Reuniting with family and Brie's 10th!

Late May and all of June really felt like wash, rinse and repeat in our house, but we've been making the best of things and enjoying summer. The kids aren't always all smiles, but I love this pic since they were so excited to get special cookies from one of my friends. 😉

Not seeing any family in months was starting to wear on us, so we proposed to Tony's folks that they come visit. We've all been laying VERY low (and just to be sure, we even canceled all appointments we had within the two weeks of their expected arrival), so we felt confident it could be a safe visit. The result was a little bit of remembering how to be around others when they first got here and then everyone relaxed and we had a wonderful visit!

As usual, there were lots of crafts...

Maria made this for me!

And this beautiful origami card for Brie for her birthday!

As always, there were good eats! We had lots of delicious meals together, especially on the deck. 

On a hot afternoon, we filled up some more water balloons for a big fight. Just like last month, it was a hit all over again. 

I discovered the slow-mo feature on my phone and took these two funny videos!

We were all a bit bummed that Montgomery's 4th of July parade was canceled this year, but they did offer a "reverse parade" instead, so we drove over to check that out. Basically, cars snaked through the high school parking lots where the "floats" were stationary. It ended up being pretty cool! 

There was acrobatics!

And flame juggling! 

And then we had a very 4th of July dinner with homemade pulled pork and all the fixings! 😋

A major highlight of their trip was Nonno teaching the kids how to play the Italian card game Scopa.

Everyone participated...

And Samuel even beat Nonno once or twice! 

Their sweet visit was made that much sweeter when Tony made some award-winning cinnamon rolls for our last breakfast. Lucky us! 

Since we were on a roll (no pun intended), we headed to Virginia Beach! 

It was great to see everyone. 💛 These smiles say, "We've been waiting seven months for hugs!"

And Samuel got a huge kick out of being almost as tall as Gammy. 

What did family time look like? Well, lots of good eats, including multiple tomato pies that Brie helped Gammy make. 

Long walks after dinner...

Fabulous local ice cream!

And ample beach time, of course. We had ten days of perfect beach weather!

The kids all got to spend a night at Auntie B's, which they loved. 

Tony and I also stayed over at Beth's beautiful new home. Nothing beats hanging out in person!!

I even joined Beth early one morning to see the sunrise and go for a jog in our old high school/college neighborhood. So fun!

More good times for the kids? Tennis with Gammy! (And golfing with Granddaddy Rob!)

And sewing! 

And for us? Seeing dear friends who happened to be in Virginia Beach the same week (they live in Austin, TX). We caught up from a distance!

Our beach beauties! 

And a family shot!

It was extra special to celebrate Brie's 10th birthday with everyone in Virginia Beach. It started with picking up Duck Donuts with Granddaddy Rob!

Then cards...

And gifts! Brie loves Moriah Elizabeth, so she was really excited to get a shirt with one of her designs. Other presents included her very own MP4 player (this is a thing apparently!) in her favorite color of orange, cool Legos, a new Harry Potter book and board game, and a slime kit. Brie could make slime hourly, if we gave her the chance! She actually created her very own YouTube channel recently that is dedicated to teaching kids how to make fun things like slime and ooblech! She also created her own virtual magazine and has taken the time to research, write and publish a new issue each week of this summer. Amazing! 

Then...Auntie B let Brie cut her hair (with a little help from me and Gammy)!

She did a great job!! 

Ten years old!!

That afternoon, Brie had a Zoom call with her buddies back in Cincy...so glad she got to celebrate with friends, even from afar. 

And you know that we headed to the beach for a celebratory swim!

Decorated cupcakes...

And then enjoyed some delicious take-out sushi and chocolate cake (Great-Grandma Janis's recipe 💜)!

All in all, we had a perfect visit. (OK...we could have done without the clueless beach tourists and the looming pandemic in general...) We look forward to the next time...fingers crossed that our country is on the up and up by then!

P.S. Brie totally owns her nickname. I found this adorable card for her a few months back. Isn't it a hoot?

P.P.S. This is me and Beth lamenting that Tony, the kids and I can't stay in Virginia Beach longer. It was so nice to be able to hang out so much. Wish we could do that more often!! 

P.P.S. Nothing says "sisters" like matching front doors, right? Beth loved the new color we picked out for our house, so we bought an extra quart. Love how they turned out!!