Five years ago when Dave and I got hitched, his sister Amy and her
family made the trek to Virgina from Missouri to celebrate with us.
Since then, Dave and I usually traveled out to Illinois or Missouri to
visit a couple times a year so there hasn't been any need for them to
make such a big trip with their two little ones. However, this summer,
we just didn't think we'd be able to brave toting a toddler and infant
only a few months old half way across the country. Thankfully, now Amy's
children are getting older, making the trip a bit less intimidating for
them. As a result, they decided to make their way back to the Shenandoah Valley
to visit us this time.
Amy, Keith, Luke (3 yrs), Lydia (5yrs)
Lydia was excited to meet Hadley. Out of all her "first"
cousins, Hadley is the only girl Lydia has to pal around with.
After all those boys, I'm happy she finally got her girl cousin!
Luke was proud to sit near Hadley - even if she was
sleeping! Luke carries around a blue dog he named Hungry.
He got Hadley a girl version of Hadley for Christmas this
past year and is holding it near her in this picture.
Caleb was thrilled to see his big cousins. I don't know
if he remembered them from Christmas, but they took
no time getting reacquainted and playing together!
More lovin'
The girls bonding
The
day after they arrived, we took everyone to the library with us for the
weekly story time. The kids played musical instruments, listened to the
librarian share a book, and made a craft. Afterwards, everyone went out
to the toy area to see what they could find. It might not have been the
most exciting vacation excursion, but we beat the heat and the kids
seemed to have fun which is all that matters.
The
following day I loaned my husband out to the Tyndalls for a scorching
day visiting our nation's capital. I didn't think either of my kids
would be able to tolerate the heat or all that walking very well nor did
I think they would be too interested in all the important landmarks at
their age, so I opted to keep them home to play. This actually worked
out for the best because then Luke and Lydia were able to use our double
stroller, helping not only to save their little legs but also allowing
them to get to all the things they wanted to see. As every good D.C.
tourist does, they checked out the White House of course. They also made
their way over to the Lincoln Memorial since Lydia has been very
interested in learning about him lately. (And of course, you know those
midwesterners love Ole' Honest Abe and couldn't pass up an opportunity
to see him.) The Washington Memorial was also on the list of stops.
Lydia, who has been interested in presidents for a while, had a president
themed birthday party last September. Amy made her a George Washington
patterned skirt for the occasion, so getting a picture of her in this
skirt in front of the monument was a definite must. Finally, they took a
moment to step into one of the Smithsonian buildings to check out the
First Lady exhibit with tons of beautiful dresses on display.
While
not making the trip with my two babes was a good choice, it was
somewhat hard on Caleb who kept longing for everyone to come back,
saying "Me cousins, me cousins." He was more than a little excited when
their car pulled up in the driveway.
Keep looking for the next post to read more about our visit with the Tyndalls.
