Vacation Recap (2016)

Well another year and another vacation is in the books, while it is a long.... I mean a long drive to New York state I love the memories that we make. This year's trip was extra special because my sister got married! We were able to see and visit with a lot of family we haven't seen a very long time. Vacations are rarely vacations they end up being busy and full of "stuff" to do. And this year was no exception! While it was busy and full I wouldn't have changed anything.

My sister's wedding was absolutely amazing, very simple and rustic. Everyone had a really great time and a lot of memories were made. My sister was able to meet Parker and we got some cute photos of Parker and my niece Paisley together. Paisley is 8 months and Parker 4 months... Parker was almost the same size as Paisley! As I've said before Parker is definitely the biggest baby we've had!

My mom!

Cutest little flower girls!

Paisley, my sister, and Kate (snapchat steal :)

The newly married couple!

 Paisley and Parker

We were able to visit with my dad, my mom, and my in-laws. It was great spending time with family we don't get to see very often.  It takes some time for the twins to warm up but when they do they really enjoy their time with family. I haven't seen my brother, sister in-law, and nephews in nearly 8 years. When my sister and I heard that the were there you would have thought we were trying to win a race to hug them all!

My mom

My Dad

My nephew!

My brother and my grandma

My brother and my sister in-law

My handsome nephews Riley and Julian

We were able to eat some of our favorite hometown foods and visit our county fair. It was great to see family and reconnect. When you go so long between visits it really makes you realize just how much you love and miss them. We have already started planning the next time we all get to see each other.

We are all very happy to be home and back into our routine. The twins continue to talk about their aunts and uncles as well as how much they love their grandpa! I'm so very happy we were able to see so much family and to spend time with everyone. A big shout out to my sister for getting married and bringing us all together!

2015 Vacation Recap

Travel (Part TWO)

We made it back to Florida! The second part of our trip back home went well and probably better than the first part (part one here). On the way home we decided to split the drive so that the first day we drove more hours than the second... opposite of what we did on the way to New York. This was definitely the better option! After hyping the kids up for the "next" big trip we woke up bright and early to hit the road and it was a good thing we were leaving that day because it was a cold 48 degrees!! The kids slept great for the first two hours which makes for easy travel. We made minimal stops and listened to zootopia for the 100th and 101st times.. it is always a lot of fun to listen to the same movie over and over especially with there is a great song to sing along too (said no one ever). Parker also did very well but we could tell she was at the point of "get me out of this car seat". Our stop for the night included swimming and a first for eating at Jack in the Box. I was so proud of the twins, they made up a bed for themselves on the floor without being asked and they went to sleep so well. We all slept really well that night and woke up refreshed and ready to go the next morning. A short eight and a half hour drive and we would be home... YES!!! Only a few stops, more zootopia, and some running around the rest stop and we made it home sweet home!
We had a great time in New York ... post to come soon ... but I always think part of the adventure is the trip to get there and back. Let me tell you toddlers get very funny when they are tired and have been in the car for more than a few hours. My sister in-law and I had a lot of fun laughing at the kids and trying to find music to listen to during the short periods of time we had with out a movie playing.
The kids are all recovered with the exception of Parker ...she still gets a bit upset when she first gets in the carseat, I'm hoping she gets over it soon! I have finally finished unpacking and laundry is all but done... We are super glad to be home and back into our normal routine ... just in time to start getting ready for school!

Summer!

It's summer!! And we are ready for it! Usually, I find myself wondering what the heck I'm going to do with the kids all summer long but for some reason (A new baby) I'm not worried this year. It's been a fun, busy, and crazy school year for Kendal and Madison and that also means the same for the twins. School drop off and pick up, projects, concerts, after school activities, forgotten lunches, early pickups, and a whole lot more made us one busy family. But now that summer is here I'm looking forward to slower mornings (Maybe even some sleeping in), long afternoons at the pool, park dates, lunch outside, evening walks, and a whole lot more.

Since Paker joined our crew I've longed for the big girls to be home for all of the reasons mentioned above and of course to have some more hands to help with the twins. It's only been a week since school let out and we've accomplished much on our summer list.

In a few days Kendal heads to upstate New York (where the majority of our family lives and the hubby and I grew up) to spend a few weeks with the in-laws. In a few weeks the rest of the family will head to New York for my sister's wedding! It is sure to be an adventure driving from Florida with two nearly 3 year olds and a 4 month old! Throw in some hometown eats and the county fair and it's sure to be a fun time for us all. Not too mention a lot of my family still hasn't met Parker!

Giving the kids lots of activities to fill their days so that we don't hear "I'm bored" multiple times a day is always a challenge but with five kids we should be able to manage! So here's to summer and all the fun adventures that await!

Summer 2015