Clover Valley

My roommates from college and I got together for a grand total of 24 hours from June 30th to July 1st! It was no small feat to get 4 mommas from Virginia, Florida, Texas and Bangkok together...considering we have 11 children aged 8 1/2 to not quite 2 years old that we needed to find people to watch! Two ladies flew in, 1 drove up and one was already in the area. We had a great time shopping, eating and talking tons! Oh, and playing The Babysitters Club Game that Andrea so kindly brought along :) Thank you for making this happen ladies! It was super fun!

Heather, Andrea, Suz and I in Restoration Hardware Outlet

Four Shabby Chicks

With a Clover sign (we lived in a townhouse neighborhood called Clover Valley in college)

Yummy cupcakes from Lola's in Leesburg

The last picture before we headed our separate directions!

Megan and Mom Mom singing Lamb of God

At Grammy's 92nd Birthday

Bridgeton

On Saturday the 27th we all piled in the minivan and drove 2 hours south down to Bridgeton to celebrate Dan's grandmother's 91st birthday!!! Aunt Barb and Uncle Wayne hosted us for lunch at their home, as well as provided wonderful baked goods from their bakery! It was a great time to hang out with everyone and catch up! We got to chat with Dan's cousins, Dan's great Aunt and Uncle and even had some time for the kiddos to play outside for a bit!

Dan, Grammy and Grandpop

Mom Mom, Aunt Barb
Grammy and Grandpop

Singing Happy Birthday to Grammy

Moo and Mom Mom sing a duet "Lamb of God"

Playdough outside with Josh (and Kristi)

My Tweeter goofing around

Jack decided to climb the tree in Aunt Barb's backyard...

It gave me a bit of a heart attack because it's so high up...

But luckily, he had Dan and Josh there to help him! Josh works at a summer camp program for kids to teach them rock climbing...so he's an expert tree climber and taught Jack a thing or two...about how to climb up and what branches to step on, etc! So fun!

We ordered a ridiculous amount of baked goods from their bakery...including 5 iced cookies :) They made them look like our family...and we LOVED eating them!

Jersey Shore

We spent a couple of days at the Jersey Shore with Mom Mom and Pappy! It was a great time with beautiful weather (although hot and still) and beautiful water! We got to swim all 3 mornings we were there! This is the first official year that we got all 3 kids out past the breakers - at separate times, but all 3 accomplished it! My goal for next year? Get all 3 kids out past the breakers at the same time! I think it will be doable depending on the water and waves...

So, fun times on the beach. Fun games of Go Fish for the kiddos and Mom Mom and Pappy. Fun on the boardwalk at Lucky Leo's. Fun shopping. And way yummy food! We got to have some great seafood from Runners, dinner at Outback, breakfast from Lasola's and ice cream from Hershey's and Kohr's! Soooo fun! Plus a couple of games of Ticket to Ride and a trip to Bridgeton to visit Dan's Grandparents (and Aunt, Uncle and cousins)!

View of our backseats...from the front

Hershey's ice cream the first night

George and Gracie (their nicknames for each other) playing Go Fish

Jack and Dan playing games at Lucky Leos

Kylie racing a motorcycle

The kiddos with Mom Mom and Pappy on the boardwalk

Megan and Jack playing Ticket to Ride - Jack's 1st time and he did great!

Kylie got to help Mom Mom be the card dealer

Me and My Tweeter

Brief Detour to Long Lake

Cool wood carving chain in Long Lake diner

On our way from Malone to the Jersey Shore, we swing through Long Lake, NY! We stop by the cemetery where Dan's Dad's headstone is, go to Hoss's store and have lunch at the Long Lake Diner! The kiddos each got to pick up a new stuffed animal (which is now a tradition) at Hoss's...and we get super yummy food at the Long Lake Diner!

This headstone is a couple down from Dan's Dad's headstone! Dan was joking that last year we wouldn't have even noticed this headstone, but do to our mutual love of Twilight - he had me take a picture with it! Hope the family doesn't mind...

Gram had kind of asked why we go there to the cemetery, because Dan's Dad isn't there...he's in heaven, but we tried to explain that it gives the kids kind of something to know about him since they never knew him. We know he's not there and I think they know he's not there, but it's just nice to go and see the headstone and talk about him a bit...and we'll all look forward to seeing him one day in heaven!


Long Lake - Megan's Bear
Licorice - Jack's Raccoon

Hello Kitty - Kylie's Cat that looks nothing like Hello Kitty

Malone!!!

Our drive up to the Farm in Malone, NY was good and uneventful! We got to stop at Cracker Barrel for brunch and enjoy yummy food (Megan got to eat her first official "breakfast" there with eggs, grits, sausage gravy and biscuits and sausage - she loved it)!

Dan did a great job packing up the car so the kiddos had plenty of room, plus their stuffed animals and blankets.

The Calf Barn! There were 3 new kitty cats there, so each kid got to play with and name their own...Sharpie, Silver and Sprinkles.

This isn't a picture of it, but Dan got to bale hay the day after we got there - 1000 bales and he had an awesome time doing it! He kept joking that it was best way to farm - wake up late, eat breakfast, then go out and have the baler ready to go! Jack joined him for a bit while the girls and I took Gram out to lunch at Mary's Sunrise Cafe!

Dave got a new welding helmet for Father's Day - and Kylie got to try it on!

Jack on the back of the gator with Dave and Dan

Megan's ginormous pancakes at Mary's...we ordered 2 thinking they would be 5 inches in diameter...instead of 12 inches in diameter! She loved it, but couldn't finish it!

Lunch the next day at Scotty's with Gram in Moira!

My kiddos playing "Duck Duck Goose" with Carl, Anissa and Alex!

Kris (and Dave) had some friends over for dessert one night so we could catch up with them! It was so fun to see them!
Diane, Annette, Me, Gram and Kris

Brad, Dick, Dave and Dan

Gram asked Dan if he could fix her chair, because the seat had broken earlier when a lady had sat in it. Dan took it apart and found that the "padding" was old, old hay stuffed in there! He cut out a new board and Kris did a wonderful job of putting new padding, fabric and 2 different pipings on it (plus staining it)! It turned out wonderful!

The 2 puppy dogs confined to the pool area: Huck and Sweetpea

The Farm

An escaped cow! Dan figured out how to get her back in while the rest of the family was at Aaron's 8th grade graduation!

Dan and the kiddos with kitty cats in the Calf Barn

Swimming in Dave and Kris's pool

Action shot of Megan

And Jack leaping

Aaron, Alex, Anissa, Sam and Carl

Playing Ticket to Ride

Dan and Gram

Me and Kris

Dave and Dan

Megan in front of the sign for the hospital where she was born!
Dan has wanted to get this picture for YEARS! And we finally did it on the way out of town!