Home, Unpacked and Doing the Dance

Whew! We are back from a wonderful time of visiting family and friends. 

I will admit that it was a rocky start.  It took us 6 1/2 hours to make the 4 hour journey to my sister’s house.  At that point I was pretty much ready to spend the night, turn around and come home.  But, after a little sleep, we kept going and it ended up great!  

Here’s a little of what we did

There was a lot of time spent with nature. Whether it was exploring the wooded area around Gramma and Papa’s house….

watching little fish in a duck pond….

splashing in a creek…..

.

is that the proper term for this water? I’m out of practice with any water terms except ocean, beach and bay….

catching bugs….

and even a snake! Thank goodness it was tiny!

We even got chased by geese!

We packed a friend’s car full of kiddos, bikes and scooters….

and headed to the park. 

there was plenty of outdoor fun…

and time with friends.

We all got worn out! But only Luke-Xavier had the luxury of crashing in the middle of the day.

Gabi entertained us on several occasions with impromptu songs. 

It was so nice to let the kids run around.  We stayed with a close friend of mine who was gracious enough to open her house.  It was so nice to have 2 moms working together, overseeing kids, meals, laundry and the day’s plans.  There’s something about doing all the chores together that can’t be beat!

After visiting, Gramma and Papa, old friends, sisters, Aunties, new friends and Uncle Ted, it was time to head home. 

We put the iPod on with plenty of kid songs and rocked to Raffi while enjoying hot chocolate and other junky, travel goodies.  Lex loved it! 

Now, we are back home, the car and bags are unpacked.  The dishes and laundry are going and we’re jumping back into our regular routine.  It feels good to be back where the ocean breeze is blowing through my open windows.  When I go up North, I revel in the mountain air and even toy with the idea that we could relocate and be closer to everyone.  But somewhere around San Clemente, while driving south on the 5, I realize how I just can’t replace the feeling that’s in the air down here.  It’s nice to know I can throw the kiddos in Lil Car and take these little trips and get the best of both worlds!

I hope everyone had a happy 4th and is enjoying their summer so far!

Back to the Dance~