East Coast 2010: Part 3

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS NAKED BABY PICTURES. SORRY!The third leg of our trip found us in Rochester, New Hampshire. Why? Because Rochester is close to New Durham, where Nana's family has maintained a cottage on Merrymeeting Lake for the past century. It is, without question, a special and idyllic spot. And since Nana spent much of her childhood there, it was very special for her to share Merrymeeting Lake with her granddaughters. Upon our arrival, Fiona checked out the lake with Nana and her Great-Uncle Craig.Which quickly led to this:Which then led to this:Campbell was quickly inspired to do the same.
There was lots of naked water-frolicking for the duration of our visit. Once everyone was clothed again, there were big rocks to climb.The main reason we were at Merrymeeting Lake was to celebrate the wedding of my cousin Kate, so lots of family started arriving fairly quickly. A highlight for our girls was spending time with their second cousins, all girls ages 6, 4, and 2. Shortly after meeting, hilarity ensued.The girls were also staying at our hotel, so breakfast (fun for us, probably not for other guests) featured lots of little girls. Fallon (age 2) and Campbell developed quite an affection for each other.
And Fiona and Maren (age 4) discovered they were kindred spirits.

East Coast 2010: Part 2

Our fun-filled week in Virginia came to an end too quickly. Fiona summed up the difference between Northern Virginia and Northern California as such: "There aren't any pink houses here." Step 2 of our East Coast trip involved renting a minivan and heading North: grandparents, parents, and kiddos all together. This is why we rented the minivan:It was a two-day drive, about 10 hours total. Nana took the prize for greatest endurance; for about 8 of those 10 hours, she repeatedly acted out the role of the wicked stepmother to Fiona's Cinderella in the back row. But finally we arrived in hot and humid (yet still beautiful and coastal) Newcastle, New Hampshire.The girls joined Boom for a lovely morning view of the marina from our accommodations...although Campbell wasn't entirely willing to abandon technology.Due to the oppressive weather (at least for us soft Northern Californians), we spent as much time near water as possible. The beach was lovely and both girls loved mucking around in the sand, although Fiona continues to be the only Gong girl who'll venture into the water.A HUGE highlight for all of us was being taken out for a boat ride by college friends of Nana and Boom. At first, the girls were dubious about whether the water-safety gear would be worth it.
Their bad attitude continued before the boat began moving. Campbell to Fiona: "Dude, get that ugly orange vest outta my face!"But as soon as they felt the wind in their hair (and, even more fun, the bumps from the waves), all was well.

East Coast 2010: Part 1

One week ago, we returned from a family-filled East Coast bonanza, which took us through 8 states and 6 beds in a mere 2 weeks. Bottom line: it was a wonderful trip. But you can understand why the task of sifting through photos and trying to summarize our adventures has been a little overwhelming!We began by flying to Virginia's Dulles Airport, where we had a happy reunion with Nana and Boom.From that moment on, the fun never stopped. There was a trip to the mall to buy new shoes (including Campbell's first pair of "big girl shoes").The grocery store in Virginia has the same shopping cart that the girls loved in Irvine.But wait, you may say, why is Campbell alone?!? Because, my friends, in addition to the car/shopping cart, the grocery store also has this:Then, there were tea parties on the patio,
and artistic expression (also on the patio),and lots of chocolate treat eating.There were merry-go-round rides at the park.And, because it was quite a bit warmer than Northern California, there were lots of opportunities to cool off in the pool.By the end of the week, Nana and Boom figured the girls had had enough fun, and decided to put them to work washing the car. But darned if THAT wasn't the most fun of all!
Next installment: we rent a minivan and drive (slowly) up to New Hampshire. But don't expect it too promptly. Look closely at the photo below, and you will see my excuse for slow blogging (which I plan to milk for the next 6 months).
That's right; for those who didn't see it on Facebook, we're adding another pickle to this patch in early March 2011!