Family Activities: Enjoying Time with Extended Family
I was going through some pictures (from the 2011 Fall Season) and realized I never posted anything about our visit from extended family members. My parents, little brother and grandparents were able to come out for a few days and spend some time with us. We were blessed to have some time with everyone. The girls LOVED having Grandpa Russell, Grandma Penny, Uncle Josh, Great Grandpa CE, and Great Grandma Willa staying at our house. It reminds me of how important it is that we spend time with those we love whenever we have the opportunity to get together.
Playing outside with Grandma. Brina and Karlie blowing bubbles on Skipper while Skipper looks at me as if to say “do you see what I have to put up with!”
Brina and Karlie giggling as they chase Skipper across the yard.
No sleeping in Uncle Josh, it is time to play! They don’t give him much of an option to rest with all their “Uncle Josh, let’s go…..Uncle Josh will you play with me, Uncle Josh…….” Brina’s ready to go roller blading and Karlie has a lot of fun stories to tell! Brina and Karlie have fun when Uncle Josh is over reading books and playing.
Convinced Uncle Josh to read them a few books. Here they are reading a book from the library called “Hot Fudge”
Playing a round of Wits & Wagers with Dad, Josh, Grandpa CE and Grandma Willa. We received this game as a gift and since then have gotten several other family members and friends hooked on the game. If you are looking for a great family game with a bunch of fun facts check out Wits & Wagers!
It was a fun extended weekend with family. We played games, read books, spent time outside, celebrated my nephew Nicholas’s first birthday and enjoyed great fellowship together. I am truly grateful that the girls have the opportunity to spend time with not only their grandparents, but great grandparents as well as Aunts and Uncles. It was a fun weekend full of great memories for everyone! 🙂
Travel & Vacation: 40 Plus Hour Road Trip Together
Our family recently went on a forty plus hour road trip together. A lot of fun memories were created on our road trip up to New England including time spent with several extended family members. Here are a few pictures of our journey in the van:
Sleeping beauties in the van! Thankful to have girls who enjoy a long road trip. I had to smile when I looked back and saw them fast asleep with their toys on their laps.
Seriously, who needs a pillow when you have your sisters head to sleep against! This was a popular sight on our 40+ hour road trip. The girls would be quiet so we would look back and see them sleeping soundly with their heads together. A sister comes in handy for a pillow in a pinch!
Look out Boston here we come!!! We had a blast staying with family in the Boston area. Thankful for our time together with extended family!
Going through the "Big Dig" in Boston The girls thought it was neat going through the long tunnel under the city!
The girls enjoying one of their DVDs with head phones. We have a DVD player we can set up in the van which we use for long road trips. Our policy is if the road trip is longer than 5 hours we will put in the DVD player. The girls were VERY excited to go on a long road trip because they got to watch a couple movies.
Beautiful day and amazing scenery. We enjoyed the beautiful landscape on our drive up north. The green trees, puffy white clouds and Vermont Mountains in the distance. One of these years we need to head up to New England during the Fall, I bet it is breathtaking when all the trees are turning.
Little goodies and toys kept the girls entertained throughout the trip. Karlie watching a video while Brina plays with her remote control car. They had a blast playing in the car and exploring when we stopped.
Connecticul Welcomes Us! Yay! Even though we went through a lot of different states on our journey I was only able to capture a few state “Welcome” signs. It was hard to time the pictures and at night none of them turned out well. We made a brief stop in CT after trying three exits to find gas and a working restroom for the kiddos (I didn’t realize how many Mom/Pop gas stations didn’t have working restrooms).
Downtown Hartford We only spent a few hours in Hartford, CT on our trip. The girls said next trip they want to explore it more!
Welcome to Pennsylvania! The traffic in Pennsylvania was less but the roads were much rougher. We saw some beautiful scenery throughout the mountains of Pennsylvania!
So busy painting they completely ignored my request for a picture! These books were a big hit, obviously! The girls are always game for crafts and had been begging to “paint”. I found the solution at Big Lots in their clearance section, paint books that use water pens to paint. Less of a mess for us and more fun for the girls. All we had to do was fill up their pens a couple times along the way.
Beautiful river at sunset We were blessed to see a lot of wonderful scenery on the way.
Our girls resting in the van! Despite the many hours on the road the girls were such troopers. They did not complain at all even though they spent a lot of hours in the van. It was neat to see them have fun, entertain themselves, and get excited about exploring the different areas we stopped. Thankful for their sweet adventuresome spirit. They even slept a good 5 to 7 hours as we were driving through the night! Needless to say they were rested when we got home (Mommy and Daddy were exhausted). For tips on flying with the kids check out Tips on Flying with Kids.
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
