Snapshots from New Hampshire

Are you tired of New England leaf pictures yet? No? Good, because that top one of Lincoln and this next one of Adelaide might be my favorite pictures form the entire month. So many things that I love wrapped up in each image.

Ben had an interview and a friend from overseas heading to Boston in November so he suggested we spent the second half of his paternity leave at my parents in southern New Hampshire. And when your husband suggests you take a vacation to see YOUR family, you don’t even hesitate. Here are a few highlights from the trip:

^This girl was an ANGEL on the trip. Before heading to New Hampshire she went through a rough patch and was waking up 5-6 times a night and I was going crazy. Once we got to New Hampshire she went straight to sleeping 11-13 hours with maybe one wake up. Now, if only she would sleep that well at home! ^My grandparents live in an apartment off of my parent’s house so it is always such a treat to get to spend time with them when I’m home. Adelaide may have been their 51st great-grand child but I’m secretly convinced she’s their favorite. Watching her giggle with my grandma and seeing Lincoln light up watching my grandpa paint are memories I’ll be treasuring for a long time.

^I did a bit of photography for a corporate client while we were home and got to put together this thanksgiving spread…which means Lincoln got his first bites of stuffing and butternut squash 🙂 

^I mentioned earlier this month that Lincoln’s new obsession is baking and anytime my mom was in the kitchen he wanted to help. In honor of my birthday we made my favorite chocolate chip pistachio cake into cupcakes using Immaculate Baking’s Yellow Cake Scratch Mix that we picked up at Whole Foods.

^Lincoln was napping here but Adelaide managed to doze off during church so she made it into the family photo

^Have you tried Immaculate Baking Company’s products before? So many of them are certified gluten-free or organic and every one I have tried so far has been DELICIOUS (and I was skeptical how they were going to swing gluten free AND dairy free double chocolate cookie dough – but it was fantastic 😉

^For the recipe all you need is one yellow cake mix, one box of pistachio pudding, four eggs, 1/3 cup oil, 2/3 cup water, and one cup of chocolate chips. Top with a glaze or just powdered sugar! Usually we bake it in a bundt pan but Lincoln is obsessed with muffins so we tried cupcakes instead and they were a huge hit! 
^I think Adelaide was observing the thanksgiving spread styling here …probably just wishing she could snack on all the food too 😛

^Halloween party: My little lion and lion tamer along with Tinkerbelle and Wendy (although the dress doubled as a pioneer outfit once Tinkerbelle had to ditch her costume and fall asleep in the baby wrap tied to my chest 😉 ). ^This child could eat muffins (or cupcakes) forever.

^By the end of our trip he was always asking for “gra” and we’re already counting down to our next visit.

P.S. If you’re up for some holiday baking, here’s $1 off your Immaculate Baking product and you can use this product finder to see what is available near you.