Lots of Vacation I

We're back! We've been gone a long time. We were on vacation for 3.5 weeks. We were actually on a lot of vacations. We left Niagara Falls on Sat, July 24th. On Sunday we went to Cape Cod until Thursday. We had Friday to repack, and then left for the Jersey Shore on Saturday and were gone until Tuesday. Wednesday was the Bachelor Party, Thursday was the rehearsal, and Friday Greg and Stephanie got married. Saturday was (part of) the Cafaro-Lamberti 75th Annual Family Reunion and repacking. Sunday we left for Beaver River, NY until the following Sunday. Monday, August 16, we finally returned home to Niagara Falls. We are EXHAUSTED! But, we had sooo much fun. Jack made it to his 17th state (including DC), and Tucker has now been to 6 states. I think that's pretty good for a kid who is not yet 3, and another who was not yet 3 months. (But does it mean that maybe we travel just a little too much?)

Let's just start with The Cape. Mike's family always used to go to Orleans, MA. We haven't been in probably 8 years, so it was really nice to go back especially since my brother Joe has taken up residence there for the summer. (Yes, he is rockin' a mohawk.) It is always nice to see him. We mostly just went to Coast Guard Beach. Jackson was amazing on the boogie board! (But not for the camera. He was always too cold by the time I found it.) But we also did a few other things. The highlight for me was probably walking at Rock Harbor during low tide. The sand went on forever! We got to the last tree, and then just kept on going. If you look closely, you can see all the trees in the background of the picture of Jack showing you his clam shell. Jack and Madi had a fantastic time finding clams and crabs. We also went to the Ponds at Nickerson State Park where Tucker got his first taste of "swimming." He just sat in the water with me and kicked and splashed a little bit. We also made the obligatory trip to P-Town, where Mike and his sister rode jet skis for her birthday. P-Town is always a great time. We also had the opportunity to take the kids up into an actual light house. Tucker was unamused, but I think Jack got a kick out of it. We went up into Nauset Lighthouse. It was a really fun vacation, and we got to spend some quality time with Mike's parents, sister, and niece. I can't wait to go back!