Our New Niece in New England

David and I are the proud uncle and aunt of a baby girl named Bailey!  Born September 5th, Bailey is a happy, healthy infant.  My sister, her boyfriend, and Bailey are living in Connecticut.  So before heading to San Diego for Cristy’s wedding last week, I spent a few days on the East coast with our new niece.

Great shirt!  Too bad she looks so sad in it! :(

I flew in Saturday afternoon, and got picked up by Emily, Kendal, and Bailey.  When they asked what I wanted for lunch, I didn’t miss a beat.

“5 Guys!”

Molly introduced David and me to YouTube sensation DaymDrops a couple of weeks ago.  I’d never had 5 Guys and Fries before but Daym Drop’s review made my mouth water.  If you haven’t watched one of his fast food reviews, do it!  Do it now!

5 Guys was everything I imagined.  The fries bit back, the bacon was crispy, and the meat was juicy but not greasy.  It was “Dayum” good!

I have to admit though, the Doritos Locos Taco that I had for dinner that night was even better.  I will never go back to a normal taco again.  The Doritos shell just adds so much more flavor.

But enough about fast food and onto the real reason I was in New England – Bailey!

She is a tiny, precious girl.  She’s not yet sleeping through the night, so she’d sleep a lot during the day.  As the aunt, I just got to enjoy Bailey while her parents changed all the dirty diapers and woke up in the middle of the night with her.  Thanks guys!

Hanging out with my sister and niece on Saturday afternoon

On Sunday, we went to a corn maze in the heart of Connecticut.  

Bailey slept the whole time, 

but still got a sticker when we crossed the finish line.

On Monday, we woke up early (at least Emily and I did – Kendal is used to getting up at 5:30 every day) and packed up the car for a road trip through New England.

Quick break at a nearby reservoir 

In my opinion, this time of year is the best time to visit New England because of all the colors.  The leaves are changing and the weather is cool, but not yet cold.

Our first stop was the Yankee Candle Factory in Massachusetts.  Recently featured on Undercover Boss, this place is huge!  It took a couple of hours to get through all of the different areas.  Bailey made it about 30 minutes before she started screaming for her second breakfast.  Once she ate, she was happy.  Plus we spoiled her by carrying her around everywhere.  Lucky baby!

Halloween section of Yankee Candle

Cute family photo in "Bavaria"

When we started to get headaches from all of the candle-sniffing, it was time to go.

Next stop – Vermont!

We went to a suger house to sample some real maple syrup and learn how syrup is “harvested” in Vermont. It was interesting to see that a lot of the sugar families still use horses to trek through the snow-covered woods to get to the maple trees.  

After stocking up on some authentic maple syrup, we took the scenic route to Ben n Jerry’s. 

We stopped to take some family photos. 

This year's Christmas card?

At Ben n Jerry’s, we took the factory tour and visited the flavor graveyard. Some of those flavors definitely should have died, but a lot of them sounded good. Whoopie Pie? Who doesn't love a Whoopie Pie?

At the end of the tour, we got a couple of scoops of the Milk n Cookies ice cream.  It was sooo good.  I also learned that Ben n Jerry’s makes a Crème Brulee flavor and Cake Batter pint.  What?!  I LOVE cake Batter and couldn’t wait to try the Crème Brulee but they didn’t sell either at Ben n Jerry’s!  Shouldn’t the Vermont factory have EVERYTHING?

Guess not...

We were sooo excited to be there!

I am also sad to say that I turned down the chance to devour the Vermonster.  Conquering the Vermonster has been a dream of mine for many years (much like my Texas-sized donut dream) but there were only three of us there (plus a baby) and I knew we couldn’t finish.  I didn’t want to waste any ice cream, and my stomach was still aching from all the fast food I consumed earlier in the weekend.

After declining the Vermonster, we drove down the road to a Cabot cheese store and did more sampling, and then we headed to the apple orchard for some fresh apple cider, apple cider donut holes, and caramel apple cake.  Yum!

Stomach ache?  What stomach ache? 

We drove back down to Connecticut and called it a night because Kendal and I had to wake up at 4:00 the next morning to get to the airport for my flight to Cali.

My New Enlgand trip was short but sweet.  I loved spending time with my gracious hosts and bonding with Bailey.  She is definitely being spoiled by her Auntie Sarah and Uncle David.  I can’t wait for David to meet her next summer!  She’ll be 9 months during our family vacation to celebrate Elizabeth’s high school graduation.  What a fun age!  She’ll be starting to develop her personality, and probably be mobile.  We can’t wait to teach you how to swim and play in the sand and just spend time together, Bailey.

I miss you already!