Cousin Fun

Not only was August 20th the first day of school, but it was also the day that my brother, Joseph, and his family arrived for a short visit.  It had be over three years since we had last seen them, so it was fun to have them come out and catch up a bit.

Their plane arrived in the late afternoon on the 20th, so Kai and I drove up to Denver Airport together right after school to pick them up.  By the time we arrived home it was nearly bedtime for our boys, and way past bed time for them.  We grabbed some Chinese food on the way back to the house and enjoyed a yummy dinner before putting every down to bed.

On Thursday the 21st, both of my boys had school.  So, that morning while Bree napped my brother, his oldest son, and I went to the grocery store.  His son likes to push the cart and was a great little assistant for us as we shopped.

That afternoon after Finn got home from school (but not Kai) we went over to Fox Run park where we feed the fish (and chipmunks!) some bread and made a quick stop at the playground before heading home for some much needed naps for the little ones.

feeding the fish

On Friday the 22nd, our school district did something new--Assessment Day.  Kai had a two-hour window of time in which he was at school doing a series of three different assessments and then we were to pick him up.  It worked out well that he just had two hours that day, as it gave him more time with his cousins.  After picking him at noon from school, we squeezed all 8 of us into our van and headed down to Fargo's.  Kai at first threw a fit about the whole thing, but eventually decided he liked the place after we arrived.  You'd think after 7 years I would know how to introduce a new idea to him, but I still forget at times.  He doesn't handle change or surprise well a lot of the times and the thought of getting pizza anywhere but Papa John's was unfathomable to him.  He got over it and enjoyed it.  And so did the rest of us.

The only picture I have from Fargos.  Bree really liked the high chari they had there.

Playing on the deck later that night

Finally on Saturday the 23rd, we headed up to the North Pole.  It has been a few years since we've been and we were looking forward to going back.  My boys were much more interested in the bigger rides this time, despite me and Reid having much weaker stomachs in our old age.  Finn, the adventure lover, enjoyed every single ride he went on.  Kai, on the other hand, was pretty funny.  The Tilt-A-Whirl was not his friend and then on his last ride he was giving himself a pep-talk all the way through.  He definitely made me laugh.

Because my brother's kids are younger, they weren't as adventurous as our boys.  It took some persuasion from the oldest cousin that the rides were fun.  Kai was a great help in that respect and I was proud of him for being so encouraging and concerned about Zachary and if he was having fun.

Bree was ok on just a few of the rides.  She really would have preferred to sit in my lap, but that was a no-no.

Kai helped Zachary to go on the Granny Bugs

Reid and Bree tried the Granny Bugs but she was not having it.  I think she would have been fine if she could have sat on his lap.  Oh well, next time!

Kai got to take a ride on the cars with Uncle Joseph

She's driving!

As soon as we were done at the North Pole, we went straight to the Colorado Springs airport where they were hoping to catch an evening flight on standby.  It was a quick visit but we were glad they came and we were happy to have them.  I'm grateful for any chance that my kids get to spend with family!

All of the cousins on the Hickman side