We left on Christmas to drive to the mountains of Tennessee.  Jason and I had the bright idea of driving through the night so the kids would all be sleeping.  That was a terrible idea!  We used to be awesome at road trips because we lived across the country from our families.  The drive there reminded us that we are older than we used to be!  It was gruesome and took us twice as long as we had planned, but we got there safely and that is all that matters.

For our vacation we rented a cabin in the mountains.  The view was absolutely gorgeous!  We had a three story cabin with a deck on every level and even the bottom level looked down onto tree tops.  There was a hot tub, a foosball table, a pool table, and a fireplace.  My favorite part of vacation was sitting by the fire place playing our son’s new chess game which he got for Christmas or reading our books.  We also visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but there was crazy traffic in the park so we didn’t explore too much.

Our cabin:

The view from our middle deck:

Playing games:

Two year old attitude (we told her she couldn’t have any more candy):

Our baby is 3 months old already!

Out to dinner:

The kids loved being in the hot tub in the cold mountain nights:

The jetted tub:

Waking up our son with a snowball (he wasn’t happy about it):

Some sleet/snow/rain mix:

Our drive to the National Park:

We got home from vacation in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home!  I thought all of the kids were going to make it to midnight but both of the girls fell asleep with less than an hour to go.  Jason and I rang in the new year with our two boys.  Our “Cheers” was with yummy sparkling grape juice and we had noisemakers and midnight kisses too!

Many blessings to all of you for the new year!

The couple’s ceremony was held with a view of the Chesapeake Bay as the backdrop.  Stacey and Don had a traditional Jewish ceremony and including all of the traditions that have been used in weddings for hundreds of years made the ceremony even more meaningful.  The reception was held in a tented patio decorated with flowers and lantern centerpieces.  Round paper lanterns hung from the ceiling.  The DJ was Jason from Quality Entertainment and the wedding cake was from Fiona’s Cakes.  The cake had a pattern of tiny crabs on it and the favor was a personalized wooden crab mallet for the guests, perfect for a wedding on the bay in Maryland!

It was wonderful for Jason to see Jodie and Dan again and to meet their little girl!  It was a great wedding and Jason had a terrific time.  Thanks so much to Stacey and Don for having Jason join you to capture the memories of such a special day!  We wish you a lifetime of happiness!

When Jason arrived at his hotel in Boston, Celia and Jake had a welcome package waiting complete with wedding info, a map of Boston, a brochure of their venue, and yummy treats like a lobster lollipop and Cape Cod potato chips.  The wedding weekend started with the couple’s rehearsal.  Paula of Marrero Events was the wedding planner and Jason enjoyed meeting her as everyone gathered at the couple’s beautiful venue, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, to practice for the big day.  After the rehearsal Celia and Jake hosted a welcome dinner at Jasper White’s Summer Shack Restaurant.  It was a great evening with Celia, Jake, and their close friends and family.

The next morning Jason was at the Westin Waltham Boston to join Celia as she got ready for her wedding day!  Christine and Holly of Wedding Tresses were there doing hair and makeup for the girls.  Everyone then headed over to the venue where Celia and Jake had their first sight.  It was wonderful to see the emotion in that moment.  When they looked at each other, you could see that Celia and Jake are two best friends who are completely in love.  Boston Wedding Films was the videographer for the wedding and they were awesome.  Other vendors for the day included Karla Cassidy Designs for flowers, Different Tastes as the caterer, cupcakes from Jenny’s Wedding Cakes, and the DJ from C-Zone Music.

It was an amazing wedding day.  You could see the thought and hard work that Celia and Jake put into every detail to make sure that their wedding vision came to life and that it reflected them as a couple.  The origami at the ceremony, the reading of Me Too Iguana, a Chinese Tea Ceremony, lion dancers, a lounge area at the reception, a photo booth, and beautiful red details made Celia and Jake’s day unique and a perfect fit for the two of them.  Jason was honored to be there to share in the day and capture the memories.  Thank you so much to the Celia and Jake!  It is you two who are Amaze-Balls!!!  It was a gorgeous wedding for an awesome couple and we are so happy to have been part of it.  Please be sure to stay in touch!

Rachel and Seth are amazing parents.  Mom loves checking out Rachel’s blog to see all the fun crafts and activities and excursions they do!  2011 is going to be an awesome year for them and we hope we’ll be able to capture more memories for them as time goes on.

