Food Prep, Birthday, and Bonfire

We had a very busy Saturday but took it easy on Sunday.  There are times when it's good to slow down a bit!

Saturday morning Madison helped me prepare a few meals at Dinner Savvy. She was excited to know she was going to have a part in making meals for the weeks to come!

The first FROZEN birthday party this year.  Not too bad, considering...
Reagan's brother had a pet lizard named Spike and couldn't wait to show him off.  Madison couldn't take her eyes of Spike but wasn't too sure when she finally got to hold him.

Madison and Alli having a photo op.

The weather is just starting to turn.  With the weather being a little closer to "FROZEN", Lisa lit a fire in the firepit to get us to come outside and have some good bonding time!  Thank goodness for close friends!!!

Halloween Weekend 2014

It all started again on Friday night at 6pm. A HUGE group of us met for Trick-or-Treating. The Elsa's were ready for anything that came at them!

 

Alli, Madison, and Emma

 

Olaf better watch out how close he gets to the fire!!!

 

 

Emma stayed the weekend.  Saturday the weather was not really all that great.  Took the girls to Home Depot for the Kids Workshop.

 

 

Thank goodness the weather cleared; however, it turned MUCH cooler on Sunday.  A great opportunity to get outdoors.  A little family day of hiking at Umstead State Park.

 

Trying to keep Lucy (and Madison) from getting in the water!

 

  

Family Portrait!...If you look closely, Jeff has Lucy!

 

Halloween 2014

The weekend has come and gone.  Hard to believe that the Halloween party planning has come to an end.  What a FANTASTIC party and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Anna, Olaf and Elsa

All the Elsa's and Olaf

Almost everyone was in the picture.

Sven eating the carrot off Olaf's nose

The kids played outside for HOURS. It was dark by the time they started coming in.  The next morning let light on how much fun the children really did have!

Juice pouches, glitter, art supplies found
 all over the place the next morning!

It's nice that she's old enough now to actually help with clean up. And with so many children AND adults milling around, there was A LOT of clean up on Sunday!

Cleaning the floor

Happy Halloween!!! 

Five States, Three Big Rivers, Seven Days...Part Four

State #5 and Big River #3 started the fourth day of our vacation.  Our first stop was an overlook in Cape Girardeau, Missouri to check out the Mississippi River. 

Panoramic view of the Mississippi

Gwen had prepared for this trip and had mapped out some sites she wanted to see as well as letterboxes she would love to find.  This led us to Trail of Tears State Park. 

There were a few different boxes here and we were lucky enough to find them.  The rest of us had given up on finding the last box but Jeff's persistence paid off and we were able to find it!

Everyone documenting their find!

We hated to cut the visit to the Cape short since there was still so much we wanted to see but we had a very SPECIAL appointment to keep!  Jeff, Tiff, and Madison split from the group to head back to Illinois for an hour horseback trail ride!!! That is all Madison had talked about that morning and asking, "When are we leaving to go horseback riding?"

Tiff and Fred

Madison and Thunder

Jeff and Snowflake

Grandma and ???

Just when you think the day could not get jammed back with more, we still had to get back to the hotel, cleaned up and back to the winery in time for dinner!  Oh my...

Dinner Saturday for Gregg and Andy was SUPER easy...just a walk across the field.  With a live band and all sorts of activities it was the perfect evening for just hanging out.

Dad, Tiff, and Madison checking out pictures

Aunt Alice, Tiff, and Madison

What a great evening!  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.  And yet there was still more....

Five States, Three Big Rivers, Seven Days...Part Three

Third day of the vacation started the official MEET & GREET!  For most of us it had been YEARS since we had last seen each other.  It all started at a central meeting point...Giant City Lodge.

http://giantcitylodge.com/
Side note...since I'm late getting this out...this lodge was featured in the movie "GONE GIRL".

Gwen was hanging out having a cup of coffee waiting for us and next to show up was Bev.  Since it was just the few of us, it was the perfect time for Madison to share HER photo album...A Day with Lucy!

Gwen, Madison, and Bev

We had an hour of so of weekend planning. So much to do, so little time!  Activities were planned and an agenda sent out.  Participation was left up to the individuals.

Our first stop was Ferne Clyffe Part with Gwen and Bev to do a bit of letterboxing and to check out the waterfall.

http://www.shawneeforest.com/Hiking/FerneClyffeWaterfall.aspx

After getting there, the locals reported the waterfall had been "turned off"!  We were able to get a picture in the dry waterfall bed. 

"And the there was this other waterfall..."
Madison being such a trooper!

That evening there was a big dinner planned (http://annabrickhousegrill.com/) and the first time that all the cousins would be together.  Madison loved visiting with everyone.  She even had the special job of passing out special gifts to everyone.

Gwen, Bev, Alice, Janice, Linda, and Herb

Susan, Alice, Jane, Gregg, and Tiff

Checking out the pictures

Five States, Three Big Rivers, Seven Days...Part Two

What do you do driving half way across the country and want to stop at fun sites?  You stop in Metropolis, Illinois and take your picture with a giant Superman, of course!

Madison and Superman

Superman and Supergirl

We finally made our way to our final destination in Anna, Illinios.  Not everyone had made it to the final destination for the weekend but mom, dad, Gregg and Andy had made it.  Dinner was the agenda that night.  The first winery of MANY for some of us.

Sassy...

It had been awhile since Madison had seen her Uncle's. She couldn't wait to show them the photo album she had made about Lucy.

It was the first night of many LATE nights but a great start to the long and event filled weekend!

Five States, Three Big Rivers, Seven Days...Part One

For the first time ever the road trip could have started one day early. It was a trip we had been preparing for for months. Madison had her activity bag packed and couldn't wait to get started.

Our first stop was Knoxville, TN to visit with Uncle David and Carson.  It was Madison's first time having dinner at a Japanese restaurant.  The man trying to get rice in our mouths made her giggle!

Dinner was very filling. To work off our FULL bellies, we hit the trails and did an 8 hole game of Frisbee golf. 

Check out the outcrop!

Carson throwing the Frisbee

Madison getting a hole in one ;-)

Madison and Jeff checking out his throw

Back at the house there was just enough time for a game of Apples to Apples before bed.