boys were so good at the gorge that we just had to reward them with....

More Mini-Golf!

After 18 holes of fun, it was time to drive as far as we could get while two boys napped in the car.

We drove past this little pond with beautiful trees. This was the prettiest part of our trip and I only got to enjoy it for about 2 minutes while I took the picture.

The next day was filled with a lot more driving and DVD watching. When we finally reached Strasburg, Pennsylvania, the boys were ready to get out and play more mini-golf.

Below is a video that shows exactly why we have so many mini-golf adventures. I had just told them that we were going to go mini-golfing:

This place had 2 pirate themed courses. We only played one on this day.

They got to golf on a pirate ship.

Then we spent the night at the Steamboat Inn. In the morning the kids played on the playground.

And then, as soon as that mini-golf course opened at 10:00 am, we went back to play the second 18 holes. With their craving satisfied, it was time to go shopping at the outlet stores. That afternoon Michael watched the boys while I toured the Tabernacle. And later that evening, we went to the Sight and Sound Theater to watch "In The Beginning..." which completely captivated both our boys. Zachary loved all the real and animatronic animals and Mikie really grasped the whole creation story. Once you see a Sight and Sound production all other theater experiences pale in comparison. Everyone who lives in this area should go at least once.

Santa's Village

Ever wonder what Santa Claus does during the summer? He spends it at his summer home in New Hampshire, of course. Michael's parents have taken all 5 of their other grandchildren to Santa's Village in Jefferson, NH and this year it was my boys' turn.

Most kids would be thrilled to have an entire amusement park with rides they were tall enough to ride. I expected Mikie to want to go on every ride, but something else was much more important to him. Upon arriving in the park, we went to Elf University and got our "assignment" which Mikie took very seriously. The boys each got an alphabet card that needed every letter punched before you could receive a prize. There were alphabet elf statues, holding the punch boxes, hidden all over the park. Mikie was so excited to find every elf and would run from one to the other. We had to convince him to go on the rides.

Mikie with the "M" elf.

The Rudolph merry-go-round was Zachary's favorite.

On the train that went around the park.

Mikie 3 feet 6 inches.

Zachary 2 feet 8 inches.

Mikie didn't want to drive the old time cars so Granddaddy got to do it.

Mikie also refused to ride the roller coaster. As it turns out, Zachary didn't like it either.

When we stopped, I asked him if he liked it and he said "No! Yuck!"

Finding more alphabet elves.

I thought this picture was cute. It almost looks as if Zachary is licking frosting off his fingers.

Rudolph and penguin dinosaurs?

My favorite part of the park was the reindeer barn. Each reindeer had his name above the stall and loved to eat the reindeer cookies you could buy.

Mikie liked Vixen and Comet.

It was also very interesting to examine their antlers, as each one was in a different stage of the growing/shedding process. They had baby reindeer who were just starting to grown antlers. Then there were some who had the velvet rubbing off of theirs; and still others that had lost one or both of theirs.

Here's a video of Donner eating his cookie:

Donner was my favorite because he would just stand there and lay his head on his stall until someone felt sorry for him and gave him a cookie.

There were a few games as well. Zachary tries to throw the balls into Rudolph's nose.

Who wouldn't love throwing rings around a stuffed reindeer's head?

Mikie shows us that his name is written on Santa's nice list. Zachary's was too.

Time to meet Santa Claus. Zachary wouldn't sit on his lap so we told him to sit on the stool instead. That and the promise of a lollipop almost got him to smile.

Bumper car fun. Zachary loved it.

Grandmommy and Granddaddy on the sleigh ride.

The leaves were still mostly green, but we did find this one pretty tree to pose in front of.

Daddy was the parent of choice when it came to riding rides.

A ferris wheel ride to end the day at Santa's Village.

What would make this day even more fun? You guessed it! Mini-golf at Captain Kidds. This course and the Blackbeard's Challenge were right outside of the Comfort Inn. Can you imagine how much mini-golf we would have had to play if we stayed at that hotel?

Zachary wanted us to hit the ball between his legs.

Grandmommy and her boys.