New Jersey

My brother lives back in New Jersey and we don't get to see them very often, so we planned a vacation to visit them.
This is their huge house that is in the middle of farming country. It is so beautiful there.



WASHINGTON DC
The first day of the trip we took a 2 hour ride to Washington DC, where we spent two days. The first day we saw the Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, Vietnam, WWII, and Korean War Memorials.



We rode the subway to get around in Washington DC. Let me just say that everywhere that we went we got all kinds of looks and comments. There were 27 of us. 4 double strollers, 15 children and 12 adults, people thought that we were running a day care. Not very many places were kid friendly and the people were rude.


The second day we walked by the white house,



Walked through the Smithsonian,



Toured Arlington Cemetery, where we saw the changing of the guards of the unknown soldiers grave, and many other people in history's burial sites,


And went to the top of the Washington Monument.



This was one of the views out of the Washington Monument.




On our way home we drove by the Washington DC Temple and The Capital. The temple was beautiful.




The next day was the Crayola Factory which was very fun for the kids. They were able to do anything you can think of to do with crayons or crayola brand toys.



The Canal Museum was right upstairs. They got their own boat to take in a river with lots of canals.


Take me out to the ball game.....Can't go to Philly and not go to a Philly's game.


HERSHEY PENNSYLVANIA

I heard the streets were paved with chocolate, so I was there. Hershey Pennsylvania. We were able to take the great American chocolate tour. Then shop in the biggest chocolate store ever. This cart took us on a ride that showed us how they make chocolate.




And yes you can smell chocolate in the air, and no the streets are not paved with chocolate. After the tour we were able to sample the amusement park, that we were going to the next day for a couple of hours.
We spent the whole next day at the park . Kevin's experienced his first upside down ride here. His favorite ride was the super duper looper. They had so many fun rides. We started the day on the log ride which gets you completely wet. So we were able to tolerate the humidity for the rest of the day.


NEW YORK
After a two hour drive we arrived at Liberty State Park. We took a ferry to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island was very interesting. It would have been more enjoyable if we could have read everything without the kids pushing us along. The Statue of Liberty was beautiful, just as I imagined.


We checked into a hotel right in the middle of Manhattan and ordered a New York pizza. Very tasty. This day was our anniversary and it so happened this was the night we got to go on a date. My awesome nephews and their aunt and cousin babysat all our kids while we went to Wicked on Broadway. Loved it!!!!!

We walked back to our hotel right through Times Square. It was so amazing at night. It was nice not worrying if my kids were still with me and being able to watch everything going on around me. So many people and lights.


There were so many things we wanted to see in New York City. We started this day seeing ground zero. It was different than what I thought it would be. Just a lot of building going on.


FAO Schwarz (big toy store in manhatten)


Central Park


Times Square


Since we refused to drive in Manhattan and parking is crazy,($70.00 to park for 2 days) we took the metro.


Next was the Manhattan Temple. The doors on the right goes to the church and the left goes to the temple. We were actually able to go in and see the church. It looked just like the churches here. You would never think that you were in Manhattan. It was so peaceful. One of the only places we fit in.


PHILADELPHIA

Independence National Park was next. After getting lost, because of the wrong address in our GPS, we got to see Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Walking through the park the kids got to hear stories told by workers. Philly was so much different than the rest of the cities. It was calm, just what we needed that day. For lunch we had a famous Philly cheese steak sandwich. It was delicious. These pictures are in the park by the story tellers. The kids were able to act like soldiers under the command of their captain.





Next we got to ride the ducks. It's actually a tour through the city. It was so interesting seeing and hearing about the history of Philly. Some highlights were where Ben Franklin was buried, the oldest neighborhood still in use, and Betsy Ross's house. We drove through the streets, then went right into the water to do more touring. We were in a vehicle that can go from streets to water. And don't forget the duck horns. It was so much fun, a highlight of the trip. I don't want to be a chicken I just want to be a duck quack quack quack quack........


Are you ready for some Football? This was our first NFL game. It was a pre-season, but still better than any pro game we have been to. Sadly, the Eagles lost, but it was close.
Eagles 25 Patriots 27


Oh, and this picture is of Tom Brady. OOHH lA lA!!!




We traveled a hour and a half to a beach in New Jersey the next day. We spent the whole day there. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand, jumping the waves, and boogy boarding. It was the funnest time I have had at the beach. Of course Karl and I had so much fun boogy boarding too. On the way home we stopped at Red Lobster where we froze, but the food was great. Dinner was on my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!!





This flower field was by my brothers house. We drove by it often.



We crossed so many bridges. The kids thought it was awesome and tried to hold their breathe for the whole thing.



We saw so many other things and made so many memories. I loved being with my family. My brother and his wife did so much for us on this vacation, they were our tour guides, even bought all the food. They did such a great job. Thanks so much . It was the trip of a lifetime. I hated to see it end.