Saturday, July 25, 2015

4th of July Road Trip!

I am overwhelmingly impressed that I am writing my 4th of July post in the month of July!  I am so on top to things haha.  We had a wonderful time visiting family earlier this month.  As usual we try to pack the fun in to each day.  We made a lot of memories, gained some new friends, gained a few pounds, laughed, cried and enjoyed life together!  This is going to be a LONG post.  I am guessing even last night's post will be bumped to "older posts" so you will need to click back to read about summer school and T-Ball and many other wonderful things. 


Wednesday July 1st:

We got up and going pretty early.  We actually left our driveway at around 9:15 which is pretty impressive for our family.  We didn't tell the kids anything until that day.  Brilliant again!  M had T-Ball the night before so I was able to get a lot of packing done that night.

Most of the drive went smoothly.  We didn't stop until lunch time.  We got gas first and hoped to find  picnic table to eat at near the station.  The attendant directed us to a park nearby.  It was lovely.  It had a splash pad that we didn't use, (the kids would have enjoyed it) a great shelter, bathrooms and a playground.  We ate sandwiches and played at got back on the road.

The kids are usually pretty much done once we stop.  This time we had a long way to go so we got out more snacks and more movies and we pressed on.  The kids didn't know but we had a major detour planned.  Brandon's Grandma Pat lives in a nursing home a few hours from Brandon's family.  It is too much for our kids to do another 5+ hour trip in the middle of our time there so we decided to try something new.  We (in theory) cut off several hours by doing this in one shot.

We drove directly to see Grandma Pat.  We hit the City just before a busy time of day, but traffic wasn't bad at all.

This view might give you a hint to the City we were driving through!
Then... suddenly... the traffic stopped... for a LONG time.  There had been an accident and the tow trucks had come to tow away the cars so all lanes were stopped.  It was a long wait for tired and sad kids... a VERY LONG wait!  Finally the traffic moved.  We were so very close to Grandma Pat's now.    We got to spent time with her while she ate her dinner (Corn Flakes).  The kids were pretty wound up from 8 or 9 hours in the car and it showed.  We did get T to sing Jesus Loves Me WITH Grandma Pat.  We also got it recorded!  Yay!  What a sweet memory to have for always.  As soon as they started singing their duet all the traffic felt worth it!  We also got to see Brandon's aunt, cousin and her son.  It was special to catch up a bit with them.


T: I like your chair Grandma! 

T: Why are you eating Corn Flakes?
The best group shot with Grandma Pat "GiGi"
After our visit their we headed on to Brandon's Uncle Rick's house.  We enjoyed food and fun at their house and ate in their lovely porch.  I am sure the kids were ready to call it a night and just sleep there.  Sadly, or time there was very short.

M: That Uncle Rick... he is so much fun! 
The last 2.5+ hours of the journey felt pretty long to ALL of us.  We finally arrived at Grandma Judy and Grandpa Tom's thirteen hours after we left our home that morning.  It is typically only a 6.5 hour trip so we were very worn out.  We all got ready for bed and fell asleep quickly.



Thursday, July 2nd:

Even with the long day of travel, our kids were up plenty early.  They were so excited to play with their grandparents.  M was up for some early lawn mower riding all around the neighborhood.  Once T got up she and Grandma Judy were quickly playing with the doll house.  M and Grandpa Tom headed to play with the trains.  The adults took turns taking showers and playing with and getting kids ready.  The kids listened to LOTS of Berenstain Bears books.


T: This is the Mommy T and this is the Baby T. 


M: Is it ready Grandpa Tom? 
After a couple hours of play, most of the crew headed into town for dentist exams.  M has had exams since the day he became an American, but this was his first time getting an exam IN the dentist office.  It was also his first time getting mouth X-ray's.  He has a couple of teeth with some nasty staining that we are concerned about and getting an X-ray is super helpful in looking at them.  T and Grandma Judy stayed at home.



M: I could ride this thing up and down all day!
M: No way!  There is a mirror over there!  I can watch myself go up and down!
M: I was just checking myself out!