Near the tree at Rockefeller Center:

Radio City Music Hall:

Heading to Times Square:

Bryant Park ice rink:

In front of Macy’s:

**DISCLAIMER:  The pictures in this blog post are a mix of ones from Jason’s camera and from our point and shoot.

When Jason and I first started planning a winter family vacation we knew we needed to see snow.  We love the cold weather and snow!  We had been to New Hampshire a few years ago but only Jason had been to Vermont.  He had photographed a wedding there and he loved the whole area.  We decided to go see Vermont and we pulled up a map of the state on the internet.  We weren’t all that concerned with finding the towns with the best tourist attractions.  We just wanted to play in some snow!  We started calling hotels in various towns in Vermont asking if they usually had enough snow on the ground to make a snowman the week before Christmas.  If the place told us that there was no way to know, or that they did some years but not others, we would call a hotel in a place further north.  Finally we called a hotel in Burlington, Vermont and the guy who answered said that though it was of course up to God they almost always had enough snow to play in around Christmas time.  That was just the answer we were looking for and we decided on Burlington as the last stop in our trip.

We were flying from Vermont back to Florida so the car ride from NYC to Burlington was the last long one of the trip.  We spent most of it singing Christmas carols and A Charlie Brown Christmas on the portable DVD player.  We drove through beautiful snowy scenery and it made the trip go by quickly.

Sunset in Burlington is just before 4:30pm but it seems like it starts getting dark around an hour before that.  It is like the evening starts at at quarter til 4 in the afternoon!  We arrived at the hotel after dark and there was definitely snow on the ground!  We didn’t want to drive around exploring on the dark snowy roads so we picked up some dinner to eat at the hotel and spent more time together as a family.  My sister said everything was perfect and she loved Vermont but the one thing she had hoped for was to see snow actually falling and not just on the ground.  When we woke up the next morning it was snowing hard and it kept snowing the rest of our time there.  It was beautiful.  I could watch snow falling for hours!  We got all bundled up and headed out to play in the snow.

Jason had recently photographed Emily and Ted’s wedding and they live in Vermont.  When they heard we were going there Emily was nice enough to send us a ton of ideas for things to do and see in and around Burlington.  It was so helpful and we used it our whole trip!  She had recommended Battery Park as the best place to romp around in the snow and enjoy a pretty view of the lake and mountains.  It was perfect!  There was a play ground and a covered stage and benches overlooking the lake and best of all a ton of snow!  Playing there with my family was my favorite part of the entire vacation.  I think it was a favorite for all of us!  It was exactly what we wanted out of our vacation.

Jason tried to convince my sister to put her tongue on the pole.  Even after watching A Christmas Story just a few days early she was still about to do it until I told her not to!

Let the snowball fighting begin!  Kids or parents, cold or not, our motto was Snow No Mercy!  It was a Snownihilation!

Our oldest kept trying to walk far away but after a few tries I had some distance to my throws!

Just because they are down doesn’t mean they are done!  Snow No Mercy!

Little brother running up to help out and rescue his big brother:

Snow angels:

It was my sister who got too cold first.  She took our daughter into the car to warm up and soon after we all headed back to the hotel to change into dry clothes and eat.  It had snowed so hard that there was almost a foot of snow in the hotel courtyard so after lunch we went outside there to play in the snow even more!  Well, most of us did.  We tried building a snowman but we couldn’t get past the base layer.  Not only because we don’t have great snowman building skills but also because it was just too tempting for our preschooler to kick and knock over!  Jason didn’t have his camera this time so the snow ball fight between him and I soon became a fierce snow battle complete with tackles and throw downs!  I won of course, and despite what Jason would say it has nothing to do with the fact that he didn’t have any gloves on.  Covered in snow head to foot, we headed inside.

