Harvest Escape

 

Taylor let us escape while he worked long, hard days through harvest for 4 weeks. How's that for a supportive husband! This year we hopped to Arizona, Virginia, NJ and Florida visiting various members of my family and we were so grateful for the opportunity as it really was a fantastic trip.  The kids were troopers. Me and my "Cadillac" stroller with my two darling children made it through many hours at the airport and many hours on a plane, but cousins, aunts and uncles, grandma and grandpa, loads of toys and fun filled days were well worth it!

 

We started our adventure in Arizona with my Brother and his crew. Peyton got along great with the four boys and they all were super cute with Grant. We went to a park with a train and merry-go-round along with slides, swings, climbing things, and the works at it that Peyton talks about to this day. It was so fun. It made me a little jealous that Rupert doesn't quite have those types of parks yet :)

 

 Peyton loves the Merry-go-round...Horses and a fun ride combined make for a happy daughter!

 

Tyler was a great help with Grant and developed a sweet little bond with him. 

 

  

We spent time in Freddie and Dori's amazing pool in their backyard. Temperatures were still triple digit while we were there. Peyton said, when we first got there and were in their backyard, "Mom, look at these these fun toys back here." A swing set, a pool, a trampoline, and bikes with cousins to share them with is a pretty great thing. We sure enjoyed going to soccer games, playing at my brother's home, going to parks, and being with family. It was a good beginning to our wonderful trip we we are sure appreciative of their efforts to entertain us.

  

We went to a lot of parks throughout our trip and this was a common site. Grant fell asleep in practically every swing. 

Our next stop was Virginia Beach, where once again we were blessed with gorgeous weather and these 3 little girls were reunited again! They have such a sweet relationship that I hope continues to just grow and grow. We were there for 10 days. Peyton was in girl heaven playing with not only the girls she loves, but all the babies, strollers, polly pockets, and other toys she could have had imagined.

We went on Lexi's preschool field trip with her, which consisted of  a hayride, a few bouncy houses, play equipment, a petting zoo, and a pumpkin patch. It was a neat field trip and we were thankful to be able to tag along and enjoy some fall festivities!

Near Cheryl's house for Halloween there was a place with bounce houses, slides, and pumpkins that we went to one afternoon. It was a blast for the kids. Peyton loves these things and has no fears. She did it all, even climbed up that slide, without help!
 

Notice the John Deere wagons!What a fun place and afternoon!
 

Getting ice cream, playing outside at Cheryl's house, taking walks, and going to parks were other things that filled our time in Virginia. Activities that would never get old in my book. Peyton many times a day was found in front of Lexi's vanity asking Lexi to "cut" or do her hair and the two of them were constantly packing purses up and pushing their babies in strollers pretending to go to the fair or the airport. This is while Kylee was at school of course. It was adorable to listen to their conversations.

Grandma met us in Virginia so there were many special Grandma bonding moments. She has gotten known for her treasure hunts that she does for her grand kids. Peyton caught on quickly that they were fun and loved her presents that came from the treasure hunts. My mom was of course super helpful with the kids and my sleepless nights too. We had a mommy daughter night too and went to dinner and shopped - super fun.

Lexi and Peyton anxiously anticipated Kylee's arrival off the bus each day.

We enjoyed a beautiful day at Virginia beach. It was in the mid 70's so we weren't sure how wet the girls would get, but as you can see by the end of our time there we were sufficiently wet. It was a super fun day though having lunch on the beach and playing in the sand. Pretty nice to have a beautiful beach 20 minutes from your house.

Grant was even happy to be at the beach.

At the end of 10 days we still could have spent many more with this crew. It was great!

 My mom and I drove from Virginia to New Jersey to spend a few days at Grandma and Grandpa's house and see Heather. We did some shopping (Peyton later received this purse in a treasure hunt from Grandma), went to parks, and went on a real train ride since Peyton was so fond of the train park in Arizona.

We went to lunch in Morristown and then rode the train back to Grandma and Grandpa's. Peyton thought it was pretty cool. Walking up the street to my parents house she walked on the wall outside our town house, something I did many times as a child.

From New Jersey we were off to Florida and my Dad came with us. The kids loved the water! It was gorgeous as always.

 

Grandpa took his turn to spoil us with yummy food and fun. He fed Peyton ice cream with sprinkles many nights as a special treat and took her to us to a mall that had a carousel.  He took Grant on many walks too while I got special time with Peyton.

 

My two little sweeties! I can't get enough of them.

 Grandpa's bonding time.

I truly enjoyed the special things we did together throughout our trip. I love my cuties so much and feel so blessed to be their mom!