New York!!!

   We took a family vacation to upstate New York to visit the "Bacon Clan."  Each night when then girls are saying their prayers, they will say, "God bless Lizzie, Maggie, Joey, Mommy, Daddy, Meems, Pops, Nay Nay, Lesley, Granny and THE BACON CLAN.  Rather than naming every aunt, uncle, and cousin by name, Daddy came up with the idea of grouping them together, and thus the term "Bacon Clan" was born.  The girls haven't been to New York in four years (since they were one and half), so they haven't been able to connect the "people" with the Bacon Clan group.  They were so excited to get to see their family again!
    We left on a Tuesday afternoon...DRIVING...Yes, it is a 23 hour drive, but we split it up over three days, so it wasn't too bad.  We made sure to stop and eat at some of our favorite restaurants on the way (Dave in Busters in Nashville and The Cheesecake Factory in Cincinnati).  We arrived at Aunt Joanne and Uncle Ted's cabin at Brant Lake on Thursday evening.  The cabin is beautiful...the whole area is gorgeous!  So peaceful...and COOL (as in weather).  We left Arkansas with 105+ temperatures, and while we were in New York, I'm pretty sure the temperature never reached higher than 80 or 85 degrees...and it would be in the 50s at night.  Heavenly!
    We spent time at Brant Lake, Saratoga Race Course, and The Great Escape amusement park.  With a couple of other "adventures" along the way...
    The pictures help tell the story...

First day of playing in the

lake...with cousins Hayleigh and Savannah

Lizzie exploring around the cabin.

Nothing like sitting around the campfire at night.

What?  Tony Burmetto let Lizzie drive the golf cart?

Maggie got a turn, too?

Hayleigh is chauffeuring the girls around camp.

Day 2 at the beach...Daddy and Joey went on a

day trip to Cooperstown to the

Baseball Hall of Fame on this day.

Maggie having fun.

Lizzie having a great time!

Uncle Ted enjoying the water.

Maggie and Lizzie ADORE their cousin Hayleigh.

Maggie practicing her soccer kicks.

Lizzie on the beach.

Toni Ann helped us build a sand castle.

Uncle Ted with Maggie

Lizzie relaxing

Aunt Joanne and Uncle Ted with the girls

Ready...

JUMP!

Who's next?

Lizzie is airborne!

Maggie and Aunt Joanne

Lizzie

One day, Joey and Daddy went golfing, so the girls went

on our own adventure.   We took a FERRY BOAT to the state

of Vermont.  A first for all three of us.

Office at the ferry dock

Here it comes...

Not so sure about this...

There are 17 cousins in the "Bacon Clan". 

Carolyn (Joanne's daughter) is the oldest,

and Lizzie and Maggie are the youngest.

Maggie, Hayleigh (Carolyn's daughter), Carolyn, and Maggie

Maggie and Hayleigh

Lizzie and Hayleigh

        We had so much visiting with family.  Thanks so much to Joanne and Ted for opening their cabin and their hearts to us for nine nights.  We had a wonderful time! 

        I will do separate posts about our trips to Saratoga and the Great Escape.  Both are worthy of their own blog entry.

Maggie's Words Worth Remembering

After a long day of playing and having fun, an exhausted Maggie announces,

"Lizzie is NOT my sissy anymore!"