Tex-cation!

Nothing feels quite like home like being in Texas for me! If you have ever lived away from home or from family you know what I mean. Everything about it just feels right....
The kids love playing with their cousins everyday! It wouldn't be the same without Carter, Parker, & Ryder to play with at Mimi & Poppy's house. I love that my sister lives so close to my parents house. It makes our trips home so nice. We can see everyone and the kids can play everyday without having to drag the crew all over. The kids make sure to do it all while we are in Texas! Swimming, jumping on the trampoline, feeding the horses, riding on the 4-wheeler & the mule, watching movies, running around and just enjoying each other!
The big kids went to Medieval Times to celebrate Carter's 9th Birthday! Katie & John thought is was really awesome! Katie even got a flower from the Green Knight!Even with the Texas heat (and I do mean heat, it was over 100 degrees our entire trip) it is nice to have a little fire at night once and while!

...and in the Texas heat you have to find ways to cool off...the sprinkler park was just one of ways the kids kept cool in the water!

...driving the gator around also kept the boys busy...

...just chillin' out...

...finding bugs...

...feeding the horses carrots daily

...evening rides with Poppy...this never gets old, you don't know what you will see on a ride with Poppy...baby goats, pigs, snakes, grasshoppers, or just a few neighbors out and about......splashing around...screams of joy...and lots of giggles and laughing...

...and worn out little faces by the end of the day...

...taking turns driving, with close supervision, of course...

...the boys fishing...

There really are not words to describe all of the fun that we had while on our Tex-cation! It just feels good to be home with family!

...family time...

Our two weeks in Iowa flew by... it was so nice to have some lazy days at the lake to just relax and enjoy time with family, and if we weren't relaxing we were off to Des Moines to find a new adventure, like exploring the Science Center...

The kids thought hanging out in Great Grandma's cabin at the lake was beyond cool! They even had a sleepover with Grandma and Aunt Vicki one night while Donnie & I had a date night at the casino! The kids stayed up late, played games, and ate M&M's. Donnie and I enjoyed our night away too! We had a little extra excitement when they shut down the casino because there was a tornado a few miles away! Scary night to be away from your babies!
No vacation would be complete without some group photos before we hit the road. It is always hard to say goodbye, not knowing when your next visit will be or if this will be your last picture with Great Grandma. Living so far away from family is hard, but I think it makes you appreciate the time you do get even more...

Happy Father's Day!

The kids spent the day splashing around in the lake, playing on the Slip-N-Slide and lovin' on their Dad!!! What better way to spend Father's Day! It was a perfect summer day for grilling out too, one of Donnie's favorites! Can't wait for him to fire up his new grill once we get back to NY!
Silly faces their favorite pose, of course. My babes are blessed to have such a fun & loving Dad!
The kids were really into sliding! John was determined to make it all the way down each time! Awesome!





All the cousins together for a picture! This was a hard task to accomplish! And who cares if they are not even all looking at the camera! This captures them perfectly!! You can see all of their personalities coming through in this picture! Love those sweet faces!

Adventureland Fun!

We took our summer trip to Adventureland while we were in Iowa!

Adventureland is fun for the everyone! I love how it makes you feel like a kid again! So much fun to just relax and enjoy the rush of the ride!

The kids favorite ride is the Frog Hopper! I think they love it because it is something fun they can all do together! It is so cute to hear them all scream at the same time!

Grandpa & Grandma's House

So much to do once we get here!

The kids couldn't wait to go on a paddle boat ride with Grandpa!

Then it was time to help Grandma mow the lawn!


Incredible Pizza was AWESOME!!!
Katie & Uncle Dan doing some Dance, Dance, Revolution!
Katie & Uncle Dan also won the Go-Kart Race!



The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins! They LOVED this ride!

It has been a little too chilly to swim at the lake. But that hasn't stopped the kids from playing outside and having fun! They roasted hotdogs on the fire pit and made smores too!
Brooklyn was too little to roast her dog on the fire!
The kids with Great Grandma Dolores...
We have played lots of football, baseball and bocce ball too!