First-timer in Massachusetts

My in-laws took a 2-week trip - Blaine's dad has these annual conventions and makes trips out of them. Since we were going to be alone, we decided to visit Brian, Kim and the kids in Barre Massachusetts. Tucker had been staying with Aunt Kerri so we had one special delivery for Brian and Kim. 

We stopped at Palisades Mall in New York for lunch and to give Tucker a break. We walked around and had Mrs. Fields cookies for dessert. I think we're just trying to win all our nephews over.

So now that I've visited Massachusetts, I can say that I've officially visited every family member in Blaine's family :) This was also my first time in New England.

While we were there, Blaine and Brian played lots of video games - being the brothers that they are. We also played the Kinect a lot with the kids. Both Tucker and Aston are awesome at Dance Central.

For 4th of July, we went to the movie theater and had dinner at Red Robin. I went to see Brave with Kim and the twins. It was their first time. Blaine went with Tucker and Brian to see The Amazing Spiderman. I loved Brave! And Blaine really enjoyed Spiderman. On the way over there and back, these 2 passed out. 

The majority of our time there was just hanging out with the kids, which was great. I loved seeing them in their natural environment and routine. It was great to see their personalities a little better, especially the twins. They have both grown so much and are so much fun.

Lunch on the back porch

One day, we went to the pool. It was freezing for me! But after a while, I got used to it. We had a great time.

On Saturday, Brian and Kim had a BBQ at their place and invited friends over. The food was great and so was the company. At night, Brian and some neighbors had a firework show. It was legit. My cameras don't do them any justice. 

At church, some people thought she was ours -
but then they realized it was Chase. T
hey look so much alike!

After church on Sunday, we had a relaxing day. Chase wanted me to paint her toenails. She selected the colors and wanted a pattern. She is so girly. I love it.

We spent the rest of our time jumping on the trampoline and playing football outside. 

On our last night there, we went on a double date with Brian and Kim. We went out to a Mexican restaurant called Mexicali. It was really good. We then went bowling - New England style. So this kind of bowling is called candlepin bowling. The pins are much skinnier and ball is tiny! You also have more pins and you can bowl 3 times each turn. Kim won the first time and Blaine won the second time. I did horrible both times. Seriously, I need to work on my bowling game.

I thought several aspects of candlepin bowling were easier than regular bowling. But then again, nobody had a strike. Not once. So, Blaine and I concluded that it is a little bit harder than normal bowling. After, we had some ice cream. It was a great date night. I love Brian and Kim. They are really nice and fun to be with. We are so glad that we got to spend some time with them. And, now we are addicted to America's Got Talent thanks to them. Yup. As soon as the kids went to bed, that's what we did. Hopefully we'll be back again sooner than later! 

We went to Boston one day with the Mass.-Dawson clan, but that deserves a post of its' own! 

****Sidenote: This is my 100th post! Yay!****