Of Our Mid-Summer Road Trip

The children and I have spent an eventful week traveling and spending time with family and friends.  And we're only halfway through our vacation!

Current highlights:

- Dressing like a cow will always be one of the best ways to earn a free meal (and, yes, some people will do anything for free food).

- Apparently when our car warns us of low tire pressure, it's not kidding.  Good to know.  Also glad the ensuing flat tire occurred after we arrived at our first destination and before it really had to be anywhere else for a week.  God is good.

- A day in the car with three former roommates (or, two former apartment-mates and one former replacement for my space in said apartment), with a beautiful wedding for an actual former roommate tossed in the middle, equals priceless memories and a whole lot of laughter.

- Our children had their first swim lessons from Grandma and Grandpa.  This is what hotel pools were made for.

- While a toddler and a pre-schooler can handle two days on the road (with a steady stream of dvd's to speed the time), a five-month old gets a little more bored and a little more cranky (and suddenly a big fan of the paci).

- The hills of West Virginia, and on into Virginia, are gorgeous for scenery, dangerous for motion sickness.

- Babies playing together is always the best (especially when it's cousins meeting for the first time).

- Eating dinner across from Kevin McCallister is entertaining always.

- Watching cousins play is a blast when you pair a set of girls and a set of boys.  Yes, there is bickering, but I love seeing the little competitions, or when Micaiah comes running down the stairs, dashing from her male cousin, shouting, "Ah!  A giant!" and without missing a beat, her brother, who had been happily playing next to Mommy, instantly jumps up, crying, "Grrr!" to join the giant in his tirade.  Absolutely love it.

- Shopping from a street-side vendor is just fun no matter where you do it.  Well, until you realize the sweaty kids would prefer to not be waiting while Mommy tries on a dress in the middle of the outdoor mall, right over all of her real clothes.  If you buy one an owl backpack, she might be more forgiving.

- This little girl, getting a kick out of her birthday present (tossing them behind her head was a favorite).

- It's too bad we have so many reasons to stay in Mid-America, otherwise I'd be heading home and telling Philip to pack our bags.  Charlottesville, VA is definitely the place to live.  

Interested to see what this next week holds (though, spoiler alert, fairly certain Batman might be involved - I can't be left out, even on vacation!).