Cousins and LOTS of Them!

It's that time in the summer, our favorite time, when Aunt Kimmie and Cousins Angeline & Gabriella come to Charlotte for 2 weeks.

Aunt Kimmie & Co arrived on Tuesday (7/6) and stayed with Aunt Kathy for the first 5 nights. We spent several days enjoying the pool - all the little cousins (Owen, Cammie, Conor, Aschton, Angelina, Gabriella, and baby Emme - we just missed Dustin) and we shouldn't forget to mention Aunt Dawn came in town to play! We made a trip to the park (it was super hot outside) and then the bookstore (where I was suckered into buying 6 new books, as usual... love kids books).

On Saturday, Kim met me in Ballantyne at 7am to run 8 miles with my TNT team. What a treat - Kim running with me and the sky was so cloudy... perfect. The day started off awesome but ended with exhaustion. Gabriella was wrapped in a pool towel, coming in the house to use the potty when she tripped over a little piece of towel on the floor. Split chin = trip to emergency room = 4 hours of waiting = stitches = our "girls" dinner was canceled. Okay, the last part wasn't a big deal but it was a small result of what happened and even Kim was a little disappointed we cancelled dinner at PF Changs.

Gabriella was such a BIG girl, crying only when she fell. Once the little cut (that split wide open from the tile floor) stopped bleeding at Aunt Kathy's house, she never cried again. This 4 year old sat very patiently at the hospital, not complaining one time. Uncle Rich met them at the hospital to keep them company. He also called a friend, amazing plastic surgeon, who so kindly waited by the phone until Gabriella was admitted into a room - then he would find his way to the hospital, put on his scrubs, and so kindly and gently use his awesome plastic surgeon techniques to stitch her chin leaving no scar behind. You know what's amazing, after the numbing cotton ball was put on Gabriella's chin, she never noticed the 3 shots put directly in her cut and she fell asleep while being stitched. It was 8:30pm, time to go home and tuck this little girl into bed. What a trooper!

It's Sunday and we are so excited to have Aunt Kimmie, Angeline, & Gabriella come to our house for the remainder of the week. It was action packed from morning to evening. It started with happy hour with the neighbors on Monday evening - plenty of food, wine, and martinis. We hit the gym every day, played outside, experienced Plaza Fiesta, and Discovery Place. The week slowly came to an end with the most perfect Saturday. Kim & I ran our first 10 miles since training (that's actually 10.4 miles) while Erik watched 4 small children - he's brave and a very good man! Our neighbors Thom & BK had us over for an amazing brunch to celebrate our 10 miles and then we headed to Aunt Kathy's & Uncle Rich's for a pool party. I knew when Uncle Rich invited us to a pool party; he would have something up his sleeve... a HUGE slide for the kids. The day ended with 4 sleepy kids tucked in bed and us adults, eating a delicious steak dinner with wine.

Sunday (7/18), it's time for Aunt Kimmie to pack up the car and head home. This is always such a bitter sweet moment during their visit. We all hate saying good-bye but they are ready to see Uncle Marc and it's time for us to get back on schedule.

Between Kim & I, we took almost 1,000 pictures (really?) during her two week visit. I can't possibly post that many but will share some fun moments of the kids.