Where to begin? The girls and I spent last week up in Ohio with Steve's family for our first Cousin Camp experience! It was so much fun!
My biggest stressor was taking the girls on a plane by myself. You know when you take your kids to a restaurant, and even if they behave perfectly, the constant stress of wondering IF they're going to lose their minds at any moment makes it a really stressful trip? That's what it was like for both of the plane trips. All things considered, they did really well. Bella had a few hilarious moments, yelling to me while she was waiting for her ears to pop, and Evelyn had a few almost-meltdown moments, but nothing too horrible occurred. Still, the stress of waiting for Evelyn to lose her mind at any moment made it a tiring experience!
Once we got to Ohio, though, the trip was wonderful! Bella and Evelyn got to play with their cousins, I read seven books, and we had a great time playing and spending time together! I was supposed to plan out Bella's first few weeks of homeschool, but the books were calling my name, so that got done instead. Here are some great pictures from our week!
Waiting for the train at the Atlanta airport. We rode the train with Daddy until it was time for him to get off at his terminal; then, we braved it on our own. We managed to buy a snack, take a potty break, and drag a double stroller, my purse, and two kids to the gate without any casualties. Our flight was delayed by about 30 minutes, which made me want to cry a little, but we were eventually settled.
Bella was responsible for her own ticket (I kept a very close eye on it.), and she did a great job!
Carter met us at the airport with Grandma and Grandpa, and he was fantastic at being sweet to Bella and keeping her entertained on the ride home!
Getting settled in and playing with Grandpa...
Puzzles with Grandma on a rainy afternoon.
Watching some of her older cousins riding their bikes in the rain. I love how she's up on her tip toes!
Evelyn and her Great-Grandma Ferguson (We call her "Great-Grandma in Ohio".)
Matching t-shirts to wear to the zoo and other outings. All of the kids signed their names on the back of each shirt.
Aunt Stacey and Evelyn at the zoo. It was beautiful and not too hot, but this was a little bit of a rough day for Evelyn. Between being tired from our trip the day before and getting used to a big group of new faces, Evelyn was extremely clingy. She wanted to be held by me the entire time, but thankfully, calmed down enough to let Grandma and Stacey take over when I was losing it!
Bryce, Bella, and Aunt Stacey
On the train...I just like Evelyn's weird face here.
Bella and Grandma, looing at the giraffes.
Walking the beautiful trails. Stacey's got Evelyn and Bella's running up ahead. Thank goodness we had bright orange shirts on, because Bella was "running up ahead" most of the day!
We like to force the minors to take group pictures. As you can see, they are just thrilled at this experience!
Talking with Daddy over FaceTime. Thank goodness for technology, because it has made Steve's business trips so much easier! The girls and I love to see his face and talk to him about what has happened in our day, and he loves the chance to check in with us when he's been stuck with businessmen and his hotel room all week!
On Thursday, we took our second outing to Chuck E. Cheese! I have never been to Chuck E. Cheese, so my only mental picture was of Pizza Planet from Toy Story - dark, dirty, and crawling with screaming children. In reality, it was really nice! And really fun! I'm sure there were still invisible germs everywhere, because, let's face it, it was like a fast-food playground on overload, but it was smaller than I was expecting, well-organized, and well-lit. We never had a problem keeping an eye on the kids and they had a blast! Evelyn did a great job of being happy with Stacey and Grandma holding her, which let me run around and play games with Bella. One of Bella's favorite rides was this "life-size" horse. She rode it over and over!
Evelyn on the carousel! And more importantly, happy with someone besides me!
I dragged the girls into one of those "sketch" booths that draw your picture. I didn't have high expectations of fitting us all in, but I ended up loving it!
Okay, I had to include this picture because it was a hilarious moment that I want to remember! There was a giant, mechanical mouse on the "stage" that would come to life every once in awhile and sing and dance. The first time it happened while we were eating pizza, Evelyn raised her hands in the air and just stared at the mouse. It was great! She just kept her hands up for a full couple of minutes while the mouse moved! I also have a video of her dancing to the Cupid Shuffle. Good times.
Oh look! We forced the children to pose for a group picture again!
Shooting zombie pirates. I was a little hesitant at first, but ended up standing behind Bella, yelling, "Keep shooting! Just keep shooting!"
Evelyn trying to reach up and play one of the games. By next year, she should have a better chance.
Our final "cousins on the swing" picture! Grandma has one of every year from when Kaylie and Carter were just babies. It's so fun to flip through them and see the families growing!
Ready to fly home! We had a great trip, and I loved getting to spend extra time with my nieces and nephews that I don't normally get. We just got to do "normal life" with them and hang out. Loved it!
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