Drummer Boy

There are LOTS of reasons to love staying at Mark & Crystal's, but for Wesley, one of the best reasons is the drum set in Matt's room.

A Pit Stop in Thomasville (July 17-18, 2009)

On our way to the beach, we stopped in Thomasville to visit with Aaron's brother, Mark, and his family. We love staying with them, and they are always so willing to let us crash.

We got dinner at a yummy pizza place that Matt worked at and then went bowling. We had a great time being silly.

A little snooze on the way down.

The Big Oak Tree (This tree is HUGE and estimated to be 327 years old.)

Excited to see a firetruck in the pizzeria's parking lot

Mark & Crystal

Wesley, Crystal & Aaron

Colby

Maddie

Giving Uncle Mark a five

Maddie, the little bowling pro
The Gang

I guess we're dancing?

We were happy when Uncle Michael and his crew showed up!

"Playing" the car video game

Colby goofing around (and Maddie lovin' every minute of it!)
Apparently we're pretty happy about something. :)

Maddie is always so excited for Wesley

Colby and Wesley attempting a line dance

Chad and Colby being Chad and Colby

I love these guys!!

We luv chikin! (July 10, 2009)

We participated in Chick Fil A's annual Cow Appreciation Day, like we do every year. We love Chick Fil A, and we're willing to dress like cows to get a free meal. :)

The Long Trek Home (Day 4--July 5, 2009)

We left pretty early on Monday morning to head home. I would certainly be lying if I said I didn't dread it! Thankfully the kids did well again and it wasn't too terrible!

To get off Long Island, we had to drive through the city, which was was fine with me! I love looking at the people, buildings, and bridges! (Plus I wasn't the one driving through the infamous traffic!)

Aaron snapped a few pictures on our way out. I can't tell you anything about any of the pictures, other than that we were in the city when they were taken. :)

NY (Day 3--July 4, 2009)

Our third day in New York was Sunday, and after such a busy three days, we were ready for a day of rest! We went to church with Steve's family in the morning. I love how our church is the same no matter where we go!

After church, we went on a little drive out to the Hamptons. Well, we attempted to drive there. Apparently traffic is always bad on the weekends, but it was even worse because it was a three-day weekend and everyone was trying to get back to the city. We almost got there, but traffic was just too much so we turned around. We stopped at another beach on the way back. The beaches on Long Island's north shore are really rocky, so the kids had fun collecting a bunch of rocks to bring home.


We also stopped at "The Big Duck" in Flanders. Apparently Long Island was once known for duck farming, and one farmer build this odd little building as a gimicky to sell ducks and eggs to tourists. Now it's just a little piece of Americana.

NY Trip (Day 2--July 3, 2009)

Our second day in New York was the Fourth of July, and we spent it in Steve's hometown, Port Jefferson. It is a charming, picturesque little village on the north shore of Long Island. It is so adorable; right on the water, full of cute little shops. Even the chain stores are built to fit in with the seaside-resort-town feel.

To celebrate, we set up camp downtown to watch the big parade. And by big, I mean two hours of police bands (complete with kilts and bagpipes), a million fire trucks, a plethora of old cars, and of course, local politicians. (They're drawn to small town parades like a fish to water!) Oh, and there was candy. What's a parade without candy? Honestly, it was an amazing parade! It was extremely patriotic--all of the police officers and fire fighters really made me proud to live in the United States! And since most of them had some sort of tribute to the men who lost their lives on 9/11, I got a little emotional at times.

After the parade, we went for a swim at a friend of Steve's sister's Rebekah's house and had a yummy Fourth of July cookout. That night we watched the fireworks from a house high up on a cliff. It was freezing but beautiful!