Off to See America: Snowballs in July

Wednesday was a pretty chilled out day. After our long haul Tuesday, we were ready to blow off some steam, and Grandma and Grandpa’s house was a great place to do it. It was a beautiful day so we headed outside with Turner’s best friend, Bruiser, whom Turner played with the whole time we were in Pennsylvania, when he wasn’t busy playing with the cat, Little One.

Uncle Daniel showed up with a slackline he tied to a tree, so we worked on our balance as we walked across it. I really liked riding on the swing while Hazel and Turner played in the sandbox with the apples from the trees. Hazel also buddied up with Mianna and decided she was going to build a treehouse out of sticks. Grandma, Grandpa, Gigi, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Ryan, and Mianna joined us and we just enjoyed the day. We finished it off with some amazing lasagna Grandma made, a great end to a fun day.

When we woke up the next morning, it was the Fourth of July and we were ready to party. We were happy to find that everybody spent the night and they were all ready to play with us. Aunt Lauren and Mianna made delicious waffles, then Grandma and everybody plugged away at getting ready for some company. Hazel spent much of the day following Mianna along with a look of adoration on her face. Dad cut up a watermelon, and Hazel ate so much of it, Uncle Daniel finally sent her inside to ask Mom if it was okay for her to eat any more.

When we woke up from our nap in the afternoon, lots more people were at the house – Pop and Mom Mom, Gigi, Aunt Chris and Uncle Larry, Uncle Jim, Aunt Megan and her friend Mike. We were also excited to find that Grandma had set up a few pools for us and Bruiser outside, filled with lots of fun toys and a slide. We played there, with a break in between for some yummy food, for hours.

At bedtime, Mom put Turner to bed and the rest of us loaded into the car and headed to Gigi’s house in Hanover for swimming and fireworks. After a quick dip, we walked a few blocks to Moul Field with Mianna, Aunt Lauren, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Megan and Mike. We shared our snacks with everyone and really liked the fireworks, especially one that looked like a smiley face.

The next day was designated eating day. Our first stop was the Famous Hot Weiner. Pop, Aunt Lauren and Uncle Ryan met us there and we were excited to have milkshakes and french fries. The grownups also ate burgers and dogs with chili, onions and mustard. After our nap, our next destination was Mom Mom and Pop’s house to pick up our cousin Molly. We were excited to talk to Pop about the ghost that lives at his house, JJ. We went on a ghost hunt all the way up to the attic, and even Turner crawled up the massive staircase yelling, “JJ! JJ!” He also seemed pretty attached to Pop. Ever since we left, once in a while he grabs Mom and yells, “Pop! JJ!”

Once we left, we headed to one of Mom’s other favorite haunts, the Tropical Treat. We ate outside and had burgers, pizza, chicken strips and most importantly, ice cream. Dad skipped dinner altogether in favor of a banana split. Mitch and Turner shared a banana split. Mom got a butterfudge sundae and Hazel got a raspberry vanilla swirl cone that she liked because it was pink. The other exciting thing about the Treat is it backs up to a farm. So that gave us a fun chance to dine with ducks, goat, a sheep and chickens. Turner and Grandpa were very brave because they pet the goat.

Saturday we set off for an adventure within an adventure, down to Essex, Maryland, to stay on Grandpa and Grandma’s boat. One fun thing Turner and Hazel liked on the ride was finding corn fields and yelling, “Corn! Corn!”

Once we got to the boat, we were all shocked to see how big it is – it has three bedrooms and Mom couldn’t believe it has a washing machine. We spent our time Saturday at the pool at the marina, and Dad rode a jet ski for the first time ever. He said it was really fun. He also wishes he would have worn more sunscreen that day.

That night, we had another surprise – Grandma had a movie night in store for us, Turner’s first ever. We tried to watch Lady and the Tramp but I was so tired, I put myself to bed. Then there were fireworks outside and we tried to watch those. Turner was scared, so Mom tried putting him to bed. Hazel watched for a few minutes, and then ended up going to bed too.

Sunday was an exciting morning. Grandpa pulled his dingy out and took us kids and Dad for a ride. Dad, Turner and Hazel really liked it. Turner and Hazel liked the speed involved. Turner was so comfy he fell asleep in it. Then Mom took me kayaking. I told her I prefer the kayak because it is slower. It is quieter too. We finished our day with more pool time, then headed back to PA for our final night.

When we got back, we found Aunt Lauren, Uncle Ryan and Uncle Daniel at the house. They had put out yet another great spread Grandma prepared for all of us ahead of time. We had brisket, mac n cheese, and broccoli.

After the feast, they surprised me with a birthday party! Mom said for a boy 10 days away from his birthday, I was doing pretty good having my second party already. Grandma brought me a birthday cookie with a 6 candle in it and I got to open lots of great gifts. It was nice that everyone thought of me.

Grandma even had gifts for Turner and Hazel – we all got wooden carved name signs for our rooms. Turner was especially excited about his, which had his favorite character, Llama Llama, on it.

We were sad to say goodbye but it was nice to see everybody and we were excited about the next part of our adventure.