We all had a lazy morning (we were up late last night!) and then I took the kids out to my Dad’s house just after lunch time. We swam, played, and the boys’ even got haircuts. Ben took a nap in the crib and Kaitlyn took a nap in my arms. We went out for dinner and somehow Tuesday was over!
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Today we spent some time with B and Mary.
We loaded everyone up for a trip to the Nashville Zoo.
We visited the Nashville Zoo today and Ben spent most of the day in his stroller. We let him out at the play area, and he was all smiles.
Today we loaded up two cars and headed to Nashville. To make this road trip truly “epic” I have been trying to see and visit as many people and places as possible. Thankfully the stars aligned and we were able to see two of our Nashville friends today when we made our trip to the Zoo. We timed it so that we would arrive in Nashville just in time for an early lunch with Laura and then we drove straight to the Zoo.
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Then Melissa left us and headed for her hotel. (She is flying out tomorrow for a work-related trip.) Mom and I were supposed to head back to Paducah, but I managed to work out a quick stop with my old college roommate, Mindy, at a park on our way home. It has been years and years since we saw each other! The kids were tired but didn’t seem to mind too much. It was starting to get dark so my only pictures are a little blurry but I’m posting them anyway – this might not happen for another 10 years!
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Today we did all the little things the kids have been asking for – Orange Julius, root beer floats, and feeding the ducks.
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Prepping bread to feed the ducks.
Today my high school friends and I gathered at the local splash pad. The kids were pretty good sports for seeing each other maybe once a year. It was great to see the girls and the kids were pretty good about the one picture we forced them to take as a group. It makes me smile every time I see it.
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Then we had lunch, a nap for Ben, and headed over for some more cousin time at Aunt Lissy’s house. The girls got a water slide for the backyard and my kids thought it was the coolest! The best part of the evening was pizza from one of my favorites – Mellow Mushroom.
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I met my high school friends at the splash pad and we “encouraged” all the kids to take a picture together. They were thrilled – and looking directly into the sun.
Big kids at the pool.
Brothers.
My kids always want to visit Gram’s Country Club pool when we come to Paducah, but I really think it’s the snacks and lunch they want the most. We met Melissa’s crew and spent the morning at the pool. I still couldn’t get Kaitlyn past the steps but she seemed to have fun regardless. The boys love the high dive and swimming with Aunt Lissy. Ben rarely finds a kiddie pool this big and his cousins thought he was a lot of fun. A perfect morning!
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Then we went back to Gram’s house for the afternoon. The kids managed to entertain themselves in this wonderful weather!
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All the cousins sitting on Gram’s porch swing.
We made it to our first destination – Gram’s house! I strategically planned our longest day yesterday so that today we would arrive in plenty of time to play with cousins and enjoy the late afternoon/evening. Gram had a few new outdoor toys and we introduced Ben to popsicles.
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The kids and I are undertaking an “Epic Roadtrip.” We will be gone 17 days and travel thousands of miles to visit lots of friends and family. Today was an uneventful day of driving. My oldest three are a breeze in the car because their normal heavy iPad/electronics restrictions are lifted. Ben is a happy baby that takes at least three naps a day and has just learned to tip up his own bottle! This means he can give himself a bottle as we drive. (My others didn’t learn this particular skill for at least another 3-4 months.)
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No road trip can be called a “road trip” without a stop at Waffle House. (Just 10 more hours to go…)
MY bookend boys (youngest and oldest).
Today there were hours to fill so we headed to the splash pad at the YMCA. Ben napped in the stroller the entire time and the kids ran and played.
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Only Teague could make eating yogurt this messy. (at age 7)
I want to always remember this was the summer of the blue nightgown and cowboy boots.
Ben – 8 months
Kaitlyn has made a good friend while hanging out in the waiting area during taekwondo. They both have brothers that started about the same time. They are the same age and now they are both planning to start taekwondo when summer ends.
Splash pad day.
Good morning Ben.
This poor kid. I had to post. He knows we love him, right?
Alex gets only slightly annoyed with my need for a daily picture.
This guy says yes to pretty much anything you ask of him. He was happy to help Wade sand and paint the horseshoes in preparations for some games in the backyard this summer!
Bath time is so much fun.
Have I mentioned how much this boy loves dog food? It is almost impossible to keep him out of Madison’s bowl. She has become lazy about eating and rarely finishes her food when we feed her. Ben has figured out there is always food in her bowl and always seems to have some in his mouth before I realize it. Fun times!
Ben is still rocking the sink baths after most meals. They also keep him mostly contained while we finish up in the kitchen.
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These two have created a summer tradition of noodle fights.
This guy always goes with the flow- this time he was happy to get a bucket of water thrown on his head. He thought it was funny and requested it over and over afterwards.
Today she was content to watch the crazy shenanigans of her brothers.
This guy loves to chew on shoes.
Chef Teague was hard at work again today. Everyone’s favorite – banana and strawberry crepes. They were amazing!
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All my boys enjoying the pool at the end of the day.
The best smile.
Ben is pretty happy in general and doesn’t seem to mind the chilly water in our pool. However, I never want to forget that the pink wand dive toy always brings a smile to his face if he does happen to be fussy.
It’s not quite as nice (or as private) as our old lake in Barrington, but we are enjoying our lake in Grafton. The best part is we almost always run into friends.
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We’ve had a string of minor injuries here and Teague managed to get Alex pretty good with his fingernail today at the lake.
The face she makes when she doesn’t like what I say.
Brothers hanging out at the lake.
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Alex spends countless hours at this corner of our kitchen island drawing Pokemon.
Crafting.
Peaches!
We seem to have power outages a lot more frequently in this house than any other. There was a storm this evening and we knew it was likely we might lose power (there was high wind). We did lose power and we needed quite a few flashlights to keeps everyone happy and our house sufficiently lit (at least until bedtime).
Entertaining himself.
Now that he’s a yellow belt, Teague gets to participate in sparring. Not only is that fun, it requires it’s own set of gear.
She’s fascinated with his sink baths and he loves the attention.