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On Saturday morning, Mike left before we woke up to do a swim-bike trial run of his upcoming triathlon. When he was finished, he described it as brutal. During the swim he was kicked time and time again, and since the course was hard to determine (not well marked and it was his first time swimming the distance in a dark lake), he swam way off course and had to double-back. He and his friends then took off on the bike course,which Mike said was very hilly and confusing (he actually got lost and had to double back a couple of times). I'm so proud of his hard work and really excited to cheer him on in August -- and I'm oh, so glad that I've decided to bump my race to a one later in the year in October (shorter distance and more time to train while the boys are in school, since I haven't made it to the gym at all this summer).
While Mike was training, the boys and I packed the car and settled in for a 3-hour drive to my parents' house/our first leg of our Operation Grandmother Road Trip (I felt really lazy, "just sitting there" while Mike was exercising his strength and endurance :). Soon after we arrived, we girls headed out to watch Dana try on wedding dresses while the boys hung out with my dad. Dana looked BEAUTIFUL in every single one. I will certainly be crying when she walks down the aisle (I'm tearing up now, just thinking about it). She is amazing.
(Had to cut off the dress...no peeking before the big day!)Here's one more super cute picture from Lindsey's blog.
On Sunday morning, 3 sisters & 3 boys & a bunch of suitcases & what felt like zillions of toys, loaded into my minivan on our way to Deland, FL to visit my dad's mom ("Nona"). The boys strapped on their headsets (we stocked up at Blockbuster with 10 "new" movies) and we were on our way.
The boys did great on our first 5 1/2 hour leg, with just one stop at a McDonalds to eat, get a new toy, and run around. Of course the playland was 10x the fun with 2 crazy aunts to play with!
By the time we got to Deland the boys were ready to combust. My Nona's tiny, one room retirement home (chocked full of breakables!) was no place for the boys, so Dana & Lindsey hung out while the we checked out a local park. They could have run around for hours, but after a few minutes, we all met my Uncle Bruce & Aunt Kitty for dinner. It was great to see them, though near impossible to visit much and keep the boys entertained/sitting still/eating & drinking without spilling, etc.. I did my best, but did end up rushing their hyper bodies to the car before the check even arrived. After all of those hours stationary in the car, can't really blame them, I guess. 
Here we are with my Nona. This picture cracks me up. Miles looks like he's sitting on a tac. I look like I have the neck of a giraffe (and look like I'm worried I'm about to be cut out of the picture..haha). Griffin is being squished and has some funny sideways face. I really don't care through, we're all with my Nona. I love this woman. Down to my core. I can remember adoring her as a little girl and wanting to be just like her. She collected elephants, so I started collecting elephants. She loved to needlepoint, so I asked her to teach me how to cross-stitch. She loved to cook and I loved being in the kitchen with her, just to be where she was. I especially loved when she made her canella cookies and nuts and bolts. Yum. Now, I just wish that I had more time with her. In our quick, 24-hour trip to Deland, I really didn't get the chance to talk to her at all. Or listen. I love listening to her stories. I was so sad as I hugged her goodbye, because it was so amazing to be right there with her, yet I missing her at the same time. 
My Nona has always stayed busy with her hands. When her vision was better, she loved to needlepoint and make quilts. These days, she knits blankets....and blankets....and blankets. She let each of the boys pick one out, which THRILLED them. They took turns laying them out on the floor and folding them up (over and over). They curled up with them immediately in the car and they've been snuggling with them every since. 
And we're off again....next stop: Pompano Beach to see Grandma T, Aunt Phyllis & Uncle Mike! 
After leaving Deland, we traveled for about 4 hours and arrived in Pompano Beach. We were so excited to get there and settle in for a few days with my mom's mom ("Grandma T") and my mom's sister and her husband (Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Mike). As soon as we got out of the car, Griffin spied the hose and started chanting, "pool!, pool!, pool!" I immediately unpacked his pool, blew it up, filled it with water, and stripped him down. I am not exaggerating when I say that he proceeded to splash and jump in that little pool for 2 hours before we even stepped foot into the house. He had such a ball.
Meanwhile, my grandmother introduced Miles and Noah to her electric organ. It was instant love. They turned the volume on high, pushed a few buttons to get the back-beat playing, and then played that organ like crazy. 
Miles was so in-love with the instant music, that each day we were there he invited everyone to a "dance party." He made signs/posters for the party, personally invited everyone, and then lead the music and dancing. It was hilarious. I've already been lobbying to Mike that our family Christmas gift to ourselves should be some sort of electric organ/keyboard/piano to foster this musical excitement. He's not convinced yet, but I'll keep working on him...he married me because he loved my persistence, right? :)
We went to the beach one day (no camera in tow). The second day we let Dana & Lindsey have some adult beach time, and the boys and I checked out an awesome science museum. They had a robot/ invention exhibit (which was perfect with Miles' upcoming invention camp) and the boys loved building with these magnets. I loved that Miles sat down and immediately rebuilt the Arch. He must have been thinking about building this. 
If it was anything in FL, it was HOT. Never fear, Aunt Phyllis and Grandma T stocked up with all of our favorite foods -- including yummy popsicles. The boys feasted on them. 
