Myrtle Beach 2011

We trucked it to Myrtle for a quick getaway with Uncle B, Aunt D, and the kids.

The weather?  Perfect–in the 70s.

The pools?  Heated.

The beach?  Awesome.  No sweating whatsoever.

A far cry from our July Hilton Head trips.

Our time with family?  Priceless.

And Clemson won in a nail biter, too.

I haven’t mentioned that Clemson is 7-0 this season.  What unfamiliar and exciting territory we roam!!

Some pictures of my growing boys and nephews:

Frack

Just Hangin' Out with Frick

80s Cover Album

The Whole Boy Band

We missed you Nini and Pops!

Beach Vacation 2011

Each year we take a working vacation to Hilton Head Island, SC.

Let’s be real here.  The only ones on “vacation” are the kids.

I digress….

Nini, Pops, Uncle B, Aunt D, and the cousins join our family for loads of fun, sand, pools, sweat, whining, sibling fighting (kids ones and adult ones), etc, etc, etc.

What do you do as soon as you get there?

You head straight for the sand and water.

There’s nothing quite like a sandy crotch to start your vacay off on the right foot.

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 We rented bikes this year and spent our evenings biking around the island.

And Frog chilled in the back with a book, some juice and his beloved pacifier.

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This year, we had professional beach photos taken.

We used our camera for outtakes.

All of these shots were taken with BP’s iPhone 4.  He used the Hipstamatic App.

Fabulous.

Dontcha think?

As fun as going away is, it sure is good to be home.

Things Learned Along the Way, Version 2.0

We just returned from a quick but fun visit to visit Aunt D, Uncle B, and their three kids in Pittsburgh, PA.

The last trip to Pittsburgh was quite eventful, too, compiled into list format.  This just may become a Pittsburgh trip tradition.  Here’s the latest and greatest version of the list:

_________

1.  The first indication that you will spend more than 10 hours in the car is when your 6 year old  proclaims he has to use the bathroom after only driving 36 miles.

2.  Harnessing a child in a car seat for many hours on end drives your 1 year old insane as well as his parents and grandmother, too.

3.  Purposefully not taking dramamine because you want to tend to your children instead of being knocked out cold is not a good idea.  Getting car sick in while going through the mountains of West Virginia creates a major vacuum.  Listening to your children argue and cry is even worse.  Next time I’m opting for the dramamine.  For everyone.

4.  What’s even worse than your 1 year old acting fussy?  Listening to him cry from West Virginia to Pittsburgh.  That’s a lot of crying.

________

Now that sounds like we had a terrible trip.

But we didn’t.  It was a fabulous trip.

5.  Holding your brand new and only niece quickly erased any misery of the car ride from H-E-double hockey sticks.

6.  Watching your boys run and play with their cousins and EVERYONE GET ALONG almost the entire time is pure joy.

7.  Having time to sit and talk with your sister in law in person is priceless.

8.  Visiting with family, eating delicious food, and laughing until you have tears streaming down your face is even better.

________

And then the car ride home…. *sigh*

It took 13 hours.

GAH

Traffic.

Crying.

More traffic.

Rain.

More crying.

 

I liken the trip to an oreo cookie.

The best part is in the middle.

Thanks, Uncle B, Aunt D, Cousin J1, Cousin J2, and Cousin A.

We can’t wait to see you again.

When you travel south.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

The triplets are here!!

Auntie B and Uncle S had their sweet, beautiful babies Thursday night.

What a blessing they are!!

Auntie B is recovering nicely

and the babies are well tended to and making strides in the NICU.

Our family is so very blessed!

Frick and Frack were told of their new playmates shortly after their arrival.

Frick’s response:

Oh.  Cool.  Hey!  Have you seen my new hot wheels car?

*sigh*

One day all six of these boys are going to wreak havoc all around Downtown, Smalltown, USA.

I can see it now….

 

 

I Heart Pink

My brother and SIL (Uncle B and Aunt D) had a baby today!!

