Hamilton Fun

I was so pumped to go "camping" or "RV-ing" to the family ranch in Hamilton. I was so excited that my parents and Aunt Amy, Uncle Mark and Jessica. The weather was supposed to be nice, with 30% chance of rain. The kids had colds the week before, but those things can last weeks. So we packed up just about everything but the kitchen sink and began our journey! First stop was at Honey & Poppy's to get their awesome travel trailer. That made the trip so much more enjoyable. There is a house at the ranch, but I wasn't sure about having the kids in there.

The kids and Tyson did pretty well on the trip. Madeline slept okay, but when she woke up she was pretty cranky. I tried to keep the snacks coming and ipad playing with Diego and Chuggington. We kept teling Max we were going to Paw-paw's house (as the family calls it) in Hamilton. He seemed pretty excited. It was cute and kind of sad when we got there and he asked for Paw-paw. I had to tell him he didn't live there anymore, but he was in heaven now. When we got there everyone was so ready to get out! Of course my handsome husband had to do most of the hard work of setting up the trailer, hooking up water, electricity, etc. My hero! He does get frustrated, but he is a trooper and we are so fortunate to have him.

 My parents surprised us and came in Friday after all. The kids were so happy to see them. Max keep saying "I hear something, I see something" and using his flashlight. It was so amazing to see his curiosity blossoming. Max is so smart, handsome, funny and inquisitive and I adore him! That night we enjoyed the crisp air, star-gazing, cold beer and washers the first night. The kids slept pretty horribly that night and Max woke up with a high fever Saturday morning. I was totally regretting that I had brought them and called the nurse hotline to figure out what to do with him. Luckily I had breathing treatments, Tylenol an zyrtec so we were able to keep in under control.

We cooked great food, well really my parents and my Aunt Amy. It was so awesome to have them there. I don't know what I would have done without them. Breakfast was so good. I went for a run and the kids enjoyed running around getting into everything. Maddie was all over the place. She would just walk away from the group and just wander off. She was so cute this weekend. She was pretty fussy when she'd get tired, she only wanted me to hold her, which is sweet, but exhausting. She learned how to say the word jump while bouncing up and down. She is so sweet, I love her so much!!

 I was able to take some great pictures of the kids with my dad. He is such a proud grandfather, and I love it. You can tell they feel the same way. They light up when they see him and my mom. It was hard to get a great picture of everyone smiling, but I think we got he money shot.

The pictures stop here. Although the party continued and the food fest went on. We made chili for lunch and just hung out. Shawn took the family for a shooting lesson. Some went fishing. My aunt went to get some huge steaks from David's grocery and Shawn was more than willing to cook them on the pit. But after a long summer of drought, finally a huge storm system (remember that 30% chance) came through. It came so quick, the hot dogs blew off the pit, and Shawn, Uncle Mark and Jessica were caught outside. Luckily I was in the trailer with the kids and Aunt Amy. But the wind was so strong and the rain was so loud we weren't sure it was safe. Alot of shuffling around too place, alot of concern, but long story short.....we enjoyed a fabulous meal together in the trailer that night. Steaks, baked potatoes, grilled corn, onions, salad, green beans.The rain sure put a damper on our outdoor fun, but it was great family time. The rain let up for  while, but it stormed all night. There was even a flood warning in Hamilton county. Luckily we were on high ground and just got really wet. The kids slept like a dream, but Shawn and I stayed up listening to the storm. The trip was so much work, but we made some great memories. I'm sure we'll do it again, we might listen to the weather man next time though.