Of Finishing the Trip

In case you feel like you were caught in a cliffhanger, the kids and I did survive the latter half of our trip.  We bid good-bye to Virginia and the beautiful family which therein resides.  And after two further days on the road were able to spend a few more wonderful days with my brother and his family.  And because it's just plain easier, here is the photo recap:

- Joey got in a lot of quality cousin time, and many tackles and pokes.

- He also had great tickles from Aunt Kimberly.  Yeah, family is pretty great.

- "How I Spent my Summer Vacation" by Micaiah - this girl is so plugged in, it's ridiculous.  But she did also enjoy spending time with Kylie (who was generally more happy than this).

- Kim enjoyed the boys.

- In the car ride on the way back from Virginia, I noticed in the back seat Micaiah playing with her brother's Transformer and VW Bug, crashing them together.  Meanwhile, in the seat next to her . . .

. . . her brother was brushing her "My Little Pony" and narrating a conversation between "Twirl Heart" and Thumper.

- Later, he and I played a little game.  He would look at me like this.

 I would mimic his expression, and be rewarded with this (and the accompanying melody of his genuine belly laugh).

 Love this boy.

 - Later, all three napped in the car.  Blissful silence.

- Joey then enjoyed more cousin play-time with his brother's favorite, Nella.

- I also had the privilege of spending a few hours playing Zombie with high school friends.  Jen even held Joey (though she offered him gasoline to play with - ok, ok, it was just a playing card, but still . . .).

- I even met my good friend, Jamie's, beautiful daughter, Alexia, who enjoyed playing with Nella as well.

- Emmett made his rounds getting tickles.  From Aunt Andrea . . .

Uncle Andy . . .

And Grandma.

- Grandma and Grandpa bought the kids' favorite story book that they heard during their library visit in Virginia (the same one Emmett began reciting out of the blue on our road trip back to St. Louis).

- Grandma accompanied the kids and I to the zoo, where we survived the 104 degrees and even managed to enjoy ourselves!

- And Joey met a real life penguin.  He may have been less excited than me.

- Micaiah felt the Penguin House was really cold.  And she'll tell you about it if you ask.

- Joey composed his first piano movement.

- Emmett completed his tickle routine with Grandpa.

- Then, sadly, it was time to say good-bye.

- Though even the good-byes turned into play-time as Micaiah and Amie loved pulling their hugs to the ground and dissolving into giggles.

- Good-bye, everyone!

It was a very busy two weeks but, again, we all survived and I was grateful for the opportunity to spend so much time catching up and letting the cousins strengthen their friendships.

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!).