Cousins, Mud, and the Zoo

Mark and Kim were in town this weekend. Their girls, Ella and Lucia, have changed so much and we had a great time watching all these Humphrey cousins play. Grace Noelle happy as usual.

Lucia Ruth walking and running all over the place. Ella June was so sweet and fun to listen to.
Grace loved having someone her size to show around.
The kids had a great time playing in our backyard Saturday morning.
Lucia and John playing peek-a-boo.

Saturday afternoon we took the gang to our friend Kalvari's birthday party in Fredericktown. Lucia and Grace napped all afternoon, John and Ella had other plans:

The picture above shows what looks like two friends sitting at the side of a pond enjoying each other's company. The next pictures show, upon closer inspection, what those two friends were doing so quietly.
I don't know which took more time: showering these two, or cleaning Kalvari's bathroom afterwards.
Grace fell asleep on the steps on the way up to her room later that night.
We all went with Nana and Papa Humphrey to New Life Church in Fredericktown for church Sunday morning. What an cute bunch!
On Monday Dave took a vacation day and we all (except for Papa because it was Fredericktown's first day of school) went to the Columbus Zoo. Also pictured below are the girl's I babysit, Ella and Olivia.

Grace thought Lucia was the best baby doll every and was always eager to help her eat.
John feeding the birds in the aviary.

What a great summer!

We went on vacation with Dave's parents in July. We drove a rented van to Baltimore via a stop in West Virginia, 2 in Virginia, and Chincateague Island. We visited Aunt Marie, (Grandma Jones's sister,) in Virgina and Mark and Kim in Baltimore. We had a wonderful time even traveling with a preschooler and toddler for 1,400 miles! And through it all we learned that "family vacation" does not equal the same relaxation Dave and I had grown accustomed to on trips before children. But it's so much more fun to experience new places like caves, and oceans through the eyes of our kids.
We stopped in West Virginia at the Lost World Caverns. A registered natural landmark since 1977, it was fun and educational.

Marie has the best tub for bubble baths!

Dan with the kids at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Virginia. In true Barb Humphrey vacation fashion we fit 5 museum-type visits into 7 days. Dave remembers his childhood vacations always including an educational side trip of some type. He has obviously grown to appreciate them and is putting his children through the same.

Aunt Marie's house in Hampton,VA had this fountain outside that entertained the kids for hours. Here Grace has discovered she can press her thumb into the stream of water and shot it across the deck.

Marie was so patient with the kids. Especially when John, helping water flowers, turned the hose on his Great-Great-Aunt. She laughed and played and seemed to have as much fun as the kids! Thanks Marie for making us so comfortable in your home.

Marie and John inspecting a sea creature of some type at the Virginia Living Museum.

We did not plan the matching outfits, but thought this picture of Papa and John was priceless. After chasing the kids up and down a beach near Marie's, Dave and John dug a great sand pit that kept them interested and more importantly in one place for much of the morning. Grace. in particular, enjoyed the ocean, but after spotting a school of jelly fish we were not the only family spending most of our time up on the sand.