This boy loves the water.
Ben
The boys just hanging out together watching a little TV.
Today was a dress up day.
A first for us – watching church from our living room with half of us in our pjs.
The kids had so much fun jumping off the kitchen bench today. I love watching them have fun with games they create.
These two were so cute and content to play games on the kitchen table all afternoon. Perfect for a chilly afternoon.
We got crafty today and made slime!
Wade got a big box today. The kids couldn’t wait to see what was inside because of the rattles it made. They were so surprised to find boxes of macaroni and cheese! Wade was happy to see bottles of bourbon.
Wade started a new job very recently and it has been stressful for him to learn everything about a new job/new company while figuring out working from home with the rest of the world. We are thankful he has a home office!
The kids are definitely bored of being home with nothing to do. They are missing their friends and their normal activities. The colder weather makes it a little unpleasant to be outside, but we are trying. Here’s hoping a routine with school will come soon.
Here’s a snapshot of what our Friday contained…
Wade got a special delivery today and the kids loved helping him unbox.
Ben just wants to be a big kid.
Our local grocery store has a special employee. There is a robot named Marty that roams the aisles looking for spills or messes that need cleaning. Ben loves Marty and spends our entire trip to the grocery store looking for Marty.
The cutest blue bear you ever did see.
Mr. Personality
Ben loves this roller coaster – going in circles, the wheels, and also just lazing around. His favorite pose is feet up with his arms behind his head.
A little evening craziness.
Ben was extremely upset that he didn’t get to write his own Thank You notes.
Ben was so excited to be playing in Kaitlyn’s room today.
We had take out for dinner (much easier than taking our crew to a restaurant) and Wade provided the entertainment.
Sometimes we get a little silly at dinner.
Sometimes Elsa shows up to give hugs and watch TV.
Ben loves to ride the Roomba around the house. (Just don’t tell Wade…)
Practicing his pen control.
Here are a few random pictures from the last two days of travel.
We are so close to home – just a few more hours.
Here are the pretty wedding pictures.
Emily asked Wade to do a little photoshopping on some of the pictures. I’ll show you one of his before and afters. Pretty impressive, right?
Today we left Paducah and headed for home.
Now that is a car nap!
We were back on the road again, but this time we are heading towards Gram’s house. The kids are always content in the car because they love their iPads (thank goodness).
Wade and I had the great idea to break up the day by stopping for lunch at Lambert’s. We hadn’t been in ages and the kids had never experienced the throwing of the rolls.
Then we were back on the road and we got to Gram’s house in time to spend a little time with family before bedtime. Then it’s back on the road again tomorrow.
Emily (Wade’s sister) is now married!
Today was the wedding and the kids did a pretty good job through the pictures.
Thankfully after that Ben headed to the nursery. The big kids made it through the wedding and then we were on to the reception.
Hotel room fun.
We made it to Fayetteville. Now we have to keep the kids entertained in hotel rooms until time for the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. Thankfully we have a suite and electronics and for a while – Pop!
The kids did a really great job tonight with all the new people and unfamiliar situation.
Introducing these kids to real donuts – Krispy Kreme
Our kids no longer remember Krispy Kreme donuts (they only have Dunkin Donuts in MA) so we decided to give them a little education. Thankfully the hot light was on so they got the perfect donuts fresh off the line.
Then we had a long drive to Collierville for a night at Wade’s parents’ house. It was a little surreal to stay there without his parents. They were already in Arkansas for the wedding but we needed one more stop before we drove the rest of the way.
We stopped for ice cream at an old favorite in Atlanta – Jake’s.
Today we spent in Atlanta! We started the day with everyone’s favorite – Waffle House. Then we explored the Georgia Aquarium. All of the kids, and the adults, loved it. I had been once before for a work trip, but it was new to everyone else.
Wade and I tracked down a Jake’s ice cream – one of our old favorites. I was so excited to see Cinnamon on their board of buy-by-the-pint. The employees were so apologetic when they couldn’t find it in their freezer. We were in there a while eating and talking. The ladies realized we were from out of town and one of them got determined to find the ice cream. She came back with a quart she found hidden in the back and then wouldn’t let us pay.
Next up on our day of adventures was walking GaTech’s campus and stopping at the Varsity for a late night treat. The kids were exhausted after our day, but we had a great one!
Today we stopped by our old stomping grounds of Greenville, SC.
Today we explored Greenville, SC. Wade and I lived here many years ago and always like to stop in when we are nearby. We have lost touch with most of our old friends (or they have moved away), but we have many fond memories of our time here. Unfortunately, it was. rainy day so one of our favorite places – Falls Park – wasn’t as much fun or as pretty as usual, but we still had a great day.
Today we explored the monuments.
Today was spent mostly on the road, but we made a few quick stops beforehand.
We are right outside Washington DC for the night. The house we rented is kid friendly – thank goodness! We spent the evening having fun and unwinding after a day on the road.
We took the kids to the Mall today and loved exploring some of the museums we remember from our days in DC. The kids loved Air and Space especially. Ben was nice enough to nap in his stroller so we just kept going all day long.
Family roadtrip!
Today we started our nine day roadtrip. We planned the trip because we need to end up in Arkansas for Emily’s wedding and we decided to have fun getting there. The kids did pretty well for our first day of driving. We made it to the outskirts of DC to our Airbnb and had a nice dinner out.
It’s not actually Teague’s birthday till tomorrow but we are celebrating today!
Teague’s actual birthday is the 21st, but we are leaving tomorrow for a big road trip. We wanted to be able to celebrate all day long so we are celebrating today! Teague turns 9 this year! We started the day with donuts and candles. Then he opened a big gift (an electric scooter) before Wade had to leave for work. The cold didn’t deter him at all from testing it out. He picked out his own cake – as he did last year – and we all loved the Oreo concoction. I think one of his favorite gifts may have been his very own stash of Ritz crackers.
This boy suddenly has a passion for markers – sometimes he even colors on paper.
It’s pretty hard to convince Alex and Teague to play games, but Kaitlyn and Ben love them. Ben is just starting to understand how to follow the rules. Tonight we played Zingo – which everyone loves.
A trip to BJ’s is always a fun time.