It was still snowing that night and once it got dark it was really cold!  But we headed out to see Church Street, another recommendation from Emily and from all the online travel guides for Burlington.  It is a downtown walking area with lots of shops and restaurants.  The “streets” (though it is a pedestrian area closed to traffic) had garland and wreaths hanging in the air and there were lined with trees covered in tons of white lights.  At the end of the street there was a big Christmas tree.  It was definitely a Christmas scene!  We had forgotten our point and shoot at the hotel so we could only get pictures with the cell phone which of course does not come out well in the dark, so here is a picture from the Church Street Marketplace website, www.churchstmarketplace.com:

We walked the whole street and checked out some of the shops before we went to dinner.  Emily said that the “ultimate, right here right now, this is what Vermont is all about, family dining experience” was at the Farmhouse Tap and Grill.  We are so glad she recommended it to us!  The building used to be a McDonalds but was renovated by local designers and craftsmen into what they called a gastropub.  They pride themselves on supporting local farms and using locally provided foods and almost everything on their menu was free range and grass fed.  Their menu changes depending on what is in season and they list the farms where they get their food right on the wall in the restaurant.  We ordered root beer and even that was brewed at the restaurant!  Even the cheese on the kids’ grilled cheese sandwiches and mac and cheese dishes came from local Vermont farms!  My sister had the corn cakes with mushrooms, wilted greens, and a buttermilk herb vinaigrette.  I don’t know how they made something as simple as corn cakes taste so good but it was incredibly yummy!  I tried to talk Jason into the rabbit just for some adventure but he settled on a venison burger.  I am at all adventurous with food so I had a local grass fed beef burger.  On the menu they even tell you which local farm your beef and cheese are coming from!  I love that.  The food was great, the atmosphere was great, and we got to experience some of Vermont food culture.

Our flight the next day did not leave until that evening so we got an early start and set off to visit a few places just outside of Burlington.  It was still snowing and we enjoyed the beautiful views as we drove.

Our first stop of the day was the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury.  Ben and Jerry’s started in Burlington, Vermont in 1978 and is now international.  But 70% of all of their production is still done in their two factories in Vermont.  Supporting local Vermont family farms and using natural ingredients are important to their company.  They use only cage-free eggs, the cows are not treated with growth hormones, they are fair trade certified, and they work to responsibly and sustainably source their ingredients and promote environmentally conscious business practices.  We took a tour of the factory where their company really began and learned about their mission statement and how they put that into action.  We didn’t find out until after we had already paid for the tour that the production room was closed for the holidays but we still got to see it.  And most importantly the tour ended in the Flavoroom where we got to sample one of the new flavors, Peppermint Schtick!  It is a limited batch available only in scoop shops and only until they run out because they are not making more.  They told us that it was peppermint ice cream with fudge covered peppermint candy pieces and a peppermint swirl.  I don’t like peppermint and there are only a couple flavors of ice cream in general that I actually like so it did not sound good to me.  I almost didn’t even try it but I did and I loved it!  It was the perfect ice cream for winter.

After the tour was finished we walked through the hall of the Top Ten Flavors and found our favorites.  Then we stopped at the Scoop Shop to enjoy more ice cream!

After we left the Ben and Jerry’s factory we headed for another of Emily’s recommendations, a scenic drive to a covered bridge.  Emily had warned us that the bridges were tucked away and the roads could be adventurous but we decided to give it a try and luckily the drive wasn’t bad at all!  Holmes Creek Bridge is right on Lake Champlain and we stopped by the lake to take in the amazing view of the snow on the shore of this massive lake with freezing cold waves and the Adirondack mountains in the background.  Wow.  The historic covered bridge, the snow, the mountains, the peacefulness…THAT is Vermont.

The boys fell asleep during our drive to the bridge and when we left it was time to head to the airport.  We drove right past the Vermont Teddy Bear Company Factory and Jason decided to run inside to see if there was anything there we could do that wouldn’t take much time.  The next tour didn’t leave for a half an hour and they said it lasted around a half an hour as well.  Other than the tour Jason said there wasn’t much to do there that you couldn’t do at any Build a Bear so we posed for a few pictures and left to catch our flight.

We had planned enough time to drop off the mini van, check our bags in, go through security, and have time to get some dinner before we boarded our flight.  But when we went to check in we found out that our flight was delayed by hours and there was no way we’d make our connection.  The only way to get us home for Christmas Eve was for us to catch an earlier flight which we barely had time to make and then connect in another city to a second flight with barely any time in between.  We also had to quickly rearrange our luggage because one of our bags was one or two pounds over weight and after already having to pay for every single checked bag we refused to pay an additional fee for one or two extra pounds!  Taking off kids’ coats and shoes and getting 6 people through security with camera equipment, portable DVD players, a stroller, a stocked diaper bag, and multiple carry ons is already stressful and now we were in a time crunch!  But we made it in time to board the plane and we even got to sit near each other.

