We've made the long drive out to Indy often enough now that Joshua knows he gets to go through a bunch of tunnels on the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house. :) So even though the drive is long and the kids do get antsy at several points along the way, it's becoming slightly easier to make the trip, with Sophia being weaned and old enough to make it longer between stops, and Joshua waiting eagerly for the super fun dark tunnels! I tried to get some of Joshua's eager anticipation on video -- he's a bit self-conscious here since he knows I have the phone out, so just multiply this glee by about a thousand to imagine what he was like for all the other tunnels we drove through. :)
And when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's, even though we arrived after 11pm, Joshua made a beeline for the toys (he remembered the "big airplanes" and "different trucks" and had been requesting them for days before the trip), and Sophia was actually okay with being held by her grandparents. The kids really do know and love their grandparents, and we all had such fun being taken care of by them!
Halfway through our time in Indy, David and I actually got away for a couple days, leaving the kids with their grandparents. We were only about half an hour away, in downtown Indianapolis, but it was our first overnight trip away together since Joshua was born, so we figured we'd start small. We stayed in a lovely hotel in the heart of the downtown area, ate out at nice restaurants, and generally relived our yuppy DINK youth. ;) Though we kept saying the whole time that we have no idea how we spent our time before the kids arrived...
It really was a win-win-win -- Joshua and Sophia had a blast with their grandparents (who took them to the zoo! And gave them focused attention!), the grandparents really loved having the opportunity to spend so much time with the kids, and we had a lovely couple days away. We hope to do this every year!
One of the other reasons why we made this trip when we did is because there was a family reunion in mid-August -- David's grandmother turned 90, so everyone was gathering in Pittsburgh to celebrate. It was so wonderful to see everyone, especially now that there are more babies! :)
Sophia really got a kick out of our hotel room bed... I got her ready first and then gave her Cheerios to keep her occupied while the rest of us got ready. And then promptly got distracted by how cute she looked in her pretty little dress, and took a ton of pictures!
And just a few of the photos from the birthday gathering, which was held in the community room at the Reformed Presbyterian home, where Great-Grandma relocated earlier this year. I'm afraid the pictures I took are very kid-centric -- but what can I say, the four youngest family members are undoubtedly the cutest, so there you have it. :)
And this one just because I love the suspicious side-eye Sophia's giving her second cousin, Adrienne. :)
And a big family group photo!
(With just one outtake: I got Joshua to look at the camera and smile by telling him to look for the blinking yellow light, but it backfired when he decided to run straight for it!)
We're so thankful we had the chance to spend time with so many loved ones on this trip. Our kids can't wait for the next family vacation!
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