Holiday... it would be so nice...

We had the most fun little impromptu getaway these past two days.  I'll chronicle the events with the pictures we took.

We started with a hike up Mt. Major.  Above is our summit picture, with Lake Winnipesaukee in the background.  We had planned on having N hike with us (it's not too difficult a climb) and L ride in the baby frame pack on M's back.  Although N got really excited about the idea of hiking, some tummy trouble that day prevented her from being able to walk much at all.  At one point in the hike, she tearfully remarked, "This walk is very hard for me, Mama."  So sad!  So, I ended up carrying an 18-week fetus on my front and 22-pound L on my back in our Ergo baby carrier most of the way, and M carried N in the frame pack.  Once the girls were strapped on to backs and moving they seemed to enjoy the hike very much.  And although it was a difficult climb up for me, those hugs and pats of encouragement from L on my back really spurred me on to the summit!... not to mention the fact that every time we encountered a pretty vista, she would exclaim, "Wow!!  WOW!!!!" so loudly that I'm sure everybody on the mountain could hear.

We had packed overnight clothes in the hopes of finding an affordable hotel somewhere that had vacancy for the night.  As soon as we mentioned this to N, she was beside herself with excitement.  At one point, as we were driving around looking for places, N randomly shouted "HOTEL!!!" in a growly voice from the backseat.  M and I burst out laughing.  She explained, "I was just telling L where we're going."

We made a stop in Weirs Beach, walked around, and had some hot dogs on the pier for supper.  M showed us a lot of the places he used to visit as a kid.  Then we made a trip to Keller Haus, where the ice cream smorgasbord seemed a fitting reward for the tough climb we had made earlier.

That's N enjoying her "Cookie Monster" ice cream.

We found an affordable hotel and checked in.  The girls were both SO excited.  L was flitting around the room, picking up brochures and stationary and scattering them about.  She would go into the bathroom, lean over the tub and say "Wow!!"  N was fascinated with the hotel phone in our room, and, being too tired to argue with her about it, I just unplugged it so she could make some pretend calls.  They were thrilled to have some tubby time in the hotel room:

The girls were champs about sleeping in a strange place.  I'm sure their exhaustion from the day's activities had something to do with that.

The next morning, after enjoying the Cinnamon Toast Crunch we brought while watching Thomas and Curious George (yay for cable TV!!) we ventured out to the Polar Caves in Rumney.  We tried one cave with L in the Ergo, but she was nervous and fussy, so I decided to keep her happy by walking around the rest of the park while Daddy and N enjoyed the caves together.  N was a pro at climbing through the caves and really loved the whole experience.  She still tells the story of how she squeezed through the "Lemon Squeeze" (two big rocks 14 inches apart) with a big grin on her face.  Given her fascination with climbing rocks in general, I should have known this would have been a big hit.  I think it helped that she was feeling much better too.

Daddy and N looking down from "Raven's Roost" amid the caves

L and Mama enjoyed the petting zoo, especially the ducks.  She kept exclaiming "Duck!!!  Quack Quack."

There was also a sugar shack there that L and I walked through and really enjoyed.  Since it was a pretty hot and humid day, we mostly just enjoyed the shade and cool of the wooded trails and the shelter of the "Kissing Bridge".

We all enjoyed some photo ops with the polar bears:

Reading the brochure and looking at the map of the park this morning over breakfast, I realize there was a lot more we could have done, but at that point we were hungry and tired and didn't want to push the girls any further.  So we ate lunch in the snack area and packed it up to head home.  I'd certainly like to go back someday and see some of the things we missed.  What a fun day!

I think this little trip satisfied both M's and my itch for a getaway, and it was really nice to spend some time together, just the four of us.  It sounds silly to say that this short time brought us closer as a family, but I really think it did.  Something about being away from home and able to really focus on each other made it really special.