We were all starving by the time that flight landed but we had to run to catch a connecting flight.  There was no time for food and though Jason didn’t want to stop at the bathroom I was not going to risk having one of the kids need to go when the flight was taking off and we couldn’t get out of our seats.  That was our only stop yet by the time we got to the gate they had been holding the flight for us.  They rushed us into the plane letting us know that the plane was full and there were no seats for us or any room for our carry-ons.  I was so proud of the kids for how terrific they were on that flight!  I was tired and hungry and grumpy so I expected all of that from them too!  Worse, Jason wasn’t sitting with me so I thought I’d be dealing with all of that and not have any help.  Though they gate checked most of our carry ons our oldest had been holding his aunt’s DS so he played that for the entire flight.  I had a portable DVD player in the diaper bag and that kept our middle son busy while I played with our daughter.  We got back to Florida without incident and soon we were back home.

It was wonderful to have time together as a family without the distractions of everyday life.  That time and the memories you build is what a vacation is all about!  We hope everyone else had a Christmas season filled with moments that will be your own terrific new memories as well.

And we already miss the snow!

**DISCLAIMER:  The pictures throughout this blog post are a mix of images from Jason’s camera and our point and shoot.

The first drive of our trip took longer than we thought it would so we made sure to plan lots of extra time for stops and city traffic as we left our family near DC and headed up to New York City.  We actually arrived a few hours earlier than we thought we would!  Luckily the hotel saw the restless young kids and all of our stuff and let us check in early.  We chose a Marriott hotel within walking distance to Rockefeller Center and we were pleasantly surprised by a hotel room bigger than normal for midtown NYC!  We took it as a good sign.

The kids loved that our hotel room was so high up!  Often at least one of us would be sitting on the window ledge looking out into the city.

Our plan for our time in the city was to see all of the sights you think of when you imagine Christmas in New York City.  We wanted to see the tree at Rockefeller Center, visit Santa at Macy’s, shop in the stores, enjoy the holiday decorations and window displays, and take the kids to FAO Schwartz and the Toys R Us in Times Square.  We were even hoping that there might be some snow on the ground for a wintry and scenic walk through Central Park!  But though it had snowed a couple days earlier there was no snow at all during our time there.  And it should have been an early clue that NYC at Christmas might not be all that family friendly when we contacted more than five shows, including the famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular which is supposed to be great for kids, and all of them had age limits.

Jason absolutely loves shooting in the city and he was really excited for his sessions that evening, but because we had arrived much earlier than we planned we had time to head out for some sightseeing.  We had left very early in the morning and the kids were tired and a little bit moody because of it.  Soon enough our daughter was passed out on my shoulder.  Carrying a sleeping one year old who is bundled up in layers and a heavy coat is not as easy as you would think!

Our first stop was Rockefeller Center to see the big tree.  We have been to NYC a few times in the past and we knew that there would be big crowds at the hot spots, but we were not prepared at all for just how many crowds the week before Christmas really brings into the city!  It was just insane.  By the time we made it to the tree our oldest son was tired of walking, our daughter was sleeping, and we faced an ocean of people who moved like a wall closing in on you.  We barely got next to the tree for a quick picture before we were pushed along by the ever moving crowd.  We made our way to the Lego store nearby in the hopes of cheering up our oldest.

Somehow the crowd had taken the shoe off of our preschooler and trying to stop in that store to put it back on was impossible.  I don’t know how anyone could possibly shop there!  We were just blindly pushed along by the crowd and soon we were at the doors to go outside on the other side of the store.  Now our kids were tired and upset that they thought they were getting a lego toy but didn’t, and we looked out into a giant mass of hurried and impatient people.  The door we went out put us right in the middle of the crowd waiting or the skating rink at Rockefeller Center and I could not believe how many people were standing there!  It was tightly packed for at least an entire block with people either waiting in line or trying to see the tree.  We tried weaving through people but there wasn’t even any room to weave.  Our preschooler had been trying to hold my hand and walk next to me but people didn’t see him so he was barely escaping being trampled.  After he had been hit on the head by shopping bags and elbowed in the face a couple times I had to let my sister carry my daughter, growing ever heavier in her huge winter coat, and carry my son who was equally bundled up and heavy instead.  Jason had been planning to separate from us that evening and go right to his sessions so he had his camera and other gear with him and couldn’t carry anything, or anyone, more than that.  As soon as we could manage our way out of the crowd we went right back to the hotel.  Jason picked us up some fast food for dinner so we didn’t have to venture out that night when he was gone at his sessions.

