A busy and sad week

This week was a sad one. My niece comes to stay with my parents every summer and she left to go back to California this past Wednesday. She plays so well with Mila and Annabelle and they are really going to miss their cousin. And so am I. She's introduced me to Teen Wolf, and after being in the car for 14 hours on our way home from Florida, she got me hooked on some games on my phone (which I'm trying to get through so I can delete them!) She's goofy and sarcastic, but yet so mature for a twelve-year-old. I really want to brag about her all day, but I won't.

Cousins dancing in the rain           

Monday, we went to the mall and decided to have some lunch at the American Girl cafe. Mila and Annabelle have their own Bitty Babies, but they've never seen the regular dolls. They had fun trying to pick the ones that they wanted/the ones that looked like them. It was our first time to eat lunch and we had no idea how expensive it was... It's definitely an experience and the girls really want to come back for their birthdays.

Tuesday, we went to Philadelphia. Mila learned about the Liberty Bell in school and has been wanting to see it. We did a lot on this trip so I'll have a post all about it :)

We felt we were in mourning after Gabby left so we're all just trying to carry on without her (sounds so dramatic). Hopefully she and her mom will be moving to Virginia in the next few months so we won't have to worry about the distance anymore. Growing up an Army brat, I never- got to live near my cousins and I've never felt a bond with them like my girls do with Gabby. 

C is for Cactus

... or cacti. 

This so far is my favorite canvas, and I will have it listed on Etsy shortly. 

Here are letters A and B.

B is for Beetle

Remember how much we love bugs? Of course I had to use a beetle here. The B is for Beetle is listed here. If you missed it, here is A is for Arrow.

7/4 Road Trip

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend. I was kind of excited to be back in DC for the 4th since it's always exciting to watch the fireworks here, but we ended up taking a road trip to Florida with my parents and niece. It was my first trip to Florida and it was fun traveling to a new state. The girls were excited about the beach. I must say, I have some awesome traveling girls!

I can't speak for all families, but I have found that when traveling with kids, it's best to not stress over entertainment. Even Annabelle figures out a way to entertain herself, and when they're overtired, I've learned there's not much you can do to soothe them. You will probably just have to let them cry and hope they eventually fall asleep :) On our drive from Oklahoma to Virginia, they had no electronics, but since my mom doesn't mind them playing on her phone and tablet, they were glued to them especially on the drive back. 

Here are some moments from our trip

The condo we stayed in was right off the water. 

A few of us made a trip into town for some ice cream. We made it just in time before it started pouring. 

It rained our last day there and we went out to comb the beach for some seashells and came across some really cool things. A shark tooth (right?) was found and lots of cute little urchins. They were tiny, and I thought they were little flowers at first until I got a close up look and noticed they were moving. 

Of course I don't have any pictures of myself. I rather be behind the camera. Overall it was a good trip. The 14 hour drive was a little tiring, but it was great to take the girls to the beach and to see some family that I haven't seen in awhile.