We had a nice 4th of July weekend up at my parents. The drive on Thursday was NOT good, though. Taco asked if we were almost there 5 minutes into a 2.75 hour drive… He was entertained by his iPad for about 30 minutes and then alternated between yelling very loudly and asking if we were there yet. Listening to Taylor Swift helped at times but it was not a great drive. We were all happy when we arrived at my parents. Had it not been 11:15 am, I would have otherwise helped myself to a glass of sav blanc but that seemed a bit aggressive.
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| Taco was happy to dig into the toys of my childhood |
It rained each day but we had dry periods each day. Phil helped Paul, Taco and my cousin’s son fish off the dock on Thursday.
Friday was a nice for most of the day so the boys played in the sand and water quite a bit and my dad took us out on a pontoon ride.
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| Paul and his namesake, Papa Paul |
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| This bucket is meant for washing off feet but Taco decided to make it his own little bathtub |
My parents hosted a very large family party on Saturday with 50+ people. There is a big bean bag tournament which I passed on this year since my hand still hurts quite a bit. It was a gorgeous afternoon until the wind picked up and a big thunderstorm moved in. Everyone moved into the garage so it didn’t hamper things too much.
Most of the kids at the party were much older than my boys. But Paul was happy to follow his cousin Matt around like a little puppy dog. He is so obsessed with Matt and has been for a very long time.
How it started..
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| Matt was 10 and Paul was around 4 months old |
How it’s going…
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| Now Matt is 16 and has his license but he still has a special connection with Paul! |
We drove home on Sunday morning so we could get groceries, do laundry and prep for the week.
I fly to Michigan this afternoon for a 2-night trip. July will be a bit of a whirlwind as I travel 3 weeks in a row. So much for a quiet July! Next week’s trip is just one night so at least that is a short one. The results of my MRI came back on Wednesday so I am hoping to hear from my doctor about next steps today.
How was your weekend?
What a busy July!
ReplyDeleteI remember how long car trips used to feel when the kids were younger. It took so much prep work to have snacks and videos queued up on the tablet.
And now...it's kinda no big deal. We drove 4.5 hours yesterday and watched a bit of the Formula One race (because now the kids are super in to it), and then spent 3+ hours listening to music and playing some car-spotting games. We didn't even stop to use the washroom. That's all to say: YOUR DAY IS COMING. Like so many others things from this preschooler era...it does get easier.
Love all the beach pictures. What a great place for the boys to explore and roam and just have fun. I'm sure it helps tire them out, too, for good sleep?
Love Paul/Matthew. Too cute <3 There is such a special bond with cousins. Sadly, my kids live a long way from any cousins but whenever they do get a chance to see them, it's like an instant chemistry again. My kids are the youngest in my side of the family, so I think there's an extra special connection because their cousins seem to be "looking out for them."
Good luck with all that travelling. I'm glad it's not too many overnights but still...the effort it takes to prep and get out the door for one night or three is almost the same. You'll be ready for a break in August and I'm really rooting for both boys to spend time at your parents so you can have complete peace and quiet on the home front!
The cousin pictures are so sweet! Thanks to Bluey, Minnie tells me over and over that things (especially Clar rides) are taking :for ages” LOL/eye roll.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet, that cousin love. This post with the lake fun made me nostalgic, Lisa! My kids used to love time at the lake too (they still do, but you know, it's different now). I mean, road trips with kids are not fun. Back in the day when we used to drive here from Calgary, to visit my in-laws, it was 8 hours and those were a long 8 hours. I was very grateful for our van's DVD player, I'll tell you that much!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great weekend you had - sorry your hand still hurts - and whew, busy July!
Sounds like a nice weekend overall- except for the car ride there of course! My son was a good car rider, but my daughter went through a phase where she would scream and cry the ENTIRE CAR TRIP, and it's amazing how stressful that is.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get some answers about your hand, and GOOD LUCK with the travel this month. When is your next "should-less" day???
We have a similar cousin situation in my extended family. Our youngest nephew is basically obsessed with our oldest nephew and oldest nephew humors the little one. It's adorable.
ReplyDeleteThat is too much traveling, Lisa. Even just one night away throws everything off. I've learned that I cannot do more than two weekends away in a month or I lose my mind. And I don't even have kids!
Congrats on surviving the Car Ride From Hell. I hope that you got your glass of wine later on in the day.
ReplyDeleteWe had a couple of family parties, but very relaxed ones since the youngest cousin in the family is now 16 - time really does cure all things. We brought all of the family dogs to the parties and it went well.
Ohhh those car rides are somethin' ;) Glad it was only 2.75 hours.
ReplyDeleteI totally would have that glass of sav blanc lol
So wonderful you got to spend time with your folks, play by the lake and go fishing. I've been thinking about your MRI- let us know when you know the next steps.
Our holiday was kind of quiet. No big gatherings, but we did listen/watch fireworks. Saturday and Sunday we went to the pool, playground, watched a movie. The kids are in camp starting today so I am enjoying time alone but also missing them.
Great pics. Love the cousin connection. Tank was so taken by a baby cousin and the cousin grew up worshipping him. So sweet. We spent Wed-Fri with Coach's side of the family and it was lots of fun. The girls had a blast and Curly discovered that she and her one year older cousin are soul sisters. They were inseparable. We wish they didn't live in SC, but we happen to be going to the town they live in in a few weeks for basketball. So more cousin time. We only see these cousins every few years and Curly had not realized how great this girl was.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your travel. I'm in Louisville Wed - Sun this week and then S.C. Wed - Monday the following week. All for basketball.
sorry about the drive, I can imagine the situation that's why we haven't done any road trip yet even thought the girls are much older. One day...
ReplyDeleteit's great to see family and that the boys could play with older kids, that's the best!
my week went very well, spent few days in florida in the most relaxing way. now back to DC for final push, the big presentation, and then fly home.
Oh wow, that drive sounds ROUGH.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this would work for Taco next time, but we had a lot of luck buying little tubes of plastic animals JUST for the trip. My kid could open the tube in the car and she played happily with them during the drive AND in restaurants, which was a life saver. She was older though -- four or five I think.
Love all the photos of your adorable happy kids!
Your July travel sounds... intense. I hope it goes smoothly and that you are doing okay in terms of pain.
Yuck on the frequent travel... I feel like that should all stop in the summer? No? haha. Sorry also about the sucky up north drive. That doesn't sound like a great time. But the actual time at your parents' house sounds really nice! So cute about the older cousin. Ethan turns 16 tomorrow!!! HOW?!?!
ReplyDeleteOof, that car ride sounds miserable! Just think about a few years in the future when these car rides will be NBD and you can just read to your heart's content. (If you can read while being a passenger, that is!)
ReplyDeleteI love that your parents' have this lake house and you can see so much of your extended family. That party sounds craaaazy! And I love that Paul has such a sweet relationship with his cousin. <3
Looks like a Great Lake weekend! Love the pictures of Matt & Paul - so cute how their bond has continued through the years. I am sorry it’s such a crazy month of travel for you! Yuck. But hopefully the trips are fast?!
ReplyDeleteOur 4th of July was rained out . We had a blast at the neighborhood party - but we were so exhausted from socializing with new people and chasing our toddlers. We laid in our air mattress and watched a movie on the iPad instead of going to the fireworks show 😂
(This is Abby By the way!)