a lil' vacay back home

Not sure if this was technically a vacation (because I generally think beach, sun and sand) but since I was free of preparing dinner, free from doing laundry and had help entertaining my 24/7 on the go toddler for 7 days, that's what it was for me. 7 days for me to sit back and relax. 7 days to watch my lil' guy do what he does best...go, go, go. The best thing about being at my parents is that there are plenty of places for him to explore. The house, the barn, the pasture filled with cows and a donkey, the 4-wheeler, the tractor, Nana's plants. The list could go on and on! If you follow this blog, you know this boy LOVES being outside. Yes, even when it's 100 degrees out. Lucky for us, Nana and Papa have big shade trees, so that helped some, well maybe just a tiny bit. You'll see lots of red faces in the pictures on this post :)

I think just about every time we visit my parents, we pull something out from my childhood. This time was no exception. The itty bitty trampoline that my Dad drug out from who knows where in the barn was a huge hit with Kaden. Kept him entertained for hours. Us too 'cause it's pretty cute to watch him have so much fun on something so old and dry rotted! He has incredible balance. Guess The Little Gym is paying off.

Just look at how happy he was on that old thing! Even with a few springs missin'.

No trip to Nana and Papa's is complete without Aunt B's company.

And since we were on vacation, we let the rules slide a little. Now that I think about it, maybe a little too much. Bed time was delayed and delayed some more. Naps, well we tried to get those in, but oh well if we didn't. There was just too much going on to think about sleeping. We ate lots and lots of the sugary good stuff from Nana's kitchen. Ok for a growin' boy and his Papa. Not ok for mama.

And since Kaden and I don't get to do much of this at home, we took full advantage of my parents and sister and we all packed up and headed to Houston to watch Kass play in a baseball tournament. It's either too hot, too late or right in the middle of nap time at home. But with the help of my parents, a tent for shade and an iced down cooler full of water and gatorade, we cheered Kass and the Dallas Stars on in the beatin' Texas heat! Kaden enjoyed every minute of it. Playin' in the dirt. Throwin' toys on the field. And rootin' for his Daddy to hit the ball!

After a hot Sunday of baseball, we took it easy on the 4th of July. We started the day off at the parade in Chappell Hill. Us ladies served drinks for a private party while the boys watched the parade and collected candy and goodies. Then after a nap, Daddy gave Kaden his first ride on "his car". To say that he loved it would be an understatement. And yes, it's "his car". EVERYTHING is his these days.

And this is how we spent the rest of the 4th. Hangin' out and and lettin' a little monkey love on us!

Yes, when we got back to the Big D, we paid for the late nights and the extra attention from Nana and Papa. All worth it in my opinion. For 7 days of no laundry and no cookin'!