Loads of Fun

Whew! We are on the road from Virginia to Ohio right now. I love having an Internet card because we pretty much plug it into the laptop and can use it wherever we have cell phone reception. Because we have Alltel - which has awesome reception - I am using my internet in the mountains. Nice. It is kind of my escape at the moment while the kids are napping in the back and Tim is singing along with the blaring Relient K music.

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend. This was our first Thanksgiving without a big feast. Wednesday we traveled to my in-laws' house in Ohio. Thursday we had turkey sandwiches and cranberry sauce for lunch and then hit the road for Virginia. We arrived at Tim's cousin's house shortly after 7:00. We let Noah run around for a little bit with their son, Carter, and then it was bedtime. Noah likes having boys to play with because it's all about tag, trains, trucks and motorcycles.

On Friday we went into DC with Jeremy, Carrie, and their boys (Carter, Luke & Brayden.) Carrie's dad is the director of the Environmental Protection Agency and he hooked us up so that we could park in his parking circle. It was free and close to the things we were planning to see - perfect. Carrie took us inside to show us her dad's office and we ate our picnic lunch in there (since the weather turned out to be cold and dreary) and fed Ellie as well. That was fun. You feel like you're in the movie "National Treasure" while you're in there...like there are secret passages and all sorts of things hidden around you. Originally the plan was to tour the White House but Carrie got a call a couple days before saying that they would be decorating for Christmas and so we couldn't come. Bummer. Oh, well. After finishing lunch we walked down to get a picture at least.

We also went to the Museum of American History. I love that the Smithsonian museums are free. I hate that they are free. It is great not having to pay, but everyone and their brother are there as well and it is crowded. We made it through the Innovation and Play section and the history of Transportation section and then called it a day. That particular museum had just opened a few weeks before from being closed for awhile for renovation.

Saturday was crazy busy. That morning Jeremy and Carrie held a brunch at their house. Jeremy's brother, Jonathan, and his family (wife and four kids) came over. Tim's sister, Kristen, and her family (husband and four boys) - in from Tennessee - came over. Thirteen kids. Under the age of eight. Chaos. Fun. I love it even though by the end I'm totally wiped out. Ellie kept spitting up that day. It was my first day giving her peaches so I don't know if her tummy was getting used to them or what. She had a gigantic spit up session while Jon's wife, Shelley, was holding her. It's a good thing Ellie was facing out with her back against Shelley's stomach so she didn't get her, just the floor. After it happened I grabbed a burp cloth, Carrie grabbed paper towel and Shelley stood there with Ellie while we cleaned up around her. It dawned on me at that moment how obvious it is that we are parents because none of us freaked out like childless people would have. No gag reflexes, just calm and control like it's part of the norm. Because it is. We had about a two hour break between everyone leaving and then having to leave for Tim's grandma's 90th birthday party, which was the whole reason we were down there.

Tim's aunt is not known for doing things half-heartedly and the party was more evidence of such. She had it catered and the food was fantastic! Chicken marsala, mashed potatoes that you could put baked potato toppings on if you so desired, crispy green beans, squash, beef tips, and for the kids - chicken strips and macaroni-n-cheese. Two more kids were thrown into the mix from earlier with the arrival of another cousin so there were now fifteen kids under the age of eight running around. Randy and Deidra unfortunately had to cancel their travel plans at the last minute because Wyndham woke up with a stomach bug that morning. We were all pretty bummed and missed them. Tim's cousin, Andrew, has a son that couldn't make it either. Everyone else was there and it was pretty amazing to have even that many people be able to make it. Grandma was excited and held up pretty well for a ninety-year old woman sitting in the middle of a tornado of people.

After getting home, the kids went straight to bed and Tim and I stayed up for awhile chatting with Jeremy and Carrie. We really enjoy spending time with them so that was nice.

Sunday was Luke's birthday and the departure of family members as well from VA. Tim and I wanted to give Jeremy and Carrie some family time for Luke's birthday so the day worked out nicely as we went back to his aunt's house to visit with his sister before they left for Tennessee. After a nice lunch of leftovers we headed into an area outside of DC to meet Daniella, someone I randomly "met" through Angie Smith's blog. We have corresponded back and forth and she invited us over when she found out we would be in the area. She is married with an adorable toddler daughter. We were a bit nervous beforehand - I mean, who really gets a chance to actually meet people they have come to know through blogworld? When we were driving back to Jeremy and Carrie's that evening, Tim made the comment that he wished they lived in our area because they were really nice people that you can feel easy and comfortable with. Thanks for a fun visit, Daniella!

We made it back for the kids to play for a little bit before bedtime and then we adults chatted again for a bit. Tim and I finally dragged ourselves to bed to be able to have some energy for our travels today. We are currently traveling through Pittsburgh and approaching a tunnel. Noah is excited.

I have photos but will have to post them later because most of them are not on our laptop yet. For now, though, I can leave you with one that I had already put on here a couple days ago.

Thanks Jeremy and Carrie for an AWESOME stay! We had a blast.