Bright and early Friday morning the 22nd we headed out to drive to Nebraska. We were going to stay the night at Ty and Vandy's house Friday night and then all caravan over to Chicago on Saturday. So we made our way to Nebraska. The kids slept for quite a while and then we turned on movies and listened to music.
I don't see sunrises very often so I have to take advantage of it when I do. It sure was pretty!
Emmett is such a goof ball!! haha
Oh... and we ran out of gas!! We were about 2 miles from the off ramp when Brandon said, "umm I think we just ran out of gas." Sure enough.. so we coasted for probably another mile until we came to a stop on the side of the road. We could see the off ramp! We were so close! Yet we ran out of gas. So Brandon had to take off walking down the road to get to a gas station to get a little bit of gas so we could make it to fill up all the way.
This is how we all felt about running out of gas. haha It was an adventure for sure and it was getting pretty hot in the car. So I got out of the car and opened up Emmetts door just to let some air in the car. Thankfully Ethan and Wyatt were playing on their leapfrog games so they were competely happy. I had to try and keep Emmett happy as we sat there. We were not sure how long it would take Brandon to get back to us.
Thankfully it only took about 30 minutes.
Brandon got back and told me that a trucker lady had picked him up just down the road and had told him that she normally doesnt pick up people on the road anymore but that he looked like he needed help and had a little family so she decided to help him out. So she picked him up and drove him to the gas station. Then he just had to walk the way back. It was a blessing that is for sure!! So after making it to the gas station we finished the trip to Ty and Vandy's house.
After arriving we had some lunch and then headed to play some mini golf.
The kids had a blast and took off as fast as they could through the holes. Brandon and Ty had a little competition going for the mini golf and Ty miraculously won with an incredible last luck shot. After some fun mini golf we got some ice cream sandwiches.
On our way back to the house Ethan put on the iron man costume stuff and then fell asleep. It had been a long day. haha
Then we played at the park a little bit, ate dinner and then put the kids to bed and enjoyed a relaxing evening before going to sleep.
The next morning we woke up nice and early thanks to the kids and headed on our way to Chicago.
This is the face you make when you eat too many oreos after Mom tells you not to eat too many. haha Poor Wyatt learned the hard way about eating too many oreos at one time. His tummy was feeling really gross.
Then we stopped at an outlet mall about half way through our drive.
Piper was having a hard time and Emmett was being super sweet to her trying to make her happy.
Look at those cuties!!
Then we headed to Culvers for lunch
These cousins have so much fun together! It is super cute to watch them.
And then there is Beckham. haha He is so cute and yet was having a rough go.
After lunch we drove another 2 hours and then stopped in Davenport at Whiteys. I was told about this place by my Chiropractor. It did not disappoint. He said it was the best ice cream place and he was totally right. It was delicious! So much so that I told Brandon that we should stop by it on our way home. haha
It was seriously the best ice cream. The flavors beat out kilwins. Which is pretty crazy if you ask me.
We arrived at Jason and Devins around 5 and then Grandpa bought pizza for us all.
The crazy had officially begun. haha All of these kids in a small house with a dog. haha Let the crazy begin!!
Emmett loves his cousins. He and Kaylyn played so well together it was super cute. I came downstairs looking for something and found them both in the crib laughing and having fun and then they gave each other a hug. So stinking cute!!
On Sunday we headed to Devon's Church. We figured it would be good to support her and good to at least go to church on Sunday.
It was very different than what I am used to. The kids had fun and the sermon was pretty good. It felt like we were at a concert when the band started to play and everyone around us was holding there hands up really into it. It was interesting. haha
Then some more park time!
We had fun at the park but it sure was hot outside. Hot and Humid!!
These 2 cuties kept playing scared of the dog. They would get down and touch the dog and then scream and get on the chairs. Then they would do it all over again. I think they did this for like 20 minutes. haha
Brandon and I bought some finger flingers for all the kids. So when we had some down time we broke them out and let the kids go to town. haha
Grandma Murri let the kids try and shoot her with the finger flingers. haha The kids thought it was the best thing ever!
