Leaf Peeping

We went to NH for leaf peeping.  Turns out MA seems to have better leaves this late in the season!  We went to Rhododendron State Park to end our visit.  We need to come back in mid-July when the flowers are in full bloom.  I tried a new Zach carrier...doesn't appear I can get him in this contraption alone!!  Zach was amused with the setup...Mom felt like her shoulder was being ripped off - it may need to be returned.

Below is Dad and Zach in our backyard...Jason was tired from hauling concrete and other miscellaneous items to our dumpster (hopefully the dumpster is temporary and not a permanent fixture in our parking area!).

.

Apple Picking

We had competing apple picking sponsored events...an event for Deaf Children and one for Deaf Blind Children on the same day!  We chose to go to both.  This worked out well as Zach fell asleep  at Berlin Orchards (pics 1-2).  Luckily he perked up at Shelburne Farm in Stow (pics 3-4).

Portland, ME

Brenna tried a new discount hotel website...Jetsetter!  It would have been great...except our posh Portland hotel didn't have the reservation the next morning, Jetsetter doesn't open until 10AM (and was unresponsive to emails titled "Urgent" and their recommended contact method of Twitter additionally received no response), and we were on hold for 1 hr 40 minutes (then Jason lost cell signal and lost the call!).  Luckily our next phone call went through in <10 minutes.  The other good news was that they "proactively" resolved the situation...we were kind enough not to mention they had failed to respond to emails, twitters, and had been on hold >1 hr...  Zach enjoyed the Children's Museum walking distance from the hotel.

Zach turns 4!

We celebrated Zach's birthday week with tons of presents from family, especially tons of loud, bright flashing toys from grandparents!  First we had some chocolate cake with candles.  Here's Zach protecting his cake from dad and very thoughtfully checking out the 4 candles.

Next was present time.  He especially liked his new remote control!

Labor Day in Vermont

We spent the 3 day weekend in Woodstock VT.  First we went to the Billings farm where we got to pet the draft horse, whose job it is to collect crops and maple sap when it's syrup season.

This was the modest cottage for the farm manager (not the wealthy farm owner, just the guy who ran the farm for him).

We also went up to Sugarbush Farms to see and sample local cheese and syrup.  We got to see the cows from afar (and behind an electric fence!), as well as up close and a little too personal (where they lick the feed right off of your hand).

Not pictured - 3 days of swimming in the resorts' indoor and outdoor "heated" pools.

First flight!

Zach got to take his first flight ever to Chicago to visit his Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Tim and his cousins Hailey and Ryan.

Grandma Francine from Phoenix also flew in to join in on the fun.

Some of the most fun was had at the children's museum especially in the water area.

Our little equestrian

Zach seemed like a natural at his first horseback riding lesson.  They were all impressed by his fearlessness of the horse and how strong he sat up and held on.  He also seemed pretty taken by all his helpers.  He'll have a few more lessons over the next few weeks and if all goes well, hopefully he can take this therapy up on a more permanent basis!