Vacation - Days 5, 6 and 7

On Thursday morning, we had to say good-bye to the Lee family. Sad.

We went to lunch with Grandpa and then he headed home too. Kyle loved giving Grandpa high-5s. Throughout the week, he shied away from his aunts, but couldn't get enough high-5s from Grandpa. 

On Friday, Patty and I took the bigger kids to an indoor bounce house place. The kids had a great time running around together.  Afterwards we went home for some pizza and packing.

Early the next morning, we gathered our stuff and headed to the airport. We didn't leave the house as early as we had liked. Since the airport is small, we thought we'd be okay but the security line that morning was unusually long. We were for sure going to miss our flight. I asked an airport employee if we could jump to the head of the security line but I was denied. As we moved closer to the front of the line, we heard the last call for our flight. Panic set in. I sure wasn't going to be stuck at the airport with three sleep-deprived kids without a fight. I asked the people in line if we could cut in front of them. Some said yes, some said no but I went ahead and took my crew to the front. I'm sure we upset more than a few people... We loaded up the conveyor belt and moved as fast as we could. Thankfully our gate was the first one. I grabbed the kids and left Derek to collect our belongings. Thankfully, since it was the first flight of the day, they were holding the flight for those that were running late. We made it onto the flight!!  The rest of our travels went smoothly. Kyle was a bit fidgety but he finally fell asleep on the second flight. The girls did great and kept themselves busy. We're thankful the kids are good travelers because we have one more trip this summer! 

We had a great week! It was restful and fun and great to see all the cousins together. 

Vacation - Day 4

My sisters' families went to the Hershey Amusement Park. Since there was supposed to be scattered thunderstorms (we didn't bring any warm clothes or rain gear) and Kyle was still running a fever, we decided not to go with them. Instead, we went to Chocolate World which was just outside the amusement park. Grandpa came with us and Julie and Jessi met us there. 

We rode a little ride that showed the chocolate making process.

Afterwards, the girls got to package some chocolate. They first had to take their employee ID photos. 

  

Then they were put to work!

After filling their containers with chocolate, they had to shake them up and put them on the conveyor belt.

They did a great job and got to go home with a container of Hershey's kisses that had their photos on it.

Vacation - Day 3

We made a trip to the Pennsylvania State Capitol to see where Patty works. She is serving her first term as a State Rep. She made state and local history by becoming the first Asian-American woman to be sworn in as a House member and the first woman to fill the 103rd House district seat. She's doing great!

 

  

Poor Kyle was running a fever the first few days we were there. He didn't seem uncomfortable nor did he lose his appetite, but he didn't sleep well at night. I think his fever was from cutting new teeth. He's soon going to have four new teeth on top!

The kids spent the rest of the day playing. The girls loved playing with Brielle and Jessi. We didn't see them for long stretches of time. Karis spent a lot of time coloring as well.

  

Kyle spent most of his time eating and following the cats around.

Vacation - Day 2

We slept in the first morning. I could hear lots of little feet at our door and up and down the stairs. The cousins anxiously waited for our kids to wake up. It was non-stop play the rest of the day.

We enjoyed our first cool day (upper 70's/low 80's) in the pool. Grandpa came up later in the day and stayed with us until Thursday.  

I can't wait until Kyle is old enough to play alongside the boys.

The water was cold and it took some time to get used to.

Of course Karis wasn't bothered by the cold water.

Warming up in the sun. 

Derek received the "Daddy of the Day" award for getting into the cold pool with the girls.

Hanging out

Vacation - Day 1

We just got back from our first summer vacation trip. We went to the east coast to meet up with my family. The girls were beyond excited to see all their cousins. For two weeks, they counted down the days with paper chains. They ripped off one ring each day until there was nothing left and it was vacation time!

Our vacation couldn't have come at a better time! People weren't kidding when they warned us about summers in Texas. It's been crazy hot and we're not used to (nor do we like!) being confined to the indoors during the summer. We were ready for some cooler weather and time away to relax. I also hurt my back two days before we left. It made it hard to pack up the family, but my back held up great during our travels and I was able to recover at my sister's place where we had a lot of help with the kids.

The kids did great on the airplane. We had a 3-hour flight, a 1-hour layover and then another short 45 minute flight. Last time I flew, it was just me and the kids. This time with Derek, it was a piece of cake!

We got in close to 11 pm. My sisters met us at the airport and helped us get situated at the house. It was a long day and we were definitely ready to end the day!