stay with me people, this trip is almost done!!

we took our lovely children into Washington DC on a insanely HOT day.
that should have been our warning flag, it wasn't.
we just did it anyway.
i feel i must give you my advice.after all, I've lived this so i think i can throw out my two cents.
so children, listen up. mama is giving her two cents.
read and learn, in case some day, your kids will ask you to take them on a road trip.
so, here's our advice to you.

first word of advice:
  make sure you're WELL stocked with water! if you think you have enough, pack more.

 two:
 when someone needs to pee and they tell you they can hold it for awhile. don't believe them. start looking for a bathroom IMMEDIATELY.

three:
 when daddy is on a mission to find something.bear with him. go with the flow. don't continue to ask him questions about other topics. he doesn't care. he's on a mission and pretty please, just trust him.

four:
 when mama can't choose who's 'side' she should be on, just let her cry and figure it out on her own. she'll be OK. eventually.

five:
even on road trips, mom and dad are still a team. we still talk about every decision. so, silly boys, don't bother 'playin' us. we're on to you.

six:
 you will rarely find a restaurant that every person is happy with.
this is where we learn compromise. it's all food. you won't go away hungry.
try new things. you may find out you loved something you thought you hated.
and if your children complain too much, remind them that there will be another meal in 4 hours. they can eat then.

seven:
when you're running low on gas, just get some. it's far too much stress on every person in the family when you almost run out of gas, in the middle of Nebraska with 2 miles until empty. don't do it.
if you do, you'll never do it again.
again, trust me on this one.

eight:
put away iPhone, ipad, ipod , I ANYTHING so that we can talk, about....stuff.
we covered MANY, live changing conversations.

nine:
unload garbage out of the vehicle, BEFORE it gets moldy.
and please, just dump the Wendy's leftover wrappers (the ones with onions in it) the first chance you get. leaving them overnight is NOT recommended.
just some friendly advice.

ten:
thank God often. these are special times.
remember, family is a gift. being able to spend a month, on the road is a gift.
we are thankful!!!

the auditorium, in the Arlington Cemetery, that stands behind where the changing of the guards happen.

speaking of....here they are now.

Joplin.

i wish i could put into words the drama and devastation that happened there in late May.
unbelievable.

take note of the pile of books and teddy bear that are sitting, untouched in the window.

shrapnel piercing the side of the Walgreen's. wow.

the hub and i at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland.

the bark has even been stripped off the trees.

max was thrilled to be here! they have just studied Robert E. Lee in history class so being able to walk thru his home was a treat.

NYC

these are my genzink cousins. i miss them so much.

my youngest child is odd. odd is a good way. kit and i were gearing up to take this nice picture, with Ellis Island in the background and jack thought THIS would be the perfect time to RUN into my stomach. the more we'd tell him to stop, the more he'd do it. which in turn, made us laugh harder.

the fact that kit is wiping the tears of laughter dripping down her face says it all.

ha.

mad, kit and Benny. NYC.

i love this picture. what i didn't get on 'film' was 2 mins. later when the hammock broke away from the tree. all four of them, laying on the ground laughing.

max and his mama.

this is where the kids spent a majority of their 4 days while staying in new jersey.

they claim they'd give up pretty much everything in life to have a pool like L&E's.

sorry boys. not happening.

Maddie was fascinated with uncle liks '5:00 shawdow'.

what's up ben?

it's nice to have a 'built in' podiatrist. thanks eddy for giving max a clean bill of health.

oh, and thanks for not pulling off his toenail this time. :)

flipper.

jake is such a great kid. he has this way to make everyone feel like they really matter to him. i love how he hung out with max. max loves jake.

love the boys laughing.

these 5 were inseparable the entire trip. while i love to see this, it also breaks my heart that they are missing out on so much of each others daily lives. it bites.

but....we're SO thankful for the time we did have together. they utilized every single moment.

jake and beppe. so sweet.

jack and dad on the subway in NYC. i love the look on jacks face. he must've just seen something weird. um, there are a few weird things on the subway in NYC.

