Austin with Abbie

After San Antonio we made the super quick drive (in comparison!) to Austin.  My sister, Abbie, and her husband, Zac, and their amazing kids, Ada and Eli, live there and it was everyone’s first chance to meet Eli, who was born in May.  (Well, I got to come in May, but everyone else has been waiting for this moment!). This has been a much anticipated stop on our journey.  More cousin time! But first stop on a hot day (and because it was nap time at Abbie’s house), the pool at the house we were staying.  Praise the Lord for pools.  We Northerners could not survive this Texas heat without them!

Then it was off to Abbie & Zac’s to meet the little man.

“Auntie” (me) is a big fan.  I’ve been looking forward to getting this little guy in my arms since I left a few days after he was born.  Nothing like a sweet baby and especially one that is your sister’s!

And the cousins were instant fans of Eli too.  I love how my boys love babies!

But wait, don’t forget about Ada girl!!  How could you though?  She was so excited to see the cousins, she was completely wound up, entertaining, silly and communicative.  The boys were impressed, totally entertained and quickly she had them wrapped around her little finger.

It’s pretty awesome that despite the age gap between these cousins, they really have a connection and enjoy spending time together.  Such a blessing that Abbie and I get to overlap in the season of motherhood and that our kids can really know each other.  Family is truly a gift!! (And totally worth the very, very long drive!)

Not only did Abbie host our big crew that first night in Austin, but she also had over some mutual friends to give us Melders a chance to catch up them.  What a hostess!  And so good to see the Archer family, reconnecting with B & Jess.

We stayed two days in Austin and the second day Doug and Zac were both off working, so Abbie and I had the kids together for the morning.  We were super impressed at how entertained my older boys were with Eli, Ada, the toys and the backyard.  It was so pleasant to get to have my kids enjoying her lovely home for the first time.  Usually Abbie comes to New Hampshire to see us, I’m so glad we had this opportunity to be on her turf!

Doting cousins (and a busy sister!)…

I mean, this perfection!!

Playing in the yard…

So that about sums up our quick stop in Austin, but thankfully, that’s not the end of our time with the Diltzs.  On July 1st we loaded the minivan back up and drove off to Mart, Texas to an AirBNB so that we could all fit in a house together for a few days (and there’s a pool!).  

San Antonio & The Alamo

After that long drive we enjoyed a fun two days with dear friends, Erin & Morriss, in San Antonio. They have three boys, we have four, so obviously it was a blast. Their boys skipped camp to hang out with us and visit the Alamo on Tuesday. And super special fact…these boys are great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandsons of “Kimbel”, one of the brave men who died at the Alamo! His name is on this monument..,

Only two of Erin’s boys are in the picture because Hudson forgot his shoes at home! Erin had to drive home with him so Hudson wouldn’t be barefoot for our adventure. So I got to explore the grounds of the Alamo with six silly, sweaty boys while we waited for their return. Here they are checking out the layout.

And here doing their best statue poses!

And then staring down the well that was on site back in the day of the Alamo! The boys of course were making up all these grand stories about how they were sure they used the well to hang people. Oh my goodness, boys!!

They found Davy Crockett!!

After retrieving Hudson’s shoes, we reunified for a quick tour of the inside of the Alamo. It’s amazing this place still stands, is right downtown and is free!!

After the Alamo, we headed to a brief taste of the Riverwalk experience. Didn’t last long, but it was fun to see. I’d never been before.

And maybe just maybe the Melder boys were more excited about this first time Texas experience, Whataburger!

After a very full and hot morning, the boys happily swam in the pool until it got stormy. After some chill, indoor time during some storms they braved the torrential downpour for some playing in the rain. I just love seeing kids be kids in the simplest ways. And not only that, I love that my boys were instant friends with my friend’s boys. 

This quick stop in San Antonio was so fun and such a blessing. Our hearts were full after great conversation and fellowship with like minded friends. Erin & Morriss are amazing hosts and their boys are too. Our boys are already asking when we can return!

