Traveling with littles

I come from a family of travelers. I have more memories than I can count of airports, airplanes, and long car trips. I remember the games we used to play and the endless amount of snacks and entertainment that my mom seemed to magically pull out of her bag.
I actually love car trips. Especially before children when Aaron and I would be in a car for hours watching the scenery go by, listening to music, and passing the time with conversations of things big and small. Of course, now I am the mother who must have a magic bag of tricks to keep the kids happy.
I will admit that there was part of me that was dreading the long drive to and from Pennsylvania. I just had no idea how the boys would do being awake for most of the drive. They must have inherited some of the travel DNA though because they did great and we actually enjoyed most of the trip!
Of course, there are a few things that help: stopping every 2 hours for a 1/2 hour of play, plan meal stops to correspond with Chik-fil-A (clean, good food, and always an indoor playground), lots of books, a small box of never before seen toys, and above all an attitude of patience and flexibility!

Summer Days

Summer time is.....

Clothes hanging on the line:


Cupcakes for a baby shower:

Playing games at a family picnic:


Snuggling your brother at the end of a day full of hot, sweaty play:

And of course - watermelon and sprinklers on a Sunday afternoon:

A good break and other randomness

The boys are getting better at playing together for short periods of time. Yesterday they were both excused from dinner because they were not eating. A few minutes later Aaron and I heard them from their room - Jeremiah was sweetly explaining too and pointing out to Nathaniel the animals on their wall. "Look Nathaniel, this is a giraffe. He has a long neck. Look Nathaniel, this is a elephant. He has a trunk." So cute. Of course, this quiet moment of instruction quickly turned into a wrestling match (see below).
It is also nice to have an older brother who can read to his younger brother (see above). I try to have them sit for a few quiet moments in the morning (after enthusiastic play time) and let Jeremiah read. They are getting better about doing this for longer than just a few pages. Jeremiah is quite the expressive reader, he does inflection, expression, different voices and everything!

I will admit that the past few days have been a bit stressful. I have been irritable (gasp!) and impatient (surely you jest!). Aaron and I have been working hard trying to get the house in order and the kids were feeling our lack of invested attention and acting accordingly. So this morning when we had to go to Chattanooga anyway (to pick up a light fixture we were buying off of Craigslist) I decided to put aside our to-do list and make a fun outing of it. We played in the water fountains and wading river outside of the aquarium and had yummy pizza at Mr. T's. And of course we had to top it all off with ice cream. It was a nice break and helped me realize where my priorities need to be this summer. Sure, I want my house to look a certain way and there are things that need to get done, but not at the cost of my relationship with my husband and children.

Fun with others

One of the most fulfilling things for me as a parent is to watch the interaction between my children and the people who I love the most. Here are pictures from our vacation that capture some of those moments.

This picture of Nathaniel and my grandfather will be cherished.

Playing "This little piggy."

Nathaniel loved Uncle Daryl!

Ben & Jeremiah chill out and watch a movie after a busy day of picnic-ing and hiking (see below).

I know this picture is a bit fuzzy, but I love the look on Jeremiah's face.
He had such a great 2 weeks with his oma!

A classic grandfather in hot-tub with grand kids shot! :-)

Fresh!

This is what $8.00 got me last night at our local farmers market. Sugar snap peas that are sweeter than candy, crispy green beans with a cool flavor, sweet yellow squash, scrumptious zucchini, and a bag full of 8 varieties of dark leafy greens. All of our veggies for a week plus some good conversation and a nice walk on a summer evening. Can't get that at Wal-mart.
Perfect.

Home Again...

A fun and fast 2 weeks are behind us and we find ourselves back home trying to adjust to a normal routine. The boys proved once again to be excellent travelers and surpassed my expectations in every way. Our days were spent taking walks, playing in the hot tub, taking naps, eating simple and delicious meals, and enjoying visits from various family members. A perfect vacation with just the right mix of rest and activity. And just to keep things from getting boring we were even visited by a black bear cub who hung out on our front and back decks for a little while!
As I have time to download my pictures I will share more memories. However for now I think that these two (stolen from my dad) sum it up.

The adjustment back to "real life" is being made more challenging by a number of factors. First, coming back to a house that was left in the midst of unpacking is proving to be a tad stressful for me. I woke up Saturday morning fully prepared to deal with unpacking vacation things only to be met by the unorganized mess of our still unpacked regular things. I am trying to remember that making this house a home is a work in progress but I am now more than ready to hit the nearest stores for paint, lighting fixtures, bedding, window treatments and furniture.
Second, while having Aaron home all day during summer vacation is certainly a treat it is also an adjustment. We are going to have to learn how to structure our days, divvy up parenting duties, and communicate lovingly regarding our expectations.

This summer is going to pass quickly and we have many fun things to look forward to. But for right now I want to get my linen closets organized while the boys are still napping.....