this is my sister. my sister is purdy.

this is my auntie. Janis is one of my most favorite people.

she's been thru lots with me.

she's seen the best. she's seen the worst.

and she still loves me so i think we'll keep her.

love you auntie.

this is danny. danny is the son of the auntie above. he reminds me of my brother brady. maybe that's why i like him so much.

 danny just got married to amber.

amber is a doll. i adore her.

this is Aubanie. she's the sweet little thing that belongs to my cousin jodi and her hub, jeremy.

this girl is oozing with personality.

within minutes of meeting her, i feel in love.

this is gina. you've heard me talk about her before. a few years back, she spent 3 weeks with us here in Washington. (a BLAST) the guy with his arm around her is NOT her husband. it's her brother-in-law who's married to jodi and is the father of the little doll above. fyi...his arm is on the chair, not on gina.

just wanted to clarify.

belle and misty. these are my precious, precious cousins. i wish you knew them. you'd be better for it.

sweet sisters.

this is my cousin kara. kara and i have always had a special bond. months can go by without us talking and when we do, it's like time never passed. i went to her house for dinner and we didn't stop talking for almost 4 hours. really, i didn't want to leave to go to the bathroom for fear that i'd miss precious time with her. she is an amazing gal and i'm so glad we're family.

i went for a little drive with my folks one night. they drove me to their little dream home on the lake. they've always loved this house.

i love how this picture captured where they love to be (traveling together), with one of their little dreams in the background.

this was taken in the backyard of my aunt Mary and uncle Gary's house where we stayed for part of the trip. i spent lots of time, sitting on that chair, reading that Kindle. unfortunately, i forgot to use THAT sunscreen.

aunt faye and uncle les's yard. i know, it looks like a park. it's amazing!!

uncle les let max drive. wowsers.

jack and my cousin, tony's son, austin. this is the first time they've met and they hit if off immediately.

i loved that!

uncle dan and his boy, danny, washing the floor of their new home.

i love seeing men on the floor, cleaning.

come on, who's cheering with me??

back at uncle les's house. once again max is behind the wheel.

and no, he didn't really get to drive this one.

it's my uncles baby.

gina is a hair dresser. she's good.

as you can see,jack is still warming up to the idea.

however, after i took them to Great Clips last week, all three boys wondered WHY gina couldn't cut their hair every time?

i agree.

my babe at Craig's Cruisers.

the race is on.

uncle gary and aunt mary.

i have been blessed with the BEST of the BEST as far as aunts and uncles go.

i adore these people.

and my parents. i adore them too.

aunt von and uncle ron.

i adore them too!

the sibs. minus brady. we missed you bud.

there's a lot of adoring going on.

aunt jan and uncle dan are the parents of the groom.

again, i'm blessed to have all these influences in my life.

this is the backside of my aunt faye and uncle les's house.

like i said, it's like a park.

sisters. and more sisters.

MORE sisters. this is lisa and heather.

love these people.

i mean really, how many people like/love ALL their cousins??

i'm one of those people.

love um all.

lisa and heather are both expecting new babes this year.

lisa's new babe will come just 14 months after her last babe. we're kindred spirits. been there, done that. it's going to be awesome lis!!! :)

heather will be expecting TWO babies this
 february. wowsers. double the blessings.

this will be my grandma's THIRD set of twin great-grand babies.

heather, you're going to be a great!

in case you havent' figured it out yet, this is my sister.

i love my sister.

my chillin's at the wedding. just waiting for the dancing to get started.

they danced and danced and danced and .......they did a lot of moving.

pretty girls.

the girls announcing their big news to auntie bev. yea, she was surprised.

dipping in Lake Michigan.

and more dancing.

Jakers graduates!!!

jack and i were nominated to be the trip photographers.

ok, this is dumb but i have no picture of just the bride and groom.

i'm going to track one down and get it posted.

she was stunning! and that dress....oh, i loved that dress.

here is amber with her daddy.

the groom with his mama.

love these girls.