We're back

Well, we survived our vacation. It actually went pretty well. Samuel got along great with the others. We were wondering if he would cling to us the entire time, which he had done at Christmas time. I think it helped that his cousins were there along with his grandparents and aunt and uncle he had seen right before we left. He ran around and enjoyed seeing the others, (I think). Darius was his normal happy self. Samuel also got to play in the rain for the first time at his grandparents'. He loved running around in the rain and playing in the down spout. He also had a great time playing in the mud. He ran back to the garden when Josh looked away and by the time Josh got there, Samuel had slipped and fell in the mud. He was covered, but it was so funny to watch him.

The down side to vacation was all of the time spent in the car. The boys generally did okay, until about the last hour and then they would both throw a big fit at the same time. It made for a loud unconsolable car ride, especially when you're flying down I-80 (in Nebraska) trying to find your exit in the rain. Craziness! To alleviate this, on the last trip (to home), we left at 3:30 a.m. when they would sleep for most of it. That put us home by noon and taking long naps during the afternoon.

The best part of the trip was seeing my family. I got to see my cousins and their families, plus my grandparents. There were 10 great-grandkids there, with 8 being under the age of 3. We gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary of my grandparents. It is so admirable to see that and it makes me very proud to be their granddaughter.