Iowa Vacation, 2014

This summer, we finally managed to make it back to Iowa after almost 2 full years!  Between moving, a newborn, & Chris' new job---traveling too far and too often was not possible so we never managed to make it back to the Midwest.  So when we planned the trip this year, we booked it for an extended stay, a full two weeks.  

We headed back in late June and enjoyed a wonderful trip full of lots of family time, visits with friends, a trip to the Twin Lakes, & finished the trip to visit our friends in Chicago.  It was such a fun time and a nice time to recharge and take a break from crazy DC life!  Thanks so much to Tim and Jody for housing our wild family for almost two weeks.  We had such a fun time.  I decided to create a slideshow of all the great pictures to help document the trip & include some of my favorite pictures below.  

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Happy 8th Anniversary to Chris:)

It's funny because last night I looked at the calendar and realized that tomorrow is our anniversary.  I guess the saying "time flies when you are having fun" applies to us.  We have had such a fun summer that I didn't even realize that it is the end of July & our anniversary.  Since we didn't even realize the date until last night, there are no big plans in the cards but we don't need too much to celebrate the fact of our wild lives.  Just think five moves, three little kids, several job changes, lots of travels & adventures,  and meeting great friends along the way have made the past eight years fly by.  I'm pretty sure that there is a lot of adventure to come, especially in this next year again!  

(And I'm pretty sure a family picture is in the cards again soon because this is our last picture together!)

Happy Anniversary Chris!

A Quick Trip to NC:)

We headed down to North Carolina at the end of June for a very short but sweet trip for two awesome reasons:

1.  MeMe Ruff volunteered to dog sit while we were in Iowa for two weeks.  Amazing mom & even more amazing is that she STILL has them for us until we make it back down there!

2.  But the bigger reason on why we were excited to head south----to visit Aunt Jen and cousins Clem and Tal.  It's been almost two years since we have seen these wild ones since the moment they decided to move from the Bronx to Indiana.  We saw them almost every month when they lived near us so we were excited to see our cousins once again!

We arrived on Friday afternoon & of course we hopped right into the pool at Grandma's!

After a fun & wild night, the kids and I headed over to my grandma's house where we would be staying for the weekend!  Six kids (Jen had an extra kid that she brought along!), six and under, in one house was a little too much so we headed over to Grandma's to spend time with our great-grandma and hopefully catch a little sleep.  Of course a trip to Grandma's isn't complete without some games!

They headed over on Saturday where we took all the kids to my favorite park in Raleigh, Pullen Park.  It was SO hot that we spent a lot of time at the park doing this...

And of course we took the train...

And the boats...

And just played...

My mom and I took the boys' for a special Target trip while Jen held down the house with the girls.  I love seeing Andrew & Tal holding hands...

And of course a trip to Target isn't complete without Icee's and twirly straws!

After a wild and crazy day, we said our good-byes and headed back to Grandma's.  We treated Grandma out to a fun breakfast out at Krispy Kreme.

Nothing more exciting than watching donuts being made!

Sadly we said good-bye on Sunday when they headed to the beach, but it was great to catch up with them all for a few short days.  Hopefully it will be less than two years before we see them again.  We headed home the next day with just enough time to unpack and pack before heading out to Iowa on Wednesday!

Summer. Summer.

I am WAY behind on posting, but it's been a BUSY summer.  After we arrived home from the beach, we had just about a week at home before we left again.  So we filled our days with lots of fun summertime activities.

Chris was off on Saturday and we were excited to have another guest with us.  Meme Rogers flew in to DC for a very short visit & work trip so we got to see her for a full 24 hours!  We took her up to the Baltimore aquarium again where we also met Courtney, Tom, & their kids for a fun aquarium trip and dinner out!  We took advantage of MeMe being around on Sunday & just enjoyed a nice family day at home!  

And maybe managed to sneak out for a short bike ride with our littlest ones with our new bike trailer...

Of course, summer days means some bike rides in pajamas...

And a trip to the pool with friends...