M: I had to lay very still while Grandpa Tom checked my teeth. 

M: My teeth are healthy and clean!

M: I had to go in this room and put my mouth on a funny thing. 

M: Aunt Adrienne (also a dentist) got everything lined up. 

M: Then she left the room and the machine was like a camera for my mouth.


While M was getting the pictures taken (no cavities) Brandon's sister introduced me to a family who was in the office that day.  They are in the process of adopting from China and the mom read my blog.  It was such a blessing to meet them and now to be able to follow their adoption journey.  

While in town we also picked up a special surprise cake for M's Birthday (which is in August).  This is a very special cake that everyone in our family could eat (even me).  M didn't know we had the cake in the trunk.  He was very surprised when we opened it at lunch time.  We were actually celebrating that night, but we all decided to have a little cake sample after lunch.  


M: This construction cake is pretty cool! 


M: Thanks for getting me this cake Grandma Judy. 

I am guessing that T had a nap in the afternoon.  I am not sure what M did.  I am pretty sure the cousins A and A arrived in mid-afternoon.  Maybe the arrived shortly after T started napping.  I know it was a cool day and a lovely day to play outside.  The kids played outside for a long time.

The boys can pump on their own.  

The girls are working on it. 

The sandbox was divided into a girls' side and a boys' side. Four kids playing in one space with pretty minimal fighting and hitting is a win for me.


Four focused kids!

The boys are chatting and planning while the girls parallel play. 

M: Come on A, let's have an adventure! 

M: Oh man that is a great idea A!  (No idea what they are talking about, but that smile says they are up to something)

M: Oh boy, he is going to do it! I am a bit nervous, chewing my hand.  (Looks like they might have been planning to tickle someone)
Speaking of tickling, Grandpa Tom and the kids were having a BLAST in the fort.  Tom would try to tickle from one side and then the other.  We have many, many photos of this event.  Hopefully I will choose the best ones.




T and A:  Come and get us Grandpa Tom!
M: You won't get me this time!
M:  Ahhh He is getting me!

T: Ahahahha!!!!  He is coming closer!

That night we had our annual T-bone steak meal with cake for dessert!  The steaks are so tasty.  We fix lots of mushrooms and onions to eat with the steaks.  Yummy!  After dinner we had another round of cake.  M got an apron to match T's.  T got one for her Birthday and there has been an expressed desire to have his own since that day.  That night I got pretty sick.  I was "glutened" for sure.  We are thinking that it might be the polish at the dentist office since it seems to happen often when visiting.  It might have been the cake.  On the off chance it was the cake, I didn't eat any more of it.


M: I just blew them all out so quickly! 

M: I can wear my new apron on either side (reversible).  





Friday,  July 3rd:

The morning started like most do, with lawnmower rides for M and Grandpa Tom!


M: Can you believe how I can cruise on this thing? 
M: I am really driving.  Look at Grandpa Tom relaxing. 

Once we were ready, it was time to head to the lake.  Actually, heading to the lake was quite a process this year.  Brandon, Tom, and the kids took the boat first.  Judy and I followed in our van.  Adrienne (Brandon's sister) and Chris and their kids came out along with their good friends with two boys.  What a crew!  It was a beautiful day on the lake.  It had been chilly the previous days, but warmed up nicely for our time on the water.  We had a picnic lunch and time of tubing and skiing.  It was a full day in the sun, but there were lots of smiling faces.  Having many small children on a boat is a bit stressful, but everyone came home alive.  M LOVED driving the boat.  He loved to drive it fast.  When it was time to head home, he stayed back with Tom and Brandon and got to do a bit more driving.  He was in his glory.  I was a heart attack waiting to happen while he was driving!


T: Aww, we are so cute... but I am forgetting something...

T: Oh yeah, it is a selfie... I NEED to stick out my tongue. 

M: I could do this all day Grandpa Tom! 

T: We went really fast when M was driving. 

