Summer Vacation, Indiana!

We have been waiting all summer to take our first real family vacation. Aunt Lori and I have been saying for years that we wanted to go to Indiana to visit our cousins and see their kids and families. Well we finally got around to scheduling the trip for real. We have met Deb and Jill's kids before, but we have not all been together in years, not since our wedding and we really didn't get to spend time with just them. It was fun to get all the little second cousins together, and they had so much fun playing together, and we had just as much fun seeing and catching up with our own cousins, and getting such joy from watching so many precious babies play together, although everyone seemed like such big kids.

Matthew and I flew up on a Thursday and daddy came the next day after working. After a pretty decent flight we met Aunt Lori and Noah in the airport and Deb came to pick us up. We went back to her house and got settled. She lives in a beautiful, really old home with architecture that reminds me of the old UF buildings, and has such fun little rooms and nooks and crannies for the kids to play in. Deb and Aaron have two boys, Logan who is 3, and Griffin, who is about 19 months. Of course the boys had so many fun boy toys to play with, all kinds of trucks, riding cars, trains, tables. Logan and Griffin were so great about sharing their toys with the little babies. It was fun to see the boys chase each other around the house, and laugh and giggle. We ordered pizza for dinner and Jill came over with her girls, Katelyn who is 8, and Kiley, who is 5. We had a lot of fun watching all the little cousins play, the boys because they are such BOYS, and the girls because they are older and like to play with, care for, and entertain the 'babies'. This would have been the perfect spot for a picture, because everyone was together, all the cousins (minus Marc) and the second cousins, but unfortunately in all the fun we never got a group picture! This was also the eve of Gran's would-be 103rd birthday. I know somewhere she was looking down on her grandkids and great grandkids saying "how green is my valley"; what a beautiful legacy of precious children she has. I hadn't though about it until now, but all of them have a little bit of her in them. They have such sweet smiles and loving souls, and that was Gran in a nutshell- and light hair! We slept in the 3rd floor guest suite, which was perfect for our family, and a nice quiet get away for winding down after bath time. Lori and Noah slept in Logan's room, who was so generous with his space and camped out on his parents' floor.

The next day Deb took off work and we went to the zoo. It was so fun to see the boys walk around. Logan did a lot of running and climbing, Noah pretty much walked the whole thing, Matthew and Griffy did combo stroller rides and walking. Even though we have been to the zoo and the aquarium a lot this zoo had all sorts of things Matthew has never seen. We saw polar bears, walrus, lions, rhinos, zebras, tigers, rhinos, birds. Most of them were sleeping because is was HOT, but we had fun anyway and it was so neat to see Matthew pointing at animals and see into his eyes all the new things he was taking in. We stopped for lunch and then cooled off in the splash pad. After that we headed home and the boys took naps, while I went to the airport to pick up daddy. After naps and before dinner we swam in the pool for a bit. The boys were so cute playing with water toys, and Matthew continues to become comfortable when daddy dunks him in the water. Aaron made some yummy adult drinks, and then Deb and Aaron made an awesome dinner of steak flatbread pitas, with tomatoes, avocados, onions, and cheese, and a light spinach salad. Matthew did not sleep well that night. He was up from 12:30 to 2:30. He could see us sleeping nearby and screamed until I held him, and when I tried to put him down. We finally got peace when Matthew fell asleep in our bed; the first time since he was just months old, and he slept the rest of the night.

On Saturday morning we decided we would go to a nearby park. Noah and Alex were napping so Matthew and I left with Deb and her boys and we met Jill, Cary, and their girls, and figured the others would catch up when they woke up. We found an adorable park, with killer playgrounds perfect for older kids, and one that was just Matthew's size. He went down the slide by himself, and laughed at Jill who pushed him on the swings. After that we took a walk to a little nature center at the park. The kids played dress up and with toys, and looked at some small reptiles, and amphibians, and Matthew found birds feeding outside, and pointed and used his sign language to say 'bird'. We never did get daddy, Lori or Noah over to the park- they didn't have a car. After naps Lori and Alex and I decided to take the boys to a neighborhood splash park. The jets were a little too strong for Matthew, but Noah had fun. After the splash park we went back to the park from the morning so I could show them the cute baby playground. The boys had fun going through tunnels and down slides. That night Aaron and Deb made an awesome dinner of organic burgers, local farmers' market Indiana corn, pasta salad, and more adult drinks. The boys slept well that night, and that ended our time with the Hays. They were such wonderful hosts to us. They were so accommodating, and made great food for us. It was fun to sit and chat a bit about parenthood, work, and family, and remember old times after the kids went to bed. I cannot say enough how impressed we were with Logan and Griffin. They were so great at sharing their toys and playing nicely and gently with our babier boys. They never complained about moving rooms or the extra commotion in the house.

