the Schrader 5

We have had a great first week of vacation. We arrived at Lori's last Saturday just in time for dinner. We headed straight to Baja Fresh! The kids spent the evening playing in Lori's backyard with Alina and Aidan. On Sunday Aidan had his birthday party. The boys had tons of fun and were torn between spending another night at Aunt Lori's or heading off to the mountains! We arrived in Pennsylvania Sunday evening and they dragged Pop-Pop out to do everything possible before it got dark. Their first stop was the candy tree. Pop-Pop has a tree that grows lollipops just outside his kitchen door! Their next stop was the money tree that is planted safely in the garden surrounded by an electric fence! The boys have been checking that tree daily needless to say. So far it has grown lots of coins and one dollar bills. There was a lot of rain there the last few days we were there so the boys are expecting twenties to be growing by the time we get back to Pennsylvania! Monday was beautiful and we all spent the entire day outside. I took Hanzie on a few long hikes and he was completely exhausted by the end of the day. Since I didn't have my bike with me, I had to jog. Most people know that I hate running! I actually did much better than I thought I would. I jogged around the pond a few times and then jogged the hiking route with Hanzie which is through the mountain. Tuesday afternoon Lori arrived with Alina and Aidan. The boys and Alina had a blast playing together. The boys taught Alina how to skateboard across my mom's new hardwood floors! They went for numerous four-wheeler rides, tractor rides, etc. They have also been fishing just about every day. On Wednesday it was extremely hot. We took the kids into town to get ice cream and it was 97 degrees! Thursday morning it started raining and kept raining off and on until we left after lunch today. The boys weren't bothered by the rain and kept up with their normal routine, minus the campfire since it was too wet to build one. Noah tried hard to convince Pop-Pop to use the dry firewood that was in the basement, but finally gave up on the idea. This morning they got in a fishing trip when the rain let up to just a drizzle. Noah caught a giant catfish and had to be saved by Pop-Pop. I guess the catfish was a bit stronger than Noah and started pulling him into the pond! After fishing and lunch we packed up and headed to Bowie. We stopped by my friend Anna's house to see her renovations. Her projects are all turning out beautifully, although I know she is anxious to have it all done! After Anna's we were off to Grandma Pat and Pop-Pop Bob's house to meet up with Aunt Kate and Dad. They were very anxious to see their dad that they hadn't seen in a week! I think Chris was a bit more anxious to see them though. After a short reunion, we headed off to Baja Fresh for dinner. Now we are in the process of packing up all over again to leave for the Outer Banks in the morning. The boys are excited about seeing their cousins tomorrow. Of course the entire family is saddened by the loss of Chris' Grandma Covney earlier this week. I think it is wonderful that everyone will be able to spend time together this coming week.