Just A Little Day Trip

The kids and I joined my dad on a little trip today. A few months ago, my brother moved his wife and five kids to Erie, which is about an hour and a half away from where we live. Baby Emily is turning 1 this week, and we won't be able to make it to her party on Sunday, so we decided to visit them today.

The kids were so excited to go to camp. My brother is the caretaker of several Girl Scout camps, and they live at one, so there are plenty of things to do to keep the kids busy.

They did so well on the drive there. We made a quick stop at McDonald's for lunch, and did a little shopping at the outlets. My dad put me in charge of picking out some clothes for Emily, and I did some shopping of my own while we were there. ;) The kiddos watched "Happy Feet" the rest of the way there.

When we got to Erie, it was really hot out, so we decided to go for a swim in the camp pool. Lexie is a little water baby. She has no fear, and was leaping into the pool on her own. EEEK!

My nieces Mikayla and Emily soon joined us.



Lexie got a bit mad that her cousins were stealing her pool toys. Love the pout on her face!
Dylan with his "twin" cousin, Sarah
The kids swam for hours, until it was time to head back to my brother's house to rest and have some dinner.

In case you were wondering, Dylan is covered in hives...he appears to have an allergy to something outside. After dinner, we sat outside until it got dark. Lexie and Dylan played with their teenage cousins-Lexie was glued to Mikayla's side all night, and Dylan was biking and catching frogs with Nick and Alex. While we were there, we got to witness Emily taking steps behind a push toy for the first time!


We pulled out a parachute, and let the kids play under it for a while. They had a blast!
Obviously, it was hard work for them.

Sadly, it was getting dark and our visit had to end. We had some watermelon before getting back on the road. We didn't get a chance to see my brother, because he was in meetings all day. I'm sure we'll be heading back very soon though. Everybody had a blast today!!!
Lexie was asleep within minutes of leaving. Dylan followed shortly after...clutching his new pet in his arms. A frog. Fabulous.

I was so happy to see my sister in law, nieces, and nephews again. We had a wonderful time together! Emily is so darn squeezable...she is just so cute and sweet! Happy 1st Birthday, cutie pie!