Family Vacation Part 2

One of my second cousins is getting married this fall and her bridal shower fell over one of the weekends I was going to be back in MO. The girls decide to make it into a road trip so on Friday morning, my sister and I headed up to Chicago where we would meet up with my mom and SIL. The last time we were all in Chicago was 3 years ago about 6 weeks before Charlotte was born. This trip reminded me how much I miss the city, even though we didn't make it downtown. 

My sister and I drive up Friday morning with three little ones who did awesome. We did have to make an emergency stop along the way because we thought C peed her pants. She actually was able to hold it until we stopped. We made it to the hotel early Friday afternoon and made plans for dinner. The kids were crazy at dinner and we were all ready for bed. 

Saturday morning everyone was up early and the three mommas headed out for breakfast while Mimi manned the hotel room with four little ones. Once we were showered we left for the shower. We were appropriately placed at the back of the restaurant where the girls could be loud and run around. I enjoyed seeing my Dad's side of the family whom I hadn't seen in 3 years. The shower was held at Portillos and the food was a delicious as I remembered. 

After the shower we headed to the outlet mall followed by a bar be cue at my cousin's. On our way back we made a few pit stops which included Lou Malnatis pizza. YUM!

C'mon Mom, I'm tired of waiting for you.

We headed back early the next morning. As hectic as it was we all had FUN. 

Monday we headed back to SD. The second flight was rough for all of us. Both kids pooped their pants towards the end of the flights and were whiny.  Needless to say we were all happy to get home to our own beds. 

Family Vacation Part 1

It had been a year since our last visit to the good ole state of Missouri. After flying 3,600 miles (to and from) and driving 1,100 miles - STL - Como - KC - STL - Chicago - STL we saw just about everyone we could have wanted to see and do/eat everywhere I wanted to eat.

This was my first time flying with two kids alone and E's first flight. The kids did awesome on the flight. E slept the whole time and C watched movies. 

On the way home we grabbed Qdoba and decided to drive to CoMo. What we didn't know was that we were heading into a torrential rain storm. I haven't seen rain like that in a long time, plus I enjoyed seeing the lightning. It took longer than expected and the kids slept through it.

Saturday morning the cousins hung out, watched movies and played, surprisingly well with one another. My sister and I headed out to do some shopping before heading back to the chaos.

Sunday was my nephew's birthday. And it was also the day E decided to scream/not sleep ALL DAY. 

Seriously, ALL DAY. Monday and Tuesday we took it easy, ate Shakespeares and visited my aunt. I'm so glad she had a chance to meet Everett. As she passed away on Friday. 

Wednesday we headed out to KC and drove through another rain storm. David joined us in KC for the weekend. We caught a Royals game, caught up with old friends and visited with family. David headed back to SD and me and the kids headed to STL.

We hung out with my family for a couple days enjoying some of my favorite childhood activities - IGA donuts, Lion's Choice, JayCee Park and Lyons Frozen Custard. 

Sappy Romance Novels

Recently I've been reading some old school Nicholas Sparks books. My interest was peaked when I saw a movie trailer for Nights in Rodanthe coming out later this fall. I remembered the book was sitting on my shelf unopened. After I finished the other book I was reading I jumped into this one. It was a quick pool side read that I finished in one afternoon. Since it was such an easy read, I broke the spine on another NS book, the Rescue. I really enjoyed this one because it's about a boy who has learning disabilities. I've recently been thinking about how I can help out with people who have these disabilities. Now I'm on my third NS book, Message in a Bottle. I know, these books have been out for years and I've actually had them for years, but I've never read them. I find that I either love his books or hate them. I loved the Notebook, the Wedding, a Walk to Remember. But I didn't care too much for True Believer and the sequel At first sight. I leave you with a clip from my favorite scene from the Notebook.