Then it was time to cool off in the pool!
We brought our blow up pool with us so the kids could have some fun in the water in the backyard. They sure seemed to enjoy it.
Then Brandon and I got to go out with Mike and Lee to Top Golf on a date. The rest of the family was going to go see the broadway Hamilton the next night. So we enjoyed our freedom from the kids for one evening.
We had a blast at Top Golf and ate way too much. haha It was a great evening!
Some more Park time.
When 21 people are in a 1200 square foot house you have to get out to the park as much as you can. haha
After just a couple of days in the house the boys were getting pretty grumpy. So we decided they needed a break from the cousins so we took them out for a walk to the gas station to get them some treats.
On Wednesday we went to the Chicago Museum of Discovery. Brandon and Ty left to go get some Dominican Food while the rest of us dealt with all the kids in the crazy busy museum. I was pretty upset because I knew it was going to be insane dealing with all the kids in such a big place. Plus Emmett was being super Grumpy and wanting me to hold him most of the time. If I wasnt holding him he kept stepping on my toes. It was driving me crazy! So I lost it a little bit on him. I was sure glad when Brandon finally got back.
Ethan and Wyatt had fun trying out the hampster wheel. Wyatt kept getting in trouble because he kept letting go of the handles. Silly kid.
Brandon tried it out with Emmett since Emmett really wanted to but is too little.
Then we saw some baby chicks hatching. Emmett told Grandma that they had hair like his. haha He must have remembered that his hair used to look like a baby chicks. haha so funny!
Brandon and I took the kids and Grandma and Grandpa to get some ice cream while the rest of the family went to the Pixar exhibit. It was too pricey for our taste so we decided to not do it. What made it better was when they got done with it and said it wasn't really worth it.
We sure enjoyed our ice cream though. It was pretty tasty!
After some yummy ice cream we went to the mirror maze with the whole crew. The mirror maze was super cool!
Even I almost ran into mirrors every once in a while. haha Shortly after getting into the maze Emmett decided he wanted to run through it. Brandon told him not to run but he didn't listen and he ran right into a mirror and fell straight backwards. haha We couldn't hep but laugh. It was quite funny!! He didn't run after that that is for sure.
Then we spent time in the kid zone to finish off our time at the museum.
It was a pretty fun little place. We should have gone there while Brandon and Ty were gone getting their food. It would have been way more relaxing than going through the other parts that we did while they were gone. It was a good way to end the museum experience.
From the museum Ty, Vandy, John, Coya, Jason and Devon all left to go see Hamilton. I had to drive our car home and Brandon drove some kids home in someone elses car and Mike and Lee drove another car with some kids in it. I was not excited to drive through downtown chicago. Especially since I knew we would get seperated some how and I didn't want to get lost. I can't stand getting lost. I get so nervous and scared. So I was not excited. Thankfully after taking the wrong exit and calling Brandon I made it back to the house just fine.
We got home around 7 and had a waffle bar with the kids before sending them off to bed. It was kind of chaotic but we managed. There was lots of crying going on from the little kids and tantrums. So it was not enjoyable. We were sure glad when they were all in bed.
On Thursday we officially started the Reunion.
We started the morning off with a hike that Jason and Devon had gotten a scavenger hunt prepared for the kids to do while on the hike.
It was a nice morning and we all enjoyed the walk around the lake. The kids had fun trying to find what items were on the list and picking up trash.
What better way to end a hike then going and getting some ice cream!
As soon as we got home from the hike the "Survivor" themed Reunion was officially a go. So we were now on the hunt for hidden immunity idles. Jason and Devon had also planned some Survivor games for us to play. It was a blast!!
They even made buffs for us and we had to draw them to see whose team we were on.