And it was a she!

A girl!!

After 5 boys between us (my three, their two)

there is finally a girl in the mix.

A precious, sweet, lovable, and thankfully healthy baby girl!

Now please excuse me…

I have some major shopping to do for all things pink, fluffy, and frilly.

Things Learned Along the Way

We just returned from Pittsburgh, PA, where we visited family for the Easter weekend.

We had a wonderful time playing with Cousin J and Cousin J2, Aunt D, and Uncle B.

We learned a few new things along the way, like:

*when your 5 month old baby decides it would be a great time to get his first ever fever of 103.4, the nurse at night in your hometown is not really a whole lot of help.

*your SIL’s pediatrician is miraculously in your network, so when you take your child to see the said pediatrician, you only have to pay your copay.

*your baby did not have ear infections like you were afraid.  He just had a gastrointestinal virus that lasted 12-24 hours.

*when your husband, brother, and mother take Frick, Frack, and Cousin J to the museums in downtown Pittsburgh, any other day of your visit would have been better than going on Opening Day for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Apparently this is the only game Pittsburghers actually attend all season.

*while stuck in traffic with every other Pittsburgher on Opening Day for the Pirates, having your gas tank on empty is not a good thing.

*but having an out of state license tag is and people understand why you are trying to get to the extreme left hand lane to exit.  At least you think they do.

*and having three very hungry four and five year old boys who are cranky kinda makes you lose your mind.

*drinking coffee while chatting with your SIL even though your baby is pooping his guts out and running a fever is WAY better than being in the car with those three cranky boys, one agitated husband, one bothered brother, and one miffed mother, on the way to a museum in downtown Pittsburgh on Opening Day for the Pirates.

So Far…

…we’ve been hanging out with  family,

…ate at Denunzio’s Italian restaurant (my favorite!)

and Primanti Brothers…

…saw the 6 Lombardi trophies acquired over the years…

…watched the Steelers practice on hill (loads of fun for a pregnant chick)…

…and practiced our crazy poses.

We Are the Champions

2009 Stanley Cup Champs

Pittsburgh Penguins

 

Uncle B celebrating the sweet victory

 

 

While the grown ups watched,

the boys had visions of Lord Stanley dancing in their heads…

 

 

Let’s Go Pens!!

 

 

 

Home Again, Home Again

We traveled to Williamsburg, VA for a family vacation with Nini, Pops, Uncle B, Aunt D, Cousin J, and Cousin J2.  Nini found a FABULOUS deal on “Bounce Passes” that enabled us to go  to the major parks/attractions, parking included.  We avoided ticket lines and parking fees at each attraction.

 

The trip started off with Frack’s finger getting crunched in the door (he’s fine, he just may loose a fingernail in a few days).  That was my fault (but his finger was where he knew it shouldn’t be) and the good Catholic in me felt guilty each time I looked at it.

The first day we went to Colonial Williamsburg and snapped this adorable picture of The Three Amigos:

 

 

Day Two had us at Busch Gardens where these pictures from the previous post were taken.

 

Water Country USA was where we spent Day Three.  Sorry, no pics…I was horrified to be in a bathing suit walking around the park.  My regular bathing suits don’t fit and I don’t look pregnant enough to sport a maternity suit, although I did it anyway.  I ain’t no Twiggy, that’s for SURE.  I shouldn’t have cared…no one else seemed worried about wearing a bathing suit.  

 

Day Four, much to the children’s dismay, was back at Colonial Williamsburg.  Frick kept asking where the rollercoasters and water slides were.  Note to self:  Next trip to Williamsburg needs to have the Colonial days first.

 

Day Five took us back to Busch Gardens for more fun.  

 

Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights had the whole family (sans kids who were fast asleep and in dreamland), watching the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals.  The series is 2-2 and Game 5 is tonight.  

 

Let’s Go Pens!

 

 

On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!!

Egg Hunt 2009

 

Happy Easter!