We tried to visit the new Peet's coffee in town but when we pulled up they were closing unexpectedly.  Instead, they gave us their giant "welcoming" balloon bouquets to these three happy kids!  

Someone had their 15 month check-up & weighed in at a big 17 pounds:)

Chris and I managed a night out to Wolftrap.  It was his big Father's Day present...concert tickets to John Butler Trio.  And the kids did great back at home!  I actually swapped babysitting with a fellow mom so I babysat the following night so her and her husband could go to a concert the next night.  Wish we could attend more of these concerts since they are in walking distance!

And this sweet trio all ready for the next road trip...off to North Carolina on Friday to see some family!  

Beach Trip #1 of Summer:)

We all know that I am a HUGE fan of the beach.  One of the things that we love most about the East Coast is our easy access to the ocean!  A couple weeks ago, Courtney and I reunited with the kids back up at the New Jersey coast at her aunt's beach house.

Although it was awfully COLD part of the time, we still had lots of fun.  We climbed a lighthouse, had a nice breakfast out, watched movies, went to the park, played on the beach, & survived life with five kids and the two of us.  Abby managed to get sick while we were there---I was thinking it was some major teething since she is 15 months AND finally getting her first teeth but once Andrew caught a fever the morning we were heading out, I knew it wasn't just teething.  Thankfully, it was a viral bug & didn't last long once we arrived home.  It was a fun week with our long lost friends and hopefully we get to see them soon!  

Here's just a glimpse into some of the pictures.  A lot are on my iPhone and I haven't managed to download them yet.  It's been a BUSY summer so far.  We arrived home from NJ, welcomed Grandma Rogers for a very short visit while she was out in DC working.  Then had a crazy packed week last week before heading to NC on Friday to visit my mom, grandma, sister & her kids!  It's been a WILD weekend & we return back tomorrow before flying out to Iowa for 2 WEEKS!  

I really should be sleeping but I'm savoring my only quiet moments of this trip to share some pictures with you!

Summer Days

So far a lot of our summer has looked like this...

And maybe a little of this...

And this...

We kicked off last Monday with not three kids, but FIVE, in this house.  I babysat all morning for a friend so she could run kid-free to the doctor.  Five kids under five but sometimes I find it easier to have kids over because my kids love having friends over & enjoy having playmates.  The rest of Monday was spent relaxing & enjoying a laid-back summer day.

Tuesday, the boys had tennis & met some of our dear friends at the park after.  The kids ran like crazy until the rain came upon us at around 1:30 and we rushed home to a quieter, rain-filled afternoon.

Wednesday, we hit the gym & store in the morning and headed to our friends in the afternoon for some more water fun & dinner for all.  It's always easier to kill long husband work days when you have a friend...

Unfortunately our battery light came last week on so Thursday morning we woke up and me and the trio headed to the car repair shop to get it checked out.  Trust me, when you take three kids five and under, you get the service you need and fast.  New battery is installed & we are ready to travel this week.  After we left, we headed to Subway to grab a quick lunch and to another fun park in town for a lunch play date with Aiden's classmates.  We miss seeing his friends (and the moms!) everyday!  The rest of the afternoon was low-key including a trip to the library for some new books.

And Friday, Aiden invited a friend over for the morning where we spent time in the pool, riding bikes, & just playing.  He left after lunch and then the kids and I scooted out to get ice cream and play at the park while our cleaners came to do their magic.  We arrived home back in the mid-afternoon to an amazingly clean house.  It was a BIG day because I was leaving for the weekend and Chris was playing Mr. SuperDad all weekend.  So I said good-bye to the wild & crazy kids before another wild & crazy adventure where Courtney and I attended our first ever blog conference.

Thankfully, Chris survived the weekend (and me too!).  He even got all three dressed & arrived at church early (which never happens & Abby even wore a hair bow & tights.  WHAT?!?!)    

Another fun summer week ahead as we are heading to the Jersey shore tomorrow for a few days of fun with friends for the kids and I!  This weekend, we are excited to welcome Meme Rogers for a VERY short, but sweet, trip out to DC:)