Attempting family pictures with a tripod and a remote was just one of the adventures we had this weekend in Iowa! Seriously trying to get 9 kids and 8 adults to look in the same direction and not cry or look crazy or get their hair pulled by one feisty little baby boy that shall remain nameless is an exercise in pure chaos but nonetheless we attempted it and THIS is my favorite shot. The last “ok everyone make a silly face!” shot! Still editing and hopefully with some head swapping magic we will get at least one that works. That is how family pictures with small kids work…take 100 get 2. I also have a special place in my heart for the one below with Jason holding a screaming Abishai in a precarious position. Seriously, the lengths we go to to capture these memories.
The Dill boys are experts in silly…LOVE it!
There was lots or girly cousin time and for the 4th we went to downtown Cedar Rapids to watch the fireworks and kept way too many kids up WAY past any normal bedtime!
It takes a lot of cousins to complete one hole of mini-golf y’all!
Best part..I picked the background and just said to pose. These girls have it down!
There may also have been WAY too much sugar involved.
Being the brilliant Bibi she is Jason’s Mom bought all the kids glow sticks to celebrate (and kill time) while we waited for the fireworks.
And Auntie Jorie figured out they made a pretty cool pattern on Claire! Seriously these girls and their beautiful eyes…I could not stop taking pictures!
Fireworks!!!
The best part is watching the kid’s reactions.
a little loud though
And you would be correct to assume there was dancing until the wee hours!
Celebrating the 4th with family was awesome!
decisions, decisions…..
Even though the farmer’s market was rained out on Saturday we had to stop in to Newbo for some gourmet cupcakes and breakfast burritos!
One morning these adorable girls planned a treasure hunt and I totally was dying laughing at their excitement! They decided to put candy, fake money, little notes for everyone, and K-cups of coffee (“cuz grownups like coffee”) So fun!
Shhhh, the first clue!!
All the cousins together always makes for a mess (sorry Bibi and Babu) but it is also such sweet times and great memories!
Before hitting the road we met everyone at a local splash park! These two crack me up- the “E’s” are two peas in a pod!
The ride home involved some serious car dancing to stay sane, girls sobbing because they will miss the cousins so much, Evy falling asleep and peeing herself thus meaning changing in a McD’s parking lot (yes, we are keeping it classy), Abishai pooping through his pants, and by the time we hit Chicago traffic Jason was asking Siri “Siri, where is the nearest funny farm where I can check my wife into?” Seriously. Luckily we laugh more than we actually go insane which is why I LOVE my husband and today marks 13 years of crazy chaos that I would sign up for again even on the hard days. Good stuff I tell you.
Hope you all had a great weekend celebrating the 4th!!!
Amazing and beautiful pictures as always! Best of all, fun times with our wonderful family all together! Love you guys!
Africa is all gone!!! Your new layout looks great – but at the same time I miss the africa-flair somehow. But maybe it was time for a change 😉