T: "Oh no, my bun is going to fall off! " (actual quote) 

It was so fun to join the kids for lunch on this floating docking station, gas station, snack shop, store picnic thing.  It was a bit bouncy, but still quite fun.


T: Mommy and I have buns in our hair.  Can you tell which one is me and which is mommy?  (My mouth was full of food) 

M: I am really in the water now!  T: This is fun. 

Special times with Grandpa Tom.

T: I am ready to ski... but only if the boat is stopped, OK? 

M: This new friend J is pretty fun! 

Once we were back at the boat dock we realized it was time to feed the MANY fish!

Everyone: Can we have more fish food please! 

This is a photo that will give any mom a heart attack!

M: Hey everyone... check out my speed!  (You may need to double click) 

Saturday, July 4th:

The big holiday finally arrived.  We had a full day planned.  We scheduled family pictures for 9:00am.  While I am sure I will eventually get a couple of photos from the shoot up here, there are a couple of photos below of the kids excited to see Brandon's cousin T before the photo shoot.  You can see a bit of the color scheme.  Throughout the day you might note a couple of extra kids (J and R).  They are the children of Chris and Adrienne's friends D and L.


A: Hands in the air on this T roller coaster!

R: Hey guys, do you have room for one more? 

After the photo shoot everyone did a quick wardrobe change before heading out to the farm.  Red, White, and Blue seemed to be the popular colors that day!

M: I am pretty high up on top of T and T!

Note the camera in the above photo.  It was passed to an aunt to take a pic of the boys.  The aunt was playing with T and started taking photos of her.  We finally helped her figure out why we passed her the camera!

M: I feel like a King up here! 

T: This piggy dog chew toy is loud.  I love it! 

M: Thanks for the football gear Aunt Mel!  It is my favorite!


After an hour or two of playing at the farm Brandon, Tom and I took the kids back to their house for lunch and naps.  It seemed a bit strange to leave all the action at the farm, but it was good to be home to eat and SO GOOD for the kids (and the adults) to get naps in.  We all napped.  It proved to be very beneficial in making it awake and sane all the way to fireworks!

After naps we headed back out to the farm for a very full afternoon, evening and night of fun!  M was very eager to use the water pump.  He can handle it very well now.  It seems like just yesterday he was hanging on the end trying to get water to come out.

M: This takes a lot of concentration and skill. 

M: Being on the farm is great! 
There were three dogs celebrating the holiday with us.  Lilly enjoyed being with the people!  T and M both enjoyed her.  M really noticed often that his beloved Maggie Dog was missing.  I am glad he got in some dog cuddles. 

Such sweetness.  She is the perfect picture of the 4th of July!  

M: It felt good to hug a dog because I was missing Maggie.  

Next it was on to bubbles. It was sticky fun.  I don't have pictures of all the trays, but there were lots of bubbles going at once.

T: Did you see the one I just made? 

How could I skip this one.  A was Miss Accessory that day.  So fun!  She kept it all on all day! 

Rocket time!!!!  M had been waiting all year to shoot off rockets.  We shot off fireworks at night, but during the day it was rocket time.  Judy, A and others spent a lot of time making rockets.  Each kid got to shoot one off.  It was so fun to watch them do the count downs.  The pictures are priceless as they each tell a story.

M: Don't worry, I'll catch it!  Brandon and A: Wow it is really up there.  C: Hold on A it feels like you are falling off. 

A: Cheese!  Brandon and Chris are almost twinning! 

T: Is it time to push the button Daddy? 

T: Wow!  Look at it go!  M: It is really up there! A: Oh No.  It is headed for a tree!  A: Daddy, is it my turn? 

Watching it land as the smoke clears! 

Almost everyone: Wow!  It is really up there!  R: Is it my turn?  and then there is D  (friend of Chris) on a call!  Funny! 

