Gettysburg

We had a wonderful trip to Gettysburg. Fortunately, almost everything we did was indoors as it was in the upper 90's. The kids took part in a junior ranger program on joining the army, and we went through the museum, saw the film, and of course visited the gift shop. We decided to do the audio car tour through the battlefield. I enjoyed hearing the commentary, but we really didn't get to see much because by that point we were all tired and hungry and didn't really want to get out of the car. I also really enjoyed the cemetery...what an unbelievably moving experience. I was really proud of the kids who seemed to grasp the meaning of everything we were experiencing. It probably helps that they have a dad who is a high school history teacher! This morning we decided to tour the Eisenhower National Park, also located in Gettysburg. I personally enjoyed that much more than the battle portion of our trip, but that's kind of my personality. Three more days visiting the in-laws and then we should be home for the summer. I'm really looking forward to my own bed soon!

Pack, unpack, repack, unpack, laundry. Repeat.

This is pretty much where we are at with things right now. I spent Wednesday doing nothing but laundry and packing. We drove to PA Thursday, dropped the kids off at my in-laws, and turned around and drove back to Zanesville, OH to meet up with friends for dinner. We stayed in a motel there, then got up Friday morning and drove to Dresden, OH to tour Longaberger basket country. Loved, loved, loved it! Even my wonderful husband enjoyed it. Our friends had been there before and it was nice to have them along to help us find our way. After spending the entire day there, we drove, along with our friends, to Columbus for the next two nights. This morning we had brunch together, and then took the scenic route home. I'm in the midst of laundry again, as tomorrow we drive back to PA. Tuesday morning we'll be getting up to drive to Maryland, then we'll spend Wednesday at Gettysburg before returning back to my in-laws on Thursday. Next weekend is a surprise party for my father-in-law (needless to say he isn't a blog reader!) and then we'll return home on Sunday. I'm sure I'll be plenty tired of living out of my suitcase by then, but we are very blessed to be able to make all of these memories!

Scout Camp

JR returned this morning from three days at scout camp. He absolutely loved it! Just as I suspected, he came home very tired. He told me that he got to do lots of swimming, some bb shooting, and made a key chain. These are just a few of the things he's had a chance to mention to me. On the downside, he was also stung by a wasp the first day he was there. By yesterday, the swelling had become pretty bad so they took him to the nearest town and he saw a doctor. He's on an eight day steroid to help with the inflammation. He tells me that it looks much better today, and my thought was, "Yikes!" I think it still looks pretty swollen so I can only imagine what it looked like at its worst. He got along really well with his tent mate and overall it was just a great experience for him.

While he was gone, we enjoyed our family reunion on Sunday, and then headed to my dad's place at the lake for just one night. There are some chores we need to accomplish up there and we just haven't been around much to get them done. We are about to hit the road for a week and a half, so today is all about laundry and packing!

And yet more family

Today we are off to yet another family reunion...this isn't even our last one of the summer! I love that the majority of my family lives within 50 miles, and I love even more that various relatives are willing to host large gatherings and we get together roughly once a year. Usually there is one group or another that takes a "skip" year, but this year every group has a reunion scheduled, and most of the hosts have pools! We are enjoying visiting with so many relatives, my kids love getting so much attention, and we are all enjoying so much pool time!

More fun with family

Yesterday was an absolutely wonderful day spent with my family. We were joined at my aunt & uncle's place by my grandmother as well as two cousins, and between them four of their children, including the newest at just five weeks old! The kids got to go out on the pond in the paddle boat, and each took turns swimming. I think the highlight though for JR, was the endless hours of fishing that took place. That boy is perfectly content with a fishing rod! He was able to catch one of the catfish that has been stocked in the pond and everyone was excited about that. I know that my grandmother absolutely loved getting to spend the day with six of her eight great-grandchildren, and spent a great deal of time down at the dock with the fishing and boating crew. I'm just so amazed and grateful for such a wonderfully large extended family!

All Star Game

Tonight I'm continuing a tradition with my kids from my childhood. My sister and I have always been huge, huge fans of the Cincinnati Reds. I remember being a kid and my sister and I would make a big bowl of popcorn and sit in front of the TV eagerly anticipating the evening's festivities. Our favorite part was always the introduction of the all star teams, and it was always time to cheer when the Reds player(s) was/were introduced. I still follow the Reds closely, and my kids have also become fans. Tonight, I'll pop a big bowl of popcorn, and we'll all sit in front of the TV watching the introductions and the beginning of the game. For the first time in quite awhile, there will actually be four Reds players involved in the game! Go National League!

Better day

I'm happy to report that today is a much better day for JC. I'm not completely convinced that she didn't have a little touch of something, as not only did she take a little nap yesterday, she went to bed at 7 and went to sleep. Not very much like her. The boys were up until 9 because we were playing a mean game of Monopoly. Anyway, her behavior has been much better today, and I smile as she likes to keep pointing that out to me. Tomorrow we are headed for another adventure...a two hour drive to my aunt & uncle's 23 acre summer home complete with a pond. Got to remember to take the camera!

The downside

We had a wonderful day at the family reunion yesterday. The pool is the perfect size and even has a slide...fun for all ages! HT even went down the slide for the first time. JR was especially tired after all the fun and slept on the way home. All three got a good night sleep, but apparently it wasn't enough for JC. She has had more than her share of meltdowns today. It breaks my heart to see her rail out of control, and then after she realizes how much she's lost it she just sobs even harder. It's really awful, but I've encouraged her to try to settle herself by reading, and maybe even closing her eyes for a little bit...hoping that helps!

To the Pool

Today continues a tradition that has become one of my favorites since I became a parent. My aunt lives about an hour away, and while I see her often enough, I see my cousins and their children less so. My aunt decided she didn't want the kids growing up and not knowing each other, only seeing each other at Christmas. So we are headed to her house for a pool party today! For the fifth consecutive year, it's been absolutely gorgeous weather (actually, last year it was almost too cold) and the kids are excited about it. I enjoy getting to reconnect with relatives, especially the two 14 year-olds who were born my senior year of college and I got to see them as such young babies...hard to believe they are entering high school! Looking forward to a fun day.

One of my favorites

This year's vacation really was one of my favorites. For one thing, everything we did was something new...I'd never been there before. For another thing, we only did one thing a day which gave us plenty of down time. And lastly, my kids enjoyed it so much, and seeing the looks on their faces was amazing. We loved sharing the week with friends, and I furthermore loved how well the kids got along. And for a moment to brag, I was so proud of how well my kids behaved with all of the chaos around them. I know my kids think that we are tough on them, but seeing how other kids don't behave reminds me that we are doing the right thing.

This week we are getting JR ready for scout camp and hoping to accomplish a few other things along the way. Summer is just flying by so quickly, but we are enjoying it!

Vacation fun

We've had a wonderful trip so far. It's been great to visit with our friends, although driving here made us realize how far away they've moved and it makes us very sad. We are spending lots of time together though, and the kids are doing really well. There has been lots of pool time here at the hotel and yesterday we visited such a cool science museum. It was totally awesome and entertained us all...from the oldest mom to the youngest at age 4. Tomorrow we check out of the hotel and spend the last two days with our friends. We are looking forward to lots more fun times in the next couple of days. Happy Independence Day!