Longest Drive of the Trip

Raising these four boys is definitely not an easy task (or a quiet or uneventful one), but I have to give them credit. They are excellent riders. All of our road tripping has certainly paid off that they can endure Niceville, FL to San Antonio, TX in one day. Drive time was 11 hours and 45 minutes, but with stops to break it up it took a total of 12 hours and 30 minutes. And Doug gets all the credit for safely getting us across that stretch of the country, at times the highway was an absolute mess! We literally saw four mattresses & dozens of blown tires and even a carburetor all on the highway!!

First gas stop was of course at Buc-ee’s. Aunt Abbie has had these boys hyped up on this enigma for years. It did not disappoint them! From clean bathrooms, to chicken fingers & brisket, to rows and rows of stuffed animals to laugh at, it was a convenient and fun pit stop. Highly recommend.

Next fun pit stop was in Louisiana. It was time to introduce the boys to beignets at Cafe du Monde! 

Obviously they were a hit!!

The next item of interest was making our first crossing of the Mississippi. The next time we do this should be about 5 weeks from now.

And I have to point out that we listened to this very enjoyable audio book, “Frindle” by Andrew Clements, to take a break from screens in the back seat. We all loved it.

It seemed to take so long to drive out of Florida’s pan handle and through the base of Mississippi and Louisiana, so it was very exciting when we crossed into Texas! That much closer to our destination for that day and friends and family awaiting us throughout the state.

We arrived in San Antonio to a lovely welcome by our friends and their three boys. Stay tuned for our adventures together!

Florida Fun with the Cousin Crew Part 2

After my birthday, we had one day off of birthday celebrations which we used to have just as much fun as we have on birthdays!

Here’s the breakfast crew. Every year it’s so special to watch the cousins grow and see how their friendships change, develop and grow as well. This visit they were all so super comfortable with each other. What a blessing!

Koen got up on one ski!! Another family member can slalom!

And Tav continues to gain confidence and skill on two.

We went to Schooner’s for lunch (again via boat, so fun!). More playtime for the cousins.

And look at these cuties!!!

Koen got up early Saturday morning to accompany Elizabeth to her horseback riding lesson. She didn’t want to leave the cousins, so Koen offered to go. Problem solved. And oh so sweet!

Saturday was Eleanor’s 11th birthday. She always requests tubing for her birthday activity and the cousins are happy to oblige! 

After the tubing fun (and a quick storm) we blasted out on the boat for the birthday girl’s lunch. 

It’s a good thing we got out early because we had quite a bit of weather throughout the afternoon. Aunt Leah had birthday bingo on hand for some indoor birthday fun.

And then on Sunday it was Penn’s 10th birthday!! He was so excited to turn double digits. We’ve been celebrating him all month with some special family traditions before we left New Hampshire, but we made sure to make his actual day special and that’s easy to do when surrounded by loving family. 

We started the day all at church together. Then we got the kids in the pool afterwards. Uncle Doug was a good sport and gave the kids a good time!

There was a boat outing (of course) to pick up fresh fish and shrimp for Penn’s birthday dinner at home.

Penn had a few presents and a lot of cards (and doting cousins).

We made a quick run out on the calm water for a final water ski and wakeboard session. Koen did a great job wakeboarding and I caught him catching some air!

Then Uncle Phil went and showed us how it’s really done. So good to watch him have some fun after he’s been pulling my kids all week.

I got a chance to slalom which I’m always grateful for, seems like one of those things you just have to do when you get the opportunity!

There was more pool and yard play when we returned. Koen and Eleanor worked on some acrobatic moves in the pool. (The day before Eleanor and I had a blast making up synchronized swimming routines. Aunt Leah has to send the video still, but I was impressed we are relatively in sync!). 

Tav and Eleanor played a lot of cornhole. Tavin won every time!!

After all that fun, a delicious dinner of grilled fish and shrimp prepared by Doug for the birthday boy, it was finally time for cake! Chocolate fudge cake with Nutella buttercream frosting, made with love by me for Penn, my biggest Nutella fan.

The birthday video is to big to load here! But the cake was sweet, but the birthday boy was sweeter. Especially when we ended the night with having to say all our goodbyes. These kids really care about each other and Penn has such a sweet, sensitive heart. He hates goodbyes. Thankfully we know we will be back and we know we are headed off on more adventures and family and friends await on this journey. Tomorrow, Texas!!