Every year we go to Geer’s Tree Farm the day after Thanksgiving to pick out a Christmas tree. It’s perfect New England fun, with tractor rides and kettle corn and beautiful scenery. The next day is the Norwich Winterfest Holiday Parade, which goes right past our street. It’s one of the best weekends of the year, especially when it’s almost 60 degrees and sunny. My sister and brother-in-law came with us to the tree farm and our favorite Navy friends joined us for the parade.

Previously: 2016, 2015, 2015 (part 2), 2014,  2013

I can’t remember when I started calling this the best weekend of the year, but now that’s the official name in our family and we celebrate as if it’s a holiday. Four kids out of the house all weekend isn’t easy but we had a great time as usual and the food makes up for the stress.

Greek Food Festival:

Ledyard Fair (with friends!):

Taste of Italy:

Mystic Eats:

After we went to the food festival in Mystic, we hung out at the Seaport, then went straight to a birthday party, then straight to cheer practice. Operation Keep Them Busy is going along just swimmingly, although if Finnegan keeps waking up at 2 am I’m not going to be able to keep it up every weekend.

Hopefully he let’s me get enough sleep to make it to The Big E next Saturday, because that’s like the whole Best Weekend of the Year rolled into one day.

Current mood: I’m not at Disney World so I don’t care about anything. This week is cold and stupid.

Sunday:

Cousins checking out the back yard

Cupcakes + lake = perfect

Sand is delicious too I guess

Monday:

This dog thinks it’s a cat

Caroline is going to be the card player in the family

Tuesday:

Baby on my back

Is it a door? Maybe it was?

We walked here. You can see Mohegan Sun casino on the right down the river. We live really close.

Wednesday:

New hair cut

New goggles

I think Evan might be a vampire?

Thursday:

Private lake morning

Family fun night

Good job Linc

Friday:

I feel the same about laundry Linc

Love youuuuuuu Cosmic Kids

Saturday:

Back at the salon

Purple hairs for Disney!

Evening playdate for the kids

Seriously, guys, it was FIFTY DEGREES yesterday. It’s June. I can’t handle this. I realize pretty soon it will be 95 and I’ll be wishing it was cooler again, but never do I want it to be 50 degrees in June. Next week when I’m in Florida and sweating my butt off I won’t even be mad.

We’ve been going to Geer’s Tree Farm for almost a decade now! It was raining the day after Thanksgiving so we waited until Saturday. That meant our tree decorating was interrupted by some parade viewing (the husbands stayed home for Finn- and football-watching). It wasn’t exactly warm but it wasn’t frigid, so it was perfect Christmas activity weather. We dragging our Thanksgiving guests around with us because I love them too much to not see them every possible second, but I also love Christmass too much to delay it TWO weekends, which would be the next time E could come pick out a tree.

The Norwich Winterfest Parade goes right through our neighborhood – you can see my green house in the background of half the photos – and it’s my second favorite holiday after cutting down our tree. A lot of the organizations throw candy for the kids, so they end up stuffed with sugar. Caroline talked one of the guys selling junk from a cart into giving us 4 of these ribbon wands for $3, and they had a great time waving them around.

Evan lost the battle with the wind.

SANTA! I KNOW HIM!

And then Christmas threw up ALL OVER my house.

This was the next morning, which explains the daylight and matching jams.

The best weekend of the year, when New England finally remembers what makes it the best – fall weather! food! small town fairs! – and gets its act together for the next 2 months.

Past years: 2015 part 1 /part 2  2014 2013 2012

Friday: Greek Food Festival

Evan hatched some Pokemon eggs on our way home.

I can’t pronounce the Greek name of those cookies, but I imagine they translate to “OMG SO MUCH POWDERED SUGAR”.

DO YOU SEE IT? FALL IS COMING.

Saturday: Ledyard Fair & Taste of Italy

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Her best life, for sure.

Giant meatballs!

Seafood ravioli in lobster cream sauce!

Garlic knots!

Sunday: Mystic Eats

Abbott’s lobster roll

Del’s frozen lemonade

Mystic Pizza

Carolina pulled pork slider with sweet pickles

Clam fritters with garlic aoili

Mystic Drawbridge ice cream

I’m pretty sure when your face looks like that after the weekend, it’s been a good time. Poor Finn was either attached to my body or sleeping the the stroller the whole time and is in none of this year’s photos. Just think, next year he’ll be able to eat most of this stuff and enjoy himself much as we do!