I love this picture of my Aunt Phyllis and Dana. She had just given Dana a little wedding advice/congratulations and I'm sure they were both a little teary. I have a terrible memory -- yet I remember vividly how much it meant to have my Aunt Phyllis around for my wedding festivities. She was an enormous help with my bridesmaid luncheon, she tirelessly tied bows on our wedding programs, she did so many things. The most important thing to me, though, is simply that she was there. My aunt Phyllis is so loving and giving of herself. She's one of those people that you just want to be around. All the time. Her laugh makes you want to laugh and if you are touched by something and tearing up, you can be certain that she's tearing up too. I love that about her. Her husband, Mike, is amazing, too. I can't believe I didn't get one picture of that handsome fella.
And Grandma T...another amazing woman in my life that I love, love, love. Grandma T has this laugh that I adore. Sometimes she gets so tickled that she has to stop in her tracks and just laugh. I love it and every time she does it, I have to laugh with her (whether I know what she's laughing about or not). When I think of Grandma T as I was growing up, I think of amazing family vacations at my grandparents' house near the Jersey shore. There was always lots of extended family around....aunts, uncles, cousins....lots of time playing at beach, hanging out at the boardwalk (loved all the skeeball and the awesome flip-flops that could only be found there), watching cable tv and playing atari (only basic channels at our house!), playing game after game at the kitchen table (hands-up jenkins, dutch blitz, skippo, so many more), hanging out on the screened-in porch reading a book (I read Little Women there), eating watermelon and running around the backyard, exploring their amazing game closet, searching for candy hidden all around the house, and so much more. Being at my grandparents' house in the summertime, as a kid, has such an imprint on my memory and my heart and it is really important to me that my boys also build childhood memories of Grandma T, too. I'm happy to say: mission accomplished. 
We wrapped up our big roadtrip with a couple of days of downtime at my parents' house. The boys LOVE being in Summerville, hanging out with their Gram & Pop. They love playing with all of the "vintage" toys and books there; playing the piano, the keyboard, and my mom's old trumpet; walking down to the neighborhood playground; watching classic disney movies that my parents have had for decades; coloring on the screened-in porch; making mischief in the hose and sprinkler; and so much more. I'm certain, though, that their favorite activities involve just being together with my parents....playing chase, tickling each other, anything that draws them closer together. I love that their hearts and minds are being imprinted with loving being at their grandparents' houses (including Mike's parents' house), just like my mine is.
(Griffin counting all of his favorite things to do at Gram & Pop's house....).
We LOVE you, mom & dad!
***
This trip was a summer-must and I'm so glad that we did it, but unexpectedly, it completely exhausted me (mentally and physically). As spontaneous and up-for-any-adventure that I am, this trip confirmed for me that things just flow better when Mike's in the mix. We had a GREAT trip, but it was not without hiccups. When Noah drew a spider web on the rug at my parents' house before we left (that thankfully came out), when all 3 boys were insanely antsy at the restaurant in Deland, when Noah accidentally broke a lamp in the room we rented in Deland, when Miles went crazy when we were trying to leave the beach in Pompano (b/c he was sandy and wet and ready to clean and dry), when the kids could not go to bed at night without me sleeping in the same bed with them....well, I just realized that I really needed the balance of Mike (with discipline, encouragement, fun-factor). Our kids love routine and on big vacations, everything is new. Sleeping schedules are off (and each day compounds the impact of the previous day), the rules of play (what to touch, how loud to be, etc..) can be unfamiliar, and they don't always get the downtime that they need to recharge (even when they are just hanging out watching tv, they are still keyed up because they are so excited to be on vacation in a new place). With all of these factors in place, they don't always behave as well as they do at home, which catches me off guard, and then I feel anxious that their manners aren't what I expect of them (and what I know of them) and I find myself going through the day on "discipline watch" versus just settling in and playing with the kids like I normally do. Are these feelings self-imposed? Probably. Do I understand when my kids act like normal kids at home, yet wish that they'd act perfectly when we're at someone else's house? Yes. Is that realistic or fair to them? No way. Next trip big road trip, I'm bringing Mike....and if he's not available, my yoga mat (even if it means a 2-3am session). :)
With that said, it was AWESOME to be on a trip with my sisters. I love these girls like no others and feel truly blessed that they are also my best friends. It was such fun to be able to talk-wedding-talk with Dana engaged and I love that my kids had so much everyday-hanging-out-time with their aunts. These girls keep me laughing, too. My funniest memory is from a gas station in FL. Dana hopped into the car from her bathroom break, wide-eyed, and said, "I just missed the door for the bathroom and found myself in the trucker-shower section!" Her experience was G-rated, but its still a very funny visual for me.
All-in-all a very memorable, successful road trip!
Yesterday we met Mike's mom, Peggy, at the children's museum in Greensboro. We had fun playing around for an hour or so and then she scooped up Miles and took him to New Bern for a few days. He was SO excited for his solo adventure to Grandma & Grandpa's house and we were excited for him. I tried to stay strong, but I cried as I hugged him goodbye. I miss him terribly, but know that he's having so much fun.
Today Noah and Griffin have been having a ball running around the house, making a mess, and just being silly. This afternoon, we took a break from torturing the house and went outside for some water play. Noah loved the slip & slide. 
For some reason, Griffin didn't like all of the water spraying everywhere.
No problem...he's been watching his brothers at work. He grabbed the hose, flexed his 2-year-old muscles, and took care of business.
He had much more fun just spraying Noah down. :)
This is how I found Noah and Kristen when I got home today (Griff was sleeping, Miles is at his grandparents' house for the rest of the week). Seriously, this girl is so much fun! I feel lucky to know her.
Thanks for sharing your friends with us, Dana!
