June

Lots of stuff happened in June....

Last day of Kindergarten!!

  Crohn's & Colitis Fundraiser Walk

Movies in the Park

 Blackhawks Win the Stanley Cup!!

Twins stink, but we go to a game anyway 

(minus Riley, but she still dresses the part)                                                                          
                                                           

 Weather finally warms up enough to play in the water outisde

Mosquitoes are BRUTAL and get a good bite of Riley's eyelid

Day 8 -- Saturday, June 1

We spent the morning and early afternoon back at Jake and Diane's, with a little party to celebrate Mackenzie's graduation and Ryder's 2nd birthday. After some more fun pool time, and running around in the yard, lunch and cake, it was time to start heading home. We had some tired kids and Conor had started to get car sick on some of the previous legs of the trip, so we were hoping that the more he could sleep in the car, the less sick he would feel.

We stopped at a few Czech gift shops in honor of my heritage but didn't find any great souvenirs to buy and the lines were way to long to buy some of their foods and bakery goods for the four of us who were just ready to get home.

 We did make a stop in Dallas to meet up with my friend Nikki, from PA school, and her two kids, Caleb and Emma. Our kids get to see each other every couple of years and I love reconnecting with their family when we can. We chatted while we grabbed dinner and the kids played in the play place at Chick-Fil-A (had to stop there while we could!)

 Funny faces!

The plan was to continue driving for several hours and stop somewhere near the halfway point home for an overnight hotel, but God bless my husband who was on a roll and able to continue driving straight through the night until about 6 am and by then I was able to take over for the last three or four hours and we had almost a full day at home to recover, unpack, do laundry, and rest up for our return to work/school on Monday. A fun trip full of special family memories!

Day 7 -- Friday, May 31

We made it to our final destination, the farthest south we would travel on this trip. We visited Jake, Diane, Mackenzie, Trevor and Rider and were able to spend some time in their pool and hanging out in their yard, a nice way to spend a warm Texas day.

 

 In the evening, when it "cooled off" we changed clothes and headed over to the high school football field to attend Kenzie's high school graduation. Little did we know how much their family had embraced the Texas lifestyle until they all donned their jeans, cowboy hats, and boots to wear to the ceremony. So fun!

Siblings

 Parents and the graduate

The whole family

Our family with the graduate

Riley and Ryder

Riley, Ryder, and Conor

Brothers in cowboy hats

 ...and without hats!

Day 6 -- Thursday, May 30

We woke up in the morning and headed out for the next leg of our road trip after breakfast. We traveled through the rest of Kansas and into Oklahoma where we seemed to be just ahead of another round of tornadoes. We traveled through the town of Moore, OK, which was hit by a deadly tornado earlier this spring which seemed to cross right over I-35, through the movie theater parking light, into neighborhoods, and over schools. Very eye-opening to see that in person! We made it into Texas and stopped to check in at the hotel for a little rest and relaxation before heading over to Adam's brother Jake's house in Mart, TX about 25 minutes from our hotel in Waco.

 

Exhausted travelers!!

Day 5 -- Wednesday, May 29

We spent the morning visiting the cemetery where Adam's dad, grandparents, and great grandmother are buried in Wichita. We brought flowers and flags for the kids to leave by the graves, and spent some time playing, running, laughing, reminiscing, and exploring the cemetery.

Adam's dad, James Michael Maguire

Adam's paternal grandparents, James and Margaret

Adam's great grandmother Beulah Maguire

 Cousins = New awesome friends!! 

We spent the afternoon and evening hanging out, playing in the yard, and chatting. What fun family time we had. Here are some group photos...lots of silly shots.....then one good one!

 

Day 4 -- Tuesday, May 28

Next stop...Kansas....where we stayed with Adam's aunt Pam (his dad's sister) and uncle Rod and their four children. They live in the house that Adam's Grandma Maguire used to live in so he had lots of memories there and Conor and Riley had a blast meeting four more new (second) cousins. Adam and I felt like we had built-in babysitters while they kids played together and we had some great conversations with Pam and Rod, who are good role models of what faith-filled parenting is all about. Always inspired by being around them!

We got to go to some of their boys' baseball games, where the kids also played at the park and climbed trees. Made it home in time to beat some of the storms.

We got to see their chickens and collect eggs from the chicken coops to use for breakfast.

Day 3 -- Monday, May 27 -- Memorial Day

On Monday, Memorial Day, we celebrated by wearing our patriotic red, white and blue and spent the day with Clint, Mel, and Carsen at the Omaha Zoo.

We were fairly exhausted after that, so we had a quick dinner, then headed back to Dale & Toni's for one more overnight, before heading on to our next state in the morning...