Vacation Pictures

more pictures from our vacation:

after seeing our dear melissa in virginia, we headed to south carolina to see our hunts. it was so good and sweet to see them.

our sweet families

li'l bit LOVED pete! she can't wait until we give in and get her a dog. she'll be waiting for a while!

then on to the vacation house in north carolina! it was gorgeous! the house was great, the mountain air was so clean and cool. wonderful respite for this city family.

one of my cute nieces. not sure which one. ;) twins.

the girls had such a fun time playing in the pool.

all tuckered out! how sweet can it get? li'l bit, puppy, gizmo, and hippo. :)

playing pac man with cousin G. they had a lot of fun together.

time for s'mores! the kids loved it. and amazingly enough i did not freak out with three "babies" near the fire...and no one caught on fire. (part of me not freaking out-and no one catching on fire-was ladybug staying buckled into her stroller the entire time the fire was lit.)

our view from the HOT TUB!!

sweet G.

the kids had so much fun together--they were all completely pooped by the time we left!

Home

Thirty-six hours of driving can yield some pretty darn cute moments:


And, of course, it can also yield some pretty crazy moments. For instance, our beloved van having her first hiccup and being stuck in Allentown, PA for six hours. Or Li'l Bit getting sick and puking when we were still two days from home and then riding the rest of the way with sallow eyes and a huge bowl in her lap. (Which thankfully remained empty.)
But even considering those mishaps, we had a wonderful time, and just really enjoyed being together as a family. There's simply something sweet about being just the five of us in the van for hours and hours and hours....and hours. ;) We were thankful that all in all it went very smoothly.
More pictures to come, but for now, we're home.

And We Thought Another 16 Hour Road Trip Would Be A Good Idea Because...Why?

No, seriously, I'm very excited to be leaving tonight with my babies and babydaddy. We're going to knock out three or four hours tonight and drive sevenish tomorrow to stay a night with our dear Virginian friend, Melissa. Then we'll drive five hours to stay two nights with the fabled Hunts, then two hours back north to meet my sis, HB, and her babies and babydaddy. We will spend ALL WEEK together in a gorgeous vacation home on Black Mountain in North Carolina. It is going to be off the hoozle.

So, yes, I am very excited about said trip. But today I'm just a bit anxious. I have rebelled against my PLAN! PLAN! PLAN! nature in non-planning this trip. (So that I wouldn't become a grumpy beeyotch in the process, honestly.) Which means that today I am throwing things together. I'm sure it's actually a lot more organized and orderly than my emotions would tell. But thinking about sixteen hours on the road with three kids to feed, entertain, clean, lull to sleep...And I haven't even picked out my outfits yet!

I was walking through Target today picking up last minute snacks and toys and CD's--all for the kids. I was completely lost in thought wondering how the kids will fare in the van. As I passed the duct tape I actually had in instinctual urge to grab a roll. Just in case. But then I realized that my mind had wandered a little too far into the intangible abyss of kid-containment. They cannot be contained. Only loved.

So we are going to spend a lot of time loving each other over the next three days.

Earlier this week, I was working on one of my many lists. (Part of my non-planning was to not have a formal, typed master list w/ references, tabs, and deadlines. Instead I had daily To Do's in a small notepad.) This is one w/ Li'l Bit's below. I love her pespective on things. So simple and sweet.