It’s summer!

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Back in August I saw a post go up on Facebook for the Essex Steam Train North Pole Express tickets. They’d only been on sale for like 20 minutes and the page was blowing up with people who couldn’t get on the specific train they wanted because they were already sold out. So I made a snap judgement, crossed my fingers that my husband would get first-half leave, and threw down a bunch of dollars for four tickets.

I would recommend it. Maybe not for a 3 year old, although Caroline loved it, but definitely for kids a little older who still believe in Santa. It was pretty magical, especially when our elf (every train car gets their own elf) found out it was Caroline’s birthday and had everyone sing Happy Birthday to her. I only managed to choke back about 85% of my tears, because magic.

And now here are a bazillion pictures:

Matching pajamas because I win at parenting

Snack before we board

THESE FACES.

TOTALLY WORTH THE TICKET PRICE

Looking at the North Pole

Dancing in the aisles

I wasn’t sure we were ever going to get Caroline off the train – she LOVED her elf

Merry, merry Christmas to my Christmas-celebrating friends! I hope you all have a lovely holiday full of magic and family and memories and cookies.

This should really be another installment of Pictures I Forgot About but I have words to say about Chowder Days. I LOVE CHOWDER DAYS. It’s one of the few things we’ve actually managed to do as a family for several years in a row now, so I’m calling it an official tradition. The weather this year was amazing and Caroline magically got over her fear of boats so we got to ride the water taxi and I got to take some pictures. It was surprisingly un-crowded for an event – not at all like the one time we tried to go to the wooden boat show and couldn’t find parking within 2 miles – so the kids could run around and try the old fashioned games and play on the boats. There was a minor meltdown involving whether or not Evan was going to participate in pumpkin painting, but he got over it pretty fast and made a “sea monster” gourd. It’s still sitting on my window sill.

Apple fritters

Spicy crab and corn chowder. It was delicious. E had the lobster bisque, which is the only kind of soup he likes.

Shipyard beer at the shipyard!

These things crack me up.

I bought that dress at the consignment store in Mystic – it was $12, which was half price, which was probably 1/4 of the original price. It’s designer toddler-wear.

For a kid who is refusing to go into the building and participate in craft time he looks surprisingly cheerful.

Change of heart, he DOES like painting!

The gingers attempt croquet on the great lawn

I say old chap, nice swing!

It’s been a full month since Chowder Days and these pictures are actually bumming me out. We’re well past the go-out-on-the-water-without-coats stage of fall and into the brown-brown-and-more-brown stage. I’m cold and I don’t like it.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, Rubbermaid, Jif, and Smucker’s, but all my opinions are my own. #aBetterLunch #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Last week the kids and I decided to fit in another adventure before the summer ended, so we packed a lunch and headed off the the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. Right after we walked in to pay for our tickets I decided it was another place we NEEDED to be members. It’s less than an hour from the house, all inside (winter is coming!), and totally kid-friendly. Absolutely worth the price of a year’s membership, especially because they offer a military discount. Besides, we brought our own packed lunch so once we were in the rest of our day was free. Free is my favorite.

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This is a sponsored post on behalf of OshKosh B’Gosh and Kohl’s, but it’s mostly just pictures of my kids.

I’m going to whisper, because I don’t want to jinx anything, but I think the horrible, hot, humid part of the summer is over. It’s still warm enough to spend the day outside, but not so hot my hair never dries between cold showers. And our non-air conditioned house feels like a comfortable place to take a nap instead of a sweat lodge. We all smell better now, too.

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