Family Vacation

It's been a loooooong time since our little family did a vacation all on our own. It was a quick one (Friday night-Sun) last weekend to Lancaster, PA also known as Amish country. It's just a couple hours away but we thought we'd make a trip out of it to have moments like these:
What is it about hotel rooms? My kids would have been happy if we never even left this place...and it really wasn't that great, trust me!
But it did have a pool! This girl is just SO fun. I honestly can't get enough of her!
We packed it in on Saturday with half a day at an amusement park called Dutch Wonderland. Jake's boss had some extra discounted tickets that we were able to use on the last weekend before it closed for the season.
This thing was a highlight for my children, believe it or not. After a couple rides they were asking if they could milk the cow again. I read online somewhere that there's a farm here where they let you milk real cows and bottle feed goats and such...next time :)
We were told to go straight to the cars. Not much to them but I remember these things being my favorite when I was a kid.
You may not be able to tell, but Kate LOVED this!
Story time with Princess Brooke and Prince Cheesy. If you ask Tommy what his favorite part of our vacation was...seeing Princess Brooke. And anytime we mention her, he inserts in a quiet voice, "she's pretty." Oh man, it's too funny, I love it!
Just a cool shot at the Thomas the train show. Thomas had nothin' on Brooke!
Amusement parks aren't my favorite thing but it's all so worth it when you see faces like this. Rachel is definitely getting so big! She wanted to go on the big roller coaster and LOVED it, and she did these swings all by herself without hesitation.
The second half of the day we went to the craziest farm. It's called Cherry Crest Adventure Farm. It's huge (including a 5 acre corn maze) and has at least 50 different activities.
On this trip we learned how much Kate LOVES animals. We've always known she's never been scared of them, but she would get so lively, animated, and excited when she got close to and touched the animals.
This train came through a few times. I guess on select dates throughout the year they dress it up as Thomas. I hear it's a pretty crazy event, and is not on my "must do when we come back" list.
Ah! Parents can sit and relax, while the kids do the jumping.
This was "Popcorn Picking!" Did you know there was even such a thing? We picked these things right off the stock. We're suppose to let them dry out for a few weeks, then we put it in a paper bag, put it in the microwave and VOILA popcorn! I hear it's really tasty. I'll update you all after we pop it ;)
Pumpkin picking...right off the vine! So fun!
Sadly 2 of our 3 pumpkins have rotted. It has rained a lot here in NJ this fall and this crop has really suffered from it. Me too! Just kidding.
On Sunday after church we took a drive through Amish countryside. The covered bridges were lovely!
We definitely missed the best shot that will have to be tucked away in our memories forever. On our way to the farm the day before we saw a lone house with laundry hanging out in the backyard, lady in a dress pushing an old lawnmower (probably one of the first lawn mowers ever made) Classic!
Gotta love the road signs
What we were hoping to take more advantage of is the homemade bakery items. We went to a fun little shopping place called Kitchen Kettle Village that is definitely a "must do when we come back" because it was closed. On our way out of town we had to eat and had to settle for something like this. Sorry Jake, nothin special!
There's just so much to see and do nearby here in the north east. I'm so excited to explore it all. I'm already itching for another vacation.