Fun in the summertime- with cousins!

I took off on Thursday and Friday to go with my cousins up to Washington, DC for a little sight-seeing and a trip to the zoo. Have you noticed yet how much time I spend with my cousins now that I have moved to Roanoke? I have 40+ first cousins (the number grows greatly once you add in spouses and children). The majority of those cousins all live within an hour or so of Roanoke. So even though I have never lived here in Roanoke before, there is no shortage of people I know here! And I'm making up for living away for so long by spending time with everyone now!
This trip was with Karma and Ginny, plus their children. K & G are sisters, and their other sister Tami, lives up in the DC area. Karma and Ginny both have 3 children each, and I had lots of fun getting to know them all better. 
Some of the cuter moments and highlights!

 The beautiful Ginny!

 I have just told Petey (age 4) that alligators eat little boys for lunch. His reaction? "But I'm a good little boy!"

And he really is a good little boy. And super cute too!

This is Baby Kendon (age 2). Don't let the "baby" and his little size fool you. When you least expect it, he busts out in complete sentences and makes it clear he understands everything you have been saying around him! 

 Kiersten and Kyle having a little fun.

 Kyle (age 7) really got into making "serious man" poses every chance he got.

 Little Kaylee (age 6) will do just about anything to be just like her big cousin Kiersten (age 10). The above and below photos are proof of that. Please note the cute little popped up foot!

 Kaylee was my walking buddy and my snuggle buddy on Friday. 

Kids in motion tend to stay in motion. 

 Like I said, Kaylee loves to be just like Kiersten...

 And Kiersten loves to be just like Cousin Erin Ann.

These two little guys are best friends. Kiethy and Petey are full of non-stop, 4 yr old energy. And love to share everything! 

Kenny really enjoyed his ice cream! 

I have no idea what Karma was doing  here. That didn't stop me from taking the picture. 


On the drive up Karma's car was clipped by an 18 wheeler that didn't see her in his blind spot. She was run off the road and got a pretty bad scare. The car received minimal damage. Somehow we were blessed with a miracle, and the little spikes on the truck's hubcaps only hit Karma's hubcap. It ripped her cap right off, and did some pretty good damage to the rim itself. But somehow, even though the very edge of the rim was scratched and even significantly dented in places, the tire itself was just fine. 
Here are Karma's words, "I thank the Lord and the guardian angels he sent to keep the children and me safe from that careless trucker the other day. Only after calming down and looking at the wheel later did I see how close we came to disaster. Miracles still happen."
She also had this to say about driving through DC traffic, "I have driven through DC downtown and now know how. FIRST you must forgo laws of the land, God, and physics. THEN drive over or under any speed limit by 20 miles in quick succession. NEXT get familiar with your horn and hand gestures. LAST ignore the law of "only one object can occupy a space at any given time." You can do this by driving in parking spaces or park in driving spaces or just invent your own lane."

Remember that one time when Kenny climbed up in the PlayLand tube and got scared and couldn't get out? And how I had to climb up in there to get him out? And Karma took a picture of it just for fun?

The end.