This was Nolan's first airplane ride and first time to the East Coast (including East coast time change, eek!), so we were excited yet nervous about how things would play out. I had worried the whole week before on whether I should switch him to an East coast schedule or keep him on his West coast time, and thankfully, he stayed on his normal West coast the whole trip! So I didn't have to worry about adjusting times when we returned. He stayed on his schedule extremely well but was flexible when it came to napping on the go, since we were here, there and everywhere. He took long naps when he could and slept through the night completely, and our family couldn't believe how good of a sleeper little man is! Nolan has been going through stranger danger, so I also worried about how he would take to the sudden swarm of family members wanting to meet, greet and cuddle him. At first, he was a bit overwhelmed and cried a bit, but by day two he was warming up and by day three, he was completely comfortable with all the new faces, especially Everette, Chelsea and Allen since we were staying with them. Overall we had an amazing trip and I was so thankful that Nolan got to meet my extended family, and that we got to spend time with them, too! Here's a more detailed look into our trip:
We started our vacation off with Nolan's first time on an airplane... a red eye flight, at that! We were worried that if it didn't go well, we would most definitely be the most hated people on the plane. Luckily, we weren't the only ones traveling with littles; a family three rows ahead of us had a toddler, around 1 1/2, and the row behind us had a little girl who looked about one. Nolan did ammmmmmazing on the flight and slept pretty much the whole way from Las Vegas to JFK in New York City.
We had a layover where we found some breakfast and I got to experience pumping in the "family restroom" which really just meant an oversized, nasty bathroom... so I stood for the whole thirty minutes of pumping, trying to avoid contact with anything in sight. Ew. Our flight was delayed since the plane sat on the runway for thirty minutes, and Nolan didn't like that too much so he whined a bit here and there, fell asleep for a quick catnap and then woke back up to play throughout the rest of the 40 minute flight to Burlington.
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| Pumping & Standing... for 30 minutes. |
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| My view while pumping |
We arrived in Burlington and were greeted by Chelsea, Everette and Aunt Janet! We made our way to St. Albans and went straight to Gram's house to visit and eat some yummy grinders for lunch. After spending the afternoon with her, we made our way to Chelsea and Allen's house where we would be staying for our time in Vermont. The boys got acquainted with each other while we spent time catching up and relaxing from our busy travel day.
The next day, we had more family to visit with (this time, my Mom's side of the family). It was also Jason's birthday, and we would be celebrating later in the evening at my Gram's house with dinner and cake. We made our way to Milton to visit with my Uncle Allen and Aunt Shirley, and spent the early afternoon and lunch with them. Nolan took a cozy nap through a huge summer storm with thunder and pouring rain, not waking once. It was SO refreshing to see the Vermont rain... it's my favorite and reminded me of summer vacations when we were small!
After visiting for the morning, we then made our way over to my Great Uncle Gilbert and Aunt Gemma's farm. The Boucher Family Farm has always been one of my favorite places in Vermont, and I definitely wanted Nolan to experience the farm and animals! When we first arrived, we were greeted by alpaca! These were a recent addition to the farm (really just my Aunt Gemma) and are the cutest creatures ever. Nolan loved watching them and was tempted to pet them... but they aren't the most friendly animals!
We spent some time visiting with Aunt Gemma, toured their new house, and then walked across the street to the barns. We visited the milking parlor first, and watched as the cows had their daily milking session (and I could totally relate... it's just like pumping! ha!) Nolan wasn't too sure about the cows, the noise of the pumps and the smells, and was more interested in the many cats that hang out in the barn.
After spending some time watching the milking process, Gemma took us over to the pigs, turkeys and calves. Nolan definitely loved this part and he really enjoyed the turkeys. He spent a lot of time yelling at them and would get very excited when they would run around. He got to touch a calf and even touched some piggies' noses (Mommy sanitized the heck out of his hands afterwards)!
I absolutely love going to the Boucher farm and wish we could have spent more time there... I could spend hours with the animals and just walking around! I'm so glad Nolan got to experience one of my favorite Vermont places, too!
(Support the family and check out the Boucher Family Farm's website! Even though it's primarily a dairy farm, they also produce and sell their own cheese, butter, meat, eggs and fertilizer).
When we returned to St. Albans, we got more family together and celebrated Jason's birthday with dinner and birthday cake! It was so nice getting to spend more time with my Gram as well as seeing more family members and sharing Nolan with them! After another busy day, we went back to Chelsea and Allen's house to call it a night and get ready for another big day ahead of us.
