Road trip 2011!

I look forward to our road trips all year.  And I plan along the way.  And it's a good thing, because this year we left on the road trip five days after we got home from Utah.  And we had to squeeze all the school stuff into those five days.  Sheesh.  It was crazy.

Ready to roll.

First stop:  Visiting Destinee and her kids in Asheville.

It was a short, but fun little visit.

Another fun stop:  East Tennessee Discovery Center.

 The kids LOVED it.

It was small, but very fun.

 We even got a planetarium show all to ourselves.

We stayed one night at Aunt Irene and Uncle Bill's house.

The kids visited their animal friends from last year.

There was a good reason for the mad rush to get out of town.  We were working on a surprise.  A BIG surprise.  This year is Grandma Cuca's 80th birthday and we had to get to Texas in time to celebrate.

In fact, we were the ones in charge of getting her to the party.  So we couldn't be late.  My kids missed the last day of school, but it was SOOOO worth it.  I don't know if surprised is the right word.  Grandma Cuca was absolutely shocked.  We had a fabulous party with just about every friend and loved one there.  Yay!

After the party, my fam headed out to some cabins to stay for a few nights.

It was the perfect time for a family photo shoot.

Andrew was the only one missing.

Grandma Cuca with all her grandkids and great grandkids

My family

Gigi and Grandpa with all their grandkids

Grandma Cuca with all her great grandkids

While we were there, we:

enjoyed the wildlife

swam and swam and swam some more.

It was HOT.

And the water was cold.

Mark went fishing.

Brandon watched.

went geocaching.

Found three of the four caches we were looking for.

went exploring on the Colorado River

 caught these teeny tiny frogs

had a blast hanging out with our cousins

These two sunbathed but did NOT want to get in the pool.

did crafts with Gigi.

Me and my four siblings live in five different states, so get-togethers like this are rare.  It was great to spend time with everyone.  I especially loved watching my little brothers and sister as parents.  They are awesome!

Dads

I'm feeling kinda weird being away from Andrew on this Father's Day.  And I left in such a flurry that I didn't even plan any fun gifts or activities for him.  Slacker.  BIG thanks to Nicolle and Greg for inviting him over for dinner.  Steaks--that'll help ease the loneliness for sure.

I love having such a wonderful dad for our kids.  Miss you, babe!

Also Happy Father's Day to My Dad and Andrew's Dad.

We love you guys!

End of year school stuff

The great road trip of 2011 has commenced.  But I didn't have time to document the fun end-of-year school stuff for Brandon and Whit before we left.  So I'm throwing up a few pics and calling it our farewell to 1st and 4th grades.

 Whit's end of year party

W and her teacher

B's field trip to Raleigh

Visiting the Museum of History

 Waiting for the bus

B's awards ceremony--

straight A's all year.  Woo hoo!

B with his teacher

We even missed the last day of school to start the road trip.  LOTS of pics and details to follow.

Utah trip: stream of consciousness

Airport.  Heavy carry-ons.  Big laptop.  Layover in Chicago.  Speed walking.  Brachiosaurus.  Snow-capped mountains.  Chilly.  Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Ang, For, and Wyatt.  Tony and Cindy and their five SIX adorable kids.  The viewing.  Individually wrapped lifesaver mints everywhere.  Hugs.  Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.  Great Grandma Rose.  Holding Calvin.  Getting dressed up.  Caroline raising her hand when the funeral director asked if anyone else wanted to say good-bye to Grandma.  Her little wave and blowing one last kiss.  Andrew's commanding presence when he conducted the funeral.  Angie singing a beautiful solo "O My Father" and not even crying.  Tony's funny and spirit-filled talk.  Caroline singing "I had a dream" in the middle of Tony's talk.  The cemetery.  Family photos.  Great-grandkids choosing flowers.  Chuck-a-Rama.  Playing pool with Andrew and Forrest.  Games at Tone and Cind's.  Scum.  My birthday!  Lunch at Cafe Rio.  First ride on a Harley.  Winning the kickball game.  Playing catch with Drew.  Seeing how far Andrew and Tony can hit a softball.  Cold Stone ice cream cake.  Packing.  Back to the airport.  So tired.  Stuck in Houston for several hours.  Miss Rodeo America.  Love puffy clouds.  Home sweet home.

Andrew's highlights:  Watching NBA finals in the man-cave with Dad and Tony.  Spending some quality one-on-one time with Caroline.  Playing softball.

Brandon's highlights:  Soccer with cousins, playing nerf gun tag, big sleepover with cousins, Grandma's always-full candy bowls.

Whitney's favorites:  Swinging in Grandma and Grandpa's backyard while making up songs, watching Ice Age with Jane

Caroline's favorites:  Having a tea party.  Eating candy.  Playing with Vivi and Macy.