We have friends in Pennsylvania!

Our next stop was Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Pennsylvania. We didn’t make any big stops between Atlanta and their house, so we made really good time. It paid off because we had lots of time for dinner, hanging out and saying hello, and catching fireflies before it was time to go to bed. We even had time for Grandma to read us our bedtime story, Rodeo Rose.

The next day we got up at our usual early time. Hazel and I watched our Kindles and Turner dressed up as a cowboy and let himself outside to surprise Grandpa and send him off to work in style. After breakfast and hanging out for a while, we set off for Aunt Lauren’s and Uncle Ryan’s house and lunch at a fun burger joint and Pinchot Park in Dover. We were super excited because we picked our cool cousin Mianna up there too.

Taking a ride on the Uncle Ryan train

After lunch, we started out with a short hike on a muddy trail around a lake, which gave us the chance to watch Uncle Ryan catch a few fish. He caught a big mouth bass, a striped bass and a sunny. They were all too small to keep, and it was fun to watch him put them back in the water. I told him all kinds of facts about the different kinds of fish he caught. Then we swam in the lake with Grandma, Aunt Lauren and Mianna while Dad rested and Mom passed out on the shore. She snored and we all laughed at her. They also had a playground at the lake. I dug a huge hole and climbed in it. It was great. It was a fun and tiring day, but we weren’t too tired to catch more fireflies that evening.

The next day, we got an early start and headed to Washington, D.C., to go to the National Zoo with Grandma, Grandpa and Mianna. We had a really great time walking around, hanging out with everybody, and looking at all the animals. Dad noticed the cheetah looking pretty anxious because it was right next to the zebra. After we walked away and around the corner, there was a loud ruckus. It turned out the cheetah and zebra were talking to each other. Once we got back, we were excited to see Uncle Daniel. Turner stuck to him like glue. Then we had yet another very late night with the lightening bugs.

We had lunch at the FHW with Pop and Mom Mom!

The next day we slowed down and took it easy. We spent some time hanging out with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Daniel in the morning, then headed to the Famous Hot Weiner with Mom’s grandparents, Mom Mom and Pop. It was nice to see them. Hazel really liked hearing what it was like when Mom Mom was little. I liked talking with Pop and Uncle Ryan about Cub Scouts. Turner liked hearing about all the family members he is named after.

We spent the rest of the day back at Grandma and Grandpa’s taking a nap and playing outside, which we really enjoyed the whole visit. We liked running around in the grass with the dogs, Bruiser and Lucy, and playing with the apples from the trees. Aunt Lauren sent us a furniture box, which we colored and played with outside. We pretended it was a clubhouse for a while, then I tried to mount it on a wagon that we’d been riding around all week. I told Mom that when I grow up, I want to live in a house like Grandma’s, in the country.

Grandma swam in a lake with us!

We had a great day on the Fourth of July. We took it easy in the morning because it was raining and we knew we had a big night ahead of us. We schooled Grandpa in Wild Kratts, then headed to the Tropical Treat for ice cream. Turner and I got butterfudge sundaes. Mom got a huge raspberry ice cream cone. Dad and Hazel each tried to conquer a banana split (Dad succeeded and helped Hazel finish hers). We all shared so we got to taste everything. It was a great time!

That rain stopped that evening, so we headed to the York Revolution baseball field for fireworks with Aunt Lauren, Uncle Daniel and Uncle Ryan. The fireworks were exciting, and we all agreed that the grand finale is our favorite part.

Mom took too many pictures of us.
Grandpa didn't mind, but we did.

Sunday we really took advantage of our last day with all that outdoor space. We played with everyone outside and in a pool Grandma and Grandpa picked up for us. The pool had a slide, which Hazel, Turner and Mianna really liked. Then Grandma surprised me with a birthday party! We had ice cream cake, which I requested. Then she and Grandpa gave me a whole bunch of presents. I was very tired and the first thing I pulled out of my birthday bag was so interesting, I got sucked into it and had to look at the rest later. The party was a great way to end our visit.