On Friday, we made a day trip to Montreal, Canada, with Chels, Allen and Everette. Before we left, we decided to dress the boys in their matching outfits I brought for them. They looked absolutely adorable and we gushed over their cuteness by taking lots of pictures! It was also Everette's actual birthday! Although his party was the next day, we still snuggled the birthday boy and he opened a few presents both in the morning and in the evening when we returned home.
The road trip there was smooth sailing with the babies falling in and out of naps, and we got our passports stamped as we crossed the border (typical tourists). After an hour and a half drive, we arrived in Montreal and decided to stick around downtown, grab some lunch and do some sightseeing and shopping on Saint Catherine's Street. At lunch, we enjoyed some burgers and a Canadian staple: Poutine (french fries, gravy and cheese curds). Although Chelsea and Allen said it wasn't the best poutine they've had in Montreal, it was still pretty tasty!
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| Twinsies! |
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| Boys in the back! |
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| Montreal |
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| Loving shopping in Canada! |
Once back in the car, after a little fight from a loooong day, both boys passed out. We got home and let them play outside with bubbles, Everette opened some presents, and Nolan experienced his first swing and playing with leaves. He was obsessed and laughed so hard at these cool green things that we definitely don't have at home (see video below)!
After tiring them out, we let them take a bath together and then off to bed they went. Chelsea and I spent the remainder of the night decorating for the next day.... Everette's 1st Birthday party! Before bed, I gathered Everette's gift and ran with his Dr. Seuss theme... I love the way his bags came out!
Saturday morning, we got together last minute details before guests arrived. Everette got dressed in his super cute Dr. Seuss birthday onesie and gave me some adorable pictures of him and his mommy!
Chelsea did such a great job with the theme of Everette's birthday and putting everything together. The cake and Everette's smash cake came out amazing, and all the Dr. Seuss decorations were perfect for a first birthday. The party looked awesome and everyone had a wonderful time. I tried to take as many pictures as I could for Chelsea, knowing her day would be packed full. Brave Mama didn't even cry (except for when she opened my gift... hehe) I know I'm going to be a wreck when Nolan turns one... luckily she'll be there to calm me down and keep me sane!
After food and gifts, Everette was ready to do his cake smash, while everyone sang Happy Birthday. He knew exactly what to do and went to town on his cake. Super chill, he took bites every now and then, sat back, relaxed, and then did it all over again and again. So cute!! His puppy, Milann, definitely went into a sugar coma later that evening... he ate all of Everette's leftovers!
We were so happy to be able to spend Everette's first birthday with him and help celebrate. It meant the world to us that the boys were together and started their relationship off on such a special event! Happy Birthday, Everette! We love you so much even though we're so far away!!
On our final day, Sunday, we woke up and took some pictures of Nolan with his two favorite people: Everette and Milann (he looooved Milann, and unlike his puppy at home, Milann actually let him pet him)!
We got our things together and packed, and made our way up to Gram's house for a final visit. We spent some time there with her, Aunt Janet, Uncle Ronnie, Chels, Allen and Charlie, and took some more pictures and said our goodbyes. :( Nolan's flights on the way home were pretty decent... and although we experienced a two hour delay from JFK back to Vegas, he put up a fight to go to sleep and screamed for about fifteen minutes, he finally fell asleep for bed and slept most of the five hour flight home! (Thank GOD he did good... it could have been so much worse!)
Our trip to Vermont was perfect! We had such a good time seeing everyone that we don't normally get to see and spending time with them. We wish it could have been longer, and now know that four days is just not long enough! The best part was seeing Nolan meet his relatives and especially watching him and Everette interact. I love that they will grow up together, close in age, and although there will be distance between them, I know Chelsea and I will maintain our bond, encouraging them to have one just as strong as their mommies!
Nolan did amazing on his first big journey across the country and first big airplane. We were so proud of him and how he handled everything, from the travel, time change, overwhelming change in schedule, and new faces to meet! Everyone loved him and he loved everyone, too!
We loved seeing each and every one of you and wish we could have visited longer! Chelsea and Allen, thank you again for letting us eat your food, drink your beer, and let us make ourselves at home in your home! We love you all so, SO much and are so thankful to have you as our family and best friends. We can't wait to repay the favor when you visit in January (I hope!)
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