Fall Fun!

Last week Mike and I took a fall getaway to Atlantic City, NJ complete with side trips to historic Philadelphia, PA and beautiful Cape May, NJ. For Christmas the last couple of years my parents have given us resort certificates, good for a week-long stay at any number of destinations in the US and abroad. Last year, we renewed our certificate and took the girls to Williamsburg, VA for an end of the summer trip. You can read all about that trip HERE. This year, Mike suggested that we use the certificate to go away together...just the two of us. I have to admit that at first I was a little hesitant to leave the girls for so long and indulge in a week away. Okay, truth be told, I was a LOT hesitant. We argued over the idea for a bit and I finally shared my dilemma with my parenting group at church. I really thought that they'd be on my side of the argument. Instead, I heard comments like this, "Are you kidding!? Your husband wants to go away with you. GO!" It's true that Mike and I have only been away together for just one night (on our 5th anniversary) since Ava was born. Once I got over my "mommy in control" issues, I began to embrace the idea of planning our very own couples retreat. By the time we settled on a date and set about choosing our destination, Atlantic City seemed to be calling because 1) It wasn't too far away (a little over 8 hours by car) 2) There was fun stuff to do near Atlantic City-like a visit to Philly or Cape May and 3) Most importantly...they still had vacancy. I am so glad that we ended up on The Jersey Shore. We fell in love with the region. The Jersey Shore is beautiful...even in the off-season AND in the midst of a tropical storm.

Here's the link to some more pictures from our trip:

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If you'd like to read more, check out some details on my other blog, Krista's Kitchen. A big thanks goes to my parents for the resort certificate and to Mike's parent's who came over and watched the girls all week for making this trip possible!



Of course, we were SO excited to see the girls after a week away. We spent the weekend catching up, making meals together, and snuggling. (Ava's new favorite family activity is the "group hug" and when she yells those two words, we all have to come together for a family bear hug.) Mike set up our tent in the backyard and the girls played under the canopy of changing leaves in the beautiful weather for hours. On Saturday, we had "family night" complete with sleeping bags, popcorn, and a Disney movie. And on Sunday, after church, we visited two fall fun destinations with some friends who also have two daughters. The first farm that we visited had a hayride, straw maze, corn maze, petting zoo, and corn pool (easily the favorite activity). Then we hit an apple orchard/pumpkin patch on the way home where we took another hay ride, picked our own pumpkins, and tanked up on cider, donuts, and ice cream. Click the link below to view the pictures from Sunday:

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We just love the fall in Northeastern Ohio. It's gorgeous here! This weekend is supposed to be nice too, so stay tuned for more fall fun!