1040 September 13- October 9, 2023 Atlanta Staycation
After months of travel and weeks of frustration, and then driving lots of miles in a very short number of days from Edmonton to Atlanta, it was nice to be at home with David and his family. The day that we arrived, the kids got home from school and saw our Jeep parked along the curb. They charged into the house full of excitement. We welcomed all the love and hugs!
On Friday evening, the kids begged us to sleep out in the roof top tent. We set up in the driveway. We packed the sleeping bags and pillows and blankets and lovies and snacks and books and we had a wonderful evening. Grandma and PopPop and Oliver and Austin all cuddled together in our nest. On Saturday, we baked gingerbread cookies and then I had a sleepover with the boys in Oliver’s room. Austin sleeps in the trundle bed every non-school night. I slept with Oliver in his big bed. We read lots of chapters of Captain Underpants. Sunday was swimming lessons. It was great to see how much the boys had gained in their swimming skills since our last visit in the spring. The afternoon was spent doing all sorts of painting and art projects.
The boys were off for fall break the following week. On Monday, David and Dre, the boys, and us drove into the city to the Atlanta Aquarium. The highlight of the day was the dolphin show.
On Tuesday, Dre had to go back to work. David joined us and we took the boys to the zoo. I fed the giraffe hoping that the boys would do it too…but not this time!
Wednesday, we had tickets to the Braves game. We all made it all to the end of the game. It was a disappointing loss.
Thursday, Tim and I took the boys for an overnight camping trip in the Jeep and tent. We went to Stone Mountain and the boys practiced casting with their new fishing rods. We got a couple of nibbles but no fish. We had fun at the playground. We cooked quesadillas on the grill and roasted marshmallows and enjoyed the campfire. It was a great first real camping trip!
Saturday, we hiked in the woods where the kids splashed in the creek.
By Monday, we were all happy and tired and the kids went back to school.
We spent the next two weeks helping with carpool and swimming and doing some household chores and yardwork. In the evenings we played games and read books. Austin really likes to cook and he helped to make spaghetti and meatballs. He also liked to help cut strawberries and stuff for salads. Oliver doesn’t really like to eat and other than making cookies, he didn’t join in on our meal prep. We had more sleepovers and went to the playground. The boys are 5 and 7 and so much fun!
We were all very sad when it was time to leave but we are all already counting the days until December!