Spring Break: I Drive to SC (Summer!)

I drove down to SC to see everyone and pick up Shane on Thursday.

I was only there for a couple of nights (one full day), but be prepared: I took a ton of pictures.

The boys were playing video games when I arrived.

The boys had asked for a sleepover and Nana granted it.

Letting the boys have a sleep over is a little dangerous: They don't always sleep! Shane's high-energy and mixing that with a sleepy, exhausted Cole can be a recipe for trouble.

It went well this time.

Nana started off the day putting everyone to work. 

She wanted to have an egg hunt for Easter before Shane went home.

Nana tasked the boys with hiding eggs for the younger kids.

They got into it!

Involving kids with jobs is something Nana was always good at (it was a necessity for her trying to get everything done and keep 5 kids out of trouble while Pop was away on business trips!).

It was nice getting a chance to chat with Pop while the kids played. Indy was moving slower. She spent most of the time I visited parked on her bed.

Playing around the house was only the beginning of our activities for the day.

Pop and I drove off with the boys to a trampoline park.

Nana and Pop were members. They've always enjoyed taking kids to these sort of places. It was Discovery Zone and Leaps and Bounds when I was a a kid. Trampoline parks have replaced those giant, hamster mazes with ball pits. 

The boys ran off into the midst of all the craziness and left us behind.

Maybe "skipped" or "bounced" would be more appropriate than "ran" (I'm sure they did all of the above).

Pop and I hung back.

We went upstairs to stay away from too many people. Pop stayed masked up. His recovery from kidney surgery has been fantastic, but they're playing it careful so as to not squander the gift they've been given.

The kids ran around for a couple of hours while we watched and talked. I listened to The Death of Roger Ackroyd whenever Pop wandered off to talk to Nana on the phone.

It was raining when we left. I drove the van around, but Pop drove us all home where it was time for lunch.

Lunch was leftovers. I found some Hungry Howie's in the fridge for me.

And then there were some shenanigans. Pop locked the kids out. I said Shane should be smart enough to run around back (it's like he's experienced being locked out before...).

It was time to rest and digest for a little bit while Nana napped.

The boys hopped back on their electronics.

We got Brewster's on the way back to Cole's house.

Nana had Pop pull over at the neighborhood pool to give the boys time to finish. There would be trouble if they walked into the house with ice cream in front of the girls!

Cole went straight to the computer. Shane would have joined him if there were two.

I took a moment to walk around and say hi to everyone.

Including Reeses, of course!

Evie parked next to Cole.

Shane and Tenley went upstairs.

I have to say, I was impressed with the size of the books Cole reads. I wish Shane was more of a reader!

I made a point of complimenting all the books in the room.

And then Tenley tackled me. She's the high energy one in the family!

The adults got to talk while the kids played.

Zack showed up from across the street and a big Roblox game of cat and mouse started ("No peeking!").

Shane was bummed when he had to leave Cole behind and come home with us.

Nana never lets them spend the night together two nights in a row. The lack of sleep causes too many problems!

After Shane went to bed, I was tasked with hiding eggs for him.

Pop hid Cole's share, I think.

Nana had some pictures posted on Facebook. I think they're from tomorrow, but I already copied and pasted them here.

Saturday morning, we'd have an egg hunt and say our goodbyes.

It's always fun to visit the family. If they weren't 6 hours away we'd visit all the time. As is, I try to make sure we visit at least 4 weeks out of the year.

I hope being connected to the family will help Shane through the struggles of the middle school years!