2nd Annual Hines\Lee NH Trip

Well, we are now well into packing land. Most of the weekend was devoted to getting our house ready for the move. With only one more weekend before the big event, there's no time to mess around! Since blogging about packing is not at all exciting or interesting, I figured I would reminisce back to the weekend before when we were having some fun.

I took off the Friday before last for the 2nd annual Hines\Lee NH trip. Last summer, we had Mike's cousin and his family (Erik, Jessie, Justin and Ryan) up for a trial run of Storyland fun. And while it was fun, it was also really blasting hot. With that not a distant enough memory, we opted to try for a 2nd annual trip when we might be in for a little cooler weather. So, back in the spring, we picked the weekend in September to be the time. Little did we know then that it would be our last bit of fun before moving madness.

Thursday night, we all arrived late and just unpacked and got kids in bed. Friday morning was when the fun would begin. And what's more fun than pancakes for breakfast followed by the Polar Caves? Almost nothing!

Ryan, Justin and Dylan Waiting for the Grub

When we arrived at the parking lot of the Polar Caves for the second time that morning (the first we were there 45 minutes before it opened so did a detour to Walmart down the street first), I gave Erik a demo of our back pack. We thought it would be great for him to carry Ryan through the caves in. Since Dylan's very used to the backpack, I used him for the demo. Well, my little lazy boy then refused to get out of it. So, I was a pretty silly sight for a while - a big ol' pregnant lady carrying around a big 2 year old!

Dylan, Preggo and the Bear

Feeding the Deer

After looking at the pretty pheasants they have and feeding the deer and ducks, I convinced Dylan to get out of the pack and walk around. It was time to head to the caves!

Erik, Ryan and Justin

Smooch on the Kissing Bridge

The Lee Family

Dylan and Justin did an amazing job of climbing up and down all of the stairs (and there are TONS of them) and were brave little boys adventuring through all the caves. Mike, Jessie and I accompanied the boys in all of the caves but Erik and Ryan only went through a few. The backpack wasn't working all that well for him since he was a) not used to it and b) pretty nervous about knocking Ryan's noggin' on the rocks. He also came to the decision that Ryan was far too heavy to carry while climbing through the caves. So, they patiently waited for the rest of us to go through the caves.

Cousins in a Cave

Justin and Jessie on the Descent

Mike and Dylan Following

I think the timing was perfect for the trip. The weather was great, 2 out of 3 kids were big enough to walk through with assistance and I didn't get stuck anywhere (a few more weeks along, that might not have been the case)!

After all that climbing, we stopped at a gazebo on the grounds for some snacks. And since everyone did such a great job, it was "Polar Cave High Fives" all around.

Back out towards the entrance, we stopped again to watch the ducks. The boys really enjoyed them. Especially Dylan.

And we had one more attempt to get a family picture by their bear statues. Dylan wasn't into it so you just have to be happy looking at Mike and my mugs.

After our adventure, we stopped at a sandwich\pizza spot for lunch. With full bellies, it was time for naps all around (since the previous night didn't give any of us a good night's rest). And by all around I mean in rounds. The kids napped while some parents did then other parents napped while the boys were taken outside to play for a while. Then we fed the kids and got them to bed. The adults stayed up for a while talking....probably too long since the next morning called for an early start and a long day. We were all going to Storyland!