When he got back to the hotel that night he said the crowds were dying down and it was actually fun to walk the streets again!  The kids had been treated to a night of tv shows in the hotel room and were ready for bed but this was my sister’s first time in New York City and she wanted to go explore!  Jason took her out and together they visited the tree again (for a less crowded view), the Top of the Rock Observation Deck, and then had a late dinner in Times Square.  They enjoyed the entertainment of some interesting characters in the restaurant which gave their dinner an authentic NYC feel.  After carrying his camera through the city all day Jason decided to bring the much more portable point and shoot that night instead.  He hadn’t realized that our son had spent most of his day making a video chronicling his adventures in the hotel room so the battery was dead.  They didn’t take any pictures but they said it was a great night.  And Jason came home with a much needed stroller!

The next day Jason woke up early for a couple morning sessions just outside the city.  The plan was for the rest of us to head out for breakfast after we woke up and got ready and then when Jason would meet up with us in the city later.  But it was vacation after all so rather than rush the kids we took our time that morning and Jason was back at the hotel before we ever left.  I had emailed with a friend who lives in NYC about the crowds the day before and she said it was the worst she had ever seen it!  But she also said that it might have been because it was the Sunday before Christmas.  That made sense.  I won’t even venture to the mall near my house the Sunday before Christmas so we headed out on Monday afternoon with high hopes for walking through the streets on a weekday without our children being torn away from us or hit in the face.

Jason carried our daughter and our middle son sat in the stroller and things seemed better.  The crowd got thicker as we got closer to FAO Schwartz and the other shops but it wasn’t too bad.  We saw the front of the FAO Schwartz with the guy dressed up as a toy soldier and we were excited to head inside!  We went to the doors only to find out that the line was actually coming from down another street.  When we walked over there we saw the real line, and it was long.  Really long.  Down the block.  We stood and waited and Jason and I wondered how smart we really were to spend time standing in line for shopping.

The store wasn’t as decorated for Christmas as I had thought it would be but looking around a giant toy store is always fun.  Our daughter had fallen asleep again (she rarely takes naps at home!) so we tried to find a second cheap stroller but they didn’t have any.  As we made our way through the store I saw a gigantic box of Nerds candy at the candy display!  I pointed it out to Jason and continued to the escalator to head up to the top floor where they had the giant dance-on piano famous from the movie Big.  In the time it took him to turn around to check out the huge Nerds box neither of us had noticed that we got separated.  We spend the next hour trying to find each other in that three story toy store completely packed with people!  We were both just glad it was us adults who were separated and not one of the kids.

Our plan was to grab an early dinner and then head over to Macy’s but the crowds were just too much for the two younger kids.  The stroller would not fit inside of any stores so if we stopped any where they had to be carried and it was hard to carry two heavy bundles while maneuvering through crowds.  I had been to Macy’s a couple times before so I decided to take the younger kids back to the hotel while Jason took my sister and our oldest son to see Santa at Macy’s and then explore more of the sights for our last night in the city.

The subway ride to Macy’s:

Inside the store:

They explored every level inside of Macy’s and did some shopping too!  The line to see Santa would have taken up all of their time that night so they skipped actually visiting him and headed to see more of the city.

Moving window displays:

Playing on the security cameras:

Times Square:

Inside of the Times Square Toys R Us, which is more than 100,000 sq feet in size!:

6th avenue ornaments:

One last stop at the giant Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center:

That night we enjoyed some Christmas movies on tv while eating Outback delivered by room service!  The hotel had a mix-up and sent another family to our room so to make up for it they gave us vouchers for breakfast the next morning in their restaurant.  There were omelettes, bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, cereal, fruit, and every other breakfast food you could think of.  After a yummy big breakfast we left the hotel and NYC.  We all agreed that despite the crowds making it hard for the younger kids we had a fun visit.  We love New York City and can’t wait to go back, but probably not at Christmas time again.  At least not until all the kids are grown and can fend for themselves in the crowds!

We headed north of the city for a session with a really wonderful family and then from there it was time for some snow!!  Vermont is coming up next on the blog, and blog updates for all of the sessions Jason did in the city are coming this week as well!