Crystal, Brandon and the kids came to visit this past week. We had a wonderful time visiting, exploring and laughing at the kids' antics. They all get along as if they have been together on a regular basis their entire lives.
We had dinner waiting when they arrived on their first night and since that day happened to be Father's Day, we had a cookie cake to honor the two dads.
Aaron and Darian are two peas in a pod. Their mannerisms and personalities are eerily similar. We recreated one of our favorite pictures of the two of them. The one on top is probably about eleven years ago. They were good sports and played along long enough for us to snap the recreation.
A while ago Gabriel posted a picture of a bridge in Louisville that he thought was really cool. When I saw it, I knew they needed to see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
I'm open to any excuse to go to the beach and having company here is a perfect reason.
The beach was a new experience for Crystal's kids, but once they warmed up to it they all loved it. The first time Gabriel got knocked down by a wave and sucked in a little salt water I think he thought he was going to die, but he rallied. We almost lost Brandon out to sea, but with some encouragement he managed to make it to shore before the lifeguard had to dive in. Ha! Crystal bought me my very own caramel corn when we stopped for beach souvenirs.
Even though Gabriel told me he didn't want to learn anything while he was on vacation, we walked around historic Yorktown,
Gabey was declaring it fun before we even left the dock.
Crystal and I took three of the kids to Fort Monroe. I think it is a really interesting place. My kids have been there several times and are less than thrilled. We also walked along the beach after touring the museum so they could collect some shells.
We thought it was funny that the doorways in the fort were tall enough for me to walk right under, but everyone else had to watch their heads. Gabey could still get by, but he will catch up with his siblings soon enough.
The very first morning the boys started the day with a Nerf battle that really continued throughout the entire week.
The rest of us started off with breakfast. Alexis was very proud of herself for figuring out how to make her own fruit and yogurt parfait.
Someone, I think Crystal blamed me, thought it would be a great idea to have all the kids play a game of Apples to Apples. They had fun, but it got a bit long.
They also spent some time playing the wii,
riding bikes and playing at the park.
Someone, I think Crystal blamed me, thought it would be a great idea to have all the kids play a game of Apples to Apples. They had fun, but it got a bit long.
They also spent some time playing the wii,
riding bikes and playing at the park.
Crystal and I joked that the kids were like locusts when it was time to eat. We would have food set out on the counter and they would swarm and devour. We later decided that calling them piranhas was a more accurate description.
This is what it looks like when a gazillion kids are in and out of the house.
The shoe mess got to Brandon one day and he matched all the shoes and lined them up. That lasted until our next outing. Ha!
One important moment we should not forget is Crystal's introduction to my favorite movie, A Few Good Men. I'm not sure if she enjoyed as much as I do, but she was a good sport and played along.
As all good things do, this visit had to come to an end. I fed them one more time and then they were off. I think this is a cute picture of Darian wearing his backpack and eating at the same time just before getting in the car.
This is what it looks like when a gazillion kids are in and out of the house.
The shoe mess got to Brandon one day and he matched all the shoes and lined them up. That lasted until our next outing. Ha!
One important moment we should not forget is Crystal's introduction to my favorite movie, A Few Good Men. I'm not sure if she enjoyed as much as I do, but she was a good sport and played along.
As all good things do, this visit had to come to an end. I fed them one more time and then they were off. I think this is a cute picture of Darian wearing his backpack and eating at the same time just before getting in the car.
It was nice to spend time with them. When we are in Evansville, our visit is often cut short due to trying to work in visits with everyone else. We will most likely be back in Georgia before their next visit, but we are already planning fun things to do.
