The kids were obviously thrilled to wake up on Day 15 to find Daddy still trying to sleep in. They spent that morning catching up on all the Daddy-snuggles/wrestling/attention they could get. We also officially measured the kids on Grandma & Granddaddy's wall. We headed to Great Granddaddy's for lunch so that Patrick could get some time with him also.
After lunch, we were going to go to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, but Colleen fell asleep on the drive there. So I dropped Daddy off with the kids and returned back to the house to get Colleen (and me!) and good nap. The kids went through both the children's portion of the art museum, as well as the adult areas. The rest of the day included a walk around the pond and soaking up as much time as we could all together.
On Day 16, we headed north to Uncle Nathan & Aunt Laura's house. We arrived at lunch time, reloaded and then spent the afternoon having fun in their kiddie pool. Uncle Nathan was more than patient with their antics as the pool filled up.
Once everyone was done, Amelia helped Aunt Laura make strawberry soup for dinner while Austin and Mommy played War for a looong time. This kid loves the game; I'm pretty sure it's the one-on-one attention.
Then we headed to the kiddie carnival that is a favorite at Aunt Laura & Uncle Nathan's house in the summer. This was the perfect age to go for our crew. Amelia & Austin enjoyed all the big kid rides; apparently they are more thrill-seekers than we predicted. (Anyone signing up to take them roller-coaster riding when they're teenagers?) Colleen had fun on the age-appropriate rides for her and holding her tickets.
Backseat selfie
We had a big, exciting day 17! We headed to the US Space & Rocket Center. The kids loved the Math Alive exhibit, the different simulators and things they can climb in/on, as well as the mock space station.
Picnic lunch before exploring the Shuttle Park & Rocket Park. The kids' outdoor play area was a hit too.
(Austin has the best facial expressions when he wants to be snarky.)
The fun continued in the Saturn V hall - Austin loved that he could fit into all the little spaces that astronauts had gone into. Amelia was focused on controlling every simulator available. And Colleen followed them to the best of her ability.
We followed all the excitement up with fancy popsicles and more kiddie pool time before going out for sushi.
Kids snuggled up under Aunt Laura & Uncle Nathan's Hawaiian quilt; they were watching the end of the BMX competition they had started watching at the sushi restaurant.
Being silly with Uncle Nathan
Since Patrick had flown into Alabama to spent time with his family and join us for the last week of our trip, we opted to do one long day drive to get us back into Virginia. So we spent the entirety of Day 18 in the mini-van, listening to audio books, reading the second set of new-to-us books that I had hoarded, and completing new activity/puzzle books. The drive had a fun moment when we pulled into a gas station and saw a horse trailer had been unloaded. Not only were the other patrons gawking, but the employees had all come out to meet the horse.
Our original plan for the end of the long-drive was to arrive at Briana & Ryan's house, and that plan was confirmed and great at dinnertime on the previous day. But just before bedtime, they realized their finished basement was flooding from the huge amounts of rain they had been getting for days. (Their basement area is where their guests stay). So we changed plans and booked a hotel room near them. They kids thought it was awesome to have Daddy push the luggage cart around, since he could handle everyone's weight.