Maggie was not the only one missed this holiday.  We were all missing wonderful Grandma R.  A local artist takes photos and turns them into canvas painting.  She did one of Grandpa R years ago and now did two of Grandma R.  This is a family favorite of all the cousins looking at Grandma R.  We all love it because it was not posed at all.  This summer all the cousins were home so they recreated the pose with the canvas acting as Grandma R.  It was a pretty special photo and a time to think about Grandma R.


The recreated pose! 

The grands... much more grown up! 

After the canvas picture poses it was time for the second annual kid parade!  The kids all have flags and hum God Bless America or really any tune they feel like and march around the yard.  After the walking parade, the kids (and some... ahem..., bigger kids) hop on the lawn mower and trailer and the four wheeler and go around again.  While it might feel (and look and maybe... actually be) a little redneck, it is very good fun for everyone!

The marching children! 

The parade moves pretty quickly! 

Some parts of the route do not have a lot of watchers. 

Here they come for their encore lap! 

And then they noticed Uncle Curt on the four wheeler....

All: Can I have a ride PLEASE???!?!?

They joyfully settled for this ride in the wagon! 

What a good looking parade float. 

Parade Part Two!  Three entries!  The dog was lured!

T: I wish I could ride here all day! 

T: Uncle Curt, this sure is fun. 

M: Sometimes I just like to sit on lawnmowers and pretend to drive them. 

M: Yay!  Thanks for the ride Uncle Curt!

After the parade/rides came the cousin photo.  My kids were a bit more into posing than their cousins, although they all got a bit silly in most of them. There was a photo bomber.  There were too many "good" ones so I have to share several!

So sweet!

T: Look at my mustache!  Big A: Are we finished?  Little A: Cheese M: I just strike a pose and go with it... just like my Grandpa Tom. 

Little A: There, is that sillier? M: Still smiling here guys! 

Awe, that one is pretty good! 

And now they are all finished posing! 
After the pictures came the baseball game.  It is an annual tradition that is very loved by the family.  There is a wide range of participation.  During the game T went to look at the cows with Curt and Jeanette.  She loves Brandon's Aunts and Uncles.  Uncle Curt called the cows and they all obeyed.

T: What are the cows doing? Why are they eating grass? Why are they so loud?  Why did they come when you called them? 


Jeanette told T the fire was hot and T said: "Oh, can you turn it off?"  So sweet.  



Game in progress.  Children and dogs roam through the field. 
This angle makes the game look pretty legit!

M: I need a T hug! 

Ring Around the Rosie... because the outfield is boring! 

T loves Brandon's cousin E! 
After the game it was time to roast hotdogs over the fire and eat.  I know one little boy who talked a Great Uncle into another four wheeler ride.

This is a great photo! 

It FINALLY got dark enough for Fireworks!  The kids were so excited.  There were many many glowing necklaces and bracelets and anklets etc.  The glowing helped the adults locate the children so it was a win/win.  

T without a flash! 
T: I am ready to see the real fireworks! 

M: Sitting with T is great!

Happy Birthday America!!!

Sunday, July 5th:

Can you believe there are more photos?  You are very dedicated to make it this far!  The day to go home finally arrived. The kids needed to get in a few volcanos while we packed!

M: Look at all the great colors! 

T: Hey, that matches my shirt!

T: Look at it bubble Grandma Judy!
M really wanted to wear Grandpa Tom's fancy dentist glasses.  With help from Grandpa he got a chance to try them on.

M: I feel like a dentist when I wear these! 

M: I am totally adding dentist to the list of jobs I want to do when I grow up. 

We were on the road right after an early lunch.  Tom made his famous grilled lemon mustard chicken.  It was so tasty.  They sent the rest home with us for leftovers.  We didn't stop much on the way home.  The kids did very well.  We had a very long slow down due to construction/lane merge thing.  We also ended up stopping at a rest area with a playground.  Very fun break, but longer than typical.  T was showing off her stuff for all the travelers to check out.

T: I feel upside down!

We made it home in time for a late dinner of great leftovers.  The kids fell asleep quickly and we got the house petty unpacked before we began unwinding.  It was a great long weekend.  Lots of driving, but lots of wonderful memories!

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