We met Jill on Sunday at her church, and both boys did great in a new church nursery. We went on to Cary and Jill's house and hung out for lunch and the boys took naps We went to a splash park that ran off into a little creek. The creek was man-made with nice rocks for kids to play on and splash in the run off. The boys had a great time. It was an adorable setup. I wish we had something like it. After lunch Cary took us out on his impressive wake boarding boat. Poor Noah was running a fever and Lori was feeling overwhelmed about taking him out and about for her fun so she stayed at the house. Matthew had to wear a life jacket on the boat, and although he didn't want to put in on, did so well once it was. He looked so cute with his little cheeks all squished up. He loved the wind in his hair, and really loved the boat. Cary showed us how to surf behind the boat. The boat goes about 10mph, but created a perfect wave to surf from. You hold a rope to get up, and if you know what you're doing can get into the perfect spot on the wave, and drop the rope and keep going with the momentum of the wave. Cary was impressive, taking his girls on the board with him, even with them on his shoulders. Alex got up on the first try and Matthew was so excited watching him go. It was like Matthew knew that it was not a normal thing to be out on the water, and he was having the time of his little life. He called out to his 'da', and was having so much fun I didn't want it to end for him. Matthew took a dip with his daddy, Katelyn, and Kiley, and then it was my turn to surf. I was able to get up after about 5 tries, and Cary was a great teacher helping me make adjustments each time. It was a lot of fun, I was able to do a little surfing without the rope, and then did a long ride, playing with the movement of the board up and down the wave. Matthew ate in the car on the way home because he was pooped, and was lights out after a quick bath when we got home. He slept alone in the basement, and slept well with the quiet noise and dark spaces. You would think being at a house with two girls that the boys would be at a loss for toys. Well not this house! Not only does Cary have the best toys, but his girls were great entertainers. Matthew had so much fun with all their basement toys, but mostly had fun playing chase and being the object of the girls playtime. I've never seen Matthew run and giggle so much with other children. It was adorable, and made me so happy to see him enjoying cousins, and sad that we can't do this more often. It makes me excited for the years to come when he and Noah will have more cousins to add to our family mix.

The next day we went to the Indianapolis Children's museum, which is well known for being fantastic, and one I went to as a kid. Matthew and Noah played in the Baby bear exhibit, which was great for toddlers. They explored a sand table, climbed on ramps and such, explored mirrors, and played with balls. After that we went to the Lego exhibit and although the boys couldn't enjoy the building part of the exhibit, they did like the race track. Matthew figured out how to get the car higher up on the ramp and then let it go. He is in the stage of enjoying repetition and cause and effect so he did this a bunch of times. Then we found a Lego-made race car, and Matthew had fun turning the steering wheel. Then we met up with Cary and the girls and we went to a Dinosaur exhibit. The kids got to dig for fossils, and Matthew enjoyed dusting bones like the big kids. Next we went to a Hot wheels exhibit. You would have thought Matthew died and went to heaven. He loved racing the hot wheels down the tracks. He was such a boy and it made my heart so happy to see him having so much fun in new ways. He even sat on a motorcycle and jiggled the handlebars back and forth like a real bike. We saved the best for last. The carousel! Matthew is an expert now since we have been riding at the mall. This time Matthew waited his turn and picked his favorite horsey. He was so cute patiently holding the pole and looking forward ready to start his ride. Alex went with him, and once the ride started he was having the time of his life. I stood on the side with the camera, and every time he came around he gave me the biggest wave, like he saw me standing there and was finding me in the crowd. Noah rode with his mommy, and Katelyn and Kiley rode too. After a fun time at the museum, the boys crashed in the car on the way home. While we were waiting for dinner time Cary and the girls and Matthew and Alex played in the pool, again Matthew having so much fun with his older cousins. I think it was the first time that older kids played with him, not just other kids playing beside him, but actually kids playing with him and providing the fun. He only took a break to munch on several slices of watermelon, and then we had an amazing dinner- make your own pizzas made on the grill. They were as good as they sound, and we'll take that dinner idea back home with us.

Katelyn and Kiley kept asking if we could stay longer. I certainly could have. We were as well taken care of by both families as we've ever been, surrounded by the most fantastic hospitality and incredible dinners with some of the most generous, kind, and thoughtful people I know sharing their gorgeous and warm homes with us. How blessed are we to have such wonderful family? I hope Matthew and Noah grow up to be blessed by their cousins like we are with ours.