Previous years: 2017, 2016, 2015 part 1 and part 2, 2014, 2013, 2012

I really love the best weekend of the year. It kicks off the season of How Many Different Seasonal Activities Can We Fit Into Just Two Days? I love being able to walk to two different food festivals from my front door. I love taking the same photo of the kids at the fair every year. I love running into people I don’t get to see very often but then our kids are instantly best friends again. I love not cooking all weekend and saying yes to everything.

And I love looking back at the other Best Weekends and seeing how our family has grown.

In order: Greek Food Festival, Ledyard Fair, Taste of Italy, Mystic Eats

After a whoooole bunch of stress with our afternoon bus schedule, we’ve finally worked everything out and we’re just plain busy instead of super stressful busy. It’s good. We’re better at holding things together when we don’t have too much time to sit on the couch.

Sunday:

I love this umbrella

Living his best life

It’s important to practice before Halloween

Tuesday:

Everyone is at school or asleep and I am RELAXING

The cat is obsessed with our heated floors

Wednesday:

Enormous baby measured as enormous at his check up

Thursday:

We got the last one of these stupid things

This outfit makes me happy

It makes Finn happy too

Friday:

Cookie time

I hope this are the memories they have of their childhoods

Saturday:

Very fancy facepaint

Pizza is his favorite

That’s her “I GOT A NEW BOW” face

I bought Wonder Woman yesterday, so we can watch it at home and in the car and alllll the time, because I would much rather memorize Wonder Woman than all the episodes of Paw Patrol on this stupid pirate adventure DVD. Once you can name all the dogs on Paw Patrol you lose part of your soul forever.

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.

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!

Some of my weekend plans got derailed because the US Navy doesn’t actually believe skipping work to attend the Eastern States Exposition (aka The Big E) is a priority. They are obviously wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that they wouldn’t let E go. But there was still plenty of weekend fun had by all.

Greek Food Festival:

One of the best parts about the Greek Food Festival is that we can walk there.

Linc ate more than anyone else (besides me).

Caroline was pouting, so Evan went to cheer her up.

Still loving our Joovy TooQool, even the 6 year old wants to ride in it.

Those things are called pineapple ground cherries and are actually delicious.

I wish I had taken more photos, there was so much cute stuff, but it was unexpectedly warm and I had a squirmy baby on my back and a 4 year old who needed to get to soccer practice.

I bought her that chair.

Norwich Auto Show:

A tiny train set on the train set! It moved and everything.

Slightly terrifying. Evan declined to go anywhere near them.

The handmade blanket that matches the car is amazing.

Poor Linc hangs out on my back, so he never gets to be in photos.

In the back of an old Chicago police car.

Mystic Garlic Festival:

Garlic ranch fries and clam fritters

Bacon & cheddar hush puppies that actually melted in my mouth.

We still haven’t even gone apple or pumpkin picking yet, on any hayrides, to any corn mazes, or any of the other fun fall stuff. Technically fall starts tomorrow though, so we have time!