Somehow the kids managed to destroy the grass while playing in the pool. After jumping in and out of the pool so many times they got past the grass and into the mud and as you can tell the pool took the brunt of it. Sick!!! haha they sure had fun playing in the muddy water though!
We also did an Escape room. It was a super fun one. We had to go into 3 different rooms to get out. It was way fun and we made it out in time so that was a plus. I think we lost that challenge just barely.
Friday was Lake day. We went to Lake Michigan and had a blast. The water was really cold but it was super clear and the day was really hot so it made it worth jumping in the water. Even though it took our breath away each time it was still too hot to not get into the water. The lake was shallow for probably a quarter mile. Which made it super fun for the kids! Plus the sandy shoreline was great for them to play on.
We spent a few hours at the lake and ate lunch and then headed back to the house when the little ones were too exhausted to play anymore. I could have spent all day at that Lake. It made me wish that we had a nice lake like that near us with sandy beaches and shallow clear, clean looking water.
I had to take a picture of our car topper because its so big that Brandon can fit in it. haha This was the best 10 dollars we have spent. haha
Friday night was our last night before taking off home. That evening we watched "The Greatest Showman"
While we were watching it Emmett tripped over Johns leg and smacked the wall with his head. Thankfully he just missed the corner so it didnt split. It sure did swell up though. Poor little buddy. Then John got me all worried that he would have a concussion so we kept him up for a little bit longer to make sure he was acting normal before putting him to bed. After some ice on his head for a while and making sure he was normal we sent him to bed.
Brandon picked up pizza from Giordanos that night so that we could try it before we left. Everyone said that it was the best chicago pizza. So we decided we might as well try it. It was 50 bucks for 2 small pizzas. It was good but not worth 50 bucks. That is too expensive for my taste.
Saturday morning we took family pictures and finished off our last Survivor game. They blind folded us and had us navigate to different boxes to get keys to unlock our other player and the backs to put together a puzzle blindfolded. It was really fun.
Emmett was so tired from the lack of sleep that week and all the activities. So he was not having being out in the heat that morning. It was super hot and humid. We were all sweating pretty bad.
Sadly I lost by 1 vote. But Oh well it was really fun. Wyatt won sol survivor for the kids! He was pretty excited about that.
On our way out to make our drive back home we stopped at Portillos to get some Chicago dogs. They were really yummy!
Then we stopped at Whitey's on the way home. It was just as good the second time. I got fruity flavors both times that had chocolate in it. They were amazing!! I am so sad that we will most likely not get it again.
On the drive home as we made it into Nebraska we drove under some pretty scary clouds.
These clouds looked like they were dropping on us. I have never seen clouds as low as these clouds were. What was really crazy was that as soon as we got past these clouds the wind picked up like crazy. Brandon and I looked at each other both pretty nervous. We probably had just driven under the eye of the storm and could have even just missed a tornado. It was really pretty nerve wrecking. After passing under those clouds and getting farther into Nebraska we hit a pretty crazy thunder and lightning storm. It was a crazy drive to Tyrel and Vandy's house. We finally made it to Ty and Vandy's house and got some sleep. The next morning we got up and ate some breakfast and then got back on the road to make the rest of the drive home.
This picture I had to take because Emmett looked like a homeless child. He was such a mess and had sat on some sugar babies and had them stuck on his pants. haha The rest of the drive home was pretty boring. We just wanted to be home and the kids really wanted to be home. We were just glad we didn't have to drive to California in a couple days. It was over all a fun trip. We always have fun with the family even if it is chaos because of the amount of people in small places. But, it is totally worth it each time. So many good memories that the kids make with their cousins and we get to have so many fun laughs with everyone else. We definitely left that reunion not feeling like we could trust anyone in the family (in a game aspect) because we played a game called "secret hitler" and we realized that everyone was really good at lying and deceiving. haha That and then having a survivor themed reunion just added to the deciept. haha It was a blast and we can't wait till the next reunion! :-)
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