Memorial Day Weekend 2011

After a year of missing due to {being stuck at home with little triplets} this year we made the journey & the kids' first LONG road trip up to visit Aunt Tisha, Uncle Aaron & cousin Addie for their annual Memorial Weekend Bash!

We left Friday morning & turned our 6 hour drive into a 7 hour trip after a stop 1/2 way there in Ames to let the kiddos run around at the mall for a while & grab a bite for lunch. 

Hayden

 No glasses because she can not be trusted with them in the car!

 Logan

They did pretty well in the car.  Watched some DVDs.  Slept quite a bit.  Snacked on cheerios, or um, made a disaster of the van with cheerios.  Livi of course fussed on & off most of the way, but thats just Livi for you.  Unfortunately all that car sleeping made for zero sleeping on Friday night.  They went to bed at 9, & when Jeff & I crawled into bed at midnight, Hayden woke up & was up until he finally (after many tears) napped the next afternoon.  After hours of fighting him, we gave up.  Jeff stayed up with him from 3-6 & I slept.  Then I got up & Jeff slept from 6-8:30.  Nice night of sleep before the Saturday party.  Oh well.  Such is parenthood, right?  Logan & Livi slept ok but were up & the crack of dawn.

Saturday we partied.  My kids have some SERIOUS stranger danger & seperation anxiety.  To the extent that Livi got so worked up at the Y last week that she puked all over herself.  So needless to say it was a very whiney, clingy day for them.  Especially after not sleeping.  But they did get out & play some with all the other kids.  And mom & dad got in a little fun too.  Enough for mom to get a nice sunburn at least.

 Tisha & Aaron live on the side of a bluff.  The kids had fun climbing up & down the hill. 

 Hayden worked SO hard to be able to go up & down on his feet like the big kids without using his hands.  He had it down by the time we left Monday morning.

 Logan was kind of scared :(

 Livi playing bean bags!

 The big kids found a frog!  Hayden liked it.

 Addie LOVED it!

 Livi was scared (& Logan slept through it)

 Hayden mastered the art of climbing up on tables this weekend.  To the extent of pulling out a chair from under a table & then climbing up.  A skill that this mama hopes he forgot on the drive back home!

 Hayden, waiting for the cookies to be done before bed!

After sleeping a little better Saturday night (still up at the crack of dawn), Sunday was a little quiter, with less people around, so the kiddos played a little more.  The kids & I each got in a good nap so we all felt a little better that day. 

Logan & daddy up at the wee hours

 Hayden & Adelyn playing ball

 They LIVED on oatmeal raisin cookies

Her bangs are SO curly I just don't know what to do with them!

 Hayden

 Addie hugging Logan because he was scared & crying.  How sweet!  She is SO grown up!

 This one is going to be trouble!!  Don't worry, its empty!!

 Livi & Addie:  18 & 20 months

 Cousin Kisses!

 Cousins!  Logan, Olivia, Adelyn & Hayden (best I could get)

Monday after an early lunch we took off for home.  Exhausted & partied to the max!  Again they traveled pretty well.  Stopped in Des Moines at a McDonalds with a PlayPlace for a bite of ice cream & somewhere to stretch all our legs.  The last 2 hour stretch was a little iffy & they were SO glad to be home & hit the hay in their own beds. 

 They got pretty brave towards the end...

Getting ready to head home.  Look at Livi in the middle, she is BEAT!  I think thats about how we all felt by then!  It was a long, fun weekend & it was so much fun to see everyone!!



We hope you all had a good Memorial Day!  Thanks to all of our fallen troops (& as always, also to those who currently serve)  Thanks to those who have given their lives so that we may have the freedom to sit out in the sun on Memorial Weekend, grill burgers & brats & drink a few brews in the company of our friends & family.  Thanks for fighting for our freedom!