Wednesday, July 27, 2011

some (more) vaca highlights

first stop was gram and gramp's house.

D wanted to go on a special walk with mommy and daddy. she had the idea to gather flowers to make a bouquet for grammy. we walked around and enjoyed the beautiful greenery and amazing flowers that grow everywhere. we told her to remember this special walk forever and she said she would.

did we stop at a flower shop? no, these beauties are mostly from the alley. yeah, not fair.
everyone loves grammy's rubber band ball :)
beautiful flowers.

catching fireflies was a definite favorite pastime.

my gramps has been working hard restoring this antique sewing machine.


awww.
my favorite ladies. goofing around.
how cute are these guys?
need i explain?
the girls were in heaven playing "tea party" with their dolls and auntie's vintage toys.
on one of the days, i packed 7 children in the car and we visited the indianapolis children's museum. it was awesome. one of the favorite stops was the barbie exhibit. we found some interesting things...

awkward!!!
barbie's office... how can i help you?
they seriously stayed in this position for an hour. i had to pry them away.
for some reason the girls liked it more than the boys. they seemed physically uncomfortable. i was worried they would hyperventilate.
we couldn't believe our eyes!!!
we had so much fun hangin' with the T's. i am really going to miss them! they were so gracious to welcome a welter invasion in their new home for so long.

S enjoying special time with her god-mother :)
this was one of my favorite parts of our trip. i have so many memories of running around in indiana forests with my cousins in the humid summertime. i loved the sounds of the creeks, the trees, the vines... everything about it. i was so glad we were able to do this with the kids.the white river at holliday park. my fav. my uncle and grandma accompanied us on this trip. i had the wrong shoes on and walked thru a huge mud pit, but other than that... so fun.

the last week we were so lucky to get the kids signed up for vbs. M and B pulled some strings and got the lovelies on the list. i really enjoyed dropping them off in the morning and driving around with paul and baby R. we went out to breakfast, drove around, just enjoyed the calm.... it was heaven. oh and of course the kids had fun at vbs too :)
one morning we went to the scottish rite cathedral. i had always wanted to go in and so we did. we took a tour. it was so creepy. i don't really know anything about the masons, but i'm pretty sure the holy grail is hidden in there somewhere. i asked the guide to cut the cr@p and show me some secret passageways, but he denied their existence. he finally said he would show me a secret exit, i got all excited and then he led me to the elevator. not cool. but the building was amazing.
me and my baby.
i sure am going to miss the beautiful midwest summertime.

Monday, July 25, 2011

4th of july

we celebrated our country's birthday at a good ol' family bbq. except it was very fancy. my uncle hosts a party at his friends' house in downtown indy every year. we were very excited that we were able to attend. the house is amazing, real artwork is hung on the walls, the food was delicious and gourmet, everything is decorated to perfection... i wanted to walk around and stare at everything for hours. i was a little nervous about the kids going inside, but i don't think we broke anything :)

homemade cherry pie.
my uncle's famous 7 min. frosting is heaven on earth.
the whole gang.
beautiful red geraniums.
"corn hole" is a very popular sport in indy. every house we went to had a set up just like this.
L and gramps. the kids were excited to play with cousins galore. they ran around, lit sparklers and fireworks and then crammed onto blankets to watch the big downtown firework show. we had a perfect view from their alley. it was a perfect way to celebrate our great country.
seeing double...

Thursday, July 21, 2011

hangin' with the S's

we were lucky enough to spend a little time with our super cool friends and my beautiful god-daughter on our trip to indy.
they live on this fabulous farm and i even attempted to chop wood.

the kids are just getting to that stage....
we found cool patterns in the wood. maybe made by worms? or pre-historic creatures??
my friend makes this kind of stuff. ridiculous.
i. want. it.
oh and did i mention the ginormous barn the kids play around in?
heavy D.
look at that greenery. those are called trees... my fellow zonies.
um... yes?

my beautiful god-daughter :)

little S deep in thought.
mmm....
little G swiping a "mellow"


thank you S's! we had a fabulous time hanging out with you! i wish we could hang all the time!!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

L turns 9

somewhere between phx and oklahoma city, this child turned into a 9 year old.


we decorated the hotel room with a banner to surprise her when she woke up.
life on the road, i tell ya....
we finally had her birthday dinner at midnight in oklahoma city. we were all off on our times with all the time zone changes... so we pulled into cattleman's steakhouse around 11:30. the deputy sheriff was there and wished her a happy birthday and asked if we were from around those parts. we said no and apologized and explained that we don't usually frequent steakhouses at midnight with 5 wild children.

she got to have a special route 66 root beer.... since we were on the historic route :)
when we finally got to indy, my grammie had a very special birthday cake waiting for her. it was delicious.

she also had another birthday cake from the wonderful "aunt" beth. she rocks.

it was a wild and very celebrated birthday